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Roy Castle
Roy Castle (31 August 1932 – 2 September 1994) was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. An accomplished jazz trumpet player, he could also play many other instruments. In a career as a versatile performer on stage, television and film, he became best known to British television viewers as long-running presenter of the children's series Record Breakers.
Castle was born in Scholes, near Holmfirth, West Riding of Yorkshire. The son of a railwayman, he was a tap dancer from an early age and trained at Nora Bray's school of dance with Audrey Spencer, who later ran a big dance school, and after leaving Holme Valley Grammar School (now Honley High School) he started his career as an entertainer in an amateur concert party. As a young performer in the 1950s, he lived in Cleveleys near Blackpool and appeared there at the local Queen's Theatre, turning professional in 1953 as a stooge for Jimmy Clitheroe and Jimmy James. By 1958, he was appearing at the Royal Variety Show where he was invited to appear on the Royal Command Performance (1958) and received wide acclaim, being hailed as the hit of the show. This was also where he met lifelong friend, Harry Secombe, with whom he went on to work on numerous occasions
As a singer, he released one charting single in 1960, the Christmas song "Little White Berry".
Castle guest-starred in an episode of the Morecambe and Wise series Two of a Kind, which aired on 3 August 1963. He received billing twice for his guest appearances in both halves of the show. In 1965, Castle starred with Peter Cushing in the film Dr. Who and the Daleks, the first of two cinematic spin-offs from the BBC television series. He played the role of Dr. Who's first male assistant, Ian Chesterton, and was cast to perform the role more comedically than it had been played by William Russell in the equivalent serial. He appeared in Dr. Terror's House of Horrors as a jazz musician.
Castle also appeared in Carry On Up the Khyber in 1968 and in the TV musical Pickwick for the BBC in 1969. In the 1990s, he appeared again in Pickwick, touring the country, starring alongside Sir Harry Secombe, and the show was recorded again. (Secombe had starred in the original West End production in 1963.) In 1973, Castle teamed up with the comedy actor Ronnie Barker in an original one-off called "Another Fine Mess" (an episode from Barker's series Seven of One). Barker was one of Castle's best friends, and paid tribute to their work together shortly after Castle's death.[citation needed]
In 1967 and 1968, Castle co-starred with Jimmy Edwards in the London West End run of the comedy farce show Big Bad Mouse when Eric Sykes had to withdraw because of illness. The show was resident at the Shaftesbury Theatre and, being loosely scripted, it offered both Edwards and Castle the chance to freely ad-lib and generally break the fourth wall with the audience, Castle breaking into trumpet performances while Edwards walked into a front stall seat to read a newspaper, tap dancing and firing ping-pong balls into the stalls. He also once stood in for Bruce Forsyth hosting The Generation Game in 1975 while Forsyth was ill. He made many appearances on BBC television's long running variety show The Good Old Days, making use of his multi instrumental and performing skills. In 1988, Castle presented and performed in the Anglia Television series Marching as to War, which traced and re-enacted the early history of The Salvation Army.
In 1972, he first presented Record Breakers, a children's show, and he remained host for over 20 years. He recorded the theme song "Dedication" for the show himself, and usually performed it live over the closing credits. While presenting the show he broke nine world records himself, including:
He was a host of the show until a few months before his death in 1994, alongside Norris and (until his murder in 1975) Ross McWhirter, Fiona Kennedy and Cheryl Baker. From then on, hosting was taken over by Baker and former athlete Kriss Akabusi. It continued until 2001, making it one of Britain's longest-running shows.
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Roy Castle
Roy Castle (31 August 1932 – 2 September 1994) was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. An accomplished jazz trumpet player, he could also play many other instruments. In a career as a versatile performer on stage, television and film, he became best known to British television viewers as long-running presenter of the children's series Record Breakers.
Castle was born in Scholes, near Holmfirth, West Riding of Yorkshire. The son of a railwayman, he was a tap dancer from an early age and trained at Nora Bray's school of dance with Audrey Spencer, who later ran a big dance school, and after leaving Holme Valley Grammar School (now Honley High School) he started his career as an entertainer in an amateur concert party. As a young performer in the 1950s, he lived in Cleveleys near Blackpool and appeared there at the local Queen's Theatre, turning professional in 1953 as a stooge for Jimmy Clitheroe and Jimmy James. By 1958, he was appearing at the Royal Variety Show where he was invited to appear on the Royal Command Performance (1958) and received wide acclaim, being hailed as the hit of the show. This was also where he met lifelong friend, Harry Secombe, with whom he went on to work on numerous occasions
As a singer, he released one charting single in 1960, the Christmas song "Little White Berry".
Castle guest-starred in an episode of the Morecambe and Wise series Two of a Kind, which aired on 3 August 1963. He received billing twice for his guest appearances in both halves of the show. In 1965, Castle starred with Peter Cushing in the film Dr. Who and the Daleks, the first of two cinematic spin-offs from the BBC television series. He played the role of Dr. Who's first male assistant, Ian Chesterton, and was cast to perform the role more comedically than it had been played by William Russell in the equivalent serial. He appeared in Dr. Terror's House of Horrors as a jazz musician.
Castle also appeared in Carry On Up the Khyber in 1968 and in the TV musical Pickwick for the BBC in 1969. In the 1990s, he appeared again in Pickwick, touring the country, starring alongside Sir Harry Secombe, and the show was recorded again. (Secombe had starred in the original West End production in 1963.) In 1973, Castle teamed up with the comedy actor Ronnie Barker in an original one-off called "Another Fine Mess" (an episode from Barker's series Seven of One). Barker was one of Castle's best friends, and paid tribute to their work together shortly after Castle's death.[citation needed]
In 1967 and 1968, Castle co-starred with Jimmy Edwards in the London West End run of the comedy farce show Big Bad Mouse when Eric Sykes had to withdraw because of illness. The show was resident at the Shaftesbury Theatre and, being loosely scripted, it offered both Edwards and Castle the chance to freely ad-lib and generally break the fourth wall with the audience, Castle breaking into trumpet performances while Edwards walked into a front stall seat to read a newspaper, tap dancing and firing ping-pong balls into the stalls. He also once stood in for Bruce Forsyth hosting The Generation Game in 1975 while Forsyth was ill. He made many appearances on BBC television's long running variety show The Good Old Days, making use of his multi instrumental and performing skills. In 1988, Castle presented and performed in the Anglia Television series Marching as to War, which traced and re-enacted the early history of The Salvation Army.
In 1972, he first presented Record Breakers, a children's show, and he remained host for over 20 years. He recorded the theme song "Dedication" for the show himself, and usually performed it live over the closing credits. While presenting the show he broke nine world records himself, including:
He was a host of the show until a few months before his death in 1994, alongside Norris and (until his murder in 1975) Ross McWhirter, Fiona Kennedy and Cheryl Baker. From then on, hosting was taken over by Baker and former athlete Kriss Akabusi. It continued until 2001, making it one of Britain's longest-running shows.