Famous faces of Torbay – Arthur Askey’s early years revealed

In this series of features Ian l Handford (President of Torbay Civic Society) looks at famous individuals who lived in Torbay in the 20th century.

ARTHUR BOWDEN ASKEY – No 148 - (Part one of three)

Arthur was born on June 6th 1900 in Liverpool and was educated at the Liverpool Institute before becoming a member of its Cathedral Choir and taking up employment as a clerk at Liverpool City Education Office.

By age sixteen, he had left office employment to start concentrating at home on becoming an entertainer, which ultimately saw him appearing at various local clubs and concerts, where being a genial young lad with his heavy horn-rimmed glasses and bright red hair was soon accepted as a natural entertainer.

This led to Arthur’s first performance to a live theatre audience, who adored his distinctive, though odd, voice with a unique delivery as he introduced innovative catch-phrases including “Before your Very Eyes,” “Ay thank you,” and even “Hello Playmates.” Now he added songs to the act, and being a good singer, this was also well received.

His catchphrases became so numerous on stage and later on radio that they seemed, in essence, his “trademark.”

But now the First World War had commenced, and in 1914 Arthur, like everyone else, received call-up papers and chose to join the Army, where he was fortunately able to join the Army Variety Group and be part of their entertainment shows in camps.

After the war, Arthur returned to his office job while still honing his singing and entertainment skills at home. This ultimately saw him becoming an “act,” and with his multiple talents, he soon earned his first theatre booking in 1924 after he had won a place in the Song Salad Concert Party auditions.

He first appeared live on stage solo in a show at Colchester’s Electric Theatre, and now he would appear at dozens of county clubs, small theatres, and on private bookings across the North. All soon warmed to this young man’s polite, good-humoured charm and his instant wit, which was unique at the time. In fact, he created an entertainment style that was becoming a career.

Decades later, a leading journalist headed his article “Arthur Askey – Pioneer of the Craft of Radio Comedy,” high praise indeed for someone who taught himself at home.

With his Colchester successes well behind him, he was now to get an opportunity to appear live again with the Song Salad Concert team, although this time their touring company was to appear in London.

When offered a month’s contract in London in 1925, their show was to be in the Crystal Palace Theatre. Arthur now married May Swash that year; she was a singer in the Concert team, and in time they would produce just one child, Anthea Askey, who as an adult was destined to follow in her parents’ wake, enjoying a long career in the entertainment business. Decades later, she would appear on stage alongside her father.

Meanwhile, his long career had now taken off in the theatre, and the wireless was the new medium. Listeners of the early wireless programmes (later Radio) were soon reported as hearing him “always desired more from him,” yet it took another fourteen years before he achieved his next national theatre booking.

It would take thirty-seven more years before Westcountry audiences saw him perform live on stage. His first booking in Torquay came when he finally appeared live at the Pavilion Theatre with Jessie Matthews in a show entitled “What a Racket.”

Arthur is known to have never tired of touring in the North, mainly when playing Summer Shows live or at hundreds of one-night stands in clubs, etc. He always used every opportunity to improve his act, and this paid off when finally BBC Radio created a role for him on his own.

They had at last recognised Arthur was a stand-up “comedian with a good singing voice” and so offered him “his very own” (another catchphrase) programme on contract to front their new show “Band Waggon.” Scripts were written by BBC writer Vernon Harris, and the show was first heard in 1938, it being the first time a weekly show of this nature had ever been aired by the Corporation.

(To be continued in part 2 next week).