Barry Took

Barry Took
Born	(1928-06-19)19 June 1928 Wood Green,London,England
Died	31 March 2002(2002-03-31)(aged 73) Enfield,London, England
Resting place	New SouthgateCemetery and Crematorium, London, England
Period	1957–1999
Genre	Radio, television
Notable works	The Army Game(1957–1961) Bootsie and Snudge(1960–64, 1974) Round the Horne(1965–68) One-Upmanship(1976–78)

Barry Took(19 June 1928 – 31 March 2002) was an English writer, television presenter and comedian. His decade-and-a-half writing partnership withMarty Feldmanled to the television seriesBootsie and Snudge,the radio comedyRound the Horneand other projects.

He is also remembered in the UK for presentingPoints of View,aBBC Televisionprogramme featuring viewers' letters on theBBC's output,and theBBC Radio 4programmeThe News Quiz.

Took was known as the "Father of Monty Python", for bringing together the comedy performers who would establishMonty Python's Flying Circus.

Early life and education

The son of a manager at the Danish Bacon Company, Took was born in Victoria Road,Muswell Hill,north London,and lived in Winton Avenue,Bounds Green.WhenevacuatedtoWisbechin Cambridgeshire during the Second World War, he ran away from his assigned home there, cycling 20 miles toPeterboroughin order to get a train back to London.He attendedStationers Schoolbut left at the age of 15.His elder brother Philip would eventually work for the US Space Program before dying as a young man.

Career

With his limited education, Took found work as an office boy for a publisher and a cinema projectionist.During his period ofNational Servicein theRoyal Air Force,in which he played the trumpet,he began performing and later worked as a stand-up comedian, eventually becoming a West Endrevueperformer, working onFor Amusement OnlyandFor Adults Only.

Took's best comedy writing was done in collaboration withMarty Feldman,whom he first met in 1954.The two men wrote for several television shows in the 1950s and 1960s, includingThe Army Gameand its spin-offBootsie and Snudge.He co-wroteBeyond Our Kenfor two series (1958–59) withEric Merrimanfor BBC Radio before leaving after a disagreement with his fellow writer. WithMarty Feldmanhe wrote most episodes ofRound the Horne;the intermittent partnership between them continued until 1974.

In the late 1960s, Took became comedy advisor to the BBC, and was responsible for bringing together the performers who formedMonty Python's Flying Circusbefore he moved to the US to work briefly onRowan and Martin's Laugh In.He returned to the UK in early 1970 and was involved in setting up the BBC seriesThe Goodies,although he had returned to take up the position of Head of Light Entertainment atLondon Weekend Television.He resigned from this position whenStella Richman,his superior and the Director of Programming, was dismissed.On the Move(1975–76), a programme linked to a national campaign to promote adult literacy, was written by Took and featuredBob Hoskinsand Donald Gee. He was involved in two further television series in support of this initiative,Your MoveandWrite Away.

In 1977, Took hosted his own comedy sketch show,Took and Co.Also featuringRobin Bailey,Chris Emmett,Andrew SachsandGwen Taylor.The series ran for seven episodes late at night onITV.

In 1979, he became chairman ofThe News QuizonBBC Radio 4,a role he filled until 1981 and again from 1986 to 1995. In the same year he became a presenter ofPoints of View,staying with the programme for over seven years.

Took also hosted theBBC Radio 2comedy panel gameThe Impressionists,which includedPeter Goodwright,Roger Kitter,David Jasonand Dave Evans and, in 1998, the single-series revival ofTwenty QuestionstitledGuess What?.

He had seven books published, including his autobiography and several histories of comedy.He also wroteKenneth Williams's life story for theOxford Dictionary of National Biographyin 1996.

Personal life and final years

During his time with the Royal Air Force Took met his first wife, Dorothy "Dot" Bird, who was serving in theWomen's Royal Air Force.They married in 1950and had three children (Barry, Susan and David), but were later divorced. In 1964,he married Lynden "Lyn" Leonard, this second marriage resulting in a daughter named Elinor. The couple separated in 1999,and eventually divorced.He also spoke publicly about his experiences withdepressionand of undergoing extensivepsychotherapyfor several years.

After suffering frombladder cancerduring the 1970s,in 1999 he was diagnosed withcancer of the oesophagus,and suffered astrokefour weeks after undergoing major surgery.He died on Easter Sunday 2002, aged 73, in a nursing home inEnfield.

Autobiography

• A Point of View(1990)

External links

• Barry TookatIMDb
• Barry TookatBritish Comedy Guide
• Barry Took– Comedy Zone
• BBC News article reporting his death