The Home Pages of John Barber
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Author, Writer, Research
The more observant will notice from the acknowledgement at the foot of the page that
I wrote this article in 2000. It was a piece for The Stage -
This was also one of the first articles that found its way on to my web site. Since then many people from around the world have contacted me for information or to share experiences. Of the former I have always tried to help as much as I could so I thought it time to add a few things.
The original article remains but I have added some photos and cartoons and a Julian
and Sandy dictionary. All from my copy of Round the Horne scripts See "Round the Horne": The Complete and Utter History (BBC Radio Collection)
The book was published in 1975 by Futura Publications (first published 1974 -
Frustrated motorists would look in amazement at four grown men laughing their socks off and wonder what was so funny about being stuck in the middle of a motorway jam. The reason was that one of us had the sense to bring along a recording of Round The Horne. In such a way the tedium of negotiating Britain's road works was solved on all those away trips during football's cynical seventies.
Round The Horne has always had a strong but welcome grip on the nation's funny bone. After running over 4 series and 66 editions from 1964, it ended with the death of Kenneth Horne on 14 February 1969.
It was broadcast on the Light Programme (now Radio 2) on Sunday lunchtimes, forcing that other great British tradition, roast beef and yorkshire pudding, into a supporting role as the family meal was rescheduled to allow the programme to be enjoyed without distraction.
Barry Took who was responsible for nearly all of the scripts (along with Marty Feldman) built the show around the ordinary man, the 'maypole' that was Kenneth Horne, around which a vast array of eccentric and fantastical characters danced. Most had names that were in themselves quite outlandish; but had other, more stranger qualities when spoken aloud.
Who could resist the charms of that 'walking slum', J Peasemould Gruntfuttock; the heartstoppingly wonderful Dame Celia Molestrangler as Fiona and the gutwrenchingly, ageing juvenile Binkie Huckaback as Charles; fiendish mastermind Chou En Ginsberg M.A. (Failed) and his common as muck concubine Lotus Blossom; television's master of so few words Seamus Android and cookery guru Daphne Whitethigh; that itinerant folk singer Rambling Sid Rumpo and those two ' resting professionals' Julian and his friend Sandy.
Those roles, and many more were all played by the same small cast of outstanding British character actors ; Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Bill Pertwee always encouraged by Kenneth Horne, with added dialogue by presenter Douglas Smith.
Rambling Sid Rumpo (Kenneth Williams) compiled his ganderbag of folk ditties from all parts of the world which he introduced after this fashion: 'This is a taddle gropers dance, sung by the villagers of Musgrove Parva and it heralds the coming of the oak apple fairy, or sanitary inspector as he is called.'
He then sang the roundelay in a style many thought was lifted straight from the repertoire
of folk acts long since vanished. They were wrong. Although Williams imparted his
own interpretation the language was purely the invention of the scriptwriters -
On the other hand the vocabulary of Julian and Sandy (Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams)
was a mixture of Romany, homosexual slang and their own natural form of expression.
This fictional duo who conversed in effete accents with obvious sexual innuendo became
national celebrities. They were two out of work actors who found work between engagements
by undertaking various jobs. 'Bona Drag' -
People for whom Julian and Sandy were the first gay men they had encountered, found themselves using their catchphrases at work and in the pub.
'How bona to vada your old eek again' could be roughly translated as 'How nice to see you again.' Parts of the body were often renamed; 'lallies' were legs for instance; men were 'omi' and women 'palone' so that one can only guess at what an 'omipalone' was; and who hasn't at one time or another found themselves so delighted as to shriek 'Fantabulosa'. Sexual innuendo was a essential ingredient of the show's humour; but it should not be forgotten that homosexuality was not legalised until 1967. Julian and Sandy became so acceptable that it speaks volumes for the writers and the delivery of Paddick and Williams that so little offence was actually given.
However, some pillars of respectability found much in Round the Horne to add further credence to the belief in the crumbling of common decency in 1960's Britain. One such critic accused the show of 'putting emphasis on certain words'. Barry Took replied by stating that those words were more or less a definition of acting.
Those that were enraged were very much the minority. Most were entertained by the constant parade of incredible, lovable characters with their own unique brand of innuendo, double entendres and slightly risque humour.
The books and audio tapes, some highlighted on this page, have sold in hundreds of
thousands throughout the English speaking world although a constant source of bewilderment
to students of English in the non-
© John Barber -
Round the Horne -
The Fraser Hayes Four
Tony Hayes (l) studied art and Jimmy Fraser (r) engineering before they each dropped out to become dance band guitarists. They met and formed their group in the fifties and worked together in variety, clubs, TV and radio until 1967. Jimmy now follows a solo career in the US while Tony continues with his present group, the Skylarks.
'Kenneth Horne died on 14th February 1969 and with him Round the Horne died too'
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