This Is Your Life: Richard Goolden

Richard GOOLDEN (1895-1981)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Richard Goolden, actor was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at Thames Television's Euston Road Studios.

Richard, who was born in London and studied at Charterhouse, volunteered with the Royal Army Medical Corps during the First World War. After studying at Oxford University, where he was a prominent member of the Dramatic Society, he made his professional debut at the Oxford Playhouse before joining the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford.

He became popular on the radio as the comic character Mr Penny, made several film appearances, and first played the role that became synonymous with his name in 1930, that of Mole in Toad of Toad Hall, the stage adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s children's book The Wind in the Willows, a role he was still playing as he celebrated his 83rd birthday.

"Oh! How lovely!"

programme details...

Edition No: 483
Subject No: 481
Broadcast date: Wed 8 Mar 1978
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 1 Mar 1978
Venue: Euston Road Studios
Series: 18
Edition: 16
Code name: Willow

on the guest list...

Tom Stoppard
Stephen Moore
Edward de Souza
Liz Brook
Frankie Howerd
Sybil Clay - cousin
Luan Peters
Flora Robson
Alison Leggatt
Judith Elder
Melvyn Hayes
Ian Talbot
David Conville
Phyllis Calvert
three residents of Labroye, Picardy, France
residents of Labroye, Picardy, France

production team...

Researchers: Tony Lee, Lavinia Warner
Writer: John Sandilands
Directors: Royston Mayoh, Terry Yarwood
Producer: Jack Crawshaw

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

An Actor's Life For Me

spotlight on the stars

Phyllis Calvert

Frankie Howerd

Flora Robson

Screenshots of Richard Goolden This Is Your Life

Charles Collingwood recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his autobiography, Brian and Me...

Ten years later, when I joined Dirty Linen in the West End, Richard was playing one of the major roles and was still a great character. Before one performance, I arrived early and he was on his own in the green room so we had an hour to kill. I shall never forget this time with Dicky Goolden, because it was one of the most marvellous hours I've ever spent with an actor. First I asked him if he'd ever been on Desert Island Discs? He said 'Yes, twice.' And I thought, 'Wow, that's something isn't it? He's had sixteen gramophone records and two luxuries!'

'What about This Is Your Life?' I asked.

'Yes,' he replied. 'I did This Is Your Life, but the trouble is I don't have a television and I didn't know who Eamonn Andrews was. So when this man, this stranger, came up to me and said, "Richard Goolden, this is your life." I said, "Who are you? What do you mean, this is your life?" Eamonn said, "We want to take you away and tell people on television all about your life" and I asked, "How long is this programme?" When he said half an hour, I said, "You can't possibly do my life in half an hour"!'

Series 18 subjects