National Treasure: Bob Monkhouse

Robert Alan “Bob” Monkhouse, OBE (1 June 1928 – 29 December 2003) was one of Britain’s best loved English entertainers.

Famous for hosting iconic shows such as Family Fortunes, The Bob Monkhouse Show and compering Sunday Night at the London Palladium, Monkhouse was also an established actor, starring in the first London production of the musical The Boys from Syracuse.

A lesser known fact about Monkhouse is that while at school, he wrote for two other great British institutions The Beano and The Dandy, as well as drawing for Hotspur and Wizard.

Monkhouse’s famous one liners have stood the test of time: “They laughed when I said I was going to be a comedian. Well, they’re not laughing now.”

Image: Jonathan Worth