Roy Walker (comedian)

Last updated

Roy Walker
Roy walker 2012.jpg
Walker in 2012
Birth nameRobert Walker
Born (1940-07-31) 31 July 1940 (age 83)
Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
MediumStand-up, presenter
NationalityBritish
Years active1977–present
Genres Observational comedy
Spouse
Jean Walker
​
​
(m. 1962;died 1989)​
Children3, including Josie Walker
Notable works and roles Catchphrase
The Comedians
Website www.roywalker.co.uk

Robert "Roy" Walker (born 31 July 1940) is a television personality and comedian from Northern Ireland, who worked for many years as both a television presenter and comedy actor. He is best known as the original host of the game show Catchphrase between 1986 and 1999, and as one of the stars of the comedy showcase The Comedians .

Contents

Early life

Born in Belfast, as a teenager Walker performed in the Francis Longford Choir, then worked as a riveter in the Harland and Wolff shipyard. He was the Ireland champion hammer thrower for three years, and represented them internationally. [1] He spent a short time as a comedy partner of James Young [ citation needed ] before serving seven years in the British Army. [2]

Walker first started work aged 12. By the end of the 1960s, he was running a pawn shop whilst working in the evenings as the compère at the Talk of the Town club in Belfast. The Troubles, a continuing threat of violence between political groups in Northern Ireland, was ongoing at this time. Though Walker was a Protestant and a Unionist, he was confronted by two men, who claimed his wife was a Catholic. They threatened him at gunpoint and gave him 24 hours' notice to close the shop. Walker complied, and the shop was destroyed. He decided to leave Northern Ireland and work in England, touring as a professional comedian, in working men's clubs and cabaret. [3]

I'd been "Mr Belfast" but in Sunderland I had to wait by the phone at nine o'clock hoping that some other poor comic had been paid off after his first act. That seven quid got me my digs.

— Walker talking about his move to England [3]

Career

In 1977, Walker won the ITV talent show New Faces , receiving the highest mark ever given to a comedian. [1] He was also a regular on the 1970s ITV stand-up comedy show The Comedians. [4] He appeared on the BBC show Seaside Special on 15 July 1978. [5] Also in 1978 he appeared in two episodes of Blackpool Bonanza. [6] In 1984 he appeared in an episode of the comedy series The Main Attraction. [6]

A well-dressed gent with thick greying hair and a polite air, Walker's soft Irish voice, his lack of aggression, the composed expression hiding a gentle smile, his amazing pauses which defied interruption, somehow overawing and silencing hecklers…

—  Bob Monkhouse summing up Walker's comedy [3]

Walker hosted the game show Catchphrase from 1986 to 1999. During this time he became one of the highest paid stars on television.[ citation needed ] Walker coined his own catchphrases for the show: "Say what you see", and "It's good, but it's not right". On 12 June 1994, he appeared on Surprise Surprise . [7] Other television appearances in the 1990s included You Bet! , Gagtag , Light Lunch , Wipeout (celebrity special) and TV Nightmares. [6]

Walker appeared as himself in the first episode of Phoenix Nights on 14 January 2001. In 2002, he took part in the comedy game show It's Only TV...but I Like It and also appeared on Harry Hill's TV Burp . [6]

In 2004, he appeared in the third series of the reality television series I'm Famous and Frightened! on Living. In 2005, Walker appeared as Monsignor in the romantic drama film The Jealous God , which was released on 9 September. On 4 March 2006, he was the Northern Ireland Regional Presenter in the UK's Eurovision Song Contest selection show Making Your Mind Up . On 12 August 2006, he appeared in an episode entitled The Comics of the documentary The Story of Light Entertainment. And on 14 October, he appeared on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway . [6] He appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show in 2006 with Frank Carson as mystery guests, they were in disguise in the audience.[ citation needed ]

On 19 February 2007, he was a guest on the Irish chat show, The Podge and Rodge Show on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).[ citation needed ]

In 2008, Walker was a guest on The Alan Titchmarsh Show . He presented a six-part comedy series for BBC Radio Ulster, The Way We Tell 'Em , as well as appearing on Ready Steady Cook on 5 June 2008. On 10 June, Walker appeared on Big Brother's Big Mouth as a secret special guest. Walker is an after-dinner speaker and in June 2008 spoke and presented awards at the Association of Interior Specialists (AIS) President's Lunch at the Dorchester hotel in London. In 2008, he performed at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival in his own one-hour show entitled Goodbye Mr Chips debuting on 31 July, his 68th birthday. [3] He was also team captain on the first series of the BBC Radio 4 panel game Act Your Age .

Walker has appeared on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1, in pre-recorded segments called "Car Park Catchphrase" and "Beep Beep Busters", a spoof of Catchphrase.[ citation needed ]

Walker starred in the Churchill Insurance adverts, alongside model Megan Hall, seen at an Indian restaurant with the Churchill Dog in 2009. On 26 May 2009, he appeared on the Britain's Got Talent show Britain's Got More Talent. Also in 2009, he appeared in a celebrity edition of the reality cookery show Come Dine with Me , which aired on 1 November—in which he came first. The other contestants were Most Haunted presenter Yvette Fielding, Natasha Hamilton of pop group Atomic Kitten and actor Bruce Jones who played Les Battersby on Coronation Street .

On 27 May 2013, Walker appeared on the BBC Radio 4 panel show Just a Minute , and on 6 January 2015 he was Marcus Brigstocke's guest on the same station's I've Never Seen Star Wars .[ citation needed ]

In January and February 2016, Walker appeared in the three-part BBC series The Real Marigold Hotel , which followed a group of celebrity senior citizens including Miriam Margolyes and Wayne Sleep on a journey to India. [8]

On 27 February 2018, Walker appeared on the television show 100 Years Younger In 21 Days.

In November 2018 Walker appeared as a guest entertainer on board RCI Navigator of the Seas cruise to the Canary Islands. [ citation needed ]

In 2022, Walker starred in the music video for David Ford's When We Were Young .

Personal life

Walker lives in the Lancashire seaside resort of Lytham St Annes, which he mentioned once on Catchphrase . He has three children with his late wife Jean, who died of cancer in 1989. [3] He was admitted to Clifton Hospital in early October 2011, following a suspected mini-stroke, and was discharged in good health the following day.[ citation needed ]

His son, Mark Walker, was the host of ITV game show Steal for 1 series in 1990. [9]

His daughter, Josie Walker, is an Olivier Award-nominated theatre actress. [10] [11] [12]

A track on Belle & Sebastian's 2003 album Dear Catastrophe Waitress is named after Walker. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Brooke-Taylor</span> English comedian and actor (1940–2020)

Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE was an English comedian and actor, best known as a member of The Goodies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Des O'Connor</span> English comedian, singer and television presenter (1932–2020)

Desmond Bernard O'Connor was an English comedian, singer and television presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Ray (comedian)</span> English comedian (1905–1977)

Ted Ray was an English comedian of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, on radio and television. His BBC radio show Ray's a Laugh ran for 12 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Hill</span> English comedian (born 1964)

Matthew Keith Hall, known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an off-beat, energetic performance style that fused elements of surrealism, observational comedy, slapstick, satire and music. When performing, he usually wears browline glasses and a dress shirt with a distinctive oversized collar and cuffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Kay</span> English actor and stand-up comedian (born 1973)

Peter John Kay is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He has written, produced, directed and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Dennis</span> English television presenter, actor, and comedian

Leslie Dennis Heseltine is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. He presented Family Fortunes from 1987 until 2002.

Yvette Paula Fielding is an English television presenter, producer, actress, and writer. In 1987 she became the youngest presenter on Blue Peter aged 18. With her husband Karl Beattie, she presented the Most Haunted series on the Living channel, via their own production company, followed by Ghosthunting With..., establishing Fielding as 'first lady of the paranormal'. She has appeared in a wide range of other programmes, from The Wright Stuff to Through the Keyhole and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.

Bob Carolgees is a British comedy entertainer who appeared on the Saturday morning TV series Tiswas and then later in its adult versions O.T.T. and Saturday Stayback. He is best known for appearing with a canine puppet named Spit the Dog. Carolgees also worked for eight years on the TV show Surprise Surprise and on children's game show Concentrate. In popular culture he has cameo roles with Spit the Dog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Thomson (comedian)</span> English comedian, narrator and actor

John Patrick Thomson is an English comedian, narrator and actor best known for his roles in The Fast Show, Men Behaving Badly, Cold Feet, 24 Hour Party People, The Brothers Grimsby and Coronation Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Carson</span> Northern Irish comedian and actor (1926–2012)

Hugh Francis Carson KSG was a Northern Irish comedian and actor from Belfast. He was best known for being a regular face on television for many years from the 1970s onwards, appearing in series such as The Comedians and Tiswas. His trademark line was "It's the way I tell them!". Carson was a member of the entertainment charity the Grand Order of Water Rats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Conley</span> English actor, comedian (b. 1961)

Brian Paul Conley is an English actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Conley has been the host of The Brian Conley Show, as well as presenting the Royal Variety Performance on eight occasions. In his 40-year television career, he has starred in multiple award-winning television sitcoms including Time After Time and The Grimleys. In the West End, he has played the lead role in musicals such as Me and My Girl, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Hairspray, Oliver!, The Music Man, Barnum and Jolson for which he was nominated for a prestigious Laurence Olivier Award. As a musician, he has released five albums, including Brian Conley Sings, Let the Good Times Roll, and Stage to Stage. He has won numerous awards in his career including The National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performer, Best Live Performer in Manchester Evening News and a British Comedy Award.

Mark Preston Curry is an English actor as well as a television and radio presenter. He is best known for his career on the British-television children's show Blue Peter (1986–1989) as a host, as well as his run as host on ITV British gameshow Catchphrase (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Kielty</span> Northern Irish comedian, presenter and actor

Patrick Kielty is a comedian, presenter and actor from Northern Ireland. He is the host of The Late Late Show on RTÉ One and presents a Saturday morning programme on BBC Radio 5 Live. His television credits include the BBC's Patrick Kielty Almost Live and Channel 4's Last Chance Lottery. He has also presented ITV's Love Island and This Morning.

Quintin Charles Devenish "Charlie" Lawson is a British actor who is best known for playing Jim McDonald on the long-running ITV soap opera, Coronation Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Fulcher</span> American comedian, actor and author (born 1968)

Richard Fulcher is an American comedian, actor and author. He played Bob Fossil and other characters in the British comedy series The Mighty Boosh, and Edward Sheath in the American series Jon Benjamin Has a Van. He has also appeared in Noel Fielding's more recent show, Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy. His other appearances include Unnatural Acts with Julian Barratt and Fielding of The Mighty Boosh and he starred in and wrote the TV series Snuff Box alongside Matt Berry.

Peter Dickson is a Northern Irish voice-over artist. He is best known as the brand voice of The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent and also as the voice of television channel E4. His other work includes Ireland's Got Talent, The Price Is Right, Family Fortunes and All Star Mr & Mrs.

Nicholas David Weir is an English entertainer and presenter. He was the second presenter of Catchphrase and is currently the Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International. He presented four game shows for ITV productions including Catchphrase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Byrne (comedian)</span> Irish comedian

Edward Cathal Byrne is an Irish actor and comedian. He has presented the British television shows Just for Laughs and Uncut! Best Unseen Ads, has been a guest on numerous television panel games and has appeared on a number of television cooking shows.

<i>The Graham Norton Show</i> British comedy chat show, broadcast on BBC One

The Graham Norton Show is a British comedy talk show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton succeeding Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in BBC One's prestigious late-Friday-evening slot in 2010.

Thomas Paul Allen is an English comedian, actor, writer and presenter. In 2005, he won the So You Think You're Funny contest at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

References

  1. 1 2 "Biography". Roy Walker. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  2. ↑ "All Star Talent Show". Archived from the original on 8 October 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, Aidan (27 July 2008). "Roy Walker: Goodbye Mr Chips, hello salad days". Scotland on Sunday . Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  4. ↑ Fletcher, Alex (10 April 2009). "DS Icon: Roy Walker". Digital Spy . Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  5. ↑ ""Seaside Special" Episode #4.2 (1978)". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Roy Walker (II)". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  7. ↑ ""Surprise Surprise!" Episode #11.10 (1994)". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  8. ↑ "BBC One - The Real Marigold Hotel, Series 1 - The female residents". BBC.
  9. ↑ "Steal - UKGameshows". www.ukgameshows.com.
  10. ↑ "Roy Walker as his son Phil marries". Hello! . 2000. Archived from the original on 11 September 2006. Retrieved 24 October 2019– via hola.com.
  11. ↑ Wooller, Dan (22 November 2017). "'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' musical, Press Night, London, UK". Shutterstock. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  12. ↑ Bowie-Sell, Daisy (6 March 2018). "Olivier Award nominees announced 2018: full list". Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  13. ↑ "Belle and Sebastian – Recordings". Archived from the original on 27 May 2005. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
Preceded by
None
 Host of Catchphrase
1986–1999		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.