Robert Fairclough - This Charming Man: The Life of Ian Carmichael

A lovingly detailed, and long overdue, portrait of a much loved entertainer who had a remarkable career that spanned over sixty years.

Dick Fiddy, media historian

Robert Faircloughs book on Ian Carmichael has all the hallmarks of excellent biography its independent-minded, thoroughly researched and brings into vivid focus the inner and outer life of a significant player who has previously only inhabited the shadows of film and television histories. Whats particularly impressive is the way he sheds light on the post-war significance of the silly ass types Ian Carmichael played so well, and the larger social importance of the British comedies which were his early stock in trade. A remarkable, poignant, sharply written and fascinating tome populated with fresh tales involving co-stars and cult greats from Terry-Thomas to Arthur Lowe to Patrick Macnee. Ripping stuff.

Pat Gilbert, music journalist and author of Shut It! The Inside Story of The Sweeney

Mum and Dad

For all the good things

Uncle David

(19282004)

Who kept the faith

and

Ali Rose Rees

For giving me the title.

S PECIAL THANKS, IN no particular order, to my minders Alan (theres been an ERUPTION!) Coles and Henry (other fish to fry) Holland, without whom this book would not have been started and would certainly not have been completed; the best mum and dad in the world; Richard Berry, for incomparable IT skills; my agent Ros Edwardes, for making it all happen once again Ive said it before and Ill say it again, a writer is nothing without a brilliant agent; the legendary Leonard White for being such a goldmine of information; John Flanagan for helping very generously with The Royal; Jaz Wiseman for putting me in touch with Patrick Macnee; the one and only ex-Mrs Fairclough, Rachel Busch, for being such a dedicated transcriber and researcher once again; Robert Ross for permission to quote from his extensive interview with Ian; Michael Cragie, Richard Dacre and John Williams for exemplary archive research; the Read-Through Crew: Mike Kenwood, Tim Lambert, Julia Forrest and the extremely munificent and always helpful Dick Fiddy; and, last but not least, slippery genius Patrick Iolanthe Gilbert, for making the introductions and being such a repository of information and advice. Hes right about Feline, too.

Thanks also to Sam Blake and Eleanor Fleetham at the BBC Written Archives Centre; Sarah Currant, Ayesha Khan, Iratxe Gardoqui and Vivien Jones at the British Film Institute; Stella and Steve Broster, Jonathan Cecil, Jeni Child, Gavin Collinson, John Cox, Simon Coward, Peter Crocker, Eric and Ernie and Pete Darman for the advice on British war films; Tom Dirks; Eltham and Blackfen libraries; Don Fearney; Sayer Galib; Howard Heather; Clive Jeavons; Matthew Lee; Morrissey and Marr (without whom ); Brain McFarlane; Rupert Macnee; Tony Mechele; Chris Perry; Plum; Posh Ali; Ali Rees; Louise Simpson; The Skids; Neil Sinyard; Elaine Spooner and Phil Higgs; Suede; Ed Stradling; Grant Taylor; Transvision Vamp; The Vaccines; Ann Waterhouse; and everyone at Windmill Books.

For sharing their memories of Ian and his world: the lovely and very helpful Bridget Armstrong, Rodney Bennett, Lucy Boulting, Peter Bowles, Nick Broomfield, Richard Cottrell, Paul Darrow, Julian Dyer, Fenella Fielding, John Flanagan, Derek Fowlds, Gerald Harper, Rachel Herbert, Ken Horn, Francesca Hunt, Phyllida Law, Valerie Leon, Abigail McKern, Briony McRoberts, Patrick Macnee, Nicholas Mcardle, Nicholas Parsons, Robert Putt, Robert Rietti, David Robb, Janette Scott, William Simons, Linda Thorson, Tim Wallers, Terry Winsor, Leonard White and the late, great Susannah York.

At Aurum: Graham Coster for taking a chance on me, Barbara Phelan, Liz Somers, Melissa Smith and Sen Costello for his helpful suggestions on the text and thorough and detailed copy-editing.

I heartily recommend tracking down Ians fascinating, funny and warm-hearted memoir Will the Real Ian Carmichael , published in 1979, which has been an invaluable source of reference, insight and anecdotes.

While every effort has been made to identify copyright material and to ask for permission to quote from it, if any item has been inadvertently overlooked, the copyright holder is asked to contact the publisher and the matter will be rectified in any future edition of the book.

Be seeing you.

Robert Fairclough

July 2011

This Charming Man is an apt title for a biography of Ian Carmichael. If ever an actor epitomised that particular adjective it was Ian. He was the embodiment of those qualities that one associates with the typical, courteous Englishman, and this is the character he played so well on stage and particularly in films. He looked very English and he loved those things which are always associated with England: cricket and our beautiful countryside. Latterly, when he was no longer driven to prove himself as an actor, he settled in Whitby, in his beloved Yorkshire, away from the show business pressures he experienced when living in London close to the heart of the theatre and film industry.

I first met Ian when I took over one of the principal roles for a month in a new revue that was staged in 1951 by the major theatrical management at the time, H.M. Tennant, called the Lyric Revue. The title was taken from the name of the small theatre in Hammersmith where it was staged and starred all the young emerging talent of that period: Dora Bryan, Joan Heal, Graham Payne and, of course, Ian Carmichael. I owned a small car at the time, my pride and joy, and I drove Ian back to his flat every night after the show as I passed his home on my way to Hampstead where I was still living with my parents. I came to know him well and warmed to his very genuine and naturally charming personality. In the Revue, Ian was outstanding, and I believe it was his performance in the various sketches in which he took part that launched him on to the career that followed. He had the opportunity to display his ability as an actor and comedian, and slowly offers followed until he established himself as the countrys most promising and popular leading man and, what is termed in show business, light comedian. A ridiculous phrase really. What is a heavy comedian? It is intended to convey that you are a comedian with a light, sophisticated touch as opposed to a broad stand-up variety performer.

In show business there is often one performance or little cameo that stands out in an actors career and propels them forward and upward. In the follow-on show, The Globe Revue, named after the theatre in the West End in which it was staged, Ian had a solo sketch about which he was very nervous. It had no jokes or obvious funny business. In fact he was nervous to undertake it but was persuaded by Billie Chappell, the Producer of the show, to accept the challenge. It was quite simply about a shy, timid individual who attempts to undress and put on his bathing costume on the beach while wearing his mackintosh. Ian applied his creative talents to this task and with the meticulous attention to detail that he brought to every professional job, he made the sketch one of the highlights of the Revue and was probably remembered for his comic inventiveness in that one sketch to the exclusion of much of his other professional work at that time.

Following his success in these revues, Ian suffered from what a lot of versatile performers experience in this country: he became labelled as a revue artist or light entertainer, the fact that he was giving a fine acting performance in whatever sketch he was appearing was overlooked. He was rescued from this labelling when the Boulting Brothers, the dynamic film producing duo, put him under contract and he achieved incredible success in their films