Kenneth Horne
Kenneth Williams
Hugh Paddick
Betty Marsden
Bill Pertwee

Kenneth Horne
"It's a trick of the light"

In 1939 during wartime service in the RAF Kenneth Horne made his first radio appearance in the series Ack-Ack Beer Beer. In 1943, as an announcer on the Overseas Recorded Broadcasting Service he met Richard Murdoch. It was with him that he wrote Much-Binding-In-The-March, as part of the services programme Merry-Go-Round. This show was a great success. A first series of 37 editions was commisioned, and the programme continued until 1953. Horne also combined all this with a successful business career (he was chairman of Chad Vally Toys and director of Triplex safety Glass among other things) but in 1958 suffered a stroke and lost the power of speech (which he obviouslylater regained). This was shortly before the start of Beyond Our Ken, a series he devised while recovering.. After this he retired from business and returned solely to the entertainment field. Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s he made over fifty radio and television appearances, including his own television series, Horne A Plenty for Thames Television. But it is for the establishment anchor-man in Round The Horne that Kenneth Horne is best remembered for.

Kenneth Williams
"Hello my deary-os"

Rambling Syd Rumpo-"picturesque, homespun, folksy twit", as described by Kenneth Horne in one episode. Rambling Syd was one of the most popular characters in the programme. He was a folk singer whose songs sounded extremely risqué due to a new language of "cordwangles" "splods", "nadgers" and "moulies".
Sandy-Outrageously camp, yet inoffensive, incompetent, named after Sandy Wilson, composer of ‘The Boyfriend’. Sandy always greeted Kenneth Horne with "Oh how bona to vada your dolly old eek again, heartface" or similar variations. Along with Hugh Paddick as Julian these actors were always finding new occupations while filling in between acting work (this acting work usually consisted of commercials- You've seen that one where that great butch Omi's on a building site and he's squatting there with his mates rolling his own?).
J. Peasmould Gruntfuttock-Old codger, greatly in favour of sex and violence on television, whose varying professions included bathroom window cleaner, and scriptwriter for the BBC. He frequently "heard the voices", and was self created king of Peasmouldia.
Dr.Chou en Grinsberg M.A (failed)-crazed Japanese would-be master criminal, whose various masterplans were somehow foiled by Kenneth Horne-Master Spy.

Hugh Paddick
"Oh hello, I’m Julian and this is my friend Sandy"

Charles-Character in wartime epics, played by actor "Ageing Juvenile" Binkie Huckaback, always alongside Dame Celia Molestrangler as Fiona (Betty Marsden).
HP: I’ve asked them to remove it.
BM: Oh why Charles, why?
HP: It’s no good to me anymore, Fiona
Julian-"Friend" of Sandy. Always reluctant to "purge" himself about his friend Gordon, much to Sandy’s annoyance.
Dentures-Not so much a character, more a vocal effect used in various situations. So named because his ill fitting dentures gave him trouble with his sibilants, and a bath to anyone without an umbrella.
Gerald Monkshabit-On the spot reporter whose broadcasts suffered badly from interference, and this bad signal was the cause of much innuendo.

Betty Marsden
"Many times, many many times, many times......"

Daphne Whitethigh-Loosely based on television cook Fanny Craddock, she was the only character who really made the transition from Beyond Our Ken, where she was named (albeit not very subtlely.) Fanny Haddock.
Fiona-See "Charles"
Lady Beatrice Counterblast (née Clissold)-"The pure brass of the music hall", multi-married actress who the above catchphrase "many times..." comes from.
Julie Coolibar-Australian visitor to the country who took everything said by Kenneth Horne as a double entendre ("What d’you mean by that?") and whose many distorted view on English life included her ideas of cricket ("it’s disgusting- knocking a poor fella’s bails off").

Bill Pertwee
"Hello, well then, alright, ha ha"

Jocelyn Pettibone-Whispering gossip columnist
Seamus Android- Sunday night personality of limited vocabulary, an obvious send up of the late television personality Eamon Andrews.

Email me at a.del-manso@virgin.net

Background Information

Series Credits

Cast and Characters

Scripts

Messageboard

Audio Cassettes

Rambling Syd's Ganderbag

Beyond Our Ken

Obituaries