Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Frank THORNTON (1921-2013)
THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Frank Thornton, actor, was surprised by Michael Aspel during a British Comedy Society dinner at Pinewood Studios. The dinner included a celebration of the long-running BBC television sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, presented by novelist Jeffery Archer.
Frank, who was born in London and studied at the London School of Dramatic Art, worked in the West End with Donald Wolfit and John Gielgud in the early 1940s. After serving in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, he became a familiar face on British television during the 1950s, as a regular on Michael Bentine's BBC series It's a Square World and appearing in several other comedy series, including Hancock, Sykes and The Goodies.
Frank is best known for playing the role of Captain Peacock in the long-running BBC sitcom Are You Being Served?, which ran from 1972 to 1985. In 1984, he starred as Sir John Treymane in the hit London stage musical Me and My Girl, earning rave reviews and an Olivier Award nomination. And in 1998, he joined the regular cast of another long-running BBC sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine.
"Somebody's betrayed me!"
programme details...
- Edition No: 1006
- Subject No: 981
- Broadcast date: Mon 19 Oct 1998
- Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
- Recorded: Sun 11 Oct 1998
- Venue: Teddington Studios
- Series: 39
- Edition: 7
- Code name: Bird
on the guest list...
- Beryl - wife
- Jane - daughter
- Jonathan - grandson
- Andrew - grandson
- David - grandson
- Bill Owen
- Peter Sallis
- Kathy Staff
- Jane Freeman
- Jean Ferguson
- Alan Bell
- Roy Clarke
- John Ball - brother
- Joan Ball - sister-in-law
- Peter Hull
- Peter Jones
- Margaret Wolfit
- Richard Lyndhurst
- Esther Rogers
- Iris Russell
- Johnny Ladd
- Jean Barber
- Hugh Lloyd
- Derek Nimmo
- Clementina Bentine
- Richard Bentine
- Mollie Sugden
- Wendy Richard
- John Inman
- Madeline Smith
- Ursula Smith
- Dulcie Gray
- David Shepherd
- Donald Sinden Filmed tributes:
- Julian Clary
- June Whitfield
- Danny La Rue
- Trevor Bannister
related appearances...
- Michael Bentine - Apr 1963
- Arthur English - Jan 1978
- Sheila Mercier - Nov 1985
- Joyce Carey - Dec 1985
- Denis Quilley - Apr 1986
- Gretchen Franklin - Jan 1995
- June Whitfield - Mar 1995
- Trevor Bannister - Dec 1997
- Charles Stewart - Sep 1998
- Julian Clary - Dec 2001
- Bill Oddie - Jan 2002
production team...
- Researcher: Emma Dooley
- Writer: Ian Brown
- Directors: John Gorman, Steve Docherty
- Associate Producer: Helen Gordon-Smith
- Executive Producer: John Longley
- Series Producer: Jack Crawshaw
- Producer: Sue Green
- names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
Frank Thornton recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in October 2009
Screenshots of Frank Thornton This Is Your Life - and Frank Thornton photographed at his home with his big red book in October 2009
Series 39 subjects
Charles Stewart | Carol Smillie | Roy Walker | Sharron Davies | Christopher Chittell | Barbara Dickson | Frank ThorntonPhillip Schofield | Alastair Stewart | Bob Wilson | Frankie Dettori | Elizabeth Spriggs | Rick Wakeman | Sue Johnston
Lord Deedes | Sylvia Young | Anne Kirkbride | Christopher Biggins | Damon Hill | George Layton | Floella Benjamin
Bill Pertwee | Mark Cook | Gary Mabbutt | Suzi Quatro | Ian Bannen