Entertainers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tommy Cooper

Of the options I gave you, only Tommy Cooper was born in Wales - in Caerphilly, to be precise. His interest in magic was sparked when he was still a child, and he taught himself how to perform the tricks in a conjuring set he received as gift. Although he was adept at performing the tricks, he found that his audiences enjoyed seeing them supposedly going wrong, and Cooper built his act around the persona of a bumbling magician.

The fez, pictured, was another integral part of his act, with his first hat being acquired when he forgot the hat he intended to wear during his act. A waiter nearby lost his fez when Tommy grabbed it and from then on was never without it on stage. Cooper died in 1984 during a televised variety show after suffering a heart attack. It took a while for anyone to realise that this wasn't part of his act, but it is probable that nothing could have saved his life due to the severity of the sudden illness.

Answer: Dave Allen

Originally named David O'Mahoney, and born in Dublin, Dave Allen was a regular on British television screens in the 1970s. His style of comedy was more intimate than previously seen, sitting and talking directly to his audience while smoking cigarettes and drinking what appeared to be whisky, although some sources say it was actually a soft drink.

Allen had an irreverent view of the church, especially the two major British religions, the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. His shows featured sketches in between his monologues and many of them poked fun at the rituals of the churches - he avoided mocking peoples' beliefs. Allen said this was a reaction to his strict Catholic upbringing and described himself as 'an atheist, thank God' as a joke. Despite this, he ended his shows by saying 'may your God go with you'.

The photo clue depicts a glass which might contain whisky or ginger ale.

Answer: The Goodies

The three members of The Goodies met while students at Cambridge University where Garden was studying medicine, Oddie was reading English and Brooke-Taylor was a law student. They all joined the Footlights Club, a breeding ground for budding comics and, after graduating, performed together and separately in various radio and television comedy panel shows.

The Goodies television series began in 1970 and ran for nine series until 1984. The show was a mixture of sketches, often rather surreal,

Among the accessories the trio used was a bicycle built for three similar to the one in the photo.

Answer: George Formby

Formby was born in 1904 and began making his name as an entertainer in the 1920s and 1930s, initially as a music hall performer. He branched out into films in the 1930s and was well established by the time the Second World War broke out in 1939. During the war years Formby performed numerous shows for soldiers stationed abroad while managing to maintain his film career simultaneously.

Once the war was over, Formby's career stalled as the public wanted new types of entertainment. His final film appeared in 1946 although he continued to perform on stage, particularly in pantomimes. Many of his songs, while popular, were somewhat bawdy and the BBC didn't always play them because of this. As well as the two mentioned in the question, Formby is also remembered for 'The Window Cleaner' and 'Leaning on a Lamp-post' , both from 1937.

Formby usually accompanied himself on the ukulele, the instrument shown in the photo clue.

Answer: Ken Dodd

All the comedians listed come from Liverpool, but it is Ken Dodd who gave us the Diddy Men and numerous jokes about his birthplace, the region of Knotty Ash. He was known for his catchphrases, using the word 'tattyfilarious', meaning something very funny - it's unclear whether he coined it, but he certainly popularised it. Another saying was 'how tickled I am', accompanied by his prop of a 'tickling stick', actually a feather duster as shown in the photo.

As well as his long running comedy career, Dodd was also a successful singer, topping the UK charts with 'Tears' in 1965. Other hit records included 'Happiness' in 1964 and 'Promises' in 1966.

Answer: Pam Ayres

Pam Ayres made her breakthrough after appearing on 'Opportunity Knocks' in 1965, leading to her long-lasting career on stage and television. She concentrates primarily on comic verse, with the poem mentioned in the question being voted into the top ten favourite poems in one BBC poll. Ayres' style is uncomplicated but relatable. In one, called 'They Should Have Asked My Husband', she relates how her husband has an opinion on, and answer to, everything. The final two lines are:

'Google? Safari? On them we never call, Why bother with computers...when my husband knows it all'.

It's worth checking out some of her non comic poems too. She wrote about soldiers leaving for war in 'Down the Line' and being buried in the natural world in 'Woodland Burial'.

Answer: Ronnie Barker

Ronnie Barker formed a partnership with Ronnie Corbett, performing as 'The Two Ronnies'. They first performed together on 'The Frost Report', a satirical show presented by David Frost and also featuring John Cleese. The writers included another future 'Python' in Graham Chapman.

Barker and Corbett's own show began in 1971 and ran until 1987. It was a mixture of sketches and included a solo spot for each of them. Ronnie Barker was particularly fond of word play and could get through a long series of jokes, such as spoonerisms, with a completely straight face. Among their best loved sketches are 'Fork Handles', also a play on words, and 'Mastermind' where Ronnie Corbett is a contestant who answers each question with the correct answer to the following question to comic effect. Barker submitted scripts to the show using the name Gerald Wiley so that nobody would know he'd written them and to ensure they would be judged on their merits.

Each Ronnie pursued his individual career at the same with Ronnie Barker being Arkwright in 'Open All Hours' and Clarence Sale in 'Clarence'. His best known role is probably that of Norman Stanley Fletcher, the irrepressible prisoner in 'Porridge', hinted at in the the photo clue.

Answer: Eric Morecambe

Possibly the best loved comedy duo ever to appear on British screens, Morecambe and Wise were staples of Christmas television for many years. The partnership began in 1941 when they met on the theatre circuit and only ended when Eric died in 1984. He suffered a heart attack (his third) at the end of a show in Gloucestershire, so he performed almost to the last minute.

The 'Morecambe and Wise Show' ran on the BBC from 1968 until 1977 and then transferred to ITV for a further five years until 1983. The mixture of sketches and the interaction between the duo attracted some of the most famous stars to take part in the show. They included Andre Previn (called Andrew Preview by Eric), Cliff Richard and Shirley Bassey.

Eric took his stage name from his birth place of Morecambe, in Lancashire, and the photo shows the statue on the promenade in the town. Ernie's surname was actually Wiseman but was shortened.

Answer: Dawn French

Dawn French formed a long partnership with Jennifer Saunders, with their 'French and Saunders' comedy show having six series between 1987 and 2017. The duo performed a series of sketches, parodying musical celebrities such as ABBA and Madonna and films, including 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings'.

Both Dawn and Jennifer have successful solo careers too, with Saunders creating and starring in 'Absolutely Fabulous'. Dawn's credits include 'Murder Most Horrid', from 1991 until 1999, and the Cornish set 'Wild West', which ran for two seasons in the early 2000s. Her best known role, though, is Geraldine Grainger in 'The Vicar of Dibley', screened originally from 1994 until 2000. The picture hint is a nod to this programme.

Answer: Les Dawson

Another comedian to make his name after appearing on the talent show 'Opportunity Knocks', Les Dawson made a successful career on television. He had his own television show, running from 1978 until 1989, was a regular on various comedy panel shows and was the presenter of other shows, notably 'Blankety-Blank' between 1984 and 1990.

Dawson teamed up with Roy Barrowclough, who played Cissie Braithwaite, as the two of them dressed up as working class women from northern England. He was a talented piano player, hence the photo clue, but part of his routine was to deliberately hit wrong notes during his playing while still managing to maintain the overall tune.