Arthur Askey

http://www.britmovie.co.uk/actors/a/images/004a.jpg Arthur Askey (1900-1982) b. Liverpool, England.

The diminutive British comedian with a treasure-chest full of catch-phrases started his working life as a clerk with the Liverpool education Committee, and never quite lost the regional accent that penetrated his light speaking voice. His facility for making people laugh soon led him to the world of concert parties and piers and he had become a top seaside entertainer by 1926. He also enjoyed playing pantomime dames, an activity he kept up till the very end of his career.

National fame came in January 1938 with the first broadcast of Band Waggon, the first British radio comedy show to present its stars in situations, rather than as stand-up comics :)