|  | BIOGRAPHY: Willie Rushton |  | |
The Others:
Humphrey Lyttelton
Graeme Garden
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Barry Cryer
Clued-up panellist
Comedian and satirist Willie Rushton joined the ISIHAC panel in 1974. He became an entrenched regular and much-loved Clue panellist until his untimely death in December 1996, just two days after recording his final show.
Big on the Beeb
His career at the BBC as an actor, writer, lyricist and satirist spanned more than 30 years. It started when Ned Sherrin discovered him doing an impression of Prime Minister Macmillan in a fringe review show, and made him a regular on the cutting-edge television satire That Was The Week That Was.
A firm favourite
Over the ensuing decades, Willie became a favourite on panel games, in satire shows and as Jackanory's voice for the tales of Winnie The Pooh. In later years, he is best remembered by radio fans as a cricket lover on Trivia Test Match and for his razor-sharp puns in I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue. Barry Cryer's fondest memories of the past three decades all involve Willie, whose "off the wall" sense of humour was an essential element in the success of the long-running panel game.
Irreplacable
To this day, nobody has been brought in to replace Willie. Over the past few years, Tim Brooke-Taylor has been partnered by a host of talented comedians, including Stephen Fry, Paul Merton, Tony Hawks, Andy Hamilton, Linda Smith, Phill Jupitus, Sandi Toksvig and Jeremy Hardy.
He is greatly missed.
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