Arthur English
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Arthur Leslie Norman English (9 May 1919 – 16 April 1995) was an English television, film and stage actor and comedian from the
music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
tradition.


Early life

English was born at 22 Lysons Road in
Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
,'Arthur English, ''Aldershot Historical & Archaeological Society'' (AHAS), Yearbook 23 (2010) pg7
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, the son of Walter Frederick English (1856–1948) and Ethel English (
née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Parsons) (1886–1975), who married at Holy Trinity church in Aldershot in 1909. Arthur English had two older brothers: Walter (born 1910) and John Edgar (born 1912). All three boys were born in their parents' bedroom in Lysons Road and all three were baptised at Holy Trinity church. He attended West End Boys School in Aldershot (now the West End Centre) from the age of 5 to 14. His first stage appearance was aged 10 when he joined a group from Gale & Polden called the 'Five O'clock Follies' as an acrobat.AHAS, pg8 On leaving school in 1933 he briefly worked at Fisher's Hotel in nearby
Farnham Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...
before becoming an errand boy in a local grocery shop. After serving in the British Army in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
with the
Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The re ...
and the
Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...
, reaching the rank of
sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
, English worked as a painter and decorator in his native town and in the evenings worked as a semi-professional entertainer in various local venues polishing up his comedy routines. He married Ivy Ruth Martin in 1941; it was she who made his enormous kipper ties out of brightly coloured curtain material at the beginning of his stage career. They had two children, Ann Faith (1942–1999) and Anthony (born 1947). In 1949, while still employed in
Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
as a painter and decorator, English and his then stage partner Jonny Carrol unsuccessfully auditioned at the Windmill Theatre in London. On a second, and this time solo audition with Vivian Van Damm, English became resident comedian at the Windmill Theatre at the same time compering a show for Bob Potter. English stayed at the Windmill as the principal comic until August 1950. His early professional career was as a stand-up comic in the persona of a stereotypical wartime "
spiv A spiv is a petty criminal in the United Kingdom who deals in illicit, typically black market, goods. Spivs were particularly active during the Second World War and in the post-war period when many goods were rationed due to shortages. According ...
", and he became known as "The Prince of the Wide Boys" dressed in a trilby hat, a white jacket and padded shoulders with a
pencil moustache A pencil moustache is a thin moustache found adjacent to, or a little above the lip. The style is neatly clipped, so that the moustache takes the form of a thin line, as if it had been drawn using a pencil. A large gap is left between the nose ...
set off with a flamboyant kipper tie four inches wide.


Acting career

His radio work began with the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
series '' Variety Bandbox'', using as always his own Aldershot accent but in the persona of a
Cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...
spiv. His usual delivery was to tell a long rambling
shaggy dog story In its original sense, a shaggy-dog story or yarn is an extremely long-winded anecdote characterized by extensive narration of typically irrelevant incidents and terminated by an anticlimax. In other words, it is a long story that is intended ...
at ever-increasing rapidity without losing clarity until, at top speed, he would end with the catch-phrase: "Play the music! Open the cage!" Another popular catch-phrase was "Mum. Mum. They're laughing at me!". He began to appear on British television in mainly comedy roles in the 1970s, and is probably best remembered for playing the truculent and somewhat bolshy (though not entirely unsympathetic) maintenance man, Mr. Harman, in ''
Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British television sitcom that was broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was created and written by David Croft (TV producer), David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. Croft also served as executive producer and television directo ...
'' which he played from 1976 to 1985, including the 1977
film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
. He played Arthur, Alf Garnett's mate, in '' In Sickness and in Health'', a follow-up series to '' Till Death Us Do Part'' from 1985 to 1990. He also appeared in '' The Sweeney''.English
on the
Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
He had more likeable roles in two British children's TV series: ''
The Ghosts of Motley Hall ''The Ghosts of Motley Hall'' is a British children's television series written by Richard Carpenter.Lewis, Jon. E., and Stempel, Penny. ''The Ultimate TV Guide'' (p. 141). London : Orion. 1999 It was produced and directed by Quentin Lawren ...
'', which ran from 1976 to 1978 on ITV (produced by
Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...
), and as "Slugger" in ''
Follyfoot ''Follyfoot'' is a children's television series co-produced by the majority-partner British television company Yorkshire Television (for transmission on ITV) and the independent West German company ''TV München'' (for transmission on the ZD ...
'', which ran from 1971 to 1973, also on ITV (produced by
Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
). He was in several other films including ''
For the Love of Ada ''For the Love of Ada'' is an ITV sitcom that ran for 27 episodes between 1970 and 1971. It tells the story of a romance between pensioners. Created by the writing duo of Vince Powell and Harry Driver, the popular sitcom starred Irene Handl a ...
'' (1972) as "Arthur" and ''Everyday Maths'' (1978), a British TV schools programme starring
Jack Wild Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as the Artful Dodger in the film ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at t ...
as English's grandson. In 1978 he was the subject in '' This Is Your Life'', while in May 1983 he was a guest on ''
Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...
'' with
Roy Plomley Francis Roy Plomley ( ; 20 January 1914 – 28 May 1985) was an English radio broadcaster, producer, playwright and novelist. He is best remembered for creating the BBC Radio series ''Desert Island Discs'', which he hosted from its inception in ...
. Also in 1983 he played Frosch in ''
Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original literary source for ' was ...
'' with
English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...
at the
London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, City of Westminster, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the Lond ...
. In 1985 he appeared in an episode of the American TV series ''
Magnum, P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980, to May 1, 1988, during its first-run broadcast on ...
''. English appeared in the
Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...
in 1951 and 1980. He had been president of
Aldershot Town F.C. Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League (division), National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The ...
which had been formed out of the ashes of
Aldershot F.C. Aldershot Football Club was a football club from Aldershot, Hampshire, England, that played in the English Football League from 1932 to 1992. The club was nicknamed ''The Shots'' for both the last syllable of the town name and the military link ...
The new club badge depicted a rising phoenix and was designed by English. He had also been a long-standing member of the showbusiness charity the
Grand Order of Water Rats The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membership an ...
, which he joined in 1970, a
Freeman of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...
and an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Rushmoor.


Personal life

Following the death of his wife Ivy (1919–75), English began to drink. On 27 August 1977, English married a young dancer, Teresa Mann (born 1955), whom he met while they were performing in a
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
together at
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
, and in 1981, the couple had a daughter – Clare-Louise English, the deaf mute actress director and writer who founded Hot Coals Productions, a Production company working the theatre film and TV who specialise in creating accessible content. The performers
John Inman Frederick John Inman (28 June 1935 – 8 March 2007) was an English actor and singer best known for his role as Mr. Humphries in ''Are You Being Served?'', a British sitcom between 1972 and 1985, and the spin-off series ''Grace and Favour.'' He ...
and Jack Douglas were the child's godparents. The couple separated in 1986, and the marriage was dissolved in 1987. The last four years of his life were spent in Devereux House, a care home in Farnborough where he liked to play
draughts Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; Commonwealth English), is a group of strategy board games for two players which involve forward movements of uniform game pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over opponent pieces. ...
and bred canaries. Arthur English died in 1995 at
Frimley Park Hospital Frimley Park Hospital is a large general hospital in Frimley, Surrey. It is managed by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, and houses a private wing. History Frimley Park Hospital was opened to provide a full range of acute services to pati ...
in
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
as a result of complications from
emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...
. After a funeral service at
St Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...
's church at which fellow Water Rat
Jimmy Perry James Perry (20 September 1923 – 23 October 2016) was an English scriptwriter and actor. He devised and co-wrote the BBC sitcoms ''Dad's Army'' (1968–1977), '' It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' (1974–1981), '' Hi-de-Hi!'' (1980–1988) and '' You R ...
read the oration, his body was cremated at the Park Crematorium in Aldershot where his ashes were later interred in a plot with those of his first wife.


Honours

An Aldershot Civic Society
blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...
was unveiled by actor and singer
Jess Conrad Jess Conrad (born Gerald Arthur James; 24 February 1936) is an English stage and screen actor and singer. As a boy he was nicknamed "Jesse" after American outlaw Jesse James; as there was already an actor named "Gerald James" in Actors' Equity Ass ...
OBE on 15 July 2017 at 22 Lysons Road where English was born in 1919.Arthur English Honoured
Grand Order of Water Rats The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membership an ...
website


Selected television appearances

* ''
Comedy Playhouse ''Comedy Playhouse'' is a long-running British anthology series of one-off unrelated sitcoms that aired for 128 episodes from 1961 to 1975. Many episodes later graduated to their own series, including '' Steptoe and Son'', '' Meet the Wife'', ' ...
'' (1967 & 1970) – Arthur Oakley / The Voice * ''
Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...
'' (1970) – the Policeman * ''
Doctor in the House Doctor in the House may refer to: * Doctor in the House (novel), ''Doctor in the House'' (novel), a 1952 novel by Richard Gordon ** Doctor in the House (film), ''Doctor in the House'' (film), a 1954 British film adaptation of the novel *** Doctor i ...
'' (1970) – Vincent * '' Bless This House'' (1971) – Traffic Warden * '' Doctor at Large'' (1971) – Vincent * ''
ITV Playhouse ''Playhouse'', also known as ''ITV Playhouse'', is a British television anthology series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black a ...
'' (1972) – Tom * ''
Doctor in Charge ''Doctor in Charge'' is a British television comedy series, the third of seven series in a franchise that began with ''Doctor in the House'' and was inspired by the "Doctor" books by Richard Gordon. The series follows directly from its predec ...
'' (1972 & 1973) – Vincent * ''
Follyfoot ''Follyfoot'' is a children's television series co-produced by the majority-partner British television company Yorkshire Television (for transmission on ITV) and the independent West German company ''TV München'' (for transmission on the ZD ...
'' (1971–1973) – Slugger * ''
Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Ca ...
'' (1973) – Carlyle * ''
Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...
'' (1973, 1974, 1975 & 1977) – Billy Baker / Arthur Robins / Eddie Taylor / Mr. Sampson * ''
The Ghosts of Motley Hall ''The Ghosts of Motley Hall'' is a British children's television series written by Richard Carpenter.Lewis, Jon. E., and Stempel, Penny. ''The Ultimate TV Guide'' (p. 141). London : Orion. 1999 It was produced and directed by Quentin Lawren ...
'' (1976–1978) – Bodkin / 'Boddikins * ''
Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British television sitcom that was broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was created and written by David Croft (TV producer), David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. Croft also served as executive producer and television directo ...
'' (1976–1985) – Mr. Beverley Harman * '' Funny Man'' (1981) – George Leslie * ''
Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...
'' (1983) – Albert * ''
Magnum, P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980, to May 1, 1988, during its first-run broadcast on ...
'' (1985) - Newspaper Seller * '' High & Dry'' (1987) – Fred Whattle * '' In Sickness and in Health'' (1985–1990) – Arthur / the Man in Pub (final appearance)


Selected filmography

* '' Echo of Diana'' (1963) – Punter in betting shop * ''
The Hi-Jackers ''The Hi-Jackers'' is a 1963 British black and white second feature ('B') crime thriller film written and directed by Jim O'Connolly, starring Anthony Booth and Jacqueline Ellis. Plot Long-distance independent lorry driver Terry meets homeless ...
'' (1963) – Bert * '' Percy'' (1971) – Pub Comic * ''
For the Love of Ada ''For the Love of Ada'' is an ITV sitcom that ran for 27 episodes between 1970 and 1971. It tells the story of a romance between pensioners. Created by the writing duo of Vince Powell and Harry Driver, the popular sitcom starred Irene Handl a ...
'' (1972) – Arthur * ''
Love Thy Neighbour Love Thy Neighbor or Love Thy Neighbour may also refer to: Film * Love Thy Neighbor (1940 film), ''Love Thy Neighbor'' (1940 film), an American film * Love Thy Neighbour (1967 film), ''Love Thy Neighbour'' (1967 film), a Danish-German comedy fil ...
'' (1973) – Carter * ''
Malachi's Cove ''Malachi's Cove'' (also known as ''The Seaweed Children'') is a 1974 British-Canadian coming-of-age film, coming-of-age period drama film directed by Henry Herbert, 17th Earl of Pembroke, Henry Herbert and starring Donald Pleasence, Veronica Qu ...
'' (1973) – Jack Combes * '' Barry McKenzie Holds His Own'' (1974) – Cockney Spiv * ''
Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British television sitcom that was broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was created and written by David Croft (TV producer), David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. Croft also served as executive producer and television directo ...
'' (1977) – Mr. Harman * '' The Boys in Blue'' (1982) – Farmer


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:English, Arthur 1919 births 1995 deaths Male actors from Aldershot English male comedians English male radio actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male film actors British Army personnel of World War II Deaths from emphysema 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English comedians Royal Hampshire Regiment soldiers Royal Armoured Corps soldiers Military personnel from Aldershot Comedians from Hampshire