| Rikki Fulton | |
|---|---|
 Fulton (right) as Josie, part of Francie & Josie act |
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| Birth name | Robert Kerr Fulton |
| Born | April 15 1924 Dennistoun, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | January 27 2004 (aged 79) Glasgow, Scotland |
| Spouse(s) | Ethel Scott (1949-1968) Kate Matheson (1969-until his death) |
Rikki Fulton OBE (April 15, 1924 - January 27, 2004), was a Scottish comedy actor best remembered for the character of Reverend IM Jolly in his long-running BBC Scotland television show Scotch and Wry.
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Biography
Early life
Robert Kerr Fulton was born in Dennistoun, Glasgow to a non-theatrical family. The youngest of three brothers, Fulton and his family later moved to Riddrie. He attended the local primary school but later returned to Dennistoun to attend Whitehill Secondary school. He left at fourteen years old, deciding to take up acting after a backstage visit at the Glasgow Pavilion Theatre. In 1941, aged seventeen, Fulton joined the Royal Navy. In September, 1942, he was posted to the HMS Ibis and the same year (in November), it was torpedoed in the Mediterranean. Fulton spent five hours in the water before being rescued. He later joined the Coastal Forces for D-Day, travelling back and forward from Gosport to Arromanches with vital supplies. After suffering blackouts, Fulton was invalided out of the Navy in 1945, with the rank of sub-lieutenant.
Career
Fulton began his professional acting career as a straight actor in rep and BBC Radio (The Gowrie Conspiracy, starting in 1947). He was also in the stationery business with his two brothers but when the bank later pulled money from their enterprise, Fulton gave his full attention to acting. In the early 1950s he moved to London and became the compere of The Show Band Show, working alongside the likes of Frank Sinatra and Rosemary Clooney, but he soon moved back to Scotland to perform in pantomime and summer seasons for Howard and Wyndham, including appearances at the Alhambra Theatre Glasgow. One of his first forays into television comedy was in the popular 1962 Scottish Television series The Adventures of Francie and Josie alongside regular comedy partner Jack Milroy. Having been successful on the stage from 1960, the TV series established both Fulton and Milroy as household names in Scotland. He continued to perform regularly in pantomime and in straight theatre too, most notably the Royal Lyceum Company in Edinburgh. However it was the comedy sketch show Scotch And Wry that became a highlight of the BBC Scotland Hogmanay festivities. The series featured a host of memorable characters, and gave other young Scottish comedians such as Gregor Fisher a break. It also showcased a new generation of Scottish writing talent including Bob Black, Phil Differ, Neil MacVicar and Niall Clark, who would go onto to produce material for shows likes Naked Video and A Kick Up The Eighties. The programme was only shown throughout the entire BBC network once - in 1983. In 1983 he showcased his talents to a wider audience with appearances in the films Gorky Park and in director Bill Forsyth's Local Hero and Comfort and Joy. In 1992 he was awarded the OBE. In 1993, Rikki received a lifetime achievement award from BAFTA Scotland. A year later he appeared with Gregor Fisher in The Tales Of Para Handy. Indeed his last performance was in an episode of Rab C Nesbitt in 1998. He published his autobiography in 1999. Is it that time already? ISBN 1-902927-02-8 Rikki's character the "Reverend I M Jolly" was a hilarious but affectionate characture of a certain type of Church of Scotland minister as seen on Scottish Television's nightly Late Call programme. Rikki Fulton himself was an elder in the Church of Scotland, at New Kilpatrick Parish Church, Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire. In 1993 he and the minister of the congregation Rev Alastair Symington (now at Troon Old Parish Church) together produced a book based on their conversations called "For God's Sake, Ask!" ISBN 0-7152-0686-9 In his latter years Fulton suffered from Alzheimer's Disease and died in 2004 of MRSA. His wife Kate died the following year (2005).
Selected Credits
- Scotch and Wry (1978-1992)
- Gorky Park (1983)
- Local Hero (1983)
- Comfort and Joy (1984}
- Tis' the Season To Be Jolly (1993)
- The Tales Of Para Handy (1994)
- Jolly: A Man For All Seasons (1994)
- Jolly: A Life (1995)
- It's a Jolly Life (1999)
