Life on stage
His national persona these days may be owlishly shy and cuddly, embodying an assiduous promoter of libraries for all, (), alongside other sharp-tongued smart alecs such as Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Jonathan Miller. The stage show transferred to the BBC in 1964. It was hailed by many for kickstarting a more satirical form of comedy, away from the British music-hall tradition and the surrealism of The Goons. Ironically, however, its funniest, most treasured guest was Frankie Howerd, an old-school comedian who relaunched his career on the show.
