Charlie Chester | |
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| Born | Cecil Victor Manser (1914-04-26)26 April 1914 Eastbourne,Sussex, England |
| Died | 26 June 1997(1997-06-26) (aged 83) Twickenham,London, England |
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| Children | One |
Charlie Chester (26 April 1914 – 26 June 1997) was an English comedian, radio and television presenter and writer, broadcasting almost continuously from the 1940s to the 1990s. His style was similar to that ofMax Miller.
Chester was bornCecil Victor Manser inEastbourne,Sussex. His first job after leaving education was as a grocer's errand boy, but he won talent competitions for his musical instrument playing and singing. Working as a travelling salesman for an embroidery company, Chester realised he had the gift of the gab and decided to become a professional comedian.
Known as "Cheerful"[1] Charlie Chester, he was popular with British audiences in the 1940s from hisBBC radio showStand Easy.[2] This show was adapted for television asThe Charlie Chester Show in 1949 and became a stand-up and sketch show for the next 11 years. Frequent cast members included Edwina Carroll,Henry Lytton, Jr., Eric "Jeeves" Grier,Len Lowe,Deryck Guyler, Len Marten,Arthur Haynes and Frederick Ferrari. A later recurring mini-serial in the show was "Whippit Kwik the Cat Burglar", whose whistled signature tune made Chester a national favourite. Tenor St Clair was replaced by Ferrari, known as "The Voice", and for whom Chester wrote the signature song "When Love Descended like an Angel".[2] That was the only fragment written, until listeners' demands forced him to write a full version so that Ferrari could record it.[3]
Chester's radio shows includedA Proper Charlie,That Man Chester, andPot Luck.[4]
In 1961, Chester starred in a BBC series calledCharlie Chester On Laughter Service, a music and comedy show that visited military bases throughout Britain. Most were co-written by Bernard Botting and Charlie Hart. Late in his career, Chester appeared in theChannel 4 television sitcomNever Say Die.
In the 1960s, he began presenting a record show on theBBC Light Programme, later BBC Radio 2. On 5 October 1970 he started his weekday show which from 1 October 1972 became his long-running radio showSunday Soapbox, which in later years came from the BBC'sBirmingham studios (previously fromManchester). He opened the programme each week with the introduction "With a box full of records and a bag full of post, it's radio Soapbox and Charlie your host!" The programme was transmitted on Sunday afternoons until Chester suffered a stroke in November 1995, after which he could not walk or talk. Its opening and signature tune was called "Music To Drive By" by Alan Moorhouse.
He was the subject ofThis Is Your Life in 1961 when he was surprised byEamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre.
A casino club inArcher Street, Soho, was named "Charlie Chester's" after him.[5]
Chester presentedbrass band music in the seriesListen to the Band and also featured in theBBC Radio 2 showThe Gag Cracker's Ball. In his leisure time he enjoyed painting.[citation needed] He was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the1990 Birthday Honours for charitable services.[3][6]
He suffered astroke and died inTwickenham on 26 June 1997 aged 83.
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