Arthur Mullard

An enigmatic and much-loved comedy actor, Arthur Mullard carved a unique niche for himself in a host of British comedy films and TV shows. The stereotype Cockney, he was born in Islington, North London where he was known by locals as "The Dook of Islington."

He left school at 14 to work as a butcher's boy. At 18 he joined the Army and became his regiment's boxing champion. After leaving the forces, he briefly became a professional boxer.

After World War II he took up acting, mainly as a stuntman working at Pinewood and Ealing Studios in their heyday. He then graduated to small parts in classic comedy films, and on television he began to be in great demand as a straight man to a range of comics including Frankie Howerd, Spike Milligan, Tony Hancock, Tommy Cooper, and Arthur Askey. In 1962 he scored a critical success in "Sparrows Can't Sing" with Barbara Windsor.

He achieved stardom on television in the series "Romany Jones" (1973). Mullard and Queenie Watts played Wally and Lily Briggs, a colourful couple who lived in a caravan and were experts at swindling the social services. The series was followed by "Yus, My Dear" (1976,) which attracted more than 8 million viewers. He was regularly cast as a guest star on many other TV shows and once quipped "If the TV bosses are stuck, they'll say 'Let's put Arfur on, but not too much or he'll steal the bleedin' show!'"