Shut Up, I'm Talking! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Keith Harris

Keith Harris was best known for his partnership with Orville the Duck. Orville was a wide-eyed green duck with a soft, innocent voice. He was insecure and asked naïve questions. This exasperated Keith, but the kids loved it. He was popular throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

Orville became a familiar face on television specials and stage shows. Some of you might remember their novelty song 'Orville's Song'. It reached number four on the UK Singles Chart in 1983. I couldn't stand it and found Orville's voice annoying.

I preferred Cuddles the Monkey, another of Keith's dummies, because it was a louder and cheekier character, different from Orville's gentler personality. Cuddles showed a different side of Keith's comedic timing.

Answer: Ray Alan

Ray Alan was a British ventriloquist born in London in 1930. He became one of the most recognisable faces on British television variety shows from the 1960s through to the 1980s. I used to marvel at him because I never once saw his lips move. He was surely one of the best ventriloquists ever.

His most famous creation was Lord Charles, a dummy who wore a monocle and a top hat. Lord Charles had an aristocratic manner and a sharp tongue and was known for risqué humour and pompous put-downs. What made him funny was the difference between his refined character and his cheeky remarks. His monocle and condescending attitude became his trademark. He also used to appear to be tipsy, which added to the humour.

Ray also created Tich and Quackers, a contrasting double‑act featuring a tiny schoolboy and his squeaky duck companion.

Answer: Terry Hall

Terry Hall brought Lenny the Lion (one of my favourites) to British television in the 1950s, at a time when children's TV was still finding its feet. Lenny was a soft, plush lion rather than the usual wooden dummy. He had a shy smile and a gentle voice. His catchphrase 'Aw, don't embarrass me!' made him a favourite with young audiences.

Lenny headlined his own show in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It featured guest stars, musical numbers and variety sketches. Terry's understated style let Lenny's personality carry the act, and the character's popularity spread to merchandise and a Kellogg's Rice Krispies campaign.

Answer: Arthur Worsley

Arthur Worsley's act with Charlie Brown was very different from the usual ventriloquist routine. While most ventriloquists did the talking, Arthur stood in complete silence while Charlie did all the complaining. The dummy's exasperated lines, such as 'Say something!' and 'You're useless!' created a comic tension that audiences loved.

Charlie Brown was grumpy, sarcastic and permanently frustrated with Arthur's refusal to speak. They appeared on British variety shows from the 1940s to the 1960s, and Arthur's flawless lip control made Charlie look very convincing.

Answer: Nina Conti

Nina Conti stands out among modern British ventriloquists through her act with Monkey. He's a scruffy, sarcastic character who acts as her unfiltered inner voice. Monkey mocks her, questions her decisions and comments on the audience, making them feel more like a double act than a ventriloquist routine.

Nina also became known for her mask work, placing animatronic masks on audience members and voicing them live, turning volunteers into unscripted comedy partners. I think it's a genuinely original twist on ventriloquism.

Answer: Roger De Courcey

Roger De Courcey shot to fame with his puppet Nookie Bear after winning 'New Faces', a talent show, in 1976. He became one of British television's most well-known characters. Unlike the usual cute or innocent dummy, Nookie was loud, cheeky and permanently on the edge of going too far. He constantly interrupted and out-talked Roger. He was another one I loved.

That contrast between Roger's calm delivery and Nookie's brash energy made them a natural double act for the variety show era. They built a strong following through TV appearances, stage tours and the club circuit.

Answer: Bob Carolgees

One of my favourites was Bob Carolgees and Spit the Dog. They became a household name in the 1980s. Spit was a scruffy, feral puppet whose main talent was spitting at people. He was loud, grumpy and permanently looking for trouble. This made him a perfect fit for the children's TV show 'Tiswas', where chaos was the whole point. Bob played it straight while Spit caused havoc around him.

Bob and Spit also appeared on the TV show 'Surprise Surprise', which was hosted by Cilla Black. They also did nationwide stage tours and TV specials throughout the '80s.

Answer: Paul Zerdin

Paul Zerdin won the television show 'America's Got Talent' with his puppet Sam. Sam is a hyperactive, stroppy boy who argues, sulks and constantly undermines him. Paul plays the exasperated adult while Sam causes chaos. This gives the act a fast, stand-up comedy feel rather than traditional variety.

Paul also uses radio-controlled puppetry, letting Sam move and speak independently, with his head turning or body moving, while he works the audience. It gives the illusion that Sam is misbehaving on his own, which is really funny.
:D

Answer: Francis Coudrill

Francis Coudrill brought Hank the Cowboy to early British children's television in the 1950s and 60s. Hank wasn't like traditional dummies, because he was a flat, articulated cut-out figure, animated against illustrated backdrops, which blended ventriloquism with drawing and storytelling.

I don't remember Hank, but I learned that he spoke in a laconic American drawl and shared his world with other cut-out characters, all voiced by Francis. They appeared on the 1950s BBC children's television show 'Whirligig'. The handmade style gave the show a charm that stood out from other studio productions of the time.

Answer: Peter Brough

Peter Brough became a radio star in the 1950s with his dummy Archie Andrews. This sounds absurd given that nobody could see whether his lips moved on the radio. They couldn't, and he was widely known to be technically poor. None of that mattered, though, because Archie's personality was strong enough to carry the act.

Their BBC show 'Educating Archie' pulled around 15 million listeners and built a fan club of quarter of a million children. Peter came from a ventriloquist family, as his father Arthur performed on the variety circuit with a dummy called Tim. That one is definitely before my time, because I had never even heard of Peter and Archie until I was doing research for this quiz.