John Douglas Roberton (26 April 1927 – 18 December 2008) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

best known for his portrayals in the ''Carry On'' films.

Early life

Douglas was born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, into a theatrical family; his father was a theatre producer and his brother, Bill Roberton, became a theatre director. His mother was so keen that he be a

Geordie Geordie () is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England, and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitute ...

that, according to Douglas, although they had settled in London, He spent his early years on a farm in Meriden. The family later moved to

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

to get away from the bombing in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Career

Jack wanted to work in theatre, but his father forbade him, so he left home at the age of 14. He was then hired as an "Opposite Prompt Lime Boy" for £1.5s a week at Feldman's Theatre. His father found out where he was working and asked the theatre to give his son all of the dirty jobs to try and discourage him, but Jack did them all without complaint. On his fifteenth birthday, his father gave him a script for a Cinderella

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...

, which he was to direct. Having seen his father direct three or four pantomimes, Jack knew what to do, and did 22 weeks at the Empire Theatre, Sunderland. Later, he was to direct a show at the Kingston Empire, only to have a lead actor taken to hospital with a heart attack on the opening night before the show started. Joe Baker, who was also playing a lead role, suggested Douglas take over the role as he was the only other person who knew the lines. A top agent in the audience that night was so impressed that he visited Douglas and Baker after the show; he was surprised to learn that they had only been a double act for two hours and thirty-five minutes, and immediately signed them up as such. Douglas and Baker spent ten years touring the world, playing in Australia, New Zealand, and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, amongst other places. Coming back to Britain, they did a season at a

Butlins Butlin's is a chain of large seaside resorts in the United Kingdom. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families. Between 1936 and 1966, ten camps were built, including one in Ireland and o ...

holiday camp and not liking the food served there, Douglas cooked in their chalet (which was forbidden) for both of them and a guest. One evening,

Billy Butlin Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin (29 September 189912 June 1980) was a South African-born British entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp.'' American Heritage Dictionary 2004'', p. 135. Scott 2001, p. 5. A ...

knocked on the door and asked if they had enough for four. They did, and he ate with them. From there they went to the BBC to begin the popular children's TV show '' Crackerjack'', with

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

as host. They found themselves working on it from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm each day; their agent fitted in another two jobs, so that the pair made £100 a week. Following this, they moved on to the

Windmill Theatre The Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, was a variety and revue theatre best known for its nude '' tableaux vivants'', which began in 1932 and lasted until its reversion to a cinema in 1964. Many prominent British comedians o ...

and later at the Glasgow Empire, where they found they could get laughs by merely putting on American accents (English actors "died" there). After that, Joe Baker went to America to try his luck there. On his own for the first time in so many years, Douglas told his agent, Leslie Grade, that he wanted to be a comedian. Grade told him no chance as he did not have a funny face, so Douglas left show business and as he loved cooking, he opened up a restaurant in

. It turned out to be too successful and he found he personally had nothing to do there, the staff doing everything. One night, he got a call as he was going up to his flat above the restaurant; it was

Des O'Connor Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter. He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with '' The Des O'Connor Show'' in 1963, which ran for ten years. He ...

, who had a contract with ATV for 13 shows, and he wanted Douglas to star with him. He readily agreed, and O'Connor pretty much let him do what he liked. They did a Royal Variety Show together, O'Connor insisting to

Bernard Delfont Bernard Delfont, Baron Delfont (born Boris Winogradsky; 5 September 1909 – 28 July 1994) was a leading Russian-born British theatrical impresario. Life and career Delfont was born in Tokmak, Berdyansky Uyezd, Taurida Governorate, Russia ...

that Douglas went with him, as he later insisted that after the show, they meet the

Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...

together, or O'Connor would not do so himself. He worked with O'Connor for several years and in the theatre, developing a nervous character "Alf Ippititimus", notable for his "phwaay!" catchphrase and his apparent muscular tics. "Alf" was created one night at Butlins in Clacton, when Douglas's co-star, Joe Baker failed to appear having been locked out of the theatre, and Douglas began to improvise based on a band leader he knew.

''Carry On''

His agent later phoned him and said he had a part in a ''Carry On'' film, but the bad news was that he would not be paid (

Peter Rogers Peter Rogers (20 February 1914 – 14 April 2009) was an English film producer. He is best known for his involvement in the making of the ''Carry On'' series of films. Life and career Rogers began his career as a journalist for his loc ...

, it was said, would give his actors anything but money). He accepted the small part; in return, a black Rolls-Royce pulled up outside his house one morning, bringing a box from Peter Rogers. It contained a dozen bottles of Dom Pérignon champagne, as his payment for the film. Douglas appeared in the last seven ''Carry On'' films of the original series—''

Carry On Matron ''Carry On Matron'' is a 1972 British comedy film, the 23rd release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was released in May 1972. It features series regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Hatti ...

'', '' Carry On Abroad'', '' Carry On Girls'', '' Carry On Dick'', ''

Carry On Behind ''Carry On Behind'' is a 1975 British comedy film, the 27th release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was the first entry in the series not to be scripted by Talbot Rothwell since ''Carry On Cruising'' 13 years previousl ...

'', '' Carry On England'' and ''

Carry On Emmannuelle ''Carry On Emmannuelle'' is a 1978 British comedy film, the 30th release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film was to be the final ''Carry On'' for many regulars, including Kenneth Williams (in his 26th ''Carry On''), ...

''. His ''Carry On'' roles progressed from a cameo with one line of dialogue in ''Matron'' to a slightly larger but still inconspicuous cameo appearance in ''Abroad'', after which he appeared in increasingly larger supporting roles, and ultimately a leading role in ''Emmanuelle''. During this period he also appeared in the ''Carry on Christmas'' specials in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

, and

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

and the ''

Carry On Laughing : ''This article describes the all-original 1975 TV series. Not to be confused with the later "Carry On" film-clip compilations or the stage play of the same name''. ''Carry On Laughing'' is a British television comedy series produced in 1975 ...

'' television series. He appeared in the revival film '' Carry On Columbus'' (1992). After the ''Carry On'' films, the cast with Douglas went to the

Victoria Palace Theatre The Victoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, opposite Victoria Station. The structure is categorised as a Grade II* listed building. History Origins The theatre began life as a small conc ...

where they played to packed houses for the next 12 months in the stage show ''Carry On London''. In 1978, he released a novelty record called "Don't Forget The Beer, Dear", written by Gordon Haskell and produced by Sally Smith. He also guest-starred in '' The Goodies'' episode " Goodies in the Nick" and appeared in ''The Shillingbury Blowers'' and its associated series ''

Shillingbury Tales ''Shillingbury Tales'' is a British television comedy-drama series made by ATV for ITV and broadcast 1980–81. Comprising a single feature-length pilot and six one-hour episodes, the series deals with life in an idealised fictional English vi ...

'' in the early 1980s.

Later life and death

In December 2001, he appeared on the BBC radio show ''That Reminds Me'' (Series 3, episode 4, repeated 27 May 2014 on BBC Radio 4 Extra) where he talked about his life. On 26 April 2007, Douglas celebrated his 80th birthday. There was a special celebration arranged at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

, to coincide with his anniversary, which was attended by his family and friends. These included actors that Douglas had worked with; amongst them were

Fenella Fielding Fenella Fielding, OBE (born Fenella Marion Feldman; 17 November 1927 – 11 September 2018) was an English stage, film and television actress who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, and was often referred to as "England's first lad ...

Jacki Piper Jacqueline Crump (born 3 August 1946), known professionally by her stage name Jacki Piper, is an English actress, best known for her appearances as the female juvenile lead in the British film comedies '' Carry On Up the Jungle'' (1970), '' Carr ...

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 impr ...

and Valerie Leon. After a period of ill health, Douglas died from pneumonia on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Is ...

on 18 December 2008, at the age of 81.

Filmography

* '' Nearly a Nasty Accident'' (1961) - Balmer * ''

'' (1972) - Twitching Father * '' Carry On Abroad'' (1972) - Harry * '' Carry On Girls'' (1973) - William * '' Carry On Dick'' (1974) - Sergeant Jock Strapp * ''

'' (1975) - Ernie Bragg * '' Carry On England'' (1976) - Bombardier Ready * ''

What's Up Nurse! ''What's Up Nurse!'' is a 1977 British sex comedy film directed by Derek Ford and starring Nicholas Field, Felicity Devonshire and John Le Mesurier. It tells the story of the adventures of a young doctor in a hospital. A sequel '' What's Up ...

'' (1977) - Constable * ''

'' (1978) - Lyons * '' The Shillingbury Blowers'' (1980) - Jake * ''

Bloody Kids ''Bloody Kids'' is a British television film written by Stephen Poliakoff and directed by Stephen Frears, made by Black Lion Films for ATV, and first shown on ITV on 22 March 1980. Cast * Derrick O'Connor as Detective Ritchie (Richard Beckinsa ...

'' (1980) - Senior Police Officer * ''

The Boys in Blue ''The Boys in Blue'' is a 1982 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Tommy Cannon, Bobby Ball, Suzanne Danielle and Roy Kinnear. It is loosely based on the 1939 Will Hay film ''Ask a Policeman'', which Guest co-wrote. Some poli ...

'' (1982) - Chief Superintendent * ''

Norbert Smith – a Life ''Norbert Smith: A Life'', also released as ''Sir Norbert Smith: A Life'', is a 1989 mockumentary (spoof documentary) television film, charting the life and career of the fictitious British actor Sir Norbert Smith. It stars Harry Enfield in the ...

'' (1989) - Greenham guard * '' Carry On Columbus'' (1992) - Marco the Cereal Killer (final film role)

References

Other sources

* ''That Reminds Me'', a December 2001 BBC radio show in which Douglas talked of his life in show business

External links

*
Story of Jack Douglas' death
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Jack 1927 births 2008 deaths 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Deaths from pneumonia in England English male film actors English male television actors Male actors from Newcastle upon Tyne British male comedy actors Actors from County Durham