Kenneth Horne

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Kenneth Horne, more commonly known as Kenneth Horne (1907-February 1969), was an English comedian and businessman.

He is perhaps best known for his three BBC Radio shows: Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh (1944–54), Beyond Our Ken (1958–68), and Round the Horne (1965–68). Horne's uncle, who was also a priest, had a burgeoning career with Triplex Safety Glass, but was interrupted by service with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

On the BBC radio show Ack-Ack, Beer-Beer, he was asked to broadcast as a quizmaster while serving in a barrage balloon unit.

The experience brought him into contact with Richard Murdoch, a more well-known entertainer, and the two writers and performed in the comedy film Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh.

Horne returned to work and kept his broadcasting as a sideline after demobilization.

His career in industry flourished, and he later became the chairman and managing director of Chad Valley, a toy manufacturer. Horne, a 1958, suffered a stroke and turned his attention away from his corporate pursuits to his entertainment sector.

Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden, and Bill Pertwee were among the cast members in Beyond Our Ken, which also included Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden, and Bill Pertwee.

When the program came to an end in 1964, the same cast appeared on four series of the comedy Round the Horne. Horne died of a heart attack while judging the annual Guild of Television Producers' and Directors' Awards before his fifth series of Round the Horne began recording; Round the Horne was cut off from the competition altogether.

Since his death, the series has been re-broadcast on a regular basis.

Horne third in the listeners' favorite British comedian, behind Tony Hancock and Spike Milligan, according to a 2002 BBC radio poll.

Early life

Kenneth Horne was born in Ampthill Square, London, on February 27th. Horne was born on January 27th. He was Silvester Horne and his partner, Katherine Maria née Cozens-Hardy,'s seventh and youngest child. Herbert Cozens-Hardy, the Liberal MP for North Norfolk who became the Master of the Rolls in 1907 and Baron Cozens-Hardy on July 1, 1914. Silvester, a brilliant orator, was a leading light in the Congregationalist movement from 1903 to 1910, as the Congregational Union of England and Wales' chairman. He served as the Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Ipswich from 1910 to 1914.

Silvester was suffering from persistent illness by 1913. In January 1914, he resigned from his role at the tabernacle on medical advice and intended to resign his parliamentary office. Horne was on a speaking tour around the United States and Canada, and then moved to Toronto, but as the ferry he approached harbour, he died, aged 49; Horne was seven years old at the time. Horne attended St George's School, Harpenden, as a boarder, for the seventh of the Horne children to attend the school from September to September. Despite being an academically gifted student, he developed into a good sportsman, playing rugby and cricket, and took part in the Public Schoolboys Lawn Tennis Championship at Queen's Club in the summer months; in 1925, he was knocked out by aspiring Wimbledon finalist Bunny Austin.

Horne started attending the London School of Economics in October 1925, where his tutors included Hugh Dalton and Stephen Leacock; he was dissatisfied with his time at the university, and Leacock was "one of the most boring lecturers I've ever encountered." Volunteers were encouraged to join the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies to take over the critical services; Horne joined and spent two days in a London bus before the strike was called off. He was able to enroll at Magdalene College, Cambridge, in October 1926 thanks to an uncle's influence and generosity, Austin Pilkington of the Pilkington glassmaking family of St Helens. He dedicated himself to sport and represented rugby and also in the relay team alongside future Olympic gold medalist Lord Burghley. Bunny Austin was also a tennis player for the university, collaborating Bunny Austin. He abandoned his studies and was sent down in December 1927, dissatisfied by his athletic exploits.

Austin Pilkington was furious about Horne's inability to make the most of the opportunity he had, and decided against giving the young man a job in the family company. Despite the disappointment, through his links within the industry, he obtained an interview with the Triplex Safety Glass Company in King's Norton, a Birmingham suburb. Horne's sporting history praised him as the head of the Triplex plant, but he was hired as a management trainee on a modest salary. Despite his unimpressive finances, he married Lady Mary Pelham-Clinton-Hope, the niece of Newcastle's 8th Duke. At first, the marriage was happy, but by 1932, it had fallen apart. Mary applied for an annulment in November 1932, but she attributed "the incapacity of the respondent [Charles Kenneth Horne] to consummate the union," which was annulled in 1933, although the two couples remained on friendly terms afterwards.

As Horne's first marriage was annulled, he was spotted by Joan Burgess, the daughter of a neighbor at King's Norton. She had a lot in common with him, including a love for squash, tennis, golf, and dancing. They were married in September 1936, a month before her 21st birthday. Joan became pregnant shortly after the wedding, and a baby boy was born in July 1937; he was stillborn.

Horne was enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on a part-time training program in 1938. In No., he was promoted to serve as an acting pilot officer. 911 (County of Warwick) Squadron, a barrage balloon unit in Sutton Coldfield, was called up to the RAF full throttle on the outbreak of war. In the initial months of the war—the Phoney War—Horne's duties were undemanding, and he arranged a concert party for his acquaintances and colleagues. He was promoted to flight lieutenant and squadron leader in November 1940 and a year later. Bill McLurg, a BBC producer from early 1942, wondered if Horne's RAF station on which Horne was based could produce a version of his programme Ack-Ack-Beer. Horne was ordered to perform, and he made his television debut on April 16, 1942, as the compere. Despite the fact that the show's quality was not high, McLurg was impressed with Horne's presentation, especially the way he conducted the program's quiz; he invited Horne to be the program's regular quizmaster, a position he held on over fifty Ack-Ack, Beer-Beer quizzes over the next two years. In January 1943, he became one of the show's regular competitors and opened the whole exhibition for the first time.

Horne was sent to the Air Ministry in London in March 1943 with the rank of wing commander. In addition to reporting on Ack-Beer, Beer-Beer, he began to write sketches for the show and make broadcasts on other programs, including the Overseas Recorded Broadcasting Service (ORBS), which would be broadcast to British forces in the Middle East. He came into contact with Flight Lieutenant Richard Murdoch, who jokingly introduced him as "the station commander of Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh" in one broadcast; with a great deal in common in their backgrounds and a similar sense of humour, the pair soon developed a friendship. Horne told Murdoch of a staff leadership vacancy in his sector, and Murdoch became his colleague. Horne's talent as a performer was recognized by Murdoch, a professional actor and entertainer who served for 12 years before the war, and he was given more broadcasting opportunities.

The BBC decided to direct their programming at the general armed forces rather than the barrage balloon crews, bringing Ack-Ack, Beer-Beer's to an end in February 1944. Horne and Murdoch's proposal of the remote and fictitious Royal Air Force station in Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh had been raised a month later. The pair pitched the idea to BBC producer Leslie Bridgemont, who produced the show Merry-go-Round, which was part of a weekly rotation, who was in possession of Army, Navy, and RAF. On March 31, 1944, Bridgemont featured a Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh section, with Horne as his befuddled second-in-command and Sam Costa as a "friendly chump who always got things wrong."

Horne met and fell in love with Marjorie Thomas, a war widow with a young daughter, during 1944. He was divorced in early 1945 and Thomas was married in November that year, three months after he had been demobilized.

Horne resumed serving at Triplex as a sales manager, and was promoted to the position of sales manager on his return to civilian life. Despite his subsequent joint venture in broadcasting and marketing, his commercial pursuits always took precedence. He claimed that his radio work was purely a hobby and that he would not miss it before his company career. He combined his two careers by working full time and writing scripts with Murdoch at weekends.

Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh had a long history of 20 Merry-go-Round episodes to be given its own 39-week serial beginning in January 1947. With the onset of stability, the ostensible RAF station became a public airport, and the performance stayed much as before, with Horne and Murdoch starring Sam Costa. Maurice Denham, a chameleon who was introduced by Murdoch as a vocal chameleon, joined the cast and appeared in over 60 roles. The show became very popular, with 20 million viewers, and before September 1950, it ran for four series.

Horne appeared in six episodes of the BBC Television comedy series Kaleidoscope in March 1948. He and Murdoch appeared on television in a one-off sitcom At Home, which they wrote in June. Horne's association with Twenty Questions, which began on and off, for 20 years, began the following year. The listener figures had dropped to a point that worried the BBC by 1950, and they did not want to produce a fifth series. Horne and Murdoch decided that the comedy will be transferred from the Corporation rather than waiting to see what other opportunities of work would appear, bringing the comedy to a 35-programme series on Radio Luxembourg between October 1950 and June 1951. On the commercial channel, Murdoch said that "it wasn't really a success"; "even my mother said it was rotten, and she was my biggest fan." The show returned to the BBC in 1951–52, but it was renamed as Over to You after one series. On Desert Island Discs, Murdoch and Horne appeared together again in April 1952.

Horne accepted the position of managing director of the British Industries Fair, a government-backed group supporting British exports worldwide, in 1954 after nine years in his senior role at Triplex and 27 years with the company; he took up his post in July 1955. On visits to the annual fair, he spent a lot of the time liaising with international buyers and delegations, and he accompanied the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The government withdrew its funds in 1956, but the BIF was closed. Horne accepted many appealing jobs, but he settled on Chad Valley, where he was a hit. In September, Murdoch and his co-stars appeared in a one-off television program presentation for the Telly.

Horne appeared on the popular Saturday evening comedy and music radio show Variety Playhouse in January 1957, but the show was later extended to June. He began writing a weekly column for She, the women's magazine, and began to appear in an increasing number of other programs. After his time on Variety Playhouse, Eric Merriman and Barry Took wrote a script for a new show, Beyond Our Ken, written by Tim Murrayman and Barry Took. Horne was joined by Kenneth Williams, Ron Moody, Hugh Paddick, and Betty Marsden in October 1957, on the show.

The BBC loved Beyond Our Ken's pilot episode, and the BBC acquired a series that would premiere in April 1958. Horne died of a debilitating stroke on his left-hand side and lost the ability of speech on February 27. After two weeks, he went on a course of intensive physiotherapy and was able to return home. His voice was restored after he was undergoing serious massage on his left thigh, causing him to yell "You bugger!" I'm the physiotherapist. The stroke was caused by the strain of combining a full-time career job with his broadcasting work, according to his doctor. Horne was also told that if he had recovered, he would never be able to do as well as before. Horne argued that it wasn't the physical hardship of his two careers, but the emotional strain of his corporate life; in turn, he opted to give up commerce and concentrate on a career in entertainment. Beyond Our Ken plans were suspended due to the stroke.

Horne regained control of Twenty Questions in April 1958 as the chairman of Twenty Questions. This evidence of his recovery was enough for the BBC to start recording Beyond Our Ken in June, in preparation for the first series's broadcast between July and November. Beyond Our Ken was based on an imperturbable establishment figure of Horne, while the other characters appeared on the radio, including exaggeratedly wealthy Rodney and Charles, the cook Fanny Haddock, a parody of famous TV cook Fanny Cradock, and gardener Arthur Fallowfield. A sample audience was not keen on Horne and his team, so the BBC decided to help him, and the first six-week contract was extended to 21 weeks. A second series had been ordered to air the following year before the series came to an end. Following Bill Pertwee's arrival in Moody, Took left after the second series, leaving Merriman to write the remaining programs on his own.

Beyond Our Ken was the second series of the Beyond Our Ken series released in 1959; a third in 1960. Horne has continued his television work, as well as hosting his own series, Trader Horne, and appearing on a number of other shows. He made his second appearance on Desert Island Discs in April 1961, this time unaccompanied by Murdoch. In October this year, three weeks after the fifth series of Beyond Our Kenny began recording, Horne appeared as the host on a new BBC television series called Let's Imagine, a discussion show that lasted for 20 editions over 18 months. In February 1962, Eamonn Andrews hosted This Is Your Life, in which guests included acquaintances and acquaintances from his work and entertainment. Ken's Column, a string of 15-minute one-man programs for Anglia Television, began in June 1963.

Beyond Our Ken's seventh series premiered in February 1964, with an average audience of ten million viewers per programme. Horne returned from holiday in September and was supposed to appear in a number of shows; Eric Merriman said Horne had been made into a writer's film "no other comedy series should be allowed to use him." Merriman resigned from writing Beyond Our Ken as the BBC refused to exclude Horne from the second series, Down with Women. Following some pressure from Horne to hold the team together, the BBC ordered Round the Horne, a similar story. They revolving to Marty Feldman, one of Beyond Our Ken's founding writers, Barry Took and his then-writing partner, Barry Took. Horne remained the genial and unflappable central figure, and writers created several new and eccentric characters to revolve around him. J. P. Gruntfuttock, the walking slum; No.l Coward parodies Charles and Fiona; incompetent villain Dr. Chou En Ginsberg; and the "outrageously camp" Julian and Sandy were among them. Andy Foster and Steve Furst's radio historians characterized the program as "one of the seminal comedies to come out of the BBC," while The Spectator named it as "one of the greatest radio hits" in the United States. From March to June 1965, Round the Horne, the first series of 16 episodes, ran from March to June 1965. Horne's job was to provide "the perfect foil to the enthralling lunacy" that was all around him.

Horne died on October 7, 1966, at the age of 59. He had been greatly affected by his illness and was unable to work for three months. As a result, he did not appear in the Round the Horne Christmas special. In January 1967, he returned to work in January 1967 for his third series.

Round the Horne was a four-year series that aired in successive years, and it came to a conclusion in June 1968. Horne A'Plenty's first episode was broadcast on ITV three weeks after the fourth series came to an end. This was an attempt to bring the spirit of Round the Horne to television, with Barry Took as script editor (and later producer), but the Horne Company's campaign was to emulate Horne's voice on television, but with different actors supporting Horne: Kenneth Williams and Sheila Steafel for Betty Marsden. From 22 June to 27 July 1968, the first (by which time ABC had become Thames Television) from 27 November to 1 January 1969.

Horne had been prescribed an anticoagulant but had to stop taking it on the advice of a faith healer, but had stopped taking it due to his heart disease. Horne died of a heart attack on February 14, 1969, while attending the annual Guild of Television Producers' and Directors' Awards at the Dorchester Hotel in London. Earl Mountbatten of Burma was on the podium, as he missed out on his fifth series of Round the Horne (which was supposed to begin on March 16th) when he dropped from the podium. "Mr Horne was sick at this time and has since died," the televised recording of the event revealed. In March, a memorial service was held in St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Horne was praised in The Times as "a master of the scandalous double-meaning delivered with shining innocence," while The Sunday Mirror described him as "one of the few celebrities to cross the generation divide" and "perhaps the last of the truly great radio comics." Barry Took recalled Round the Horne in the December 1970 issue of The Listener, noting its name.

"I loved the guy" on hearing the news. Kenneth Williams wrote in his diary. His unselfish nature, his compassion, compassion, and gentleness served as an example to everyone." "If I ever knew a gentleman, it was Kenneth Horne," Paul Jennings wrote about him in The Sunday Times in February 1969: "If I ever knew a gentleman." ... His entire attention was paid to you by him, as well as his complete courtesy.

And what a courtesy it was!

... "I knew him in the context of panel games, to whom his humour, spontaneous but perfectly timed, always added humour."

Source

Postwar, a double career: 1945–1958

Horne returned to civilian life and was promoted to the role of sales manager. Despite his subsequent work in television and industry, his commercial interests always took precedence. He said that his radio work was simply a hobby and that he would avoid it until his work life began. He combined his two careers by working full-time and writing scripts with Murdoch at weekends.

Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh had gained a following for its 20 Merry-Go-Round episodes, earning the series's own 39-week series that began in January 1947. With the arrival of stability, the ostensible RAF station became a public airport, and the performance continued as before, written by and starring Horne and Murdoch with Sam Costa. Maurice Denham, a vocal chameleon, joined the cast and appeared in over 60 roles. The show became extremely popular, with 20 million viewers, and it ran for four series until September 1950.

Horne appeared in six episodes of the BBC Television comedy series Kaleidoscope in March 1948. He and Murdoch appeared on television in a one-off sitcom At Home, which they wrote in June. Horne began his relationship with Twenty Questions, which went on and off for 20 years. The listener figures had dropped to a level that worried the BBC by the fourth series of Much-Binding in 1950, and they had decided against a fifth series. Horne and Murdoch decided that the comedy would be transferred from the Corporation rather than waiting to see what other opportunities of employment would appear, and that a 35-programme series on Radio Luxembourg existed between October 1950 and June 1951. "It wasn't exactly a success," Murdoch said, "even my mother said it was rotten, and she was my biggest fan." The show returned to the BBC in 1951–52, but it was renamed Over to You. On Desert Island Discs, Murdoch and Horne appeared together again in April 1952.

Horne accepted the role of managing director of the British Industries Fair, a government-backed group promoting British exports worldwide, in 1954, after nine years in his senior role at Triplex and 27 years with the company. On visits to the annual fair, he spent a significant portion of the time liaising with international buyers and delegations, as well as accompanying the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The government cut funding in 1956, and the BIF was defunct. Horne accepted numerous vacancies, but decided on the position of chairman and managing director of the toy manufacturers Chad Valley, where he had been a success. He and Murdoch appeared in a one-off television program for the Telly in September.

Horne appeared on the popular Saturday evening comedy and music radio show Variety Playhouse in January 1957, but the show was not long-running until June. He started writing a weekly column for the women's magazine She, and he began to appear in an increasing number of other groups. Eric Merriman and Barry Took, editor of Variety Playhouse, and writer Barry Took penned a script for a new show, Beyond Our Ken, after his time on Variety Playhouse had concluded. In October 1957, Horne was joined by Kenneth Williams, Ron Moody, Hugh Paddick, and Betty Marsden.

The BBC loved Beyond Our Ken's pilot episode, and they ordered a series to debut in April 1958. On February 27, the year's 51st birthday, Horne suffered a debilitating stroke and was completely paralysed down his left-hand side and lost the ability of speech. He completed a program of intense physiotherapy and returned home after two weeks. After a heavy massage on his left thigh, he's yelled "You bugger!" after a brief pain. At the physiotherapist, we have a problem. The stroke was caused by the strain of juggling a full-time job with his broadcasting job, according to his doctor. Horne also told Horne that if he had recovered, he would never be fit enough to continue as before. Horne said it was not the physical strain of his two careers but the emotional strain of his corporate life; as a result, he ceased to sell and concentrated on a career in entertainment. Beyond Our Ken plans were cancelled due to the stroke.

Horne, the chairman of Twenty Questions, returned to television in April 1958. This evidence of his recovery was enough for the BBC to begin recording Beyond Our Ken in June, in June, ahead of the first series's broadcast between July and November. Beyond Our Ken was written around Horne's imperturbable establishment figure, while the other actors, including the exaggeratedly wealthy Rodney and Charles, the genteel pensioners Ambrose and Felicity, the parody of popular TV cook Fanny Cradock, and gardener Arthur Fallowfield, were among the others who's never seen on television, including the exaggeratedly wealthy patron Fanny Haddock, a parody of famous TV cook Fanny and Gardner —a a based on the writer George, oon,'s, while the o o's Ambrose and Charles, Ambrose and Charles, the cook and Charles, o of popular TV cook and Charles, the parody of famous television cook Fanny Haddock, and Charles, Arthur Fallowfield. The first episode was not well received by a sample audience, but the BBC decided to support Horne and his crew, and the initial six-week contract was extended to 21 weeks. A second series had been ordered to run the following year before the series came to an end. After Bill Pertwee's first appearance, Moody was revived; Took left after the second series, leaving Merriman to write the remaining programs on his own.

Beyond Our Kenny was the second series of the Beyond Our Ken series in 1959; it was the second in 1960. Horne continued his television work, hosting his own series, Trader Horne, and appearing on a number of other shows. He made his second appearance on Desert Island Discs in April 1961, this time unaccompanied by Murdoch. Let's Imagine, a discussion show that lasted for 20 years and counting, appeared in October of this year, three weeks after the fifth series of Beyond Our Kenny premiered—Horne appeared as the anchorman on a new BBC television series. In February 1962, Eamonn Andrews hosted This Is Your Life, where guests included friends and colleagues from his business and entertainment links. Ken's Column, a series of 15-minute one-man programs for Anglia Television, appeared in June 1963.

Beyond Our Ken, the seventh series of the Beyond Our Ken, debuted in February 1964, with an average audience of ten million viewers per program. Horne returned from holiday in September and was set to appear in a number of shows; Eric Merriman said that Horne had been turned into a comedian by the writer and that "no other comedy series should be allowed to use him." Merriman resigned from writing Beyond Our Ken when the BBC refused to exclude Horne from the second programme, Down with Women. Horne reacted angrily to keep the team together, the BBC ordered Round the Horne, a related series. They became one of Beyond Our Ken's original writers, Barry Took, and Marty Feldman, his current writing partner. Horne remained the genial and unflappable central figure, and the writers created many new and eccentric characters to revolve around him. They included J. P. Gruntfuttock, the walking slum; Nol Coward parodies Charles and Fiona; Dr. Chou En Ginsberg, the incompetent villain; and the "outrageously camp" Julian and Sandy. Andy Foster and Steve Furst, two radio historians, referred to it as "one of the seminal comedies to come out of the BBC," while The Spectator described it as "one of the finest radio hits" in the United States. From March to June 1965, Round the Horne, the first series of 16 episodes, ran from March to June 1965. Horne's job was to be "the perfect counterbalance to the enthralled lunacy that was going around him":

Horne died on October 7, 1966, at the age of 59. He had been greatly weakened, and was unfit to work for three months. As a result, he did not appear in the Round the Horne Christmas special. In January 1967, he returned to work in January 1967 to record the third series.

Round the Horne appeared on television for four years and finished in June 1968. Horne A'Plenty's first episode was broadcast on ITV, three weeks after the fourth series concluded. This was an attempt to bring the spirit of Round the Horne to television, with Barry Took as script editor and later producer, but Betty Marsden was substituted for Kenneth Williams and Sheila Steafel for Betty Marsden. From 22 June to July 1968, the second (by which time ABC had become Thames Television) from 27 November to 1 January 1969.

Horne had been given an anticoagulant because of his heart disease but had stopped taking it on the advice of a faith healer. Horne died of a heart attack at the Dorchester hotel in London on February 14, 1969, while presenting the annual Guild of Television Producers' and Directors' Awards. Earl Mountbatten of Burma received the award; Barry Took and Marty Feldman for their TV series Marty, and Horne had just been invited to view the fifth series of Round the Horne (which was supposed to start on March 16th) when he fell from the podium. The event was skipped on television, with announcer Michael Aspel stating, "Mr Horne was sick at this point and has since died." In March that year, a memorial service was held in St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Horne was eulogized in The Times as "a master of the scandalous double-meaning delivered with shining innocence," while The Sunday Mirror described him as "one of the few celebrities to cross the generation divide" and "probably the last of the truly excellent radio comics." Barry Took recalled Round the Horne in the Listener's December 1970 issue and said of its star: 'Kindle's.'

"I loved the guy" on hearing the news, Kenneth Williams wrote in his diary. His unselfish nature, as well as his compassion, compassion, and gentleness served as an example to all." "If I ever knew a gentleman, it was Kenneth Horne," Paul Jennings wrote about him in the Sunday Times in February 1969. ... His complete attention was given to you, as well as his complete politeness.

And what a courtesy it was!

... ahem, a troll. I knew him in the context of panel games, to which his humour, spontaneous but precisely timed, gave rise."

A single career: 1958–1969

The BBC loved Beyond Our Ken's pilot episode, and the BBC ordered a series to launch in April 1958. He had a debilitating stroke on his left-hand side and lost his speech on February 27, his 51st birthday. He underwent extensive physiotherapy and was able to return home after two weeks. His voice came back when he was undergoing intense massage on his left thigh, resulting in him yelling, "You bugger!" he yelled. The physiotherapist's office is located in the United States. The stroke was caused by the strain of juggling a full-time job with his broadcasting career, according to his doctor. He also told Horne that if he had recovered, he would never be able to resume as before. Horne said that it was not the physical strain of his two careers, but rather the emotional strain of company life; as a result, he decided to avoid commerce and concentrate on a career in entertainment. Plans for Beyond Our Ken were suspended as a result of the stroke.

Horne resurfaced as chairman of Twenty Questions in April 1958. This evidence of his recovery was enough for the BBC to begin recording Beyond Our Ken in June, in preparation for the first series's broadcast between July and November. Beyond Our Ken was based on the impenetrable establishment figure of Horne, while the other actors, including the exaggeratedly wealthy Rodney and Charles, the cook and Felicity's Fanny Haddock parody of well-known TV cook Fanny Cradock, and gardener Arthur Fallowfield, were written around the imperturbable establishment figure of the cook, Fanny Haddock. The first episode was not well received by a sample audience, but the BBC decided to support Horne and his crew, and the first six-week contract was extended to 21 weeks. A second season had been ordered to run the following year before the series came to an end. Took left after the second series, leaving Merriman to write the remaining scripts on his own after Bill Pertwee's first series.

Beyond Our Ken's second series appeared in 1959, with a third in 1960. Horne has also worked in television, directing his own film, Trader Horne, and appearing on numerous other shows. He made his second appearance on Desert Island Discs in April 1961, this time unaccompanied by Murdoch. Let's Imagine, a talk show that lasted for 20 months, was available in October this year, three weeks after the fifth series of Beyond Our Kenne premiered. In February 1962, Eamonn Andrews hosted This Is Your Life, which attracted visitors and colleagues from his work and entertainment. Ken's Column, a series of 15-minute one-man programs for Anglia Television, was launched in June 1963.

Beyond Our Ken's seventh series premiered in February 1964, with an average audience of ten million viewers per program. Horne returned from holiday in September and was scheduled to appear on a number of television shows; Eric Merriman said Horne had been turned into a comedian by the writer and that "no other comedy series should be allowed to use him." Merriman resigned from writing Beyond Our Ken after the BBC refused to exclude Horne from the second series, Down with Women. Following some pressure from Horne to hold the remainder of the team together, the BBC ordered Round the Horne, a similar show. They converted to Barry Took and his new writing partner, Marty Feldman, as one of the original writers of Beyond Our Ken, Barry Took and his late writing partner, Barry Took. Horne remained the genial and unflappable central figure, and the writers created a slew of new and strange characters to revolve around him. They included J. P. Gruntock, the walking slum; No.l Coward parodies Charles and Fiona; Dr. Chou En Ginsberg, the incompetent killer; Rambling Syd Rumpo; and the "outrageously camp" Julian and Sandy. The resulting programme was dubbed "one of the seminal comedies to come out of the BBC," by radio historian Andy Foster and Steve Furst, while The Spectator described it as "one of the finest radio successes" in the United States. Round the Horne, a 16-episo series, lasted from March to June 1965. Horne's job was to provide "the ultimate counterbalance to the inspired lunacy going around him":

Horne died on October 7, 1966, at the age of 59, during a major heart attack. He had been greatly weakened and was unfit to work for three months. As a result, he did not appear in the Round the Horne Christmas special. In January 1967, he returned to work in January 1967, the third series in the series.

Round the Horne continued to be a hit show on television for four years after being unable to finish in June 1968. Horne A'Plenty's first episode was shown on ITV three weeks after the fourth series was concluded. This was an effort to bring the spirit of Round the Horne to television, with Barry Took as script editor (and later producer), but with different actors supporting Horne, for example, Kenneth Williams and Sheila Steafel for Betty Marsden were substituted for Kenneth Williams and Sheila Steafel for Betty Marsden. From 22 June to 27 July 1968, the second (by which time ABC had become Thames Television) from 27 November to 1 January 1969.

Horne had been prescribed an anticoagulant for his heart disease but had stopped taking it on the advice of a faith healer, but had stopped taking it. Horne died of a heart attack at the Dorchester hotel in London on February 14, 1969, when he hosted the annual Guild of Television Producers' and Directors' Awards. Earl Mountbatten of Burma received the awards; Barry Took and Marty Feldman for their television series Marty, and Horne had just been advised to tune into the fifth series of Round the Horne (which was supposed to begin on March 16th). The event was skipped on television, with announcer Michael Aspel explaining, "Mr Horne was sick at this time and has since died." In March of this year, a memorial service was held in St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Horne's death had been praised in The Times as "a master of the scandalous double-meaning delivery with shining innocence," while The Sunday Mirror characterized him as "one of the few celebrities to cross the generation divide" and "probably the last of the truly great radio comics." Barry Took recalled Round the Horne in the December 1970 edition of The Listener, as the speaker's name:

"I loved the guy" on hearing the news, Kenneth Williams wrote in his diary. His unselfishness, kindness, compassion, and gentleness were all an example to us." "If I ever knew a gentleman, it was Kenneth Horne," Paul Jennings wrote about him in The Sunday Times in February 1969. ... His complete attention was given to you, as well as his complete courtesy.

And what a courtesy it was!

... I knew him in the context of panel games, to which his enthralling unforced humour, spontaneous but perfectly timed, always added humour."

Source