UKTV Profiles: DickEmery

Background Info

It's no surprise Dick Emery became a star. Born on 19 February 1917, he was the son of a double act known as Callan and Emery , who performed in innumerable music halls as Dick grew up. His mother was keen to nurture Dick 's talent, and put him on stage almost as soon as he could walk. He went on to perform in an army theatre group during World War Two, and promptly headed for the bright lights of London as soon as the war was over.

Emery 's first break came when he got a job as a comedian at the famous Windmill Theatre in 1948. It was here that he met Tony Hancock , and two were soon picked up by the BBC to produce radio comedies. Hancock became a superstar, and Emery followed suit in 1963 when the Beeb offered him his very own sketch show.

Running from 1963 to 1981, ‘The Dick Emery Show’ was one of the most successful TV shows of all time. Emery proved himself a truly chameleonic actor, appearing in the sketch show as everyone from a buck-toothed vicar to a swaggering skinhead to a bawdy blonde called Mandy, whose catchphrase ‘Ooh you are awful, but I like you!’ was the ‘Suits you sir!’ of the 1960s. Indeed, Emery 's influence can be felt on everything from ‘The Fast Show’ to ‘Little Britain’.

Emery shamelessly cashed in on the popularity of the ‘Ooh you are awful’ catchphrase by releasing a movie called – you guessed it – ‘Ooh, You Are Awful’ in 1972. A comedy crime caper about the Mafia, it's safe to say it's not in line for a critical re-appraisal anytime soon!

Emery was a lifelong depressive and prone to anxiety attacks. He had severe stage fright and was often sick before performances. Over the decades he spent a small fortune on psychoanalysis and hypnotherapy in an attempt to combat the problem.

‘I don't just envy the confidence that other comics have, I resent it,’ Emery once confessed. ‘I hate them for it, just like my dad did. If there's such a thing as a chip off the old block, it's on my shoulder.’