Hudd, Roy 1936–

PERSONAL

Born May 16, 1936, in Croydon, England; son of Harold Charles (a carpenter) and Evelyn (maiden name, Barham; some sources spell name Bahram) Hudd; married Ann Vera Lambert (a photographer; divorced); married Deborah Ruth Flitcroft, September 25, 1988; children: (first marriage) Maxwell Roy. Education: Attended school in Croydon, England. Avocational Interests: Walking, singing.

Addresses:

Office—c/o The News Huddlines, BBC Broadcasting House, London W1A 1AA, England.

Career:

Actor, comedian, and writer. Made his debut as a performer at the Metropolitan Music Hall, London, 1958; performed in variety and solo shows at British music halls, including an appearance at the Palace, 1970. Roy Hudd Enterprises, Ltd., director; Entertainment Artists Benevolent Fund, served as chairperson; Haymarket Theatre Leicester Trust, member; associated with the Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service and opened Bristol Royal Infirmary, 1994. Worked as a commercial artist and a window dresser. Military service: Royal Air Force, 1955-57.

Member:

Green Room Club, Max Miller Appreciation Society (president), British Music Hall Society (president), Grand Order of Water Rats (named centenary king rat, 1989 and 2000).

Awards, Honors:

Montreux Press Prize, c. 1968, for The Maladjusted Busker; Variety Club Award for a BBC radio personality, 1979 and 1993; Laurence Olivier Theatre Award, best actor in a musical or entertainment, Society of West End Theatre, 1983, for Underneath the Arches; Lifetime Achievement for Radio Comedy Award, London Weekend Television, 1990; Sony Gold Award, for contributions to radio, 1990; Columnist of the Year, EMAP, 1994; Roy Castle Award for Outstanding Services to Variety, 2003; named an Officer of the British Empire, 2003.

CREDITS

Television Appearances; Series:

Various characters, Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (also known as Not So Much a Programme …), BBC, 1964-65.

The Illustrated Weekly Hudd, BBC, 1966-67.

The Roy Hudd Show, Yorkshire Television, 1969.

Comedy Tonight, BBC, 1971.

R Hero/Ian Trepid, Hold the Front Page, Independent Television, 1974.

Presenter, Hometown (also known as Home Town), Central Television (England), c. 1980.

Presenter, Halls of Fame, BBC, beginning c. 1981.

Presenter, Movie Memories, Anglia Television, c. 1984.

Walter, The Puppet Man (also known as The Puppet Man with Roy Hudd), Channel 4 (England), c. 1985.

Harold Atterbow, Lipstick on Your Collar (musical), Channel 4, 1993.

Beach, Heavy Weather (also known as P. G. Wodehouse's "Heavy Weather," Hace mal tiempo, and Myrskyae ilmassa), BBC, 1995, broadcast on Masterpiece Theatre (also known as ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre and Mobil Masterpiece Theatre), PBS, 1996.

John Parry, Common as Muck, BBC, c. 1997.

Archie Shuttleworth, Coronation Street (also known as Corrie, Florizel Street, and Where No Bird Sings), Independent Television (England) and CBC, 2002-2006.

Himself, Wakey Wakey Campers!, Channel 4, 2005.

Also appeared as presenter, The 607080 Show (also known as The 60 70 80 Show), BBC, c. 1970s-1980s. Appeared in other programs, including The Billy Cotton Band Show (also known as Billy Cotton's "Music-Hall," Wakey Wakey!, and The Wakey Wakey Tavern), BBC; and The Good Old Days, BBC.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Himself, "1983" (four parts), Children in Need, BBC, 1983.

Ben Baglin, Cold Lazarus (also known as Kylmae Lasarus and Projecto Lazaro), BBC and Channel 4 (England), 1996, Bravo, 1997.

Ben Baglin, Karaoke, BBC and Channel 4, 1996, Bravo, 1997.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Dan Leno, Young Charlie Chaplin (also known as Charlie Chaplin, Chaplins barndom, and O jovem Charlie Chaplin), Thames Television, 1989, broadcast on Wonderworks (also known as Wonderworks: Young Charlie Chaplin), PBS, 1989.

Charlie, The Quest, Independent Television, 2002.

Charlie, The Second Quest (also known as The Quest Two), Independent Television, 2004.

Charlie, The Final Quest (also known as The Quest Three), Independent Television, 2004.

Television Appearances; Specials:

A Christmas Night with the Stars, BBC, 1967.

The Maladjusted Busker, BBC, 1967.

It's a Hudd Hudd World, Channel 4 (England), 1987.

An Audience with Victoria Wood, Independent Television (England), 1988.

Sergei Prokofiev, Peter and the Wolf: A Prokofiev Fantasy, Arts and Entertainment, 1994.

Himself, "Dad's Army" Selection Box, BBC, 1997.

Birmingham, Hamilton Mattress, BBC, 2001.

Himself and Archie Shuttleworth, 8th Laughter File (also known as Denis Norden's "8th Laughter File"), London Weekend Television, 2002.

(In archive footage) Himself, Ken Dodd in the Dock, Channel 4, 2002.

Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand, Channel 4, 2003.

Archie Shuttleworth, Coronation Street Pantomime: Unwrapped, Independent Television, 2005.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

BBC-3, BBC, 1965.

"Roy Hudd," Show of the Week, BBC-2, 1968.

Himself, Kraft Music Hall, NBC, 1970.

"The Roy Hudd Family Show," Show of the Week, BBC-2, 1972.

Himself, A Day with Dana, BBC-2, 1974.

Himself, Parkinson, BBC, 1982.

Himself, Looks Familiar, Independent Television, 1983.

Himself, "Roy Hudd," This Is Your Life, Independent Television, 1989.

Himself, "The Silence of the Lambs," French and Saunders, BBC-2, 1993.

Himself, That's Showbusiness, BBC, 1993.

John Gedgrave, "The Dying Detective," The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Granada Television, c. 1994, broadcast on Mystery!, PBS, c. 1995.

Himself, Noel's House Party, BBC, c. 1997.

Barry Baxter, "Deep Secret," The Bill, Independent Television, 1998.

Arthur Denton, "Dead Ends," Harbour Lights, BBC, 1999.

Mr. Smedley, "Threatening Weather," One Foot in the Grave, BBC, 2000.

Himself, Countdown, Channel 4 (England), 2000.

Dicky Klein, "Two Can Play at That Game," Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), BBC, 2001.

Himself, Open House (also known as Open House with Gloria Hunniford), Channel 5 (England), 2003.

Lionel, "Spores," Last of the Summer Wine, BBC, 2004.

Himself, The Culture Show, BBC, 2004.

Himself, Today with Des and Mel, Independent Television, 2003 (multiple episodes), 2004.

Henry Parkes, All about George, Independent Television, 2005.

Himself, "The Comedians," The Best of the Royal Variety, Independent Television, 2006.

Himself, "The Comics," The Story of Light Entertainment, BBC-2, 2006.

Himself, "Double Acts," The Story of Light Entertainment, BBC-2, 2006.

(And in archive footage) Himself, "The Entertainers," The Best of the Royal Variety, Independent Television, 2006.

Himself, "Variety," The Story of Light Entertainment, BBC-2, 2006.

Warren Gifford, "The Comedians," Doctors, BBC, 2006.

Fred, Hollyoaks: In the City, E4, 2006.

Appeared as Bunny Hopper in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Willesden," an episode of The Last Detective (also known as The Last Detective: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Willesden), Independent Television.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Various characters, "Hudd," Comedy Playhouse, BBC, 1965.

Radio Appearances; Series:

The News Huddlines, BBC Radio 2, c. 1975-2001.

Tommy Franklin, Like They've Never Been Gone, BBC Radio 4, 1998-2002.

Sherlock Holmes, The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, BBC Radio 2, 1999.

Max Quordlepleen, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, BBC Radio 4, c. 2005.

Appeared in other radio productions. Worked as a disc jockey for BBC Radio 2.

Radio Appearances; Specials:

The News Huddlines Christmas Stocking, BBC Radio 2, 2000.

Tickling Tunes: A History of Comic Song (also known as Tickling Tunes), BBC Radio 4, 2006.

Radio Appearances; Episodic:

James Phillimore, "The Singular Inheritance of Miss Gloria Wilson," The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, BBC Radio 4, 2002.

Max Miller, "Pier Pressure," Doctor Who, 2006.

Appeared in Workers' Playtime, BBC Radio.

Radio Work:

(With others) Performer of theme song, Like They've Never Been Gone, BBC Radio 4, 1998-2002.

Stage Appearances:

Jim Busby, The Giveaway, Garrick Theatre, London, 1969.

Dogberry, Much Ado about Nothing, Young Vic Theatre, London, 1973.

Rosencrantz, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Young Vic Theatre, 1973.

Frank, If You're Glad I'll Be Frank, and Birdboot, The Real Inspector Hound (double-bill), Young Vic Theatre, 1976.

Fagin, Oliver! (musical), Albery Theatre, London, 1977.

Just a Verse and Chorus (two-act), Haymarket Theatre, Leicester, England, 1979.

Roy Hudd's "Very Own Music Hall" (two-act; solo show), Kenton Theatre, Henley-on-Thames, England, 1979, and other productions, including one at the National Music Hall and Variety Festival, Weston-super-Mare, England, 2002.

Underneath the Arches (two-act musical), Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, England, 1981, and Prince of Wales Theatre, London, beginning 1981.

Clown, The Birth of Merlin (also known as The Birth of Merlin, or, the Childe Hath Found His Father), Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, Flintshire, Wales, 1989.

Stanley Gardner, Run for Your Wife, Criterion Theatre, London, Whitehall Theatre (now Trafalgar Studios), London, 1989-90, and Aldwych Theatre, London, 1990.

The Fantasticks (musical), Open Air Theatre, London, 1990.

Babes in the Wood (pantomime; also known as Babes), various British productions, 1990-94.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Open Air Theatre, 1991.

George Pigden, Two into One, Theatre Royal, Norwich, England, 1993.

Pseudolus and Prologus, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (musical), Open Air Theatre, 1999.

Brian Blessed, Charles Dickens' "Hard Times" (musical; also known as Hard Times), Haymarket Theatre Royal, London, 2000.

Cinderella (pantomime), Greenwich Theatre, 2000-2001.

All My Own Work (solo show), National Music Hall and Variety Festival, 2004.

Big Ed McKeever, The Solid Gold Cadillac, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, England, and Malvern Festival Theatre, Malvern, England, 2004, and Garrick Theatre, 2004-2005.

Performed at other venues, including the Richmond Theatre.

Major Tours:

Thief, Theft, English cities, 2001.

Roy Hudd's "Exceedingly Entertaining Evening," English cities, beginning c. 2005.

Stage Work:

Director of stage productions.

Film Appearances:

Morgue attendant, The Blood Beast Terror (also known as Blood Beast from Hell, The Deathshead Vampire, and Vampire-Beast Craves Blood), Pacemaker Pictures, 1967.

Fisherman, "Avarice" segment, The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins, Tigon Film Distributors, 1971.

Master of ceremonies, Up Pompeii, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Anglo-EMI, 1971.

Nick the Pick, Up the Chastity Belt (also known as The Chastity Belt and Naughty Knights), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Anglo-EMI, 1971.

Milkman, The Alf Garnett Saga (also known as The Garnett Saga), Columbia-Warner Distributors, 1972.

Narrator, An Acre of Seats in a Garden of Dreams, Contemporary Films, 1973.

Chef, A Kind of Hush, Metrodome Distribution, 1998.

Mr. Sewell, Purely Belter, Channel 4 Films, 2000.

Sir Geoffrey, Jack, the Last Victim, Agar House, 2005.

Film Work:

Assistant, Distant Voices, Still Lives, British Film Institute, 1988, Avenue Entertainment, 1989.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

Those Music Hall Days (also known as Those Music Hall Days: 15 Nostalgic Favourites from the Master of Music Hall), Pulse, 1999.

(With others) Those Pesky Kids!, Castle Music, 2001.

WRITINGS

Teleplays; with Others; Series:

Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (also known as Not So Much a Programme …), BBC, 1964-65.

The Illustrated Weekly Hudd, BBC, 1966-67.

The Roy Hudd Show, Yorkshire Television, 1969.

Comedy Tonight, BBC, 1971.

Halls of Fame, BBC, beginning c. 1981.

Teleplays; with Others; Specials:

A Christmas Night with the Stars, BBC, 1967.

It's a Hudd Hudd World, Channel 4 (England), 1987.

Teleplays; with Others; Episodic:

"Roy Hudd," Show of the Week, BBC-2, 1968.

"The Roy Hudd Family Show," Show of the Week, BBC-2, 1972.

Writings for the Radio:

The News Huddlines (series), BBC Radio 2, c. 1975-2001.

The News Huddlines Christmas Stocking (special), BBC Radio 2, 2000.

Tickling Tunes: A History of Comic Song (special; also known as Tickling Tunes), BBC Radio 4, 2006.

Appeared in the compilations Radio Comedy—The News Huddlines and Roy Hudd—Roy Hudd's "Pick of the Huddlines," both BBC.

Writings for the Stage:

Victorian Christmas (two-act), Haymarket Theatre, Leicester, England, 1978.

Just a Verse and Chorus (two-act), Haymarket Theatre, 1979.

Roy Hudd's "Very Own Music Hall" (two-act; solo show), Kenton Theatre, Henley-on-Thames, England, 1979, and other productions, including one at the National Music Hall and Variety Festival, Weston-super-Mare, England, 2002.

(Author of libretto) Beautiful Dreamer (two-act opera; music by Stephen Foster), Haymarket Theatre, 1980, and other productions, including one at the Banff Center, Banff, Alberta, Canada, 1982.

(Author of book) Underneath the Arches (two-act musical; with Patrick Garland and Brian Glanville), Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, England, 1981, and Prince of Wales Theatre, London, beginning 1981.

(Author of additional material with others) William Shakespeare and William Rowley, The Birth of Merlin (also known as The Birth of Merlin, or, the Childe Hath Found His Father), produced at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, Flintshire, Wales, 1989, published with an introduction by Harold Brooks, Element Books, 1989.

Babes in the Wood (pantomime; also known as Babes), various British productions, 1990-94.

Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (pantomime), Watford Palace Theatre, Watford, England, 2000.

Cinderella (pantomime), Greenwich Theatre, 2000-2001.

Dick Whittington and His Cat (pantomime), Watford Palace Theatre, 2001-2002.

All My Own Work (solo show), National Music Hall and Variety Festival, 2004.

Jack and the Beanstalk (pantomime), Hiss & Boo, The Corn Exchange, Newbury, England, 2004-2005.

Roy Hudd's "Exceedingly Entertaining Evening," English cities, beginning c. 2005.

Humor:

Roy Hudd Joke Book, Wolfe Publishing, 1970.

Nonfiction:

Music Hall, Eyre Methuen, 1977.

Roy Hudd's "Book of Music Hall, Variety and Showbiz Anecdotes," Robson Books, 1993.

(With Philip Hindin) Roy Hudd's "Cavalcade of Variety Acts: A Who Was Who of Light Entertainment 1945-60," Robson Books, 1998.

(Author of introduction) Paul Harris, The Pantomime Book: The Only Known Collection of Pantomime Jokes and Sketches in Captivity, Peter Owen, Ltd., 2001.

Columnist for Yours magazine.