Richard Bernard Murdoch (6 April 1907 – 9 October 1990) was an English actor and entertainer. After early professional experience in the chorus in

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

, Murdoch quickly moved on to increasingly prominent roles in musical comedy and

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

in the West End and on tour. He made his first radio broadcast for 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 ...

in 1932 and in 1937 and 1938 he featured in early television broadcasts. He came to national fame when cast with the comedian

Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey (6 June 1900 – 16 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey was known for his short stature (5' 2", 1.58 m) and distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, and his playful humour incorporating improvisation an ...

in the radio show '' Band Waggon'' in 1938. Their contrasting styles appealed to the public and they took a version of the show on tour to theatres around the country and made a film adaptation of it. Serving in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

during the

Second World War 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 ...

, Murdoch met a fellow officer,

Kenneth Horne Charles Kenneth Horne, generally known as Kenneth Horne (27 February 1907 – 14 February 1969), was an English comedian and businessman. He is perhaps best remembered for his work on three BBC Radio series: ''Much-Binding-in-the-Mars ...

, and together they conceived, wrote and starred in the radio series ''

Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh ''Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh'' was a comedy show broadcast from 1944 to 1950 and 1951 to 1954 by BBC Radio and in 1950–1951 by Radio Luxembourg. It was written by and starred Richard Murdoch and Kenneth Horne as officers in a fictional RAF sta ...

'', which ran from 1944 to 1954. Murdoch's last long-running radio programmes were ''

The Men from the Ministry ''The Men from the Ministry'' is a British radio comedy series broadcast by the BBC between 1962 and 1977, starring Wilfrid Hyde-White, Richard Murdoch and, from 1966, when he replaced Hyde-White, Deryck Guyler. Written and produced by Edward ...

'' (1962–1977) in which he played a well-meaning but disaster-prone civil servant, and '' Many a Slip'', a panel game that combined humour and erudition, in which he appeared from 1964 to 1973. Murdoch appeared on air and on stage in Australia, Canada and South Africa, and continued acting and broadcasting into his eighties.

Life and career

Early years

Murdoch was born on 6 April 1907 at his family's home in Keston, Kent, the only son of Bernard Murdoch, a tea merchant, and his wife, Amy Florence, daughter of the

Ven Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It comprises an area of , and its popul ...

Avison Scott,

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denomina ...

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) (historic spelling ''Tunbridge'') is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Mall ...

. He was educated at

Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...

in Surrey, and

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 students and fellows. It is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from ...

, which he left without taking a degree. His biographer Barry Took comments that Murdoch's appetite for a career in show business was "whetted by success with the

Cambridge Footlights The Cambridge Footlights, commonly referred to simply as Footlights, is a student sketch comedy troupe located in Cambridge, England. Footlights was founded in 1883, and is one of Britain's oldest student sketch comedy troupes. The comedy so ...

". Murdoch made his professional stage debut in March 1927 at the Kings Theatre, Southsea, in the chorus of ''The Blue Train'', a

starring Lily Elsie and directed by Jack Hulbert. He remained in the show when it opened in the West End in May of that year. He graduated from the chorus to a supporting role in a tour of ''Oh! Letty'', a "musical farce" in which he was praised by Neville Cardus for "a stretch of distinguished dancing". In 1932 he married Peggy, daughter of William Rawlings, solicitor. They had one son and two daughters. During the 1930s he gained increasingly prominent roles in musicals and

s, including the secondary romantic lead to Jack Buchanan's star, in ''Stand up and Sing'' (1932), and the lead in a 1936 tour of '' Gay Divorce'' in the part played in New York and London by

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

.Gaye, p. 1001 The

transmitted a live radio relay of ''Stand up and Sing'' in April 1932, and Murdoch was in another such relay in 1934 in an entertainment called ''Bubbles''. His first studio work for the corporation was in 1936 in a radio show called ''Tunes of the Town'', and during 1937 and early 1938 he took part in five broadcasts by the fledgling

BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

service, including an adaptation of

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's one-act comedy with music, '' Red Peppers'' in which he played the Coward role.

''Band Waggon'' and ''Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh''

In 1938 the BBC teamed Murdoch with Arthur Askey in the radio series '' Band Waggon'', where they were soon billed as "Richard ('Stinker') Murdoch and "'Big-hearted' Arthur Askey". The smooth West End style of Murdoch contrasted with the down-to-earth humour of Askey, whose background was in seaside concert parties. Their main slot in the weekly show took up only about ten minutes, but caught the public imagination. They were depicted as occupying a flat on top of

Broadcasting House London Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. T ...

. Took comments that their humour was a forerunner of much radio comedy to come: Towards the end of 1938, after two series on the BBC, ''Band Waggon'' became a stage show. The impresario Jack Hylton presented the two stars and a supporting cast in a show that toured the provincial music-halls and finished with a run at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

in 1939. ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' commented that they worked so well together because "they find the same things funny. Each has a special line of humour that sets the other going". The stars featured in a film adaptation in 1940. Murdoch was conscripted into the

in 1941, serving as a pilot officer in the intelligence section of Bomber Command, before being posted to the Department of Allied Air Force and Foreign Liaison as a flight lieutenant. In 1943 he joined the Directorate of Administrative Plans at the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...

, where he shared an office with wing commander

, being responsible for the supply of aircraft and air equipment to Russia. He finished the war with the rank of Squadron Leader. Horne and Murdoch quickly became friends and as both were regular broadcasters they invented a fictitious RAF station

for a programme of the same name. It went on air in January 1944, and when peace came in 1945 it became a civilian airport and the show continued successfully; the last programme was in March 1954.Took, Barry
"Murdoch, Richard Bernard (1907–1990), actor and comedian"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004. Retrieved 18 June 2020

Later years

Murdoch's later career is described by Took as "varied and interesting". In 1954 the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

presented a series of variety programmes called ''Much Murdoch'', in which, during the run, he worked again with Horne, who took advantage of a three-week holiday to join him. Murdoch worked again with Askey in 1958 in the television series '' Living It Up'', running a pirate TV station from the roof of Television House.Wagg, pp. 5–6 His next major broadcasting success was the BBC radio series ''

'' (1962–1977). His character, Richard Lamb, was a well-meaning but not conspicuously bright civil servant, who, together with his equally disaster-prone superior, Roland Hamilton-Jones ( Wilfrid Hyde-White) and later Deryck Lennox-Brown (

Deryck Guyler Deryck Bower Guyler (29 April 1914 – 7 October 1999) was an English actor, best remembered for appearances in sitcoms such as ''Please Sir!'' and ''Sykes (TV series), Sykes''. Early life Guyler was born in Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula, C ...

), continually found the wrong answers to the pressing problems of government.Took, pp. 160–162 Murdoch's last long running radio show was '' Many a Slip'', a panel game that combined humour and erudition, in which he appeared from 1964 to 1973. Murdoch appeared in two seasons at the

Shaw Festival The Shaw Festival is a Charitable organization, Charitable theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is the second largest repertory theatre company in North America, second only to Canada's Strat ...

and on tour in North America, playing Aubrey in '' Tons of Money'' (1968) and William the waiter in '' You Never Can Tell'' (1973); he toured South Africa in a comedy called '' Not in the Book'' (1974), and toured Britain as Sir William Boothroyd, the role created by Ralph Richardson, in William Douglas-Home's '' Lloyd George Knew My Father''. From 1978 to 1990, Murdoch had a long-running regular role as "Uncle Tom", the briefless senior barrister of chambers, in ''

Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, ...

''. In 1981 he played the headmaster in Alan Bennett's '' Forty Years On''. In 1989 he played Lord Caversham in

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

's '' An Ideal Husband'' on tour and at the Westminster Theatre; ''The Times'' commented that he managed to make "Caversham's ghastly mixture of the sanctimonious, the roguish and the bluff" seem human.

Personal life

In 1932, Murdoch married Peggy, the daughter of solicitor William Rawlings. The couple had two daughters and a son. Murdoch, a keen golfer, died while playing golf at Walton Heath, Surrey, on 9 October 1990, aged 83. He was survived by his wife and children.

Broadcasts

A partial list of Murdoch's broadcasts on radio and television:

Radio

*'' Band Waggon'' (1938–39) *''

'' (1944–54) *''

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 Kenneth Horne (1952) *''Murdoch in Mayfair'' (1955) *''

'' (1962–77) *''A Slight Case of Murdoch'' (1987) *''

Just a Minute ''Just a Minute'' is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game. For more than 50 years, with a few exceptions, it was hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Following Parsons' death in 2020, Sue Perkins became the permanent host, starting with the 87th ser ...

'' (1988–90)

Television

*''At Home'', with Kenneth Horne and Sam Costa, BBC Television (1948) *''Free and Easy'', with Kenneth Horne, BBC Television (1953) *''Show for the Telly'', with Kenneth Horne, BBC Television (1956) * ''Living It Up'', with Arthur Askey,

Associated-Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...

(1957–58) *''

'', as T. C. "Uncle Tom" Rowley,

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

(1978–91) *'' Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years'', as Lord Halifax,

Southern Television Southern Television was the ITV broadcasting licence holder for the South and South-East of England from 30 August 1958 to 31 December 1981. The company was launched as Southern Television Limited. However, in 1966, during the application pr ...

(1981) *''

The Black Adder ''The Black Adder'' is the first series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, directed by Martin Shardlow and produced by John Lloyd. The series was originally aired on BBC1 from 15 June 1983 to 20 Ju ...

'', as Ross, A Lord, BBC Television (1983) *'' The Moomins'', as narrator, Children's ITV (1983)"The Moomins"
British Film Institute. Retrieved 17 June 2020 *'' Never the Twain'', Colonel Wainwright, Series 7, Episode 5 – "Born to Blush Unseen"

(1988) *'' Mr Majeika'', as Worshipful Wizard, TVS Television (1988–90)

Films

* '' Looking on the Bright Side'' (1932) – Dancer (uncredited) * ''

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

'' (1934) – Undetermined Role (uncredited) * '' Over She Goes'' (1937) – Sergeant Oliver * ''Red Peppers'' (TV – 1937) – George Pepper * '' The Terror'' (1938) – Detective Lewis * '' Band Waggon'' (1940) – Stinker Murdoch * '' Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt'' (1940) – 'Stinker' Burton * '' The Ghost Train'' (1941) – Teddy Deakin * '' I Thank You'' (1941) – Stinker * '' One Exciting Night'' (1944) – Illusionist * '' It Happened in Soho'' (1948) – Bill Scott * '' Golden Arrow'' aka ''The Gay Adventure'' (1949) – David Felton * '' Lilli Marlene'' (1950) – F / Lt. Murdoch *''

The Magic Box ''The Magic Box'' is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivie ...

'' (1951) – Sitter in Bath Studio * '' Strictly Confidential'' (1959) – Cmdr. Bissham-Ryley * ''Not a Hope in Hell'' (1960) – Bertie * ''Owner Occupied'' (TV – 1967) – Colonel Washbrook * ''Under the Table You Must Go'' (1969) – Himself (documentary) * '' Whoops Apocalypse'' (1986) – Cabinet Minister

References and sources

References

Sources

* * * * * * * *

External links

*
BBC Comedy Guide informationCambridge Footlights history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murdoch, Richard English male comedians Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War II 1907 births 1990 deaths English male radio actors English male television actors English male voice actors Male actors from Kent People educated at Charterhouse School Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge 20th-century English male actors People from Keston 20th-century English comedians Actors from the London Borough of Bromley Comedians from Kent