27 Facts About Harry Secombe

Sir Harry Donald Secombe was a Welsh actor, comedian, singer and television presenter.

Harry Secombe was born in St Thomas, Swansea, the third of four children of Nellie Jane Gladys, a shop manageress, and Frederick Ernest Harry Secombe, a travelling salesperson and office worker for a Swansea wholesale grocery business.

Harry Secombe's family were regular churchgoers, belonging to the congregation of St Thomas Church.

Harry Secombe served as a Lance Bombardier in No 132 Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery.

Harry Secombe referred to the unit in which he served during the Second World War in the North African Campaign, Sicily, and Italy, as "The Five-Mile Snipers".

Harry Secombe made his first radio broadcast in May 1944 on a variety show aimed at the military services.

Harry Secombe joined the cast of the Windmill Theatre in 1946, using a routine he had developed in Italy about how people shaved.

Harry Secombe met Michael Bentine at the Windmill Theatre, and he was introduced to Peter Sellers by his agent Jimmy Grafton.

Harry Secombe mainly played Neddie Seagoon, around whom the show's absurd plots developed.

In 1955, whilst appearing on The Goon Show, Harry Secombe was approached by the BBC to step in at short notice to take the lead in the radio comedy Hancock's Half Hour.

Harry Secombe appeared in the lead for the first three episodes and had a guest role in the fourth after Hancock's return.

All four episodes are lost, but following the discovery of the original scripts, the episodes were rerecorded in 2017, with his son, Andrew Harry Secombe performing the role held by his late father.

In 1958 he appeared in the film Jet Storm, which starred Dame Sybil Thorndike and Richard Attenborough and in the same year Harry Secombe starred in the title role in Davy, one of Ealing Studios' last films.

The power of his voice allowed Harry Secombe to appear in many stage musicals.

Harry Secombe went on to star in his own television show, The Harry Secombe Show, which debuted on Christmas Day 1968 on BBC1 and ran for 31 episodes until 1973.

Later in life, Harry Secombe attracted new audiences as a presenter of religious programmes, such as the BBC's Songs of Praise and ITV's Stars on Sunday and Highway.

Harry Secombe was a special programming consultant to Harlech Television and hosted a Thames Television programme in 1979 entitled Cross on the Donkey's Back.

Harry Secombe had been a subject of the show previously in March 1958 when Eamonn Andrews surprised him at the BBC Television Theatre.

Harry Secombe was knighted in 1981, and jokingly referred to himself as Sir Cumference.

Harry Secombe had a stroke in 1997 and his colon burst, from which he made a slow recovery.

Harry Secombe was then diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 1998.

Harry Secombe had diabetes in the latter part of his life.

Harry Secombe died on 11 April 2001 at the age of 79, from prostate cancer, in hospital in Guildford, Surrey.

Harry Secombe's ashes are interred at the parish church of Shamley Green, and a later memorial service to celebrate his life was held at Westminster Abbey on 26 October 2001.

Harry Secombe is fondly remembered at the London Welsh Centre, where he opened the bar on St Patrick's Day 1971.

Harry Secombe met Myra Joan Atherton at the Mumbles Dance Hall in 1946.

Myra, Lady Harry Secombe died on 7 February 2018, aged 93.