This Is Your Life: Rod Hull

Rod HULL (1935-1999)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Rod Hull, comedian and entertainer, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the foyer of Thames Television's Euston Road Studios while filming a children's television programme about the Children's Royal Variety Performance, which he had established the previous year.

Rod, who was born on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, worked as an electrician while performing in amateur concert parties in his spare time. In 1956, he emigrated to Australia, where he found work as a lighting technician with a major TV station. He began writing and performing comedy sketches and invented Emu - a mute, highly aggressive arm-length puppet - which became popular on children's television.

Rod returned to the UK in 1971 and first appeared on British television with Emu on the ITV show Saturday Variety, followed by a spot on the 1972 Royal Variety Performance. More television work followed, including his widely publicised appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show and his own shows, Rod Hull and Emu, Emu's World and Emu's Broadcasting Company.

"What is it? You can't come in here either!"

programme details...

Edition No: 591
Subject No: 588
Broadcast date: Wed 3 Feb 1982
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 27 Jan 1982
Venue: Royalty Theatre
Series: 22
Edition: 18
Code name: Attack

on the guest list...

Sally James
Keith Chegwin
boys of the Wandsworth School Choir
girls of the Arts Educational School
Cher - wife
Debbie - daughter
Philip - son-in-law
Danielle - daughter
Catrina - stepdaughter
Len - father
Bill Jarvis
Cyril Cackett
Beattie Merrick
Bill Edwards
Reg Wormold
Bill Wallace
Mavis Wallace
Larry Grayson
Barbara New
Tom Chatto
Michael Barrington
Carl Wayne
Carol Lee Scott
Joan - sister
Toby - son
Amelia - daughter
Oliver - son
Warren Mitchell
Michael Parkinson
Billy Dainty

production team...

Researcher: Cathy Parnall
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Directors: Paul Stewart Laing, Terry Yarwood
Producer: Jack Crawshaw

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

That's Entertainment

there's no business like it

Eamonn's surprising disguises

TV Times feature on some bizarre outfits

Larry Grayson

Warren Mitchell

Screenshots of Rod Hull This Is Your Life

The Guardian 30 October 1999

A wing and a prayer

Rod and Emu went on to bite the Queen Mother's bouquet. And wrestle Michael Parkinson to the ground. They were a double act, in the old-fashioned sense. "Rod and Emu really belonged together," says Wallace. "It's like they were part of each other. I remember when they did This Is Your Life. At the start of the programme, Rod was doing a children's show in a theatre. Eamonn Andrews arrived, dressed like a bloody great chicken. He took off the head of his costume, and, bloody hell, it was This Is Your Life. Rod was absolutely shocked. He just stood there - a total bloody surprise. But if you look closely, Emu still had movement. Rod was in a state of shock, so Emu actually stepped in and took over."

Series 22 subjects