Coordinates	51°46′18″N5°38′30 }}″N
official name	Lowestoft
country	England
region	East of England
static image
static image name
static image width
static image caption	Lowestoft beach and outer harbour
static image alt	Image of Lowestoft seafront and harbour
static image 2 name
static image 2 width
static image 2 caption
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area total sq mi
area total km2
area footnotes
population	64,358
population ref
population density
os grid reference	TM548933
map alt	Map showing location of Lowestoft
longitude	1.75
latitude	52.48
label position	below
post town	Lowestoft
postcode area	NR
postcode district	NR32, NR33
dial code	01502
constituency westminster	Waveney
civil parish1
london distance mi	110
london distance km	177
london direction	South-west
shire district	Waveney
shire county	Suffolk
unitary england
hide services	}}

Lowestoft (, , or ) is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich. It is situated on the edge of the Broads system and is the major settlement within the district of Waveney with a population of 64,358 at the 2001 census.

Some of the earliest evidence of settlement in Britain have been found in Lowestoft and the town has a long history. It is a port town which developed due to the fishing industry and a traditional seaside resort. It has wide, sandy beaches, two piers and a number of other tourist attractions. Whilst its fisheries have declined, the development of oil and gas exploitation in the southern North Sea in the 1960s led to the development of the town, along with nearby Great Yarmouth, as a base for the industry. This role has since declined and the town has begun to develop as a centre of the renewable energy industry within the East of England.

History

Following the discovery of flint tools in the cliffs at Pakefield in south Lowestoft in 2005, the human habitation of the Lowestoft area can be traced back 700,000 years. This establishes Lowestoft as one of the earliest known sites for human habitation in Britain.

The area was settled during the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages and during the Roman and Saxon periods, with a Saxon cemetery producing a number of finds at Bloodmoor Hill in south Lowestoft. The settlement's name is derived from the Viking personal name ''Hlothver'', and ''toft'', a Viking word for 'homestead'. The town's name has been spelled variously: ''Lothnwistoft'', ''Lestoffe'', ''Laistoe'', ''Loystoft'' and ''Laystoft''.

At the Domesday survey the village was known as ''Lothuwistoft'' and was relatively small with a population of around 16 households. The manor formed part of the King's holding within the Hundred of Lothingland and was worth about four geld in tax income. Roger Bigot was the tenant in chief of the village. The village of Akethorpe may have been located close to Lowestoft.

In the Middle Ages Lowestoft became an increasingly important fishing town. The industry grew quickly and the town grew to challenge its neighbour Great Yarmouth. The trade, particularly fishing for herring, continued to act as the town's main identity until the 20th century.

In June 1665 the Battle of Lowestoft, the first battle of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, took place off the coast of the town. The battle resulted in a significant victory for the English fleet over the Dutch. In the 19th century, the arrival of Sir Samuel Morton Peto brought about a change in Lowestoft's fortunes. Railway contractor Peto was contracted by the Lowestoft Railway & Harbour Company to build a railway line between Lowestoft and Reedham. This stimulated the further development of the fishing industry and the Port of Lowestoft in general. The development of the port boosted trade with the continent. Peto's railway not only enabled the fishing industry to get its product to market, but assisted the development of other industries such as engineering and helped to establish Lowestoft as a flourishing seaside holiday resort.

During World War I, Lowestoft was bombarded by the German Navy on 24 April 1916. The port was a significant naval base during the war, including for armed trawlers such as ''Ethel & Millie'' and ''Nelson'' which were used to combat German U-boat actions in the North Sea such as the action of 15th August 1917. In World War II, the town was heavily targeted for bombing by the Luftwaffe due to its engineering industry and role as a naval base. It is sometimes claimed that it became one of the most heavily bombed towns per head of population in the UK. The Royal Naval Patrol Service, formed primarily from trawlermen and fishermen from the Royal Naval Reserve, was mobilised at Lowestoft in August 1939. The service had its central depot ''HMS Europa'', also known as ''Sparrow's Nest'', in the town. Many Lowestoft fishermen served in the patrol service.

Lowestoft porcelain

During the second half of the 18th century a factory in Crown Street produced soft-paste porcelain ware. Items still exist, and there are collections at the museum in Nicholas Everett Park, Oulton Broad, and at the Castle Museum, Norwich. The factory produced experimental wares in about 1756 and first advertised their porcelain in 1760, operating until about 1801. The factory was in production for longer than any English soft-paste porcelain producer other than Royal Worcester and Royal Crown Derby.

Lowestoft collectors divide the factory's products into three distinct periods, Early Lowestoft circa 1756 to 1761, Middle-Period circa 1761 to 1768 and Late-Period circa 1768 to the closure of the factory in about 1801. During the early period wares decorated with Chinese-inspired scenes in underglaze blue were produced. This type of decoration continued throughout the life of the factory but scenes were gradually simplified. Overglaze colours in enamel were used from about 1768.

The factory, which was built on the site of an existing pottery or brick kiln, was later used as a brewery and malt kiln. Most of the remaining buildings were demolished in 1955.

Government

Lowestoft is the major settlement in Waveney District Council. It is a former municipal borough, having lost this status in 1974, although it retains a ceremonial mayor. The mayor of Lowestoft is elected by councillors on an annual basis. Suffolk County Council is the local authority.

The town is part of the Waveney parliamentary constituency and currently represented at Westminster by Conservative Peter Aldous. Former M.P.s include Bob Blizzard, David Porter and Jim Prior, a cabinet minister and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the Thatcher governments, who also represented the former constituency of Lowestoft. For European Union elections Lowestoft forms part of the East of England constituency.

For district election purposes, Lowestoft is divided into ten electoral wards, with Carlton Colville treated as a separate electoral area. Harbour, Kirkley, Normanston, Pakefield, St Margarets and Whitton wards elect three councillors each, with Carlton, Gunton and Corton, Oulton and Oulton Broad wards electing two district councillors. Of the 48 council seats in the district, 26 represent wards within Lowestoft, with three more representing Carlton Colville. In 2010 the council changed to a Whole Council election process, with all seats on the council elected at one set of elections every four years. The most recent district council elections were on 5th May 2011 at which the Labour party won 19 of the Lowestoft seats, a gain of four seats, concentrated in the central areas of the town. The Conservative party won six seats with one Independent candidate retaining their seat in Oulton ward.

At Suffolk County Council, Lowestoft and its immediate surrounding area are represented by eight councillors, split equally between four electoral divisions–Gunton, Lowestoft South, Oulton and Pakefield. For county council elections Pakefield division includes Carlton Colville. Elections take place every four years, with the most recent elections in June 2009. Seven of Lowestoft's county councillors represent the Conservative party, with South Lowestoft electing a UK Independence Party councillor in 2009.

Geography

Lowestoft is the easternmost town in the United Kingdom. It lies on the North Sea coast and is located north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich. The town is divided in two by Lake Lothing which forms Lowestoft Harbour and provides access via Oulton Broad and Oulton Dyke to the River Waveney and the Broads.

Lowestoft is mainly low lying, although with areas of steep hills in the north of the town where the highest points are 20–30 metres above sea level. The underlying rock is crag-sand with overlying sand and glacial till deposits with gravel, with the crag being exposed at coastal cliffs such as at Pakefield. Areas around Lake Lothing feature alluvium silt and some marshland remains west of Oulton Broad. The beaches to the south of the harbour are sandy and have Blue Flag status. Towards the north of the harbour is an area of old sand dunes known locally as the Denes as well as more beaches and Ness Point, the easternmost point of the U.K.

Lowestoft has been subject to periodic flooding, most notably in January 1953 when a North Sea swell driven by low pressure and a high tide swept away many of the older sea defences and deluged most of the southern town. Heavy rain caused flash flooding in the town in September 2006.

Lowestoft is in one of the driest areas of the United Kingdom and receives less than 600 mm of rainfall a year on average. Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Summer temperatures will tend to reach 21°C in August, when the town averages over 200 hours of sunshine, whilst in winter minimum temperatures average 2°C. Significant snowfall is rare, although has occurred in recent years. Sea fog and cool onshore breezes can affect the town.

Lowestoft is Suffolk's second largest town (second to Ipswich) with a population of 64,358 at the 2001 census. The town contains a variety of business and residential areas, with the main shopping centre lying just to the north of Lake Lothing. The wider Lowestoft urban area includes the suburbs of Carlton Colville, Gunton, Pakefield, Oulton and Oulton Broad as well as the district of Kirkley. Outlying villages associated with Lowestoft include Blundeston, Corton, Gisleham, Kessingland and Somerleyton.

Demography

Around a tenth of Lowestoft's population of 64,358 at the 2001 census was aged 75 or over, whereas 20% was aged under 16. In general the population of a number of wards within the town is slightly skewed towards elderly people. The population is mainly classified as "white" with minority ethnic groups making up around 1.4% of the population of the town compared to around 8.7% nationally.

At the 2001 census there were 27,777 households with an average household size of 2.40. In total 8,430 households (30%) were classified as one person households while 26% included children aged 15 or under. The proportion of households without a car was 29% whilst 22% had two or more cars. In terms of housing tenure, 72% of households were owner occupied.

Economy

Originally based on the fishing and engineering industries, the economy of Lowestoft has declined over the years. Although the tourism sector has grown, the major employers in the town are in the wholesale and retail sector, making up 18% of employment. Service industries, including health and social care and education are significant employers, whilst manufacturing employs around 10% of the workforce. Employment in the town can vary seasonally due to the importance of tourism to the economy. In early 2011 around 10% of the working population of the town claimed Jobseekers Allowance.

Traditional industries

Until the mid 1960s, fishing was perceived as Lowestoft's main industry, although from the 1930s the percentage of those employed directly and in trades associated with fishing was actually only around 10% of the working population . Fleets of drifters and trawlers caught fish such as herring, cod and plaice. Catches have diminished since the 1960s and, although by the 1980s 100 boats remained, there are now only a few small boats operating out of Lowestoft, with no trawlers remaining. By 2011 just three traders remained at the towns fish market which is under threat of closure due to the redevelopment of the port. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), a large fisheries research centre, which is a part of Defra is still located in Lowestoft.

Other major traditional employers included the Eastern Coach Works and a variety of engineering and ship building companies clustered around the harbour. These included Brooke Marine and Richards shipbuilding companies, who together employed over a thousand men but went out of business in the 1990s, and Norwich based engineering company Boulton and Paul. Some ship building and repair still goes on in the harbour.

Modern economy

Major local employers include Birds Eye frozen foods which employs 700 workers. The company has been located in the town for over 60 years. Food processing company Wessex Foods closed its Lowestoft plant in 2010 after a major fire destroyed the factory and the company was unable to find alternative premises.

A number of other local employers have had to make redundancies in recent years. The Sanyo plant in the town closed down in 2009 with the loss of 60 jobs. The plant once employed 800 people. Timber company Jeld-Wen closed their factory in the town in 2010.

From the mid 1960s to the late 1990s, the oil and gas industry provided significant employment in the Lowestoft area. For many years the Shell Southern Operations base on the north shore of Lowestoft Harbour was one of the town's largest employers. A decision to close the Shell base was finally made in 2003. The oil and gas industry is still a significant industry within the town.

The town has attempted to develop itself as a centre for the development of renewable energy in the east of England. The non-profit Orbis Energy centre has been set up to attract business in the green energy sector to the town and features solar thermal heating. In April 2009, Associated British Ports announced that the harbour is to become the operations centre for the 500 megawatt Greater Gabbard offshore windfarm which, when completed, will be the world’s largest offshore windfarm. The turbines will be located off the Suffolk coast, and Lowestoft’s Outer Harbour is to be used to house the necessary operational support facilities. Other developments in the renewable energy sector include a prototype tidal energy generator being produced by local company 4NRG and wave power systems developed by Trident Energy.

Lowestoft is also bidding for to be the operational base for the proposed 5,000 megawatt 'Zone 5' wind farm, planned for construction off-shore.

Retailing

The town centre is the main shopping area within Waveney district. Major retailers such as Marks & Spencer and British Home Stores have stores in the town. Chadds independent department store was founded in 1907 and after nearly 100 years trading on the high street and was taken over in 2004 by the Great Yarmouth based Palmers group. Specialist shopping areas, branded as The Historic High Street and the Triangle Market Place, have been developed on the northern edge of the centre, while a number of retail parks have been developed in the town.

Tourism

Lowestoft is a traditional seaside resort, first developing as a bathing site in the 1760s. The coast has been branded the "Sunrise Coast". The town's main beaches are to the south of the harbour and have Blue Flag status. Two piers, the Claremont and South piers, provide tourist facilities and the East Point Pavilion is the site of the tourist information service. Lifeguard facilities are provided during the summer and watersports take place along the coast.

Pleasurewood Hills Theme Park is situated on the northern edge of the town. In the west at Oulton Broad boat trips and watersports on the Broads and River Waveney are attractions, with companies such as Hoseasons operating hire boats from Oulton Broad. To the south Africa Alive at Kessingland is a major attraction whilst Pontins operates a holiday park at Pakefield where 160 jobs were created in 2010.

A major attraction in recent years has been Lowestoft Airshow, founded in 1996. The two day event, which takes place in August, features a wide range of aircraft including, in the past, the Red Arrows, a Lancaster bomber, Spitfires and an Avro Vulcan. In 2002, a Royal Air Force Harrier plane crashed into the sea during the festival. An RAF board of inquiry later established that the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Cann, had accidentally operated the controls for throttle and nozzle direction lever at the same time, causing it to drop sharply.

The event, which has been run by Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival Ltd, a not for profit company, since 2004, has had financial difficulties in the past and made a £40,000 loss in 2010. Waveney District Council has helped support the event, which has significant economic benefits to the town, but it has lacked a main sponsor since 2007 when Birds Eye withdrew its sponsorship of the £250,000 cost of staging the show. The event raises money through collections for local charities which, in turn, provide stewarding. In 2010, despite the operating loss, £27,000 was donated to groups. It has been estimated that the show generates 180 jobs and benefits the local economy by more than £13 million a year.

Redevelopment

Lowestoft is one of the more socially deprived areas in Suffolk, with Kirkley the most deprived ward in the county ranking 173rd most deprived in England (out of 32,486). The area has attracted European Union redevelopment funding. The Waveney Sunrise Scheme invested £14.7 million in the town, including the transport improvements and the development of tourist facilities such as fountains on Royal Plain, in an attempt to stimulate the local economy. Regeneration company 1st East, which focussed on the Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth areas, closed in 2011.

The town was announced as a location for an enterprise zone in August 2011. The plan, developed by New Anglia local enterprise partnership, will be based around six redevelopment sites across Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth and aim to create 13,500 jobs by 2036. The bid, which involved the Norfolk and Suffolk Energy Alliance, will focus on developing the energy sector initially using a variety of tax incentives, simplified planning regulations and the provision of improved broadband internet services.

The harbour is the focus for redevelopment proposals for Lowestoft in the form of the Lake Lothing and Outer Harbour Area Action Plan submitted in February 2011. The plan focusses on the redevelopment of brownfield sites in and around the harbour area to create jobs, particularly in the renewable energy and retailing sectors.

Culture and community

The Marina Theatre is the largest theatre in the town. The Seagull theatre in Pakefield is smaller. The Beach radio station broadcasts to Lowestoft and the surrounding area as does BBC Radio Suffolk. The local weekly paper is the Lowestoft Journal which is part of the Archant group.

Lowestoft Museum, which holds a collection of Lowestoft Porcelain as well as artifacts describing the town's history, is in Nicholas Everett Park in Oulton Broad. Lowestoft's other museums include the Maritime Museum and Royal Naval Patrol Service Museum, both located in Sparrow's Nest park in the north of the town, and the Heritage Workshop Centre. The ''Mincarlo'' is the last surviving sidewinder trawler of the Lowestoft fishing fleet and can be visited at Lowestoft Harbour. The East Anglia Transport Museum, which holds a collection of buses, trams and trolleybuses is located in Carlton Colville.

Lowestoft retains a number of narrow lanes with steps running steeply towards the sea, known locally as "scores". These were used by fishermen and smugglers in the past and are now the site of an annual race which raises money for charity. The borough church is dedicated to St Margaret and is a Grade I listed building.

Lowestoft library, located in the centre of the town, contains a local history section and a branch of the Suffolk Record Office. Lowestoft Hospital provides community care for the elderly as well as a variety of other services.

The town is currently twinned with the French town of Plaisir in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France to the west of Paris. It was formerly twinned with Dutch town of Katwijk which is due east from Lowestoft on the North Sea coast.

Landmarks

Ness Point, the most easterly location in the United Kingdom, is located in the town close to a 126 metre high wind turbine known locally as Gulliver. At the time it was completed the turbine was the tallest in the United Kingdom. At the most easterly point is a large compass rose, the ''Euroscope'', set in the ground which gives the direction and distance to various cities in Europe.

Belle Vue Park is the site of the Royal Naval Patrol Service memorial. The central depot for the service was in Lowestoft when it was mobilised in August 1939 on a site known as ''Sparrow's Nest'' adjacent to the memorial. The memorial has the names of the 2,385 members of the service who died in World War II.

Lowestoft High Lighthouse, located to the north of the town centre, was built at its present location on the cliffs above the Denes in 1676, although two candlelit lights were first established in the town in 1609. The present structure was built in 1874 and stands 16 metres tall, 37 metres above sea level. The light, which has a range of , was electrified in 1936 and automated in 1975.

Transport

Lowestoft railway station, originally known as Lowestoft Central station, is centrally placed within the town, within walking distance of the beach and the town centre. It provides services to Ipswich on the East Suffolk Line and to Norwich along the Wherry Line. Both lines were originally part of the Great Eastern Railway and are currently operated by National Express East Anglia. The suburb of Oulton Broad has two stations: Oulton Broad North station lies on the line to Norwich, while Oulton Broad South is on the line to Ipswich.

Lowestoft North railway station, which was originally operated by the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway, closed in 1970 when the Yarmouth to Lowestoft line closed. The site is now occupied by Beeching Drive, a residential area.

Buses in Lowestoft are operated by First Eastern Counties and Anglian Bus with Lowestoft bus station as the hub for routes. Buses link the town with Norwich and Great Yarmouth and provide public transport within the town and to surrounding villages. The X1 service operates a direct link to Peterborough and National Express Coaches stop in Lowestoft on the route from London to Great Yarmouth.

The main A12 road from London to Great Yarmouth passes through the centre of Lowestoft, crossing the harbour in the centre of the town on the Bascule Bridge. The A146 links Lowestoft with Beccles and Norwich, providing a second road crossing of Lake Lothing. Both bridges can be raised if vessels need to pass through the harbour and Lake Lothing and this can cause congestion in the town and routes can become gridlocked. A third crossing of Lowestoft Harbour is proposed but has yet to receive planning or funding, although a southern relief road diverts traffic away from the seafront to help reduce congestion.

Education

Lowestoft has a number of primary, middle and high schools, currently including three 13–18 high schools: The Benjamin Britten High School, The Denes High School and Kirkley Community High School. Lowestoft College provides a range of academic and vocational courses whilst the high schools operate a sixth form consortium.

Pakefield High School is due to open in September 2011. At this time all high schools in Lowestoft will become 11–16 schools with post-16 provision at Lowestoft College or a newly built Lowestoft Sixth Form College. This will involve the closure of all eight middle schools in the town.

Lowestoft College provides a small range of higher education courses through an affiliation to University Campus Suffolk. Degrees are validated by the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex. The college also runs courses in boatbuilding and a variety of courses designed to support the offshore and maritime industries which are important employers in the town. Other adult education courses are run by the County council from a base at the town library.

Sport and leisure

Lowestoft has a variety of sports clubs and facilities. Lowestoft Town Football Club play at Crown Meadow and Kirkley & Pakefield Football Club play at Walmer Road. Lowestoft Cricket Club play at the Denes Oval sports ground. Other sports clubs include Waveney Gymnastics club and Rookery Park golf club.

The towns main leisure centre is the Waterlane leisure centre which was redeveloped at a cost of £6.5 million in 2010–11. Facilities include a gym and climbing wall and will feature a 25 metre swimming pool with a movable floor once refurbishment is complete. Lowestoft has a number of parks and recreation grounds.

The Broads national park extends into Lowestoft at Oulton Broad. Water activities and boat tours can be taken here. Powerboat racing also occurs every Thursday throughout the summer, hosting local boats and occasionally a round of a national or international championship throughout classes of powerboat.

Notable people

The composer Benjamin Britten was born in Lowestoft in 1913. He has been described as "without a doubt the greatest English classical composer of the last century" and "the only person of real celebrity to have emerged from darkest Lowestoft". The Benjamin Britten High School and a small shopping centre in the town are named after the composer.

Sir Samuel Morton Peto, bought Somerleyton Hall in 1843, and has one of the town's main roads named after him, leading to the train station he created. He was influential in developing the town's railway links and its harbour. Sir Christopher Cockerell, inventor of the hovercraft, lived in Oulton Broad, and tested craft in Somerleyton.

Admiral Sir John Ashby, who commanded HMS Victory at the Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue in 1692, grew up in Suffolk and is buried in Lowestoft. A memorial to him is sited in St Margaret's church in the town. Vice Admiral James Dacres fought in wars against America in the 19th Century and was born in the town. Captain Thomas Crisp V.C., Royal Navy officer, was born in the town – one of the town's main roads is named after him.

The Elizabethan pamphleteer Thomas Nashe, one of the fathers of modern journalism and a primary source for the literary milieux of William Shakespeare, was born in Lowestoft in 1567. Robert Potter, poet and translator of Greek drama, was vicar of Lowestoft until 1804. The 19th century writer and traveller George Borrow lived in Oulton Broad for many years and wrote most of his books there.

The children's author and illustrator Michael Foreman was born in 1938, and spent his childhood years in Pakefield where his mother kept the grocers shop. He went to Pakefield Primary School, and played on Hilly Green – stories of which are recorded in his book ''War Boy''. Photographer George Davison was born in Lowestoft, whilst actor Reece Ritchie attended school in the town.

The comedian and actor Karl Theobald was born in Lowestoft as was BBC Radio 4 newsreader and television presenter Zeb Soanes and Tim Westwood, DJ and BBC radio presenter. Three of the founder members of the rock band The Darkness were educated in Kirkley and some of their songs feature landmarks or stories from the local area. Lil Chris featured in Channel4s, Rock School programme filmed at Kirkley High School and went on to have a musical career.

Sportspeople associated with Lowestoft include former England football captain Terry Butcher who was educated in Lowestoft. Others born in the town include former Ipswich Town goalkeeper Laurie Sivell, Norwich City defenders Paul Haylock and Daryl Sutch, New York Mets pitcher Les Rohr and middleweight boxer Anthony Ogogo. Professional darts player Peter Wright lives in the town.

References

External links

Lowestoft Tourist Information

Nation on Film – the rise and fall of the fishing industry on England's east coast, BBC website.

Lowestoft Porcelain

Category:Lowestoft Category:Waveney Category:Towns in Suffolk Category:Populated coastal places in Suffolk Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea Category:Seaside resorts in England

de:Lowestoft fr:Lowestoft it:Lowestoft nl:Lowestoft no:Lowestoft nn:Lowestoft pl:Lowestoft pt:Lowestoft ro:Lowestoft ru:Лоустофт simple:Lowestoft fi:Lowestoft sv:Lowestoft

Coordinates	51°46′18″N5°38′30 }}″N
name	Derek Acorah
birth name	Derek Francis Johnson
birth date	January 27, 1950
birth place	Bootle, Merseyside, England
known for	''Most Haunted'', ''Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns'', ''Granada Breeze'', ''Antiques Ghost Show''
occupation	}}

Derek Acorah (born Derek Francis Johnson on 27 January 1950) is a British medium. He is best known for his work on ''Most Haunted'', broadcast on Living, between 2002 and 2005. He recently presented the series ''Derek Acorah'' on Sky Real Lives. Although he continues to be a popular figure in live tours and television work, he has been criticised and parodied, often casting doubt over his legitimacy as a medium.

Personal life

Derek Acorah was born as Derek Johnson, but later changed his surname to what he claimed to be his grandmother's maiden name, Acorah. He lives in Scarisbrick near Southport, Merseyside in North West England with his wife Gwen, he also has a son from previous marriage. He works regularly in television and radio and has made personal appearances across the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand and the U.S.A..

Acorah claims that his first supernatural experience came as a child when the spirit of his late grandfather - who died before Acorah was born - visited him.

Early career

When he was 13, Acorah fulfilled a boyhood ambition to be a footballer when he signed for Wrexham, as an apprentice. Two years later he had moved on to Liverpool FC under Bill Shankly. Acorah played for the reserves, but after failing to make the first team, moved back to Wrexham. He later had spells with Glentoran in Northern Ireland and Stockport County before applying for the Australian League with the then premier Australian team ''USC Lion''. When Acorah's football career ended because of injuries and homesickness he returned to England and to Liverpool. He claimed psychic powers were always with him and after a while he set up as a full time spirit medium based in his home city of Liverpool.

Television work

Acorah's television career began in 1996 when he appeared on a magazine programme called ''Livetime'' produced by Granada Television in Manchester and broadcast on the Granada Breeze television channel. Following the success of his initial appearance on the show, he was regularly invited back to feature in a weekly segment. He later worked as a main contributor on a spin-off show called ''Psychic Livetime'' as well as ''The Psychic Zone'' was given his own show, ''Predictions with Derek Acorah'' where he would conduct readings on members of the public in their own homes.

In January 1998, Acorah, travelled to Los Angeles where he took part in various paranormal investigations both in Los Angeles itself and in Hollywood. He also conducted a live show on stage at the Vogue Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. In 2000 he returned to California to record a pilot for a new show named ''Connections with Derek Acorah''. The show involved Acorah touring the streets of Santa Monica giving impromptu readings to members of the public but the show was never picked up by any of the television networks.

In July 2001, Acorah was asked to feature in a new British television programme called ''Haunting Truths'' which was subsequently sold to Living and renamed ''Most Haunted''. It was at this time that he arguably became Britain's most widely known medium and was described as "the sexiest man in Spiritualism". He worked on the show for six series until his departure in 2005. Acorah claims that he left the show to pursue other projects although the show's presenter, Yvette Fielding is reported to have said that he was asked to leave after Ciarán O'Keeffe, a parapsychologist for the show, fed him misinformation to which he later responded during an investigation, presenting himself as being possessed by the spirit of a fictional character.

In Spring 2003 Living also commissioned ''Antiques Ghost Show'' which shows Acorah demonstrating psychometry as he unfolds the mysteries of family heirlooms. The show was not as popular as Ghost Towns, but it was generally well received. In one episode Acorah apparently was able to determine correctly the name and occupation of the previous owner of an object - an erotic sculpture from the Victorian period.

After Acorah's departure from ''Most Haunted'', Living commissioned ''Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns''. In contrast to ''Most Haunted'' which mainly featured well known stately homes, castles and the like, this programme would involve the public and would highlight their stories of ghostly activity in less well known locations throughout the country. Derek, together with the presenter, would also knock on people's doors and offer them a private sitting in their own homes. Acorah was joined for the first two series by presenters Daniella Westbrook and Angus Purden and also by Myleene Klass and Rhodri Owen for the third and final series.

In 2004 Acorah was presented with the Variety Club of Great Britain's Multichannel TV Personality of the Year Award, as chosen by its members.

To mark the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot (1605), Living commissioned a one-off programme called ''Derek Acorah's Quest for Guy Fawkes'' which broadcast on Guy Fawkes Night in 2005. Together with presenter and journalist Angus Purden, Derek travelled the country visiting key locations in order to retrace the footsteps of Guy Fawkes.

In 2007 Acorah travelled to Egypt to film ''Paranormal Egypt'' with Tessa Dunlop. This six-part series was commissioned by Living and produced by Ruggie Media. While in 2008 appeared in the feature film documentary ''Tattoos: A Scarred History''. Derek has his own show on Sky Real Lives, named simply ''"Derek Acorah"''.

In November 2009 Acorah featured in two programmes where he attempted to make contact with the spirit of Michael Jackson, ''Michael Jackson: The Live Seance'' and ''Michael Jackson: The Search For His Spirit.'' The show was named the worst TV programme of 2009 in a poll of more than 9,000 Yahoo! users.

On 9th March 2011 Acorah took part in a live online seance. The event was hosted by The Sun which described him as the 'UK's foremost medium'.

Controversy

Acorah's credibility has been questioned following his work on ''Most Haunted''. On investigations for the programme, Acorah would appear to become possessed by spirits or an evil entity or would appear lost and confused. On one such occasion, Acorah said he was possessed by the spirit of a man called ''Kreed Kafer''. In a later interview the programme's parapsychologist, Ciaran O'Keeffe, said that the character was a fabrication he invented, and an anagram of "Derek faker". O'Keeffe had fed this name to Acorah prior to the programme, and he had subsequently repeated it during filming. In a separate interview, the show's presenter and executive producer Yvette Fielding said that she believes it was a "fake possession".

Parody

Acorah has been parodied by comedian Marc Wootton, in his series ''High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman'', by Jon Culshaw on the TV series ''Dead Ringers'' and by Dawn French as 'Dawnie Acorah'. His newer show, ''Derek Acorah's Ghost Towns'', is often a subject for Harry Hill on his ITV1 show, ''Harry Hill's TV Burp''. He was spoofed by Hugh Laurie on Saturday Night Live in a segment when Laurie hosted the show in 2006. An Acorah-like psychic with bouffant blond hair, regional Northern England accent and non-existent psychic abilities appeared in series 1, Episode 3 of Peter Kay's ''Phoenix Nights''.

He is also parodied in a routine by comedian Ed Byrne in his latest DVD "Different Class" - claiming to know a couple's name after they had previously told it to him.

Bibliography

Acorah has written on his experiences and detailing his life.

''The Psychic World of Derek Acorah: Discover How to Develop Your Hidden Powers'' - Derek Acorah with John G. Sutton, Paitkus Books, 2003

'''The Psychic Adventures of Derek Acorah: Star of TV's "Most Haunted"'', Element Books 2004

''Ghost Hunting with Derek Acorah'' - Derek Acorah, Element Books, 2005

''Most Haunted: The Official Behind-the-Scenes Guide'' - Yvette Fielding, Derek Acorah, 2005

''Haunted Britain'' - Derek Acorah, Harper Element, 2006

''Haunted Britain and Ireland'' - by Derek Acorah

''Ghost Towns'' - Derek Acorah, Harper Element, 2006

''Derek Acorah's Haunted!'

''Derek Acorah - Amazing Psychic Stories'

''Derek Acorah - Extreme Psychic'

References

External links

Official website

Derek Acorah Interviews & Galleries

Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:English television personalities Category:People from Bootle Category:English spiritual mediums Category:English psychics Category:Liverpool F.C. players Category:Association football defenders Category:Glentoran F.C. players Category:Irish Football League players Category:Television presenters from Liverpool Category:Sportspeople from Liverpool

fi:Derek Acorah sv:Derek Acorah

Rambling Syd Rumpo was a folk singer character played by English comedian Kenneth Williams in the radio comedy series ''Round the Horne''.

The Rambling Syd sketches generally began with a short discourse on the nature of the song which would inexorably follow; these discourses in their own right would have assured Rambling Syd Rumpo a place in radio history as masterpieces of suggestivity and ''double-entendre''. For this, Rambling Syd was customarily introduced by Kenneth Horne, who would set things up by (for example) inquiring as to the nature and origin of the song. Rambling Syd would (usually) respond with an "Ullo, mi dearios" before launching into the ensuing detailed explanation which left a great deal to the imagination.

The songs themselves pushed and extended boundaries of acceptable sexual suggestivity way beyond the narrow confines of a Sunday lunchtime radio slot, using nonsense (or little-known) words like 'moolies' and ''nadgers'' in suggestive contexts.

Williams later starred (with Leslie Phillips and others) in the short-lived Radio sketch show ''Oh, Get On with It'' (based on a pilot episode entitled ''Get On With It''), which also featured appearances as Rambling Syd.

Many of the words used by Rambling Syd were invented by the Round The Horne scriptwriters Barry Took and Marty Feldman, whilst some were existing words used in a suggestive context, such as 'artifacts' (often used in an archaeological context for things such as grave goods) and 'nadger', which had already appeared in ''The Goon Show''.

An excerpt from a Christmas episode, ''Cinderella'', first broadcast on Christmas Eve 1967, and rebroadcast in December 2009:

:''Good King Boroslav looked out, :''on the night of grungers. :''Saw them wurdling round about, :''Armed with rubber plungers. :''Brightly shone their artefacts, :''Red their possets glowing. :''He knew not from whence they came,'' (switching back into suggestive accent) :''But 'e knew where they were going!

Memorable songs

''The Ballad of the Somerset Nog'' (to the tune of ''Widecombe Fair'')

''D'Ye Ken Jim Pubes'' (to the tune of ''D'ye Ken John Peel'')

''Green Grow My Nadgers O!'' (to the tune of ''Green Grow The Rushes-O'')

''The Ballad of the Woggler's Moulie'' (to the tune of ''Oh My Darling, Clementine'')

''The Taddle Gropers' Dance'' (to the tune of ''Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush'')

''What Shall We Do With The Drunken Nurker'' (to the tune of ''Drunken Sailor'')

''The Song Of The Bogle Clencher'' (to the tune of ''The Lincolnshire Poacher'')

'''Twas On The Good Ship Habakkuk''

''Clacton Bogle Picker's Lament''

''Runcorn Splod Cobbler's Song''

''Granny Went a-Wandering''

''Song Of The Australian Outlaw''

''The Black Grunger of Hounslow''

''Gladys Is At It Again''

''The Grommet Tinker's Song''

''My Grussett Lies a Fallowing-oh''

''Bind my Plooms with Silage''

''The Russet-banger Ditty''

''The Lung-Wormer's Gavotte''

''Good King Boroslav''

Rumpo, Rambling Syd Category:Round the Horne

Coordinates	51°46′18″N5°38′30 }}″N
name	Kenneth Williams
birth name	Kenneth Charles Williams
birth date	February 22, 1926
birth place	Islington, London, England
death date	April 15, 1988
death place	Camden, London, England
death cause	Barbiturate overdose
occupation	Actor, comedian, broadcaster, raconteur
years active	1952–1988 }}

Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the ''Carry On'' films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.

Life and career

Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February 1926 in Bingfield Street, King's Cross, London, the son of Louisa ("Lou" or "Louie") and Charles Williams (a barber). Williams had a half-sister, Alice Patricia, born before Louie had met Charlie Williams. He was educated at Lyulph Stanley School, later becoming apprenticed as a draughtsman to a mapmaker. He joined the Army in 1944 at 18. As part of the Royal Engineers survey section in Bombay, he first performed on stage in the Combined Services Entertainment alongside Stanley Baxter and Peter Nichols. He was a voracious reader able to quote poems or literary extracts from memory. Excerpts from the diaries he kept as an adult show he adored his supportive, theatrical mother but despised his homophobic, morose and selfish father.

Comic performer

His professional career began in 1948 in repertory theatre. Failure to become a serious dramatic actor disappointed him, but his potential as a comic performer gave him his break when he was spotted playing the Dauphin in George Bernard Shaw's ''St Joan'' in 1954 by radio producer Dennis Main Wilson. Main Wilson was casting ''Hancock's Half Hour'', a radio series starring Tony Hancock. Playing mostly funny voice roles, Williams stayed in the series almost to the end, five years later. His nasal, whiny, camp-cockney inflections (epitomised in his "Stop messing about...!" catchphrase) became popular with listeners. Despite the success and recognition the show brought him, Williams thought theatre, film and television were superior forms of entertainment.

When Hancock moved the show away from what he considered gimmicks and silly voices, Williams had less to do on the programme. Tiring of his reduced status, he joined Kenneth Horne in ''Beyond Our Ken'' (1958–1964), and its sequel, ''Round the Horne'' (1965–1968). His roles in ''Round the Horne'' included Rambling Syd Rumpo, the eccentric folk singer; Dr Chou En Ginsberg, MA (failed), Oriental criminal mastermind; J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock, telephone heavy breather and dirty old man; and Sandy of the camp couple Julian and Sandy (Julian was played by Hugh Paddick). Their double act was notable for double entendres and Polari, the homosexual slang.

Williams appeared in West End revues including ''Share My Lettuce'' with Maggie Smith, written by Bamber Gascoigne, and ''Pieces of Eight'' with Fenella Fielding. The latter included material written by Peter Cook, then a student at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Cook's ''One Leg Too Few'' and ''Interesting Facts'' were part of the show and became routines in Cook's own performances. Williams's last revue was ''One over the Eight'', with Sheila Hancock. In 1972, Williams starred opposite Jennie Linden in ''My Fat Friend''. He also appeared with Ingrid Bergman in a stage production of George Bernard Shaw's ''Captain Brassbound's Conversion'' in 1971.

''Carry On''

Williams worked regularly in British film during the 1960s and 1970s, mainly in the ''Carry On'' series (1958–1978) with its British double entendre-laced humour. He appeared in the series more than any other actor. The films were commercially successful but Williams and the rest of the cast were poorly paid. In his diaries, Williams wrote that he earned more in a British Gas commercial than for any ''Carry On'' film. He often criticised ''Carry On'' films, his own performances and those of others, considering them beneath him. This was the case with many of the films, television programmes, stage plays and radio shows in which he appeared. He was quick to find fault with his own work. Despite this, he spoke fondly of the ''Carry On'' films in interviews. Peter Rogers, producer of the series, recollected, "Kenneth was worth taking care of because, while he cost very little – £5,000 a film, he made a great deal of money for the franchise."

Radio and television shows

Williams was a regular on the BBC radio panel game ''Just a Minute'' from its second season in 1968 until his death. From 1972, when he felt he wasn't being appreciated, he would scream, "I've come all the way from Great Portland Street." (It was a short distance to the studio from his home.) He also talked for almost a minute about a supposed Austrian psychiatrist called Heinrich Swartzberg, guessing that show creator Ian Messiter had just made the name up.

On television he was a frequent contributor to the 1973-1974 revival of ''What's My Line?'', hosted the weekly entertainment show ''International Cabaret'' and was a reader for the children's story-reading series ''Jackanory'' on BBC1. He appeared on Michael Parkinson's chat show on eight occasions, during which he told anecdotes from his career. Williams was a stand-in host on the ''Wogan'' talk show in 1986.

Personal life and death

On 14 October 1962, Williams's father, Charlie, was taken to hospital after drinking carbon tetrachloride that had been stored in a cough mixture bottle. Williams refused to visit him, and the following day went out for lunch and then to the cinema. Charlie died that afternoon and, an hour after being informed, Williams went on stage in the West End. The coroner's court recorded a verdict of accidental death due to corrosive poisoning by carbon tetrachloride.

Several years later Williams turned down work with Orson Welles in America because he did not like the country and had no desire to work there. Many years after his death, ''The Mail on Sunday'', quoting Wes Butters, co-writer of the book ''Kenneth Williams Unseen: The Private Notes, Scripts And Photographs'', claimed Williams had been denied a visa because Scotland Yard considered him a suspect in his father's death.

Williams insisted that he was celibate, and his diaries substantiate his claims – at least from his early 40s onwards. He lived alone all his adult life and had few close companions apart from his mother, and no romantic relationships of significance. His diaries contain references to unconsummated or barely consummated homosexual dalliances, which he describes as "traditional matters" or "tradiola" (since male homosexual activity was a criminal offence in the UK before 1967, outright admission would have been held against him if anyone had read the diaries). He befriended gay playwright Joe Orton, who wrote the role of Inspector Truscott in ''Loot'' (1966) for him, and had holidays with Orton and his lover, Kenneth Halliwell, in Morocco. Other friends included Stanley Baxter, Gordon Jackson and his wife Rona Anderson, Sheila Hancock, Maggie Smith and her playwright husband, Beverley Cross. A psychoanalytical examination of Williams's diaries suggests that the underlying cause of his repressed sexuality could be his life-long struggle with depression and feelings of worthlessness.

Williams lived in a succession of small rented flats in North London from the mid-1950s. After his father died, his mother, Louisa, lived close by him and, finally, in the flat next to his. His last home was a flat on Osnaburgh Street, now demolished. Williams was fond of fellow ''Carry On'' regulars Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Connor, Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims and Bernard Bresslaw.

Williams rarely revealed details of his private life, though he spoke openly to Owen Spencer-Thomas about his loneliness, despondency and sense of underachievement in two half-hour documentary programmes entitled ''Carry On Kenneth'' on BBC Radio London. In later years his health declined, along with that of his elderly mother, and his depression deepened. He died on 15 April 1988 in his flat; the cause of death was an overdose of barbiturates. An inquest recorded an open verdict, as it was not possible to establish whether his death was a suicide or an accident. His diaries reveal he had often had suicidal thoughts and as far back as his earliest diaries he noted there were times when he could not see any point in existence. His authorised biography argues that Williams did not take his own life but died of an accidental overdose. His death was due to heart failure from the interaction between pain killers and sleeping pills. The actor had doubled his dosage of antacid without discussing this with his doctor, which, combined with the aforementioned mixture of medication, is the widely accepted cause of death. He had a stock of painkilling tablets and it is argued that he would have taken more of them if he had been contemplating suicide.

His mother died in July 1991 and his half-sister, Pat, died in 1994.

Legacy

Diaries and biographies

Posthumous publication of his diaries and letters, edited by Russell Davies, caused controversy—particularly Williams's caustic remarks about fellow professionals—and revealed bouts of despair, often primed by feelings of personal isolation and professional failure. Williams wrote his diaries from the age of 14 in 1940 until his death 48 years later, although the earliest to survive to publication was for 1942 when he reached 16. Williams kept pocket-sized diaries for 1942 and 1947 (he kept no diaries for 1943 to 1946 as he was touring the Far East in the army); a desk diary for 1948; pocket-sized diaries for 1949 and 1950; desk diaries for 1951 to 1965; standard edition desk diaries for 1966 to 1971, and finally A4-sized executive desk diaries for 1972 to 1988. He claimed that writing in his diaries eased the loneliness he often felt.

In April 2008, BBC Radio 4 broadcast the two-part ''The Pain of Laughter: The Last Days of Kenneth Williams''. The programmes were researched and written by Wes Butters and narrated by Rob Brydon. Butters purchased a collection of Williams's personal belongings from the actor's godson, Robert Chidell, to whom they had been bequeathed.

The first of the programmes said that, towards the end of his life and struggling with depression and ill health, Williams abandoned Christian faith following discussions with the poet Philip Larkin. Williams had been a Methodist, though he spent much of his life struggling with Christianity's teachings on homosexuality.

''Kenneth Williams Unseen'' by Wes Butters and Russell Davies, the first Williams biography in 15 years, was published in October 2008.

An authorised biography, ''Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams'', by Christopher Stevens, was published in October 2010. This drew for the first time on the full Williams archive of diaries and letters, which had been stored in a London bank for 15 years following publication of edited extracts. The biography said Williams used a variety of handwriting styles and colours in his journals, switching between different hands on the page.

Portrayals

Williams has been portrayed in two made-for-television films. In 2000, Adam Godley played him in the story of Sid James and Barbara Windsor's love affair, ''Cor, Blimey!'' (Godley had originated the role in the 1998 National Theatre play ''Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick'' on which ''Cor Blimey!'' was based). Subsequently in 2006, Michael Sheen played him in the BBC Four drama ''Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!''.

David Benson's 1996 Edinburgh Fringe show, ''Think No Evil of Us: My Life with Kenneth Williams'', saw Benson playing Williams; after touring, the show ran in London's West End. Benson reprised his performance at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe and continues to tour.

From 2003 to 2005, Robin Sebastian took on Williams in the West End stage show ''Round the Horne... Revisited'', recreating his performance in 2008 for a production called ''Round the Horne: Unseen and Uncut''.

Recognition

The flat Williams had lived in on Osnaburgh Street from 1972 until his death was bought by Rob Brydon and Julia Davis for the writing of their comedy series ''Human Remains''. The building was demolished in May 2007.

The English singer-songwriter John Howard's song "Who's Listening? (For Kenneth Williams)" appeared on Howard's 2007 album ''Barefoot with Angels''. In 2011, Howard wrote:

This wasn't written about Kenneth Williams ''per se'', but, after I'd composed it and was playing it through, I realised the lyric sort of summed Kenneth up − I think I'd recently been reading his published Diaries and I had ended the song with the same words Williams had written in his diary before he died. The dichotomy of the man was fascinating, how he was everyone's camp comedic hero but yearned to be taken seriously as an actor; hated the ''Carry Ons'' but couldn't escape them; had a kind of self-loathing but also found himself beautiful. His friendship with the louche Joe Orton also seemed out of step with his image of every housewife's favourite funny man. The character in the lyric of "Who's Listening?" is similarly hard to weigh up, so I decided to dedicate the song to Kenneth. My partner was in a play with him in the '70s and said he was a lovely man, very generous with friends and generous with fellow actors on stage as well. But a very complex character.

Williams is commemorated by a blue plaque at the address of his father's barber shop in Marchmont Street, London, where he lived from 1935 to 1956. The plaque was unveiled on 11 October 2009 by Bill Pertwee and Nicholas Parsons, with whom Williams performed.

In September 2010, a plaque commissioned by the British Comedy Society was unveiled in the foyer of the New Diorama Theatre by the Mayor of Camden accompanied by David Benson, the actor known for his performances of his own work dedicated to Williams, ''Think No Evil of Us - My Life With Kenneth Williams''. The theatre stands in the Regents Place development, site of the demolished Osnaburgh Street.

Performances

Films

''Trent's Last Case'' (1952)

''The Beggar's Opera'' (1953)

''Valley of Song'' (1953)

''Innocents in Paris'' (1953)

''The Seekers'' (1954)

''Carry On Sergeant'' (1958)

''Carry On Nurse'' (1958)

''Carry On Teacher'' (1959)

''Tommy the Toreador'' (1959)

''Make Mine Mink'' (1960)

''Carry On Constable'' (1960)

''His and Hers'' (1961)

''Raising the Wind'' (1961)

''Carry On Regardless'' (1961)

''Twice Round the Daffodils'' (1962)

''Carry On Cruising'' (1962)

''Carry On Jack'' (1963)

''Carry On Spying'' (1964)

''Carry On Cleo'' (1964)

''Carry On Cowboy'' (1965)

''Carry On Screaming'' (1966)

''Carry On Don't Lose Your Head'' (1966)

''Carry On Follow That Camel'' (1967)

''Carry On Doctor'' (1967)

''Carry On Up the Khyber'' (1968)

''Carry On Camping'' (1969)

''Carry On Again Doctor'' (1969)

''Carry On Loving'' (1970)

''Carry On Henry'' (1970)

''Carry On at Your Convenience'' (1971)

''Carry On Matron'' (1971)

''Carry On Abroad'' (1972)

''Carry On Dick'' (1974)

''Carry On Behind'' (1975)

''That's Carry On!'' (1977)

''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (1978)

''Carry On Emmannuelle'' (1978)

''The Thief and the Cobbler'' (1993)

Television

''International Cabaret''

''The Kenneth Williams Show''

''Jackanory''

''Willo the Wisp''

''Galloping Galaxies''

''An Audience with Kenneth Williams''

''What's My Line?''

''Some You Win''

''Whizzkids Guide''

''Let's Make a Musical''

''Meanwhile on BBC2''

''Join Jim Dale''

''The Wednesday Play''

''BBC Sunday Night Theatre''

''Saint Joan''

''Sword of Freedom''

''The School''

''Dick and the Duchess''

''The Armoured Car''

''Moby Dick—Rehearsed''

''Misalliance''

''Countdown''

Stage

''Saint Joan''

''Moby Dick''

''The Buccaneer''

''Hotel Paradiso''

''Share My Lettuce'' (revue)

''Cinderella''

''Pieces of Eight'' (revue)

''One Over the Eight'' (revue)

''The Private Ear'' and ''The Public Eye''

''Gentle Jack''

''Loot''

''Captain Brassbound's Conversion''

''My Fat Friend''

''Signed and Sealed''

''The Undertaking''

''Loot'' (directed)

''Entertaining Mr Sloane'' (directed)

Radio

''Hancock's Half Hour''

''Beyond Our Ken''

''Round the Horne''

''The Betty Witherspoon Show''

''Kenneth Williams Playhouse''

''Kenneth Williams Cabaret''

''The Secret Life of Kenneth Williams''

''Oh Get On with It''

''Stop Messing About''

''Just a Minute''

''The Wind in the Willows''

''Post Mortem'' by Stuart Jackman

''Diary of a Madman'' by Nikolai Gogol

Books

''Acid Drops''

''Back Drops''

''Just Williams''

''I Only Have To Close My Eyes''

''The Kenneth Williams Diaries''

''The Kenneth Williams Letters''

Albums

''Kenneth Williams on Pleasure Bent'' 1967, Decca LK 4856. Music by Ted Dicks, lyrics by Myles Rudge. Arrangements and musical direction by Barry Booth, sound supervision by Roger Cameron.

''The World of Kenneth Williams'' 1970, Decca SPA 64. Stereo edition of recordings from the 1950s and 1960s.

Footnotes

References

Williams, Kenneth (1993), Russell Davies, ed. ''The Kenneth Williams Diaries''. London: HarperCollins.

External links

Category:1926 births Category:1988 deaths Category:Carry On films Category:Drug-related deaths in England Category:English comedians Category:English diarists Category:English film actors Category:English radio actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:Hypochondriacs Category:People from Kings Cross, London Category:Royal Engineers soldiers Category:British Army personnel of World War II Category:People from Islington

cy:Kenneth Williams de:Kenneth Williams es:Kenneth Williams ga:Kenneth Williams hu:Kenneth Williams pl:Kenneth Williams simple:Kenneth Williams fi:Kenneth Williams