Ronnie Barker's remarkable versatility as a performer can be traced
back to his time in repertory theatre, where he was able to play a wide
range of roles and develop his talent for accents, voices and verbal
dexterity. It was during this time that he met
Glenn Melvyn, who taught him how to stammer
(something he would later use to great effect in the sitcom
Open All Hours (1976)). Melvyn
also gave Ronnie his break into television by offering him a role in
I'm Not Bothered (1956).
During the 1960s, Ronnie became well-established in radio, providing
multiple voices for "The Navy Lark" and working with comedy great
Jon Pertwee. He also became a regular face
on television, appearing in
The Frost Report (1966)
(perhaps most memorably in a sketch about Britain's class system, with
John Cleese and
Ronnie Corbett) and playing character
roles in Simon Templar (1962) and
Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone (1961).
In 1971, Ronnie teamed up with
Ronnie Corbett again, this time for a BBC
sketch series called
The Two Ronnies (1971). This
series proved enormously popular, continuing until the late 1980s. In
addition to "The Two Ronnies", Barker starred in the popular BBC
sitcoms Porridge (1974) (as a
cockney prisoner) and
Open All Hours (1976) (as a
stammering Northern shopkeeper). In fact, only
Leonard Rossiter could be said to have
rivaled him during this time for the crown of British television's most
popular comedy star. In 1982, he revived silent comedy in
By the Sea (1982). Despite his
extrovert performances on television, Barker remained a quiet, retiring
individual in his personal life, much preferring to spend time with his
family rather than mix with the celebrity crowd. This humility,
combined with memories of his extraordinary abilities, meant that he
continued to be greatly respected by his fellow professionals. In a
BAFTA special shown by the BBC in 2004, stars as diverse as
Gene Wilder,
Peter Kay and
Peter Hall paid tribute to his
contribution to comedy and British television in general. Barker
died on 3 October 2005 after suffering from heart problems.
