1951 Here’s Television (TV), one-off, one-hour sketch show, written with Frank. First programme to send up TV. Maggie born. Gently, Bentley (radio), written with Frank. Performed in Australia on ABC, with Australian cast.
1952 In All Directions (radio); the first radio comedy series the BBC allowed to be aired without a script. Frank and I devised and edited it into coherence. Starred Peter Ustinov and Peter Jones, who played all the characters and most of the sound effects. London Laughs (revue), Adelphi Theatre; with Jimmy Edwards, Tony Hancock, Vera Lynn (later Shirley Bassey); ran two years.
1953 Barbara with Braden (TV), written with Frank; with Barbara Kelly, Bernard Braden; producer Brian Tesler. The Name’s the Same (radio), panel game; with Frank, myself, Fanny Craddock and Frances Day. In 1954, it won National Radio Award as the Most Promising New Programme. Programme didn’t make it to 1955.
1954 And So to Bentley (TV), b/w live; written with Frank; with Dick Bentley, Peter Sellers, Bill Fraser, Jackie Collins. Between-times with Braden (radio); written with Frank.
1955 Bath-night with Braden (TV), b/w, live; written with Frank; with Bernard Braden; produced by Brian Tesler. Began writing sketches, with Frank, for George and Alfred Black’s Blackpool Summer Shows, continued until 1963. Arthur Haynes starred in one revue.
1956 Whack-o! (TV), written with Frank; 63 episodes to 1972, 47 live and b/w. Set in Chiselbury School. Finkle’s Café (radio), ‘where the posh squash to nosh’, written with Frank. Based on American series, Duffy’s Tavern, ‘where the elite meet to eat’. With Peter Sellers, Sid James, Avril Angers, Kenneth Connor; producer Pat Dixon.
1957 My Word! (radio), panel game; other panellists included Nancy Spain, E. Arnot Robertson, Anne Scott James, Antonia Fraser and Dilys Powell. Ran for over thirty years. We published seven books of My Word! stories (1974–91).
1960 ‘Consultants and Advisors, BBC TV Light Entertainment’. Left in 1964. Frank stayed on. Bottoms Up!, movie version of Whack-o!, written with Frank and Michael Pertwee. Became one of the founder members of The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain.
1961 The Seven Faces of Jim (TV), written with Frank; introduced Richard Briers and Ronnie Barker to TV. The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Contribution to Light Entertainment.
1962 More Faces of Jim (TV), written with Frank. Brothers in Law (TV), written with Frank and Henry Cecil.
1963 Mr Justice Duncannon (TV), written with Frank and Henry Cecil.
1964 How to Be an Alien (TV), written and presented with Frank; based on George Mikes’ book of the same name. The Big Noise (TV), b/w; written with Frank; starring Bob Monkhouse. Hazel Adair and myself joint chairmen of The Writers’ Guild.
1965 My Music (radio and couple of seasons on TV) panel game; with Frank, myself, Ian Wallace, David Franklin followed by John Amis, chairman Steve Race. Ran till 1993.
1967 At Last the 1948 Show (TV), ‘Script Referee’.
1968 The Bliss of Mrs Blossom (movie); written with Alec Coppel; starring Shirley MacLaine, Richard Attenborough; director Joe McGrath. Buona Sera, Mrs Campbell (movie), written with Melvin Frank, Sheldon Keller; starring Gina Lollobrigida, Shelley Winters, Lee Grant, Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford, Telly Savalas; Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
1969 Wrote The Best House in London (movie); starring David Hemmings, George Sanders; director Phillip Saville.
1970 Every Home Should Have One (movie), written with Barry Took and starring Marty Feldman.
1971 The Statue (movie), written with Alec Coppel; starring David Niven.
1973 Looks Familiar (TV), nostalgia panel game; wrote and presented 195 episodes to 1987 for Thames TV. During this time, wrote cartoon sequence of The Water Babies (movie). Also wrote, under the name of Nicholas Roy, Confessions of a Door to Door Salesman (movie). You Can’t Have Your Kayak and Heat It (book), with Frank; collected My Word! stories.
1974 Upon My Word! (book), with Frank (My Word! stories). Take My Word for It (book), with Frank (My Word! stories).
1977 It’ll Be Alright on the Night (TV), wrote, selected and presented to 2006. Second It’ll Be Alright on the Night won Silver Rose of Montreux. Its twenty-nine year run, earned me entry in the Guinness Book of Records.
1978 Frank and I jointly won Variety Club Award for Best Radio Personality.
1979 The Glums (book), with Frank.
1980 Awarded CBE. Oh, My Word! (book), with Frank (My Word! stories).
1983 Wrote and presented It’ll Be Alright on the Day (TV); all sport cock-ups pre-Cup Final. The Complete and Utter My Word! Stories (book), with Frank.
1984 Royal Variety Show (theatre), introduced Robert Dhéry’s bell-ringer sketch.
1985 Coming To You Live (book), behind-the-scene memories of fifties and sixties Television.
1988 Wrote and presented In On the Act (TV), short nostalgia series; with Roy Castle, Bernie Winters and others. Wrote and presented Pick of the Pilots (TV), six episodes; all failed pilot programmes. Wrote and presented With Hilarious Consequences (TV), twenty-one years of Thames Television sitcoms (‘It was the best of Thames, it was the worst of Thames’).
1989 You Have My Word (book), with Frank (My Word! stories).
1991 Selected, wrote and presented Denis Norden’s Laughter File (TV); ran till 2005.
1992 Wrote and presented Denis Norden’s Trailer Cinema (TV); one-off.
1993 Selected, wrote and presented Laughter by Royal Command (TV); based on Royal Variety Shows.
1995 Selected, wrote and presented 40 Years of ITV Laughter (TV); three sixty-minute programmes. Wrote and presented Legends of Light Music (radio).
1996 Selected, wrote and presented A Right Royal Song and Dance, based on Royal Variety Shows.
1999 The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Comedy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
2000 Royal Television Society Lifetime Award.
2006 Wrote and presented All the Best (TV); farewell round-up programme.
MOSTLY CINEMAS AND CINE VARIETY
As an insomniac from as far back as I can remember, I have always kept in mind a story I heard about Ronald Knox. At the age of six he was a solemn, clever child but could not sleep at night. When someone asked him, ‘What do you think about when you’re lying awake?’ he replied, ‘I think about the past.’
In 1938, age sixteen,