Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915''Prisoner of War Collection''
National Archives – 17 January 1979) was a British actor and comedian best known for his appearances in the ''Carry On'' film series. He was also a regular on children's television and radio. Butterworth was married to actress and impressionist Janet Brown.

Early life

Butterworth was born on 4 February 1915, in Bramhall,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

War service

Butterworth served as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

of the Royal Navy during the Second World War.Brown, p. 64 On 21 June 1940 while serving with 826 Naval Air Squadron, Butterworth was shot down during an attack against a German-occupied seaplane air base on Texel in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Two Fairey Albacores were brought down by

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...

s over the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( ; ; or ; ; ; ) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern continental Europe and the range of low-lying Frisian Islands, forming a shallow body of water with tida ...

. Four were killed; Butterworth and his air gunner became

POWs A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. Butterworth was sent to

Stalag Luft III Stalag Luft III (; literally "Main Camp, Air, III"; SL III) was a ''Luftwaffe''-run prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during the Second World War, which held captured Western Allied air force personnel. The camp was established in March 1942 near th ...

near Sagan in Poland. It was there he met Talbot Rothwell, who later went on to write many of the '' Carry On'' films in which Butterworth was to star. Having never performed in public before his imprisonment, Butterworth formed a duo with Rothwell and sang in the camp shows. They delivered a song which Rothwell called "The Letter Edged In Black". The performance was followed by some comic repartee which, according to Butterworth's account, provoked enough boos and hisses to have the desired effect of drowning out the sounds of an escape tunnel being dug by other prisoners' escape party. After the war, Butterworth kept a photo of the concert party line-up, something which offered inspiration to him when starting a career in acting. Butterworth was one of the vaulters covering for the escapers during the escape portrayed by the book and film '' The Wooden Horse''. Butterworth later auditioned for the film in 1949 but "didn't look convincingly heroic or athletic enough" according to the makers of the film. Within the same camp as Butterworth and Rothwell were the future actors Rupert Davies and John Casson, the son of

Lewis Casson Sir Lewis Thomas Casson (26 October 187516 May 1969) was an English actor and theatre director, and the husband of actress Dame Sybil Thorndike.Devlin, DianaCasson, Sir Lewis Thomas (1875–1969) ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' ...

and

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her h ...

. All four remained very close friends after the war ended and they all appeared on '' This Is Your Life'' when Butterworth was a subject of the programme in 1975. Following the release of various archived documents from Germany in February 2024, the BBC News website reported a fuller picture of Butterworth's wartime escapades having interviewed his son, Tyler, for the article.

Acting career

Butterworth came to notice after appearing in

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 ...

around the UK. His first film appearance was 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 Film Productions, ...

film '' William Comes to Town'' (1948). Guest and Butterworth became close friends and the two worked on a further seven films together during their careers. His first major success was on television in the

Terry-Thomas Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 1911 – 8 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members ...

sketch show '' How Do You View?'' in which he played the chauffeur "Lockitt": his wife, Janet Brown, was also a cast member. Butterworth also presented successful programmes aimed at children in the 1950s including ''

Whirligig A whirligig is an object that spins or whirls, or has at least one part that spins or whirls. It can also be a Pinwheel (toy), pinwheel, Top (toy), spinning top, buzzer, comic weathervane, gee-haw, spinner, whirlygig, whirlijig, whirlyjig, whirl ...

'' and ''Butterworth Time''. He continued to take minor parts in films and went on to appear alongside actors including

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

,''The First Great Train Robbery''
The British Film Institute, accessed September 2011 David Niven and

Douglas Fairbanks Jr Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer, and decorated United States Navy, naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as ''The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 film), ...

during his career. Around the time his work in the Carry On films began, he guest appeared in two

First Doctor The First Doctor is the original incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the British Science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell in th ...

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' stories, starring

William Hartnell William Henry Hartnell (; 8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor, who is best known for portraying the first incarnation of the Doctor, in the long-running British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1963 t ...

, in 1965/66, ('' The Time Meddler'' and '' The Daleks' Master Plan''), playing The Monk. He starred in the children's TV show ''Saturday Special'' (with the

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

Porterhouse the Parrot), broadcast on Saturdays at 5:00 pm, alternating with ''Whirligig''.

''Carry On''

Butterworth's association with the Carry On films began mid-way through the series with '' Carry On Cowboy'' (1965), playing the part of "Doc". He was put in touch with the creator of the series, Peter Rogers, by his friend Talbot Rothwell, the writer of ''Carry On Cowboy'' and who had written the previous four films. Out of the actors who were considered to be the ''Carry On'' team, he was the sixth most prolific performer in the series, making sixteen film appearances, two Christmas specials, the television series in 1975 and the west end theatre productions which also toured the country, alongside Sid James,

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

and Kenneth Connor. His Carry On appearances portrayed his characters as typically quiet and subtly eccentric. He was often cast as a stooge for another character. Thus, in '' Carry On Screaming!'' he played Detective Constable Slobotham, the assistant for Detective Sergeant Bung ( Harry H. Corbett); while in '' Don't Lose Your Head'' he played Citizen Bidet, the assistant to Citizen Camembert (

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was a British actor and comedian. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 ''Carry ...

). In '' Carry On Camping'' he played Joshua Fiddler, the laid-back and eccentric camp site manager, who persuades Sid James's character to part with most of his money when booking into the camp site. Such was his loyalty to Peter Rogers and

Gerald Thomas Gerald Thomas (10 December 1920 – 9 November 1993) was an English film director best known for the long-running ''Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' series'' of British film comedies. Early life Born in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding ...

that Butterworth agreed to play three small roles in '' Carry On Again Doctor'', '' Carry On Loving'' and '' Carry On Henry''. He was unable to take larger parts due to other work and stage commitments, but these minor roles were specially written into the films for him. Butterworth returned to playing more substantial parts within the ''Carry On'' films with '' Carry On Abroad'' (1972), in which he played 'Pepe' the manager of an unfinished hotel with his nagging wife ( Hattie Jacques). Butterworth remained with the series until the final film in the main series, '' Carry On Emmannuelle'' (1978).

Later career

Having appeared in many of

's films during the beginning of his career, he also made three appearances in the films of

Richard Lester Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director, who spent the majority of his professional life in the United Kingdom. He is known for the fast-paced, flamboyant directing he brought to his comedy films, mo ...

. He appeared in Lester's film version of ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specif ...

'' (1966). A decade later, he appeared consecutively in '' The Ritz'' and '' Robin and Marian'' (both 1976) alongside

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

and

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

. He had an uncredited cameo part in the film version of the musical ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...

'' (1968) as a shopkeeper in court, and made a special appearance in an episode of ''

Catweazle ''Catweazle'' is a British children's fantasy television series, starring Geoffrey Bayldon in the title role, and created by Richard Carpenter for London Weekend Television. The first series, produced and directed in 1969 by Quentin Lawrence ...

'' (" The Demi Devil" 970 and the ''

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 ...

'' episode " The Face on the Poster" (1975). In 1975 he was the subject of an episode of ''This Is Your Life'' whereby Eamonn Andrews surprised him while he was shopping in

Selfridges Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of upmarket department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge in 1908. The historic Daniel Burnham-designed Self ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Friends who took part in the show included Terry Scott, Talbot Rothwell, Jimmy Jewel, John Casson and Rupert Davies. Butterworth's wife and their two children, Tyler and Emma were also at the recording. When the Carry on films finished in 1978, Butterworth began to concentrate on straight roles, taking a small part in the feature film '' The First Great Train Robbery'' with Sean Connery, and the

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. He has received numerous awards and honours including four BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two Tony Awards. In 2005 he received the Socie ...

play "Afternoon Off" (both 1979). These two productions were shown posthumously.

Personal life

Butterworth was introduced to actress and impressionist Janet Brown by Rothwell and the two married in 1946 at

St Mary's, Bryanston Square St Mary's, Bryanston Square, is a Church of England church dedicated to the Virgin Mary on Wyndham Place, Bryanston Square, London. A related Church of England primary school which was founded next to it bears the same name. History St Mary's, ...

, Marylebone. Brown later became known for her television impersonations of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

during the 1970s and 1980s. They had two children: Their son, Tyler Butterworth, also became an actor and is married to the actress

Janet Dibley Janet Dibley (born 13 December 1958) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Elaine Walker in the 1980s sitcom ''The Two of Us (1986 TV series), The Two of Us'', Lorna Cartwright in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', and Elaine Cassi ...

.obituaries ''The Independent'', p. 56 Their daughter, Emma, was born in 1962. She died in 1996 aged 34.

Death

In 1979, whilst '' The First Great Train Robbery'' was on general release, Butterworth was starring as Widow Twankey in the

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...

'' at the Coventry Theatre. When the show had finished, he went back to his hotel following the evening's performance. His failure to return for the following day's matinee show caused alarm, and he was found dead in his room from a heart attack. Butterworth was buried in Danehill Cemetery, in

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

. Following his death, the producer of the ''Carry On'' films, Peter Rogers, said that Butterworth was "a thoroughly nice bloke and a dear friend".Bright, p. 127

Filmography

*'' William Comes to Town'' (1948) – Postman *'' Murder at the Windmill'' ''Mystery at the Burlesque'' (1949) – Police Constable *'' Miss Pilgrim's Progress'' (1949) – Jonathan *'' The Adventures of Jane'' (1949) – Drunken Man *'' The Body Said No!'' (1950) – Driver *'' Night and the City'' (1950) – Thug (uncredited) *'' Double Confession'' (1950) – Joe (uncredited) *'' Paul Temple's Triumph'' (1950) – Telephone Engineer (uncredited) *'' Mister Drake's Duck'' (1951) – Higgins *''

Circle of Danger ''Circle of Danger'' (also known as ''White Heather'') is a 1951 British thriller film directed by Jacques Tourneur starring Ray Milland, Patricia Roc, Marius Goring, Hugh Sinclair and Naunton Wayne. The screenplay was by Philip MacDonald ...

'' (1951) – Ernie (The Diver) (uncredited) *'' Appointment with Venus'' (1951) – 1st Naval Rating *''The Case of the Missing Scene'' (1951) – George *''Island Rescue'' (1951) – 1st Naval Rating *'' Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure'' (1951) – Steve *'' Saturday Island'' a.k.a ''Island of Desire'' (1952) – Wounded Marine *'' Penny Princess'' (1952) – Julien / Postman / Farmer *'' Will Any Gentleman...?'' (1953) – Stage Manager *'' Colonel March Investigates'' (1953) – Bank clerk (uncredited) *'' Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?'' (1953) – Liftman *''Watch Out'' (1953, short) – Dickie Duffle *''A Good Pull-up'' (1953, short) – Dickie Duffle *''

The Gay Dog ''The Gay Dog'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Wilfred Pickles, Petula Clark and Megs Jenkins. The screen-play was by Peter Rogers based on the 1952 play of the same title by Joseph Colton; also starring P ...

'' (1954) – Another Betting Man *''

Fun at St. Fanny's ''Fun at St. Fanny's'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Fred Emney, Cardew Robinson and Vera Day. The film revolves around the teachers and students at St Fanny's private school. It was based on Robinson's "Ca ...

'' (1956) – The Potter *''Blow Your Own Trumpet'' (1958) – Mr. Bob Duff *''

Tom Thumb Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. ''The History of Tom Thumb'' was published in 1621 and was the first known fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, ...

'' (1958) – Kapellmeister *'' The Spider's Web'' (1960) – Inspector Lord *'' Escort for Hire'' (1960) – Inspector Bruce *'' Murder, She Said'' (1961) – Ticket Collector *'' Fate Takes a Hand'' (1961) – Ronnie *''

The Day the Earth Caught Fire ''The Day the Earth Caught Fire'' is a 1961 British science-fiction disaster film directed by Val Guest and starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern, and Janet Munro. It is one of the classic apocalyptic films of its era. The film opened at the Odeon Ma ...

'' (1961) – 2nd Sub-Editor (uncredited) *'' She'll Have to Go'' , a.k.a. ''Maid for Murder'' (1962) – Doctor *'' Kill or Cure'' (1962) – Green Glades Barman *'' Live Now, Pay Later'' (1962) – Fred *''The Prince and the Pauper'' (1962) – Will *''The Rescue Squad'' (1963) – Mr. Maggs *'' The Switch'' (1963) – Fashion Photographer (uncredited) *'' The Odd Man'', "Prince on a White Horse" (1963) – Victor West *'' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) – Ambulance Driver *'' The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre'', " Never Mention Murder" (1964) – Porter *'' A Home of Your Own'' (1965) – The Carpenter *'' The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders'' (1965) – Grunt *'' Carry On Cowboy'' (1965) – Doc *'' Carry On Screaming!'' (1966) – Detective Constable Slobotham *''

'' (1966) – Roman Sentry #2 *'' Don't Lose Your Head'' (1966) – Citizen Bidet *''Ouch!'' (short, 1967) – Jonah Whale *'' Carry On Follow That Camel'' (1967) – Simpson *'' Carry On Doctor'' (1967) – Mr. Smith *''Danny the Dragon'' (1967) – Farmer *'' Prudence and the Pill'' (1968) – Chemist *'' Carry On Up the Khyber'' (1968) – Brother Belcher *'' Carry On Camping'' (1969) – Mr. Fiddler *'' Carry On Again Doctor'' (1969) – Shuffling Patient *'' Carry On Loving'' (1970) – Sinister Client (uncredited) *'' Carry On Henry'' (1971) – Charles, Earl of Bristol (uncredited) *'' The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins'' (1971) – Guest Appearance (segment "Sloth") *'' A Class by Himself'' (1972) – Clutton *'' Bless This House'' (1972) – Trevor Lewis *'' Carry On Abroad'' (1972) – Pepe *'' Not Now Darling'' (1973) – Painter (uncredited) *''

Carry On Girls ''Carry On Girls'' is a 1973 British comedy film, the 25th release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film features regulars Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butter ...

'' (1973) – Admiral *'' Carry On Dick'' (1974) – Tom *'' Carry On Behind'' (1975) – Henry Barnes *'' Robin and Marian'' (1976) – Surgeon *'' The Ritz'' (1976) – Patron In Chaps *'' Carry On England'' (1976) – Major Carstairs *'' What's Up Nurse!'' (1978) – Police Sergeant *'' Carry On Emmannuelle'' (1978) – Richmond *'' The First Great Train Robbery'', a.k.a. ''The Great Train Robbery'' (1979) – Putnam

Television roles

*''By Candlelight'' (1949) (BBC TV) – Linder *'' How Do You View?'' (1950–1951) (BBC TV) – various sketch roles * '' BBC Sunday Night Theatre'', "The Happy Sunday Afternoon" – Danny Broadhurst *''Saturday Special'' (1951–1953), 31 episodes – Mr Chadwicke-Bugle *'' Whirlygig'' (1951) (BBC TV), Episode #1.18 – Police Sergeant *''The Passing Show'' (1951) (BBC TV), "1940–1946: Only Yesterday" – Pub strategist *''Aladdin'' (1951) (BBC TV) – Widow Twankey *''Trial Gallop'' (1952) (BBC TV) * ''Friends and Neighbours'' (1954) (BBC TV), 6 episodes – George Bird *'' Theatre Royal'', "The Stocking" (1955) (ATV) – Sam Adams *'' Those Kids'' (1956) (ATV), 16 episodes – My Oddy *'' ITV Play of the Week'', "I Killed the Count" (1956) – Chief Detective Inspector Davidson *'' Armchair Theatre'', "The Common Man" (1956) – Albert Price *''Armchair Theatre'', "Start from Scratch" (1957) – Henry Cantrell *''Armchair Theatre'', "Off the Deep End" (1957) – Fred Dewsnap *''Any Old Iron?'' (1957) (BBC TV) – Old Sam *''The Anne Shelton Show'' (1959) (ATV) *''

No Hiding Place ''No Hiding Place'' is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV (TV network), ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series ''Murder Bag'' ...

'', "Everybody Loves Jerry" (1959) (ITV) – Wellman *''Inside Story'', "A Present for Penny" (1960) (TV series) – Ernest Day * ''Meet the Champ'' (1960) (BBC TV), 6 episodes – Sammy, trainer *'' The Cheaters'' (1961–1962) (ABC) – "The Legacy" (1961): Tim; "Time to Kill" (1962): Anderson *''Armchair Theatre'', "His Polyvinyl Girl" (1961) – Albert Potter *'' Alfred Marks Time'' (1961) (ITV) * '' ITV Television Playhouse'', "Mr. Cole and the Middle Kingdom" (1961) – Mr. Cole *''Armchair Theatre'', "The Fishing Match" (1962) – Boney *'' Bulldog Breed'', "The New Garage" and "The New Digs" (1962 (Granada TV) – Henry Broadbent *''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'', "Dead Jammy" (1962) – Jammy Tate *''

The Danny Thomas Show ''The Danny Thomas Show'' (titled ''Make Room for Daddy'' for its first three seasons) is an American sitcom that ran from 1953 to 1957 on ABC and from 1957 to 1964 on CBS. Starring Danny Thomas as a successful night club entertainer, the sho ...

'', "A Hunting We Will Go" (1962) (CBS) – Publican (uncredited) *''The Magical World of Disney'' (1962–1963), 5 episodes – Will the Knifegrinder / Zigon *'' ITV Play of the Week'', "The Kidnapping of Mary Smith" (1963) – Mr. MacDiarmid *'' ITV Play of the Week'', "Cunningham 5101" (1963) – Mr. Kitchener *'' BBC Sunday-Night Play'', "The Holly Road Rig" (1963) – Mr. Meedle *'' Emergency Ward 10'' (1964), five episodes – Herbert Evans *''

Festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

'', "Police" (1964) – Sergeant *''The Roy Castle Show'' (1964) (BBC TV) *'' Drama 61-67'', "Drama '64: A Menace to Decent People" (1964) (ATV) – Jenkins *''

Armchair Mystery Theatre ''Armchair Mystery Theatre'' is a 60-minute UK television anthology mystery series. Thirty-four episodes aired from 1960–1965. It was hosted by Donald Pleasence and produced by Leonard White. It was a spin-off from the successful '' Armchai ...

'', "The Blackmailing of Mr S" (1964) (ABC) – Vicary *'' Love Story'', "The Apprentices" (1964) (ATV) – Mr. Davies *''Just Jimmy'', "Chips with Nothing" (1964) *''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...

'' a.k.a. ''Secret Agent'', "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove" (1965) (ITC) – 'Umbrella' *'' ITV Play of the Week'', "We Thought You'd Like to Be Caesar" (1965) – Ernest Rogers *'' Public Eye'', "A Harsh World for Zealots" (1965) – Arthur Gates *''

Six of the Best Six of the Best was a reunion concert between the English rock band Genesis and their original frontman Peter Gabriel, with former guitarist Steve Hackett joining the band for the two encores. The one-off event took place on 2 October 1982 at the ...

'', "Porterhouse: Private Eye" (1965) (ATV) – Edwin Porterhouse *''

'' (1965–1966) (BBC TV) – "Checkmate", "A Battle of Wits", "The Meddling Monk", "The Watcher (1965): Monk; "Escape Switch", "Golden Death", "Volcano" (1966): The Meddling Monk *'' Hugh and I'', "It Never Rains" (1966) (BBC TV) *''The

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of a soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

Show'' (1966) (BBC TV) *'' The Informer'', "Keep off the Grass" (1967) – Manny Hirschorn *''Danny the Dragon''(1967) (CFF) – Farmer *''Scott on...'', 21 episodes (1968–1972) (BBC TV) *'' The Sooty Show'' (1968–1974) (BBC/ITV), four episodes *'' Inside George Webley'', "Get Well Soon" (1968) – Dr. Horniman *''

The Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of United Kingdom, British television plays which ran on BBC One, BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic ...

'', "The Fabulous Frump" (1969) (BBC TV) – Albert Gill *''Wink to Me Only'', "The Lost Chord" (1969) (BBC TV) – Piano tuner *'' Nearest and Dearest'', "Now Is the Hour" (1969) (ITV) – Lord Mayor *'' Carry on Christmas'' (1969) (ITV) – Dracula / Street Beggar / Convent Girl *''

'', eleven episodes (1970–1971) – Groome / Colonel Upshaw *''Ours Is a Nice House'', "Judge for Yourself" (1970) (ITV) – Honest Harry *'' Kindly Leave the Kerb'', six episodes (1971) (LWT) – Ernest Tanner *'' A Class by Himself'', six episodes (1972) (ITV) – Clutton *''Carry On Christmas: Carry On Stuffing'' (1972) (ITV) – 1st Singing Caveman / Guest / 2nd Dart player *''

Odd Man Out ''Odd Man Out'' is a 1947 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, and starring James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack, and Kathleen Ryan. Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it follows a wounded Nationalist leader who attempts to evade pol ...

'' (1977) – Wilf *''

'', "The Face on the Poster" (1975) (BBC TV) – Mr. Bugden *'' Carry On Laughing'', nine episodes (1975) (ITV) *'' A Bunch of Fives'', "A Cry for Help" (1977) (ATV) – Albert Harris *''

'', seven episodes, (1977) (ITV) – Wilf *'' The Dancing Princesses'' (1978) (ATV) – The Chamberlain *'' Afternoon Off '' (1979) (ITV) – Mr Bywaters

References

Sources

* * *

External links

Details of Butterworth's wartime service
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butterworth, Peter 1915 births 1979 deaths 20th-century English comedians 20th-century English male actors British World War II prisoners of war English male comedians English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Fleet Air Arm aviators Fleet Air Arm personnel of World War II People educated at William Hulme's Grammar School People from Bramhall People from Danehill, East Sussex Royal Navy officers of World War II Royal Navy personnel of World War II Shot-down aviators World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Comedians from Cheshire Male actors from Cheshire Stalag Luft III prisoners of World War II Actors from the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport