This Is Your Life: Ronald Shiner

Ronald SHINER (1903-1966)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Ronald Shiner, comedian and actor, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the audience at the BBC Television Theatre, having been led to believe the subject was to be his friend, the London Evening News theatre critic Bill Boorne.

Ronald, who was born in London, spent two years with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in his late teens before returning to the UK and enlisting with the Royal Corps of Signals, where he developed a taste for performing while taking part in army concerts. He made his stage debut in 1928, worked steadily in various West End theatre productions, and later appeared in several bit parts in numerous films.

He had considerable success in the West End plays Worm's Eye View in the late 1940s and Seagulls Over Sorrento in the early 1950s, while at the same time became a familiar face in post-war British films, playing cockney characters in such films as Reluctant Heroes, Aunt Clara and Innocents in Paris. In 1954 he became the landlord of a public house in Blackboys, Sussex.

programme details...

Edition No: 71
Subject No: 71
Broadcast live: Mon 3 Nov 1958
Broadcast time: 7.30-8.05pm
Venue: BBC Television Theatre
Series: 4
Edition: 6

on the guest list...

Arthur Ashby
Albert Polley
Maj Denis Grant
John Dean
Gladys - wife
Bryan - son
'Joney' Jones
Alick Hayes
R F Delderfield
Leslie Coles
Freddie Lewis
Wallace Douglas
Frederick Camm
Dora Bryan

production team...

Researchers: Ken Smith, Liam Nolan
Writers: Ken Smith, Liam Nolan
Director: Vere Lorrimer
Producer: T Leslie Jackson

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

It's a Funny Old Life

it's all about the comedy

The Big Red Book

the programme's icon

Dora Bryan

Ronald Shiner This Is Your Life Big Red Book

Photographs of Ronald Shiner This Is Your Life - and a photograph of Ronald Shiner's big red book

Bryan Shiner, son of Ronald Shiner, recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in this exclusive contribution to the BigRedBook website...

They called me when I was in Paris, working for a company that dubbed English and American films into French. I was flown back to the UK, especially for the programme.

I gave the researchers some stories about Ronnie, but I didn't have much involvement.

Ronnie's Mum, Katherine (Kitty), found it most difficult not to blurt out what was going on before the programme.

They used Bill Boorne to get Ronnie to the Shepherd's Bush Theatre. Ronnie had been told they were doing Bill's life. But when they seated him in the aisle seat, he knew that the show was going to be about him.

The guests included:

Wallis Douglas - produced Ronnie in Seagulls over Sorento. Ronnie and I worked for him in later years as a stage director.

Leslie Coles - a family friend who was instrumental in helping Ronnie get the Black Boys pub.

Frederick Camm - was Corporal of Ronnie's Mounted Police troupe.

Alick Hayes - worked with Ronnie on the radio in the '30s or '40s.

RF Delderfield - was in Worms Eye View.

Ronnie was very chuffed, very surprised. He was delighted with everyone there except a guest who owned another pub in the same village (I can't remember the name), but he wasn't happy about that.

The BBC then put them all up in a hotel.

Series 4 subjects