''Who Do You Do?'' was a British
television comedy
Television comedy is a category of broadcasting that has been present since the early days of entertainment media. While there are several genres of comedy, some of the first ones aired were variety shows. One of the first Television in the United ...
impressions sketch
programme produced by
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 unt ...
for
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
from 1972 to 1976.
Many notable impressionists/comedians appeared on the show. The format was quickfire, with many items lasting only 30 seconds. It was revived in 1985 as ''
Copy Cats.''
[Lewisohn, Mark (1998). ''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy''. BBC Books. p. 816. .] Writers of the show included
Barry Cryer
Barry Charles Cryer (23 March 1935 – 25 January 2022) was an English writer, comedian, and actor. As well as performing on stage, radio and television, Cryer wrote for many performers including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory B ...
and
Dick Vosburgh
Richard Kennedy Vosburgh (27 August 1929 – 18 April 2007) was a Grammy-nominated, Tony-nominated American-born comedy writer and lyricist working chiefly in Britain.
Early life
Vosburgh was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He persuaded his f ...
who was also the script editor.
Featured performers
*
Russ Abbot
Russ Abbot (born Russell Allan Roberts; 18 September 1947) is an English musician, comedian and actor. Born in Chester, he first came to public notice during the 1970s as the singer and drummer with British comedy showband the Black Abbots, la ...
*
Debbie Arnold
Debbie Arnold (born 14 June 1955) is an English actress, producer and voice artist. She is known for her portrayal of April Branning in BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' between 1995 and 1996. Arnold has portrayed regular characters in ''EastEnder ...
*
Tony Brandon
Tony Brandon (born 12 December 1933, in Portland, Dorset) is an English radio presenter and comedian.
Early career
Brandon first worked on television and abroad as a comedian. Following a brief spell on Radio Luxembourg in 1966 he joined pirate ...
*
Faith Brown
Faith Brown (born Eunice Irene Carroll; 28 May 1944) is an English actress, singer, comedian and impressionist. She was a star of the ITV impressions show '' Who Do You Do?'', and was The Voice in the TV show '' Trapped!''.
Brown was born in L ...
*
Janet Brown
Janet McLuckie Brown (14 December 192327 May 2011) was a Scottish actress, comedian and impressionist who gained considerable fame in the 1970s and 1980s for her impersonations of Margaret Thatcher. Brown was the wife of Peter Butterworth, who ...
*
Michael Barrymore
Michael Ciaran Parker (born 4 May 1952), known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is an English actor, comedian and television presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Th ...
*
David Copperfield
''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...
*
Barry Cryer
Barry Charles Cryer (23 March 1935 – 25 January 2022) was an English writer, comedian, and actor. As well as performing on stage, radio and television, Cryer wrote for many performers including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory B ...
*
Paddy Dailey
*
Les Dennis
Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor, and comedian. He presented ''Family Fortunes'' from 1987 until 2002.
Early life
Dennis was born Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liverpoo ...
*
Dustin Gee
Gerald Harrison (24 June 1942 – 3 January 1986), who performed under the name Dustin Gee, was a British impressionist and comedian, best known for his double act with Les Dennis.
Early life and career
Born Gerald Harrison in York, on Wednes ...
*
Peter Goodwright
Peter Goodwright (12 May 1936 – 2 November 2020) was an English comedic impressionist. He appeared on the ITV impressions show '' Who Do You Do?'' in the 1970s. Goodwright was born in Haslington, Cheshire.
Career
Goodwright has been referred t ...
*
Aiden J. Harvey
*
Vince Hill
Vincent Hill (born 16 April 1934) is an English traditional pop music singer and songwriter who is best known for his recording of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune "Edelweiss" (1967), which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart (staying o ...
*
Billy Howard
*
David Jacobs
*
Karen Kay
*
Roger Kitter
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
*
Eddie Large
Edward Hugh McGinnis (25 June 1941 – 2 April 2020), better known by the stage name Eddie Large, was a British comedian. He was best known as one half of the double act Little and Large, with Syd Little (the stage name of Cyril Mead).
Early l ...
*
Syd Little
Syd Little (born Cyril John Mead; 19 December 1942) is an English comedian who was the straight man in the double act Little and Large, with Eddie Large.
Life and career
Born in Blackpool, Little was raised in Manchester. After leaving Yew T ...
*
Paul Melba
*
Johnny More
Johnny More (14 February 1934 – 8 December 2015) was an English comedy impressionist. He is perhaps best remembered as a star of the ITV impressions show '' Who Do You Do?'' and its 1980s successor '' Copy Cats''Lewisohn, Mark (1998). ''Radio ...
*
Arthur Mullard
Arthur Ernest Mullard (né Mullord; 19 September 1910His obituary in ''The Times'' gives his date of birth as 10 November 1910 but conflicts with the birthdate given in his death registration. His year of birth appears as 1908, 1910, 1912 and 1 ...
*
Lance Percival
John Lancelot Blades Percival (26 July 1933 – 6 January 2015), known as Lance Percival, was an English actor, comedian and singer, best known for his appearances in satirical comedy television shows of the early 1960s and his ability to impro ...
*
The Rockin' Berries
The Rockin' Berries are a beat group from Birmingham, England, who had several hit records in the UK in the 1960s. A version of the group, emphasising comedy routines as well as music, continues to perform to the present day.
History
The Rockin ...
*
Freddie Starr
Freddie Starr (born Frederick Leslie Fowell; 9 January 1943 – 9 May 2019) was an English stand up comedian, impressionist, singer and actor. Starr was the lead singer of Merseybeat rock and roll group the Midniters during the early 1960s, and ...
*
Joan Turner
Joan Turner (24 November 1922 – 1 March 2009) was a British comedian and singer, born in Belfast and brought up in London. She appeared on stage and TV and had her own radio show, becoming the highest-earning female singer in Britain. She was ...
*
Bill Wayne
References
External links
* .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Who Do You Do?
1972 British television series debuts
1976 British television series endings
1970s British comedy television series
British comedy television shows
ITV comedy
English-language television shows