William George Burden (15 June 1914 – 3 June 1994) was an English actor and comedian, who specialised in playing "

country bumpkin Yokel is one of several derogatory terms referring to the stereotype of unsophisticated country people. The term is of uncertain etymology and is only attributed from the early 19th century. Yokels are depicted as straightforward, simple, naï ...

" roles. He made many appearances in the Theatre Royal panto in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

for Frank Maddox. Debuted on ITV as William in the TV series ''

A Present for Dickie ''A Present for Dickie'' is a British television comedy aired from 1969 to 1970 on ITV. Cast included Dickie Henderson, Fabia Drake, Dennis Ramsden and Billy Burden. It was produced by Thames Television. All six episodes are believed to be lost. ...

'' (1969–70), but only six episodes were made. From 1972 to 1984 he guested many times on the touring cabaret show "The Rick Jango Road Show" In 1978, he guest-starred as a farmer in the episode 'Nappy Days' of ''

George & Mildred ''George and Mildred'' is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television and first aired between 1976 and 1979. It is a spin-off from '' Man About the House'', and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as constantly-sparring married couple ...

''. In 1980, he starred in another short-lived TV series, '' Oh, Happy Band'', playing the role of Mr Sowerby. Again, only six episodes were made. In 1982, he appeared in the

Val Guest Val Guest (born Valmond Maurice Grossman; 11 December 1911 – 10 May 2006) was an English film director and screenwriter. Beginning as a writer (and later director) of comedy films, he is best known for his work for Hammer, for whom he direct ...

film ''

The Boys in Blue ''The Boys in Blue'' is a 1982 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Tommy Cannon, Bobby Ball, Suzanne Danielle and Roy Kinnear. It is loosely based on the 1939 Will Hay film ''Ask a Policeman'', which Guest co-wrote. Some ...

'' (as the herdsman). Burden also guest-starred four times in ''

Hi-de-Hi! ''Hi-de-Hi!'' is a BBC television sitcom shown on BBC1 from 1 January 1980 to 30 January 1988. Set in 1959 and 1960 in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, the show was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote '' Dad's Army'' a ...

''; three times as Mr Turner (1986 & 1988) and once as Mr Thompson (1986). Burden is also known for his role as Morris Moulterd in ''

Grace & Favour ''Grace & Favour'' (American title: ''Are You Being Served? Again!'') is a British sitcom and a spin-off of ''Are You Being Served?'' that aired on BBC1 for two series from 1992 to 1993. It was written by ''Are You Being Served?'' creators and ...

'' (American and Canadian title: ''Are You Being Served? Again!'') (1992–93), a spin-off from ''

Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British sitcom created and written by executive producer David Croft (Croft also directed some episodes) and Jeremy Lloyd, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Set in London, ...

''. Burden died of a heart attack in 1994.

References

External links

*
Billy Burden obituary in The Independent
1914 births 1994 deaths English male stage actors English male film actors English male television actors People from Wimborne Minster Male actors from Dorset 20th-century English male actors {{UK-screen-actor-stub