Round the Horne
'Fantabulosa!'
Overview
Genre
Comedy
Dates
18th February 1965 - 9th June 1968
General information
Starting in 1965 and continuing for over three years, Round the Horne is one of the most famous and most popular series of British radio and is still enjoyed
today with frequent repeats on the digital BBC 7 station.
Cast list
Kenneth Horne
Kenneth Williams
Hugh Paddick
Betty Marsden
Bill Pertwee
Douglas Smith
Script writers
Barry Took
Marty Feldman
Producer
John Simmonds
Music
Fraser Hayes Four
Edwin Braden and the Hornblowers
Round the Horne was probably most famous for its regular Julian and Sandy sketch, with Kenneth Williams as Sandy and Hugh Paddick as Julian (Jules);
two hillariously camp men whose commercial enterprise changed dramtically from one episode to the next, including Ballet Bona, Bona Books and Bona Tattooists,
'bona' being Polari (gay/theatrical slang) for 'good'. With their extensive use of Polari and shocking (for the time) sexual innuendo, they delighted audiences
week after week. This is quite surprising, not only because such material was generally censored or looked down upon by many, but also because homosexuality was
so taboo at the time.
Another very popular Round the Horne sketch was Rambling Syd Rumpo. This local-yokel country bumpkin, played by Kenneth Williams, would often appear on
the show to sing a 'ditty' from his 'ganderbag'. These ditties were composed of nonsense words with a countryside sound to them and included 'The Ballad of the
Woggler's Moulie', 'Bind my Plooms with Silage', 'Gladys is at it Again', 'Granny Went A-Wandering', 'Green Grow Your Nadgers-O', 'Green Grow my Moulies-O', 'My
Grussett Lies A-Fallowing-O', 'Runcorn Splod Cobbler's Song', 'The Ballad of the Young Cordwangler', 'The Grommett Tinker's Song', 'The Russet-banger Ditty' and
'The Song of the Bogle Clencher'.
Character List
| Adrian Bolt and The Pacemakers |
| Albert Figgis |
| Albert Haverstrap |
| Alice D'Artagnan |
| Ariadne of Shanklin |
| Armitage, the musical seal |
| Arnold Boldwicket |
| Arnold Creamtee, of the Devonshire Creamtees |
| Artemeus Gluckk |
| Arthur Fallowfield |
| Barbara Buttress MP |
| Binkie Huckerback, ageing juvenile actor |
| Blodwyn Blubber |
| Brigadier and Mrs Chudleigh |
| Brigadier Edith Gormenstrop (Mrs) |
| Buttercup Gruntfuttock |
| Celia Backstroke |
| Charmaine Glasspole |
| Dame Freda Bannister OBE |
| Dame Sweeney Eggblast, the Clacton Dripping Heiress |
| Daphne Hormone |
| Darryl F Claphanger |
| Detective Inspector Tom Grutt, aka "Grutt of the Yard" |
| Detective Sergeant Obadiah Grasspole |
| District Nurse Fay Botting |
| Dr Chou En Ginsberg MA (Failed) |
| Dr Crimly Fiendish |
| Dr Cronkmeyer |
| Dr Gladys Postern, nee Bolstrode |
| Ebeneezer Cuckpowder |
| Ethel Fredsnimble |
| Evelyn and Winnfred Hoist |
| Fanny Haddock |
| Fyffe Hobbertson |
| Gaylord Haemoglobin |
| George Hyeesha |
| Gordon LeStrange |
| Hamilton Gore-Strangely |
| Hans Foortvangler |
| Harry Booth and his Swingin' Spoons |
| Horseposture and Loombucket, Publishers |
| Hugo Blubberlips |
| Irving B Fish |
| J Peasmold Gruntfuttock |
| Johnnie Clogg MP |
| Judy Coolibah, Australian Tourist |
| Kenneth Bond Special Agent - and invisible mending |
| L Dougard Cortinbras |
| Lady Beatrice Counterblast, nee Beatrice Clissold |
| Lady Devere Stoatsfumbling |
|
| Lady Dovehawker |
| Lady Kneetrembler |
| Lemule Ghast |
| Leonide Grasspepper |
| Leslie Harblow |
| Lippy Angst |
| Loomis Grousefavour |
| Lord Athelstone of Tring |
| Lord Fustion of Thrax and Ann Thrax |
| Ludmilla Dogtrouser, the singing nun |
| Mad Alice Cudlipp |
| Malcolm Dredgestrangler |
| Maudie Fiddleworth |
| Mavis Clutterbucket |
| May Batley |
| Mssrs Cattermole, Mousehabit, Neepthye and Trusspot, Solicitors |
| Nemesis Fothergill |
| Otto von Grasspepper |
| Paddy Handbell and Gladys Runt |
| Pete Frontkettle |
| Phyllis Hopkins |
| Piggy Dipthong |
| Pixie Hotmuffin |
| Polyp Grunter-Pulpitt |
| Prinny Cattermole |
| Ramases Gumbrill, the whistling vicar of All Souls |
| Rambling Syd Rumpo |
| Ramona Grott |
| Ransden Gnomefumbler |
| Rev Ignatius Niblung Goosecreature |
| Reverend Unseemly Dogposture |
| Rex Goodbody |
| Rita Bollard |
| Rocky Cattermole |
| Seamus Android |
| Sherpa Gutbucket and the Electric Druids |
| Sid and Rita Dipfinger |
| Sidney Arborbridge |
| Sidney Goosecreature |
| Sir Arthur Brown-Horrocks |
| Sir Gladys Harbinger |
| Sir Hamilton Bean |
| Sir Henry Horseposture |
| Sir Redvers Cornposture |
| Stanley Birkenshaw |
| Tarquin Bannister-Hicks |
| The Earl of Bedlam |
| The Very Reverend Ignatius Dangle |
| The Widow Ganderpoke |
| Vergil Backwater |
| Winnie and Fred Atwell |
| Yaroslav Drobnik, the bouncing Czech |
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