You're Sweet M'lady.....You're Nuts M'lord! Quiz

Answer: Ronnie Corbett

Ronald Balfour Corbett was born on 30th December 1930; Corbett has had a long and illustrious comedy career of over sixty years, still appearing regularly on British television into the 21st century. Before becoming a household name, he worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and was a commissioned officer in the Royal Air Force. At five foot and one inch in height, he has been the butt of countless jokes, many of these from Corbett himself. This was highlighted in the famous 'Class' sketch with John Cleese and Ronnie Barker, which was aired on 'The Frost Report' in the 1960s. Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker formed The Two Ronnies in 1971, probably this country's greatest comedy partnership after Morecambe and Wise.

Ronnie Corbett was honoured in the 2012 New Years Honours List with an appointment as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, a CBE, in recognition of his services to both entertainment and to charity.

This sketch is one of the most famous and best loved in British comedy history and is frequently voted the most popular comedy sketch of all time with the British public.

Answer: Bud Flanagan

Bud Flanagan had a career that spanned three decades from the 1930s to the 1960s. He was born Chaim Reuben Weintrop on 14th of October 1896 in Whitechapel, East London. He took his stage name from an unpopular Senior NCO that he had met whilst serving with the British Army in France during the First World War. Bud Flanagan is most well known for his comedy partnership with Chesney Allen (Flanagan and Allen) and for his leadership of 'The Crazy Gang'. Flanagan, with Allen, had great success during the war years with songs such as 'We're going to hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line' and 'Underneath the Arches'.

Bud Flanagan was awarded the OBE in 1959 and recorded 'Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler?' as the theme for the BBC sitcom 'Dad's Army' shortly before he died on 20th of October 1968.

Answer: Arthur Askey

Arthur Bowden Askey was born in Liverpool. He was of very small stature, being only five foot two, and was known for having a very cheerful disposition. He provided entertainment for the troops during the First World War and continued to work as a member of a touring concert troupe until 1938 when he became a household name for his work on the BBC radio programme 'Band Wagon'.
Arthur Askey appeared in a number of films during the 1940s and early 1950s. He then made regular appearances on stage as a pantomime dame, a role in which I saw him in 1968, which was hilarious! Arthur was honoured with the award of an OBE in 1969 and again in 1981 with a CBE. Unfortunately, Arthur Askey underwent an operation to amputate both his legs in 1982 and he died, from complications, in hospital on the 16th of November 1982.

Humorously, the satirical magazine 'Private Eye' had stated that HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was actually Arthur Askey in drag as they were around the same age and of a similar stature!

Answer: No

'Pint Pot', Terry Tankard, was played by another 'Carry On' stalwart, Charles Hawtrey.

However, Norman Wisdom was, and still is, a huge star in Albania!

Norman Joseph Wisdom was born in London on the 4th of February 1915. After joining the Army, for the second time in 1929, he was posted to India in 1930 where he discovered a talent for boxing and eventually became the flyweight champion of the British Army in India. After an eventful military career, Norman Wisdom left the services in 1946 and became a virtual overnight success. Wisdom's films were not popular with the critics but his alter ego, Norman Pitkin, quickly endeared him to the British public and his films were very successful in their day. In 2000 Norman Wisdom was knighted by HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace where he bought a smile to the monarch's face by performing his trademark 'trip' as he walked away!

Towards the end of his life Norman Wisdom suffered a series of strokes which affected his health quite considerably and, on the 4th of October 2010 he passed away in a nursing home on the Isle of Man at the age of 95.

Answer: Dick Emery

Richard Gilbert Emery was born in Bloomsbury, London on the 19th February 1915. After a disrupted childhood, Emery served in the RAF during the Second World War. In 1952 he entered into a comedy double act with Charlie Drake and in 1957 he stood in for Harry Secombe when he was unavailable for an episode of the 'Goon Show'.

In 1963 he was contracted to the BBC to make 'The Dick Emery Show' which ran until 1981. It was during his radio and TV career that Emery worked with some of the comedy greats of the period. Emery's childhood manifested itself through his difficulties in maintaining a relationship.

He was married five times and had multiple affairs over a period of years. Cited as an influence by member of the 'Fast Show' cast, Paul Whitehouse, Dick Emery died from respiratory illness and heart failure on the 2nd of January 1983.

Answer: Andre Previn

The comedy duo, Morecambe and Wise, were so popular during the 1970s and early 1980s, that some of the most high profile personalities in the world of music and entertainment would undergo any personal humiliation to appear on their shows, especially their Christmas Day specials.

In a famous and often repeated British TV comedy sketch, first broadcast on 25 December 1971, the classic duo of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise wreaked havoc in a performance of the opening of Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, conducted by André Previn, addressed by Eric Morecambe as 'Mr Preview'.

The sketch needs to be seen to be believed. With the exquisite timing that made Morecambe one of Britain's greatest post-war comedians, he delivered his famous line: 'I'm playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order'.

Answer: Tommy Cooper

Although he spoke with a West Country accent, Thomas Frederick Cooper was born in Caerphilly, South Wales. The Cooper family had moved from Wales to Devon when Tommy was three as his father had gained employment there and, interestingly enough, his mother was a native of Devon, hailing originally from the town of Crediton.

In 1940 Tommy Cooper joined the Army and served under Field Marshall Montgomery in North Africa. It was here that he became involved with Army entertainments and where his trademark Fez first appeared in his act. Cooper got his big break into show business in 1947 with his mixture of comedy and bungled magic tricks and it was this act that continued until his death. Tommy Cooper was a very heavy smoker and drinker, which was likely to have led to a heart attack in 1977 and a decline in the quality of his performances.

However, Tommy Cooper is still one of this country's most beloved comedy entertainers and re-runs of his television shows will still pull in huge audiences.

Answer: Monty Python's Flying Circus

'Monty Python's Flying Circus' was first shown on the BBC on the 5th of October 1969 and soon gained a reputation for irreverent sketch show comedy. The team consisted of John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and the American, Terry Gilliam.

The show itself ran until 1974 although the team have made a number of feature length films such as 'Life of Brian' which caused some controversy with religious groups both here and abroad and was responsible for an infamous 1979 tv interview showdown between the Python team and Malcolm Muggeridge and the Bishop of Southwark.

Some of 'Monty Python's' most famous sketches include 'The Dead Parrot Sketch', 'The Ministry of Silly Walks' and, a personal favourite of mine and the one chosen here, 'The Upper Class Twit of the Year'.

Answer: The Two Ronnies

The Two Ronnies, Corbett and Barker, both enjoyed lengthy and illustrious careers as comedians. Ronnie Barker was born on the 25th of September 1929 and began his stage career as an actor but soon found himself playing comedic roles such as those in the BBC radio show 'The Navy Lark'.

In 1966 he first appeared on British television as a member of 'The Frost Report' and, as stated previously, it was here that he met his lifelong friend and comedy partner, Ronnie Corbett. 'The Two Ronnies' sketch show ran from 1971 until 1987 and had gained a well-earned reputation for intelligent and hilariously funny wordplay.

Answer: Shirley Bassey

This was another classic sketch from the great Morecambe and Wise, again from their 1971 Christmas Day special.

In this sketch Shirley Bassey sings the song 'Smoke Gets in your Eyes' whilst walking down a flight of steps onto the stage. As she reaches the bottom step, the heel of one of her shoes goes through the shoddily made prop and then comes off as she removes her foot. Seeing this our two comedians attempt to replace her shoes while she continues to sing. Unfortunately the only footwear that they have available as a replacement is a pair of heavy boots. They eventually manage to fit the boots to Miss Bassey's feet and she manages to complete her song. How she managed to do this without bursting into laughter will always remain a mystery!

Eric Morecambe, real name John Eric Bartholomew, who was born in Morecambe, Lancashire on the 14th of May 1926 and his comedy partner Ernest Wise who was born on 27th of November 1925 in Bramley, Yorkshire were arguably this country's best loved comedians and are still sorely missed today, many years after their deaths. At their peak, their Christmas shows were attracting in excess of 28 million viewers with their other shows attracting only marginally fewer viewers. Guests included such luminaries as Judi Dench, Peter Cushing, former UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson and their favourite guest and great personal friend, the singer Des O'Connor. Once asked by O'Connor if he could sing on their show, Moecambe's quip in response was "Sing on our show? You can't even sing on your own show!"... They just kill me every time!