This Is Your Life: John Inman

John INMAN (1935-2007)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - John Inman, actor, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the Wimbledon Theatre, having been led to believe he was being interviewed about his pantomime appearance at the theatre for the London Scene television programme.

John, who was born in Preston, moved with his family at age 13 to Blackpool, where he took part in school drama productions. After leaving school, he joined Fox's, a gentleman's outfitter, before moving to London in 1954 to work as a display man with the retailer Austin Reed.

Having left retail at age 21, he found work with a repertory theatre in Crewe before moving to the Royalty Theatre in Chester as a stage manager. More theatre work followed, including pantomimes, until 1972, when he was cast in the BBC television sitcom Are You Being Served? as the sharp-tongued sales assistant Mr Humphries, a role which made him a household name.

"Oh, I say! How fantastic!"

programme details...

Edition No: 449
Subject No: 446
Broadcast date: Wed 22 Dec 1976
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 15 Dec 1976
Venue: Euston Road Studios
Series: 17
Edition: 9
Code name: Store

on the guest list...

Arthur English
Mike Hope
Albie Keen
Ken Wood
Leonie Palatte
Barbara Newman
Gillian Humphries
pupils of Claremont School, Blackpool
Dennis McNeary
Geoff - brother
Mary - mother
Pat - sister-in-law
Debbie - niece
Jackie - niece
Derek Carwin
Peter Diamond
Tommy DeVere
David Nixon
Jack Holden
Eddie Whitehouse
Roy Dyer
Arthur Lane
Barry Howard
Roy Castle
Mollie Sugden
Wendy Richard
Arthur Brough
Nicholas Smith
Harold Bennett
David Croft
Jeremy Lloyd
Danny La Rue

production team...

Researcher: Tony Lee
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Directors: Royston Mayoh, Terry Yarwood
Producer: Jack Crawshaw

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

The Good Life

the sitcom stars

The Night of 1000 Lives

a celebration of a thousand editions

Screenshots of John Inman This Is Your Life

David Clayton recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, I'm Free! The Life and Times of John Inman...

Ahead of Mother Goose, there was still time to squeeze in the second Are You Being Served? Christmas special, which was filmed on 6 December for a Christmas Eve screening. However, during rehearsals for Mother Goose at Wimbledon, Eamonn Andrews surprised John by uttering those magic words, 'John Inman, this is your life'.

After being whisked to the studio for the live airing of This Is Your Life, old friends and family were introduced along with Arthur English, who was also in the Mother Goose panto with John. Barry Howard, David Nixon and Roy Castle were present, as well as Mollie Sugden, Wendy Richard, Arthur Brough and Nicholas Smith. The final guest was Danny La Rue, in what was an emotional half-hour for the Lancastrian – though he had been somewhat panicky as to who would appear as guests from his past!

The comical spark between John and Barry Howard was evident as Howard, whose intro was a voiceover asking, 'Has anybody seen my sister?' recalled a panto mishap they'd shared:

It was the boudoir scene when the Ugly Sisters get ready for the ball and the management gave us a marvellous set.

We were on this bed which went back into the wall – so we did all that and John gets on the bed, says his cue, and is pulled away. I say, 'Has anybody seen my sister?' and the kids shout back 'She's gone through a hole in the wall!'

I think the lads back stage had been out for a pint during the interval because he came back out at such a speed that he nearly knocked me over so I said, 'Ooh you clumsy apeth' and we carry on with the scene and the audience starts to laugh and we thought, 'This is going well' and then I look at John and he's laughing at me. I say, 'What are you laughing at?'

I was wearing this oversized bust and John said, 'Well, look at your tits!' I said, 'Well, what's the matter with them?' and he said, 'You've only got one!'

I turned around to look at it and I had a boob at the front and a boob at the back!

The affection and esteem Danny La Rue held John in was evident as he spoke of his friend as the final guest. He said:

I've known John since 1961 and there's nobody in our business who deserves success more. The marvellous thing about our business is we're all colleagues – there have been so many people on, I was backstage terrified thinking, 'What am I going to say?' but the one thing – thank god – nobody has said is, everybody talks about stars, but it's people who make the stars and people only recognise people, and it's because you're such a marvellous person that they love you first and your character second. You're a lovely man, you're a hard worker and you're a great star, and it's my privilege to call you a friend.

It was heartfelt and emotional for John to have such a pleasant walk down memory lane.

'It was genuinely a total surprise to John,' says Peter Richards:

He was playing Dame in panto when Eamonn Andrews strode in from the back of the stage. Once he was in the studio in his own clothes, he began to panic a bit – inwardly – wondering who they were going to bring on. To his horror they included some boys from school who he hadn't particularly wanted to keep in touch with, and men from his Austin Reed window dresser days who he was happy to see. Many of his family were there and had managed to keep it a secret, and Barry Howard and Danny, of course.

Series 17 subjects