John Hamblin
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John Reginald Hamblin (18 March 1935 – 21 September 2022), known affectionately as "Funny John" or "Naughty John", was a British-born Australian children's television presenter and actor of stage and screen who appeared in theatre productions, soap operas and made-for-TV films. Hamblin was a presenter on the Australian children's television program '' Play School'' for 29 years, from 1970 to 1999. He featured in more than 350 episodes and became the second-longest-serving presenter in the program's history, after
Benita Collings Benita Collings (born 1940) is an Australian theatre, television and film character actress and children's television presenter best known for her role on ABC TV's '' Play School''. Collings has also featured in documentaries and commercials. ...
, with whom he often presented.


Early life

Hamblin was born on 18 March 1935 in
Ash, Surrey Ash is a village and civil parish in the far west of the borough of Guildford, Surrey. Ash is on the eastern side of the River Blackwater, with a station on the Reading-Guildford-Gatwick line, and direct roads to Aldershot, Farnham and Guildfo ...
, England, and grew up in
Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
. When Hamblin's mother moved in with the local baker, his father moved the rest of the family to Norfolk. He lost contact with his mother at that point. Hamblin's father had flown with the
Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...
during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, and Hamblin himself joined the Air Force and did his national service in
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
in the late 1950s before returning to England. Hamblin initially trained at art school for six months but decided on a career in acting instead, and he studied drama to become an actor.


Career


Theatre

Hamblin started his acting career in England in repertory theatre with the
Theatre Royal, Windsor The Theatre Royal is an Edwardian era, Edwardian theatre on Thames Street in Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in Berkshire. The present building is the second theatre to stand on this site and opened on 13 December 1910. Built for Sir William Shipley ...
. He also worked in old time music hall. After emigrating to Australia, Hamblin continued to work in theatre over 25 years, from 1970 until 1995, including ''
Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to: * ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward * ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play * Blithe Spirit (''Ford Star Jubilee''), a 1956 television play version of ...
'' and a stage show of ''Play School''. Hamblin also toured in the stage play ''
Crown Matrimonial In Scots law, the Crown Matrimonial was the right of a queen regnant's male consort to reign equally with his wife, as king consort. The Crown Matrimonial of Scotland was sought by King Francis II of France, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, by th ...
'' as
King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...
.


Television

In 1967, Hamblin made an appearance in the cult British TV series ''
The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a British television series created by Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan portrays Number Six (The Prisoner), Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a The Village (The Prisoner), mysteri ...
'' in the episode " A Change of Mind". After migrating to Australia, Hamblin secured roles in television from the late 1960s until the late 1980s, including roles in
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
s, becoming notable for his role in series ''
The Restless Years ''The Restless Years'' is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and the drama and relationships faced by young adults. It was created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for N ...
'' as A.R. Jordan. His TV credits also include ''
Number 96 96 (ninety-six) is the natural number following 95 and preceding 97. It is a number that appears the same when rotated by 180 degrees. In mathematics 96 is: * an octagonal number. * a refactorable number. * an untouchable number. * a semiper ...
'', ''
Class of '74 ''Class of '74'' (and subsequently ''Class of '75'') was a soap opera that screened on the Seven Network in Australia and produced by Reg Grundy Organisation, with Peter Maxwell as EP and sometime director, the series was created by John Edward ...
'', ''
The Young Doctors ''The Young Doctors'' is an Australian early-evening soap opera originally broadcast on the Nine Network and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation, it aired from Monday 8 November 1976 until Wednesday 30 March 1983. The series is primarily s ...
'' (as Dr Dan Wheatley), ''
Case for the Defence ''Case for the Defence'' is a 1978 Australian legal TV series.Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 102 It starred John Hamblin as Sydney defence lawyer John Case and Judith Arthy as Winsome Blake. Supporting cas ...
'', and '' Sons and Daughters''. Hamblin played the role of
Michael Chamberlain Michael Leigh Chamberlain (27 February 1944 – 9 January 2017) was a New Zealand-Australian writer, teacher and pastor falsely implicated in the August 1980 death of his missing daughter Azaria, which was later demonstrated to be the result ...
in the 1984 telemovie '' The Disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain''. After a hiatus in the 1990s, he returned to TV series in guest roles in '' All Saints'' and ''
Love My Way ''Love My Way'' is an Australian television drama series created by John Edwards and Claudia Karvan, which premiered on Fox8 on 22 November 2004, before moving to W. for its second season, and Showtime for its third and final season, conclu ...
'' in the early 2000s.


''Play School'' presenter

Known as being irreverent and inserting double-entendres into skits, Hamblin was the second-most-prolific presenter of ''Play School'', appearing in 357 episodes from 1970 to 1999, while fellow presenter Benita Collings appeared in 401 episodes. On the show, Hamblin would sing, read stories, make crafts, play with the toys and educate children about such things as telling the time and the days of the week. Hamblin is especially remembered for his presenting partnership with longtime hosts Benita Collings and
Noni Hazlehurst Leonie Elva "Noni" Hazlehurst is an Australian actress, director, writer, presenter, and broadcaster who has appeared on television and radio, in dramas, mini-series, and made for television films, as well also on stage and in feature films ...
. Hamblin returned briefly for a special guest appearance in 2016, as part of ''Play School''s 50th anniversary special. Many bloopers of Hamblin's time on ''Play School'' have since resurfaced, most of which feature him forgetting lines or making sexually explicit jokes.


Personal life

Hamblin came to Australia in the 1960s as a "
Ten Pound Pom Ten Pound Poms were British citizens who migrated to Australia and New Zealand after the Second World War. The government of Australia initiated the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme in 1945, and the government of New Zealand initiated a simil ...
" with his second wife, Wendy. After ''Play School'', he retired and moved to Tasmania with his third wife, Jenny, whom he married in 1984. He had two children, Emma and Myles. He suffered a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
. In 2008, he published his memoirs, ''Open Wide, Come Inside'', with Peter Richman. Hamblin died at a hospital in Sydney on 21 September 2022, aged 87.


Filmography


Film


Television


Theatre


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamblin, John 1935 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Australian male actors Australian male film actors Australian male television actors English emigrants to Australia Male actors from Suffolk 21st-century Australian male actors Australian children's television presenters Male actors from Surrey Actors from the Borough of Guildford