37 Facts About Bob Monkhouse

Robert Alan Monkhouse was an English comedian, writer and actor.

Bob Monkhouse was the host of television game shows including The Golden Shot, Celebrity Squares, Family Fortunes and Wipeout.

Bob Monkhouse had an elder brother, John, who was born in 1922.

Bob Monkhouse's grandfather John Bob Monkhouse was a prosperous Methodist businessman who co-founded Monk and Glass, which made custard powder and jelly.

Bob Monkhouse was educated at Goring Hall School in Worthing, Sussex, and Dulwich College in south London, from which he was expelled for climbing the clock tower.

Bob Monkhouse established a comics writing and art partnership with Dulwich schoolmate Denis Gifford and the two formed their own publishing company, Streamline, in the early 1950s.

Bob Monkhouse completed his National service with the Royal Air Force in 1948.

Bob Monkhouse won a contract with the BBC after his unwitting RAF group captain signed a letter that Monkhouse had written telling the BBC he was a war hero and that the corporation should give him an audition.

Bob Monkhouse began his adult career as a scriptwriter for radio comedy in partnership with Denis Goodwin, a fellow Old Alleynian with whom he compered Smash Hits on Radio Luxembourg.

Bob Monkhouse went on to host more than 30 quiz shows on British television.

Bob Monkhouse starred in Dentist in the Chair and Dentist on the Job, later regretting not choosing the Carry Ons over the dental comedies.

Bob Monkhouse became much in demand as an after-dinner speaker and wrote a book about the subject, Just Say a Few Words.

Bob Monkhouse became a favourite with impressionists, and, as his comedy style fell out of favour in the 1980s, he was mocked for his slickness and accused of insincerity.

Bob Monkhouse came back into fashion during the 1990s, and an appearance on Have I Got News for You helped to restore his popularity.

Bob Monkhouse's tenure ended with allegations, which he denied, that he had taken bribes to include branded goods on the programme as advertisements.

Bob Monkhouse returned in 1974 after subsequent presenters and comedians Norman Vaughan and Charlie Williams were found wanting.

The dozens of other shows Monkhouse presented included Celebrity Squares, Family Fortunes and Bob's Full House.

From 1987 to 1989, he hosted three series of the revival of the talent show Opportunity Knocks, which aired as Bob Monkhouse Says Opportunity Knocks.

Bob Monkhouse then moved to ITV to front two more game shows, Bob's Your Uncle and The $64,000 Question, neither of which was a popular success.

Bob Monkhouse was at the helm when infamously, on 30 November 1996, the lottery machine failed live on air, causing the draw to be delayed by 50 minutes until after that night's episode of Casualty aired.

Bob Monkhouse then returned to quizzes, taking over hosting duties on Wipeout from Paul Daniels when its studio recordings moved from London to Manchester and the show moved from primetime to daytime.

Bob Monkhouse hosted Wipeout from 1998 until a few months before his death in 2003.

Bob Monkhouse was criticised for sycophancy towards his guests but said that they were all heroes of his and that was how he really felt about them.

Bob Monkhouse was known as a keen supporter of new comedy and used the show to introduce audiences to new comedians such as Kelly Monteith, Robin Williams and Jim Carrey.

None of this was known to Bob Monkhouse, who appeared genuinely frightened.

An expert on the history of silent cinema and a film collector, Bob Monkhouse presented Mad Movies in 1966.

Bob Monkhouse wrote, produced, financed and syndicated the show worldwide.

The archive consisted of 36,000 videotapes, going back to when Bob Monkhouse first bought a home video recorder in 1966.

In 1993 Bob Monkhouse was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to entertainment.

Bob Monkhouse was married twice, firstly to Elizabeth Thompson on 5 November 1949.

Bob Monkhouse had three children from his first marriage, but only his adopted daughter, Abigail, survived him.

Bob Monkhouse went to Saint Michael's School in Pinner and died in Braintree, Essex, in 1992, aged 40.

Bob Monkhouse lived in a house called "Claridges" in Eggington, near Leighton Buzzard, and had a flat in London and a holiday home in Barbados.

Bob Monkhouse was a vocal supporter of the Conservative Party for some years.

Bob Monkhouse later told his friend Colin Edmonds that this may have been a mistake, but that he wanted to be associated with a winner and he knew Margaret Thatcher could not lose the 1987 general election.

Bob Monkhouse was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2001, and he died from this illness at his home on 29 December 2003.

On 12 June 2007, Bob Monkhouse posthumously appeared on British TV in an advertisement promoting awareness of prostate cancer for Male Cancer Awareness Week.