Ruxton Hayward was a British

eccentric Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal" Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics * Off- center, in geometry * Eccentricity (graph theory) of a ...

. In the early 1950s, as a

scoutmaster A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit. Roles There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on t ...

in London, he attempted to recruit acts for a stage show. He approached

Michael Bentine Michael Bentine, (born Michael James Bentin; 26 January 1922General Register Office for England and Wales – Birth Register for the March Quarter of 1922, Watford Registration District, Reference 3a 1478, listed as "Michael J. Bentin", mother ...

, and then, at Bentine's recommendation,

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

. Sellers was so taken with Hayward's appearance—the man being tall with a bushy red beard, and wearing a

Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

uniform with short trousers—that he used an imitation of Hayward's high-pitched voice for the character Bluebottle in ''

The Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September ...

''. The character became a popular regular in the series, and was often greeted by applause and cheers from the studio audience. Hayward lived on, unaware of his fame until the events above were described by Peter Sellers on television in 1972. After this Hayward attempted a stage career, developing characters he called "Bearded Schoolboy", "Woolly Wolfcub", and "Happy Sandboy". He also made appearances at meetings of the

Goon Show Preservation Society The Goon Show Preservation Society is a non-profit organisation, formed to help preserve and research the history of the ''Goon Show''. The society, founded in 1972, maintains an archive of ''Goon Show'' material, often used by professional resea ...

. He was an active member of the actors union

Equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership * Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the diff ...

, subsection Variety. According to an article in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', he was elected as a union representative at least once. In 1999 Hayward pleaded guilty to making an indecent image of a child under 16. Scottish Herald. 16 September 1999 https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12249078.bluebottle-is-a-paedophile/ The Goon Show Preservation Society website reported Ruxton's death in Charing Cross Hospital, London on 22 September 2011.

References

The Goon Show Male actors from London People from Hammersmith 1930 births 2011 deaths {{UK-bio-stub