Rikki Fulton

Robert Kerr "Rikki" Fulton, OBE (15 April 1924 – 27 January 2004) was a Scottish comedian and actor best remembered for writing and performing in the long-running BBC Scotland sketch show, ''Scotch and Wry''. He was also known for his appearances as one half of the double act, '' Francie and Josie'', alongside Jack Milroy. Suffering from Alzheimer's disease in his later years, Fulton died in 2004, aged 79.

Biography

Early life

The youngest of three brothers, Robert Kerr Fulton was born into a non-theatrical family at 46 Appin Road, Dennistoun, Glasgow. Fulton's mother, who was 40 at the time of his birth, developed severe postnatal depression. Due to this, Fulton grew up a "solitary child" and developed a "voracious reading habit" throughout his childhood. His father was a master locksmith who changed trades, purchasing a newsagent and stationery shop at 28 Roebank Street, Dennistoun. At the age of three, Fulton and his family moved to Riddrie, another district of Glasgow. There he attended the local primary school but later returned to Dennistoun for his secondary education at Whitehill Secondary School.

Fulton completed his education in 1939 and decided to start in the acting profession after a backstage visit at the Glasgow Pavilion Theatre. In 1941, aged 17, Fulton joined the Royal Navy. The following year he was posted to HMS ''Ibis'', but that November the sloop was sunk in the Bay of Algiers. Fulton spent five hours in the water before being rescued. He later joined the Coastal Forces for D-Day, travelling back and forth between Gosport and Arromanches with vital supplies. In 1945, four years after signing up, Fulton was invalided out of the Navy due to blackouts, leaving with the rank of sub-lieutenant.

Career

Fulton began his professional acting career as a straight actor, mostly appearing in repertory theatre and BBC Radio, including ''The Gowrie Conspiracy'' in 1947. He also maintained a secondary job in the stationery business with his brothers. When the bank pulled money from their enterprise, however, Fulton gave his full attention to his acting career.

In the early 1950s, Fulton moved to London and became the compère of ''The Show Band Show'', working alongside the likes of singer Frank Sinatra. After a short period, Fulton returned to Scotland to perform for Howard & Wyndham Ltd in pantomime from 1956 at the Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow with Jimmy Logan and Kenneth McKellar followed by the "Five Past Eight" summer revues with Stanley Baxter and Fay Lenore.

In 1960, he headlined in the new Scottish pantomime "A Wish for Jamie," with Kenneth McKellar and Fay Lenore, which premiered at the Alhambra Theatre Glasgow, and in its sequel "A Love for Jamie," which ran for three consecutive winters. He starred in pantomime and Five Past Eight in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. While working at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh, Fulton met comedian Jack Milroy. Together they created a stage double act named " Francie and Josie", two Teddy Boys from Glasgow. In one of his first forays into television, Fulton brought the act to television in 1962's Scottish Television series, ''The Adventures of Francie and Josie''. The series established both Fulton and Milroy as household names in Scotland. In 1970 and 1989, they were jointly named Scotland's "Light Entertainers of the Year". In 1977, Fulton produced "The Scotched Earth Show" with Gordon Menzies for the BBC
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