Editing Ian Carmichael (section)

==Biography==
===Early life===
[[File:Bromsgrove School.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Large red-brick Georgian building|[[Bromsgrove School]]]]
Ian Gillett Carmichael was born on 18 June 1920 in [[Kingston upon Hull]], in the [[East Riding of Yorkshire]]. He was the eldest child of Kate ({{nee}} Gillett) and her husband Arthur Denholm Carmichael, an optician on the premises of his family's firm of jewellers.{{sfn|Hubbard|O'Donnell|Steen|1989|p=63}}{{sfn|Jennings|2014}} Carmichael had two younger sisters, the twins Mary and Margaret, who were born in December 1923.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=11}} Robert Fairclough, his biographer, describes Carmichael's upbringing as a "privileged, pampered existence"; his parents employed maids and a cook.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=5, 11}} His infant education included one term at the local Froebel House School when he was four, but this was curtailed after his parents were shocked at the "alarmingly foul language he began bringing home", according to Alex Jennings, Carmichael's biographer in the ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]''.{{sfn|Jennings|2014}}{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|p=29}}

In 1928 Carmichael was sent to [[Scarborough College]], a [[Preparatory school (United Kingdom)|prep school]] in [[North Yorkshire]], which he attended between the ages of seven and thirteen.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=13–15}} He did not like the [[wikt:spartan#Adjective|spartan]] and authoritarian regime at the school. He described the discipline as "[[wikt:Dickensian#Adjective|Dickensian]]", with [[corporal punishment]] used for even minor infringements of the rules; ablutions in the morning and evening were conducted with cold water—which often had a film of ice on the top during winter.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=32–33}}

In 1933 Carmichael left [[Scarborough College]] and entered [[Bromsgrove School]], a [[Public school (United Kingdom)|public school]] in [[Worcestershire]].{{sfn|Jennings|2014}}{{efn|A [[Public school (United Kingdom)|public school]] in the UK is a fee-paying institution, associated with the [[ruling class]] and upper echelons of banking, business and industry.{{sfn|Sampson|1982|p=124}}}} He soon concluded that "the new curriculum was not arduous",{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|p=48}} which gave him the opportunity for focus on matters that were of more interest for him: acting, popular music and cricket.{{sfn|Jennings|2014}}{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=48, 55–59}} In the late 1930s Carmichael decided to go to the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] (RADA) in London. His parents would have preferred he went into the family jewellery business, but accepted their son's decision and supported him financially when he left Yorkshire for London in January 1939.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=22–23}}{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|p=69}}

===Early career and war service, 1939–1946===
{{main|Ian Carmichael on stage, screen and radio}}
Carmichael enjoyed his time at RADA, including the fact that women outnumbered men on his course, which he described as "heady stuff" after his boys-only boarding school.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=74–75}} He remembered the time at RADA in the late 1930s fondly in his autobiography, describing it as:

<blockquote>A period of unconfined joy, occasioned by my finally shaking off the shackles of school discipline and being able to mix daily with young men and young women who shared my interests and enthusiasms. This joy was, nevertheless, being tempered by the worsening European situation. The fear that now, just as I was standing on the threshold of a future that I had dreamed about for years, the whole thing might be snuffed out like a candle was too unbearable to contemplate.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|p=72}}</blockquote>

During his second term Carmichael had his first professional acting role: as a robot in [[Karel Čapek]]'s ''[[R.U.R.]]'' at the People's Palace theatre, in [[Mile End]], East London.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=27}} He recalled the experience as "a dull play performed in a cold and uninspiring theatre and my particular contribution required absolutely no acting talent whatsoever".{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=77–78}} He then appeared as [[Francis Flute|Flute]] in ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' at RADA's [[Vanbrugh Theatre]]. The opening night was 1 September 1939, the day [[Invasion of Poland|Hitler invaded Poland]]. After the play's second performance its run was ended, as RADA shut down in anticipation that war was about to be declared; the following day the UK joined the war. Carmichael returned to his familial home and completed the forms to join the Officer Cadet Reserve, hoping to be commissioned as an officer. He helped gather the harvest in a nearby farm until 2 October, when he was [[Oath of Allegiance (United_Kingdom)#Armed_forces|attested]] into the army; he was told he would have to wait until he was twenty—on 18 June 1940—before he started training.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=27–28}}

As the early months of the war were marked by [[Phoney War|limited military action]], RADA reassessed its closure, and decided to reopen. Carmichael returned to London and shared lodgings with two fellow RADA students, [[Geoffrey Hibbert]] and [[Patrick Macnee]]; Carmichael and Macnee became lifelong friends. Between June and August 1940 Carmichael was on a ten-week tour of ''Nine Sharp'', a [[revue]] developed by [[Herbert Farjeon]]. After the tour Carmichael reported for training on 12 September at [[Catterick Garrison]].{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=29–31}} After ten weeks' basic training, he was posted to the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]] to become an officer cadet.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|p=108}} He completed his training and [[Passing out (military)|passed out]] in March 1941 as a [[second lieutenant]] in the [[22nd Dragoons]], part of the [[Royal Armoured Corps]].{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=33}}{{sfn|''The London Gazette''. 28 March 1941}}

At the end of training manoeuvres in November 1941, near [[Whitby]], North Yorkshire, Carmichael was struggling to close the hatch of his [[Valentine tank]] when it slammed down, cutting off the top of a finger on his left hand. The surgery was botched and caused him pain for several months; he had a second operation several months later.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=127–129}} He described it as "dashed unfortunate"{{sfn|"Ian Carmichael: Actor". ''The Times''. 8 February 2010}} and "my one and only war-wound, albeit a self-inflicted one".{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=127–129}}

In between training for the [[liberation of France]] Carmichael began producing revues and productions as part of his brigade's entertainment. On 16 June 1944, ten days after [[D-Day]], Carmichael and his armoured reconnaissance troop landed in France. He fought through to Germany with the regiment and by the time of [[Victory in Europe Day]] in May 1945, he had been promoted to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] and [[mentioned in despatches]].{{sfnm|1a1=Carmichael|1y=1979|1pp=145–146, 160–179|2a1=Fairclough|2y=2011|2pp=36–40|3a1=Barker|3y=2010|3p=35}}{{sfn|''The London Gazette''. 7 August 1945}}

[[File:Frankie Howard Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Howerd looking directly at the camera|[[Frankie Howerd]], whom Carmichael auditioned and thought "very gauche&nbsp;... too undisciplined and not very funny either".{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=41}}]]
Carmichael's regiment was part of [[XXX Corps (United Kingdom)|30 Corps]] and an initial post-war challenge in Germany was the welfare of the occupying forces. The corps' commanding officer was Lieutenant-General [[Brian Horrocks]], who ordered a [[repertory company]] to be formed for entertainment. When Carmichael auditioned he recognised the [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] in charge of the unit as Richard Stone, an actor who had been a contemporary at RADA; Carmichael was taken into the company and assisted Stone with auditioning other members.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=182–184}}{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=41}} One of the comedians who auditioned was [[Frankie Howerd]], whom Carmichael thought "very gauche&nbsp;... too undisciplined and not very funny either. Very much the amateur".{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|p=184}} Stone disagreed and signed the comic up to perform in a [[Royal Army Service Corps]] concert party.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=42}} The corps' company was also joined by actors from [[Entertainments National Service Association]] (ENSA); Carmichael did not often appear on stage with them, but worked as the producer of twenty shows. In April 1946 Stone was promoted and was transferred to the UK; Carmichael was promoted to major and took control of the theatrical company. His leadership of the company was short-lived, as he was [[Demobilisation of the British Armed Forces after the Second World War|demobilised]] that July.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=190–191}}{{sfn|"Ian Carmichael: Actor". ''The Times''. 8 February 2010}}

===Early post-war career, 1946–1955===
In July 1946 Carmichael signed with Stone, who had also been demobilised and had set up as a [[theatrical agent]]. Carmichael obtained his first post-war role in the revue ''Between Ourselves'' in mid-1946 before he appeared in two small roles in the comedy ''[[She Wanted a Cream Front Door]]''— a hotel receptionist and a BBC reporter. The production went on a twelve-week tour round Britain from October 1946, and then ran at the [[Apollo Theatre]] in [[Shaftesbury Avenue]], London, for four months.{{sfnm|1a1=Carmichael|1y=1979|1pp=197–199|2a1=Fairclough|2y=2011|2pp=44–45|3a1=Herbert|3y=1972|3p=609}}

Between 1947 and 1951 Carmichael appeared on stage in both plays and revues —the latter often at the [[Players' Theatre]] in [[Villiers Street]], Charing Cross. He made his debut appearance on [[BBC television]] in 1947 in ''New Faces'', a revue that also included [[Zoe Gail]], [[Bill Fraser]] and [[Charles Hawtrey (actor, born 1914)|Charles Hawtrey]].{{sfn|"New Faces". ''Radio Times''}} From 1948 he also began appearing in films, including ''[[Bond Street (film)|Bond Street]]'' (1948), ''[[Trottie True]]'' and ''[[Dear Mr. Prohack]]'' (both 1949); these early roles were minor parts and he was [[Motion picture credits|uncredited]].{{sfn|Pettigrew|1982|p=30}} He spent much of 1949 in a thirty-week tour of Britain with the operetta ''[[The Lilac Domino]]''.{{sfn|Quinlan|1992|p=52}} According to Jennings, Carmichael's "first conspicuous success" was ''The Lyric Revue'' in 1951; the production transferred to The Globe (now the [[Gielgud Theatre]]) as ''The Globe Revue'' in 1952.{{sfn|Jennings|2014}} He received a positive review in the industry publication ''[[The Stage]]'', which reported that he "[[wikt:bullseye#Interjection|hits the bull's-eye]]" for his comic performance in one [[Sketch comedy|sketch]], "Bank Holiday", which involved him undressing on the beach under a [[mackintosh]].{{sfn|"The Globe". ''The Stage''}}

Carmichael spent the next three years appearing in stage revues and small roles in films.{{sfn|Jennings|2014}} Although he enjoyed working in revues, he was concerned about being stuck in a career rut. In a 1954 interview in ''The Stage'', he said "I'm afraid that managers and directors may think of me only as a revue artist, and much as I enjoy acting in sketches I feel there must be a limit to the number of characters one is able to create. What I would like now is to be offered a part in light comedy or a farce".{{sfn|Bullock|1954|p=10}} Between November 1954 and May 1955 he appeared as David Prentice in the stage production of ''Simon and Laura'' alongside [[Roland Culver]] and [[Coral Browne]] at the [[Novello Theatre|Strand Theatre]], London. The following year [[Simon and Laura|a film version]] was directed by [[Muriel Box]]; she asked Carmichael to repeat his role, while Browne and Culver's roles were taken by [[Kay Kendall]] and [[Peter Finch]].{{sfn|Jennings|2014}} The reviewer for ''[[The Times]]'' thought Carmichael "comes near to stealing the film from both of them".{{sfn|"Television's Ideal Married Couple Date". ''The Times''}} In 1955 Carmichael also appeared in ''[[The Colditz Story]]''. He played Robin Cartwright, an officer in [[Foot guards#United Kingdom|the Guards]], and spent much of his screen time appearing with [[Richard Wattis]]; the two men provided an element of [[comic relief]] in the film, with what Fairclough describes as a "[[Flanagan and Allen]] tribute act".{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=70–71}} ''The Colditz Story'' was Carmichael's ninth film role and he had, Fairclough notes, risen to sixth in the credits behind [[John Mills]] and [[Eric Portman]].{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=71}}

===Screen success, 1955–1962===
[[File:Ian Carmichael and Jill Adams in Private's Progress.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|alt=Carmichael and Adams dressed in army uniforms on the set of an office|Carmichael and [[Jill Adams]] in ''[[Private's Progress]]'' (1956)]]
In 1955 Carmichael was contacted by the filmmaker twins the [[Boulting brothers]]. They wanted him to appear in two film versions of novels—''Private's Progress'' by [[Alan Hackney]] and ''[[Brothers in Law (novel)|Brothers in Law]]'' by [[Henry Cecil Leon|Henry Cecil]]—with an [[Option (filmmaking)|option]] for five films in all;{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=77}}{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=279–280}} the final contract was for a total of six films.{{sfn|Burton|2012|p=81}} The Boultings' first work with Carmichael was the 1956 film ''[[Private's Progress]]'', a satire on the [[British Army]].{{sfn|McFarlane|2014}}{{efn|Over the course of the late 1950s and early 1960s the Boultings made films that took "sharp, but generally good-tempered swipes at such social bastions" in Britain. These included ''Private's Progress'' (1956; the army), ''[[Brothers in Law (film)|Brothers in Law]]'' (1957; the legal profession), ''[[Lucky Jim (1957 film)|Lucky Jim]]'' (1957; academia), ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'' (1959; trade unions and management), ''[[Carlton-Browne of the F.O.]]'' (1959; the [[Foreign Office]]) and ''[[Heavens Above!]]'' (1963; the [[Church of England]]).{{sfn|McFarlane|2014}}{{sfn|Harper|Porter|2003|p=108}} Carmichael appeared in all but ''Carlton Browne''.{{sfn|"Filmography: Carmichael, Ian". British Film Institute}}}} The film opened in February 1956 and starred Carmichael, [[Richard Attenborough]], [[Dennis Price]] and [[Terry-Thomas]].{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=79}} The film historian Alan Boulton observed "Reviews were decidedly mixed and the critical response did not match the popular enthusiasm for the film";{{sfn|Burton|2012|p=81}} it was either the second or third most popular film at the British box office that year.{{sfn|British Films Made Most Money: Box-Office Survey. ''The Manchester Guardian''}}{{sfn|Harper|Porter|2003|p=249}} Carmichael received praise for his role, however, including from ''[[The Manchester Guardian]]'', which thought he "fulfils his promise as a comedian";{{sfn|"New Films in London". ''The Manchester Guardian''}} the reviewer for ''The Times'' thought Carmichael acted "with an unfailing tact and sympathy—he even manages to make a drunken scene seem rich in comedy".{{sfn|"The Army as a Film Joke". ''The Times''}} The film introduced American audiences to Carmichael, and his screen presence in the US was warmly received by reviewers. The reviewer Margaret Hinxman, writing in ''[[Picturegoer]]'', considered that after ''Private's Progress'' Carmichael had become "one of Britain's choicest screen exports".{{sfn|Hinxman|1957|p=12}}

From June to September 1956 Carmichael was involved in the filming of ''[[Brothers in Law (film)|Brothers in Law]]'', which was directed by [[Roy Boulting]]; others in the cast included Attenborough and Terry-Thomas.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=285–286}} When the film was released in March 1957 Carmichael received positive reviews,{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=91}} including from [[Philip Oakes]], the reviewer from ''The Evening Standard'', who concluded that Carmichael "confirms his placing in my form book as our best light comedian".{{sfn|Oakes|1957|p=8}} The reviewer for ''The Manchester Guardian'' thought Carmichael was "irrepressibly funny in his well-bred, well-intentioned, bewildered ineptitude".{{sfn|"An Outstanding British Comedy". ''The Manchester Guardian''}}

[[File:Terry-Thomas, 1961.jpg|thumb|upright=1|alt=Terry-Thomas, resplendent in suit and tie, grins at the camera|[[Terry-Thomas]] (shown in 1961); he and Carmichael appeared together in six films, including ''[[Private's Progress]]'' (1956), ''[[Lucky Jim (1957 film)|Lucky Jim]]'' (1957), ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'' (1959) and ''[[School for Scoundrels (1960 film)|School for Scoundrels]]'' (1960).]]
In September 1957 Carmichael appeared in a third Boulting brothers film, ''[[Lucky Jim (1957 film)|Lucky Jim]]'' in which he appeared alongside Terry-Thomas and [[Hugh Griffith]] in an adaptation of [[Lucky Jim|a 1954 novel]] by [[Kingsley Amis]].{{sfn|Whitehead|2014b}} Fairclough notes that while the film was not well received by the critics, Carmichael's performance received great praise.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=96}} ''The Manchester Guardian'' considered that Carmichael, "although in many ways excellent, has fewer chances than in ''Brothers-in-Law'' to delight us with those studies in agonised embarrassment in which he excels",{{sfn|"'Lucky Jim' as a British Comedy". ''The Manchester Guardian''}} while ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' reviewer considered "[Carmichael's] Jim, complete with North-Country accent and the ability to pull comic faces, might so easily have been the author's creation brought to life off the page."{{sfn|"Satire Gone in 'Lucky Jim'". ''The Daily Telegraph''}}

Carmichael then appeared in a fourth film with the Boultings, ''[[Happy Is the Bride]]'', a lightweight [[comedy of manners]] released in March 1958 which also included [[Janette Scott]], [[Cecil Parker]], Terry-Thomas and [[Joyce Grenfell]].{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=98}} Carmichael spent much of the end of 1957 and most of 1958 on stage with ''[[The Tunnel of Love (play)|The Tunnel of Love]]''. The journalist R. B. Marriott described it as a "slightly crazy, wonderfully ridiculous comedy",{{sfn|Marriott|1957|p=8}} and it had a five-week tour around the UK which preceded a run at [[Her Majesty's Theatre]], London, between December 1957 and August 1958.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=107–108, 114}} During the run, in April 1958, Carmichael was interviewed for ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'' by [[Roy Plomley]] on the [[BBC Home Service]].{{sfn|"Desert Island Discs: Ian Carmichael (1958)". ''BBC Genome Project''}}{{efn|His selection was [[Gene Kelly]], "Les Girls"; [[Bing Crosby]], "[[Prisoner of Love (Russ Columbo song)|Prisoner of Love]]"; [[Fred Astaire]], "[[Funny Face (musical)|Let's Kiss and Make Up]]"; The London Palladium Orchestra, playing a selection from ''[[Lilac Domino]]''; [[Glenn Miller Orchestra]], "[[Moonlight Serenade]]"; [[Kay Thompson]], "[[How Deep Is the Ocean?]]"; Waltz from Act one of [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]'s ''[[Swan Lake]]''; [[Philharmonia Orchestra]], with [[Herbert von Karajan]] conducting; [[Frank Sinatra]], "[[I've Got the World on a String]]". His luxury items were writing materials and beer.{{sfn|"BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs: Ian Carmichael (1958)". BBC}}}}

Carmichael once again appeared as Stanley Windrush, the character he portrayed in ''Private's Progress'', in his fifth film with the Boultings, ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'', which was released in August 1959. Several other actors from ''Private's Progress'' also reprised their roles: Price (as Bertram Tracepurcel); Attenborough (as Sidney De Vere Cox) and Terry-Thomas (as Major Hitchcock). A new character was introduced in the film, [[Peter Sellers]] as the [[trade union]] [[shop steward]] Fred Kite.{{sfn|Whitehead|2014a}}{{sfn|Wells|2000|p=61}} The film was the highest-grossing at the British box office in 1960 and earned Sellers [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|the award for Best British Actor]] at the [[13th British Academy Film Awards]].{{sfn|Sikov|2002|p=130}}{{sfn|"Boultings on top form: Satirical 'I'm All Right, Jack!'". ''The Manchester Guardian''}} Although Sellers received most of the plaudits for the film, Carmichael was given good reviews for his role, with ''[[The Illustrated London News]]'' saying he was "in excellent fooling" and "delicious both at work and at play".{{sfn|Dent|1959|p=50}}{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=129–130}} In 1960 Carmichael appeared in ''[[School for Scoundrels (1960 film)|School for Scoundrels]]'', based on [[Stephen Potter]]'s "[[gamesmanship]]" series of books.{{sfn|Brooke|2014a}}{{efn|The books are ''Gamesmanship'' (1947), ''Lifemanship'' (1950), ''Oneupmanship'' (1952) and ''Supermanship'' (1958).{{sfn|Brooke|2014a}}}}  Appearing alongside him were Terry-Thomas, [[Alastair Sim]] and [[Janette Scott]]. The reviews for the film were not positive, but the actors were praised for their work in it.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=142}}

The release of ''School for Scoundrels'' was Carmichael's tenth film in five years. Fairclough observes that during the late 1950s and early 1960s, Carmichael began to get a reputation among his colleagues as being difficult to work with. [[Eric Maschwitz]], the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment for Television, recorded in an internal memo that Carmichael had given "great difficulty" during negotiations, and concluded that "his head seems to have been a little turned by his success".{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=102, 142}} Some actors had to point out to him that he was "doing a Carmichael" whenever he tried to improve his billing, or upstage his fellow actors, including [[Derek Nimmo]] in 1962, during the filming of ''[[The Amorous Prawn]]''.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=103}} Despite the criticism, Carmichael described the period as "I think the happiest five or six years of my whole career".{{sfn|McFarlane|1997|p=115}}

In December 1961 Carmichael was appearing in the comedy mystery play ''[[The Gazebo (play)|The Gazebo]]'' every evening and filming ''[[Double Bunk]]'' during the day. The mental and physical toll on him was too much, and he collapsed in the middle of a performance. The show's producer, [[Harold Fielding]], instructed Carmichael to take at least two week's holiday to rest, and he paid for Carmichael and his wife to have a holiday in Switzerland. He returned to the show on 23 December, but he lost his voice during the Boxing Day show and could only complete Act 1. He returned to the show after a few days, but left permanently on 28 January 1962 on his doctor's orders.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=279–280}}{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=313–316}}

===Wooster and Wimsey, 1962–1979===
[[File:Jeeves in the Springtime 01.jpg|thumb|upright=1|alt=Bertie sits smoking a cigarette; Jeeves stands looking on|Carmichael played [[Bertie Wooster]] in ''[[The World of Wooster]]'' between 1965 and 1967]]
Tastes in film changed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, with the [[British New Wave|new wave of British films]] moving away from plots centred on the [[upper class]]es and [[The_Establishment#United_Kingdom|the establishment]], to works such as ''[[Look Back in Anger (1959 film)|Look Back in Anger]]'', ''[[Room at the Top (1959 film)|Room at the Top]]'' (both 1959), ''[[Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (film)|Saturday Night and Sunday Morning]]'' (1960) and ''[[The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]'' (1962), where [[working class]] drama came to the fore.{{sfn|Wickham|2014}}{{sfn|Harper|Porter|2003|p=267}} One of the effects of the new movement was a downturn in the number of films that wanted a character like those normally played by Carmichael.{{sfn|Jennings|2014}}{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=170–172}} He was still being offered some film roles, but all, he said, "were variations on the same old bumbling, accident-prone clot" with which he was becoming increasingly bored.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|p=323}}

In August 1964 the BBC approached Carmichael to discuss the possibility of his taking the role of [[Bertie Wooster]]—described by Fairclough as "the misadventuring, 1920s upper-class loafer"—for adaptations of the works of [[P. G. Wodehouse]]. He turned it down, as he had agreed to appear on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], taking the lead in a production of the [[farce]] ''[[Boeing-Boeing (play)|Boeing-Boeing]]''.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=180, 189, 196}} He appeared at the [[James Earl Jones Theatre|Cort Theatre]] in February 1965, but the run ended after 23 performances, as the farce was not to the taste of New York audiences. Carmichael was delighted by the early close, as he hated his time in the US and said "I found New York a disturbing, violent city and I disliked it instantly". As soon as he heard the production was to close, he sent a telegram to the BBC to note his availability to play Wooster.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=335–337}}{{sfn|Weber|2010|p=B17}} Carmichael negotiated a fee of 500 [[Guinea (coin)|guineas]] (£525) per half-hour episode, and assisted in finding the right person for [[Jeeves]], eventually selecting [[Dennis Price]].{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=199–200}}{{efn|According to calculations based on the [[Consumer Price Index (United Kingdom)|Consumer Price Index]] measure of inflation, 500 guineas in 1965 is approximately £{{Inflation|UK|525|1965|cursign=£|fmt=c|r=-1}} in {{Inflation/year|UK}}, according to calculations based on [[Consumer Price Index (United Kingdom)|Consumer Price Index]] measure of inflation.{{sfn|Clark|2023}}}}

The first series of ''[[The World of Wooster]]'' received the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|Guild of Television Producers and Directors]] award for [[British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy (Programme or Series)|best comedy series production of 1965]],{{sfn|"Best Comedy Series in 1965". ''BAFTA Awards''}} and the programme ran for three series, broadcast between May 1965 and November 1967, comprising twenty episodes in total.{{sfn|Brooke|2014b}} Reviews for Carmichael were positive,{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=204}} with a reviewer in ''The Times'' declaring "''The World of Wooster'' is also a triumph of casting, for Ian Carmichael and Dennis Price are perfect impersonators of two characters who are by no means lay-figures&nbsp;... They are a priceless pair."{{sfn|"New Lease of Life for the Short Story". ''The Times''}} A different reviewer pointed out one drawback of the 44-year-old Carmichael's performance: "If we have thought of Bertie Wooster as eternally 22, not far in time from enjoyably wasted university days, Mr. Ian Carmichael opposes our view with a Bertie who is older but hopefully fixed in an inescapable mental youth."{{sfn|"A Jeeves to Fit the Picture". ''The Times''}} The best review, as far as Carmichael and the producer [[Michael Mills (British producer)|Michael Mills]] were concerned, was from Wodehouse, who sent a telegram to the BBC:

<blockquote>To the producer and cast of the Jeeves sketches.<br>
Thank you all for the perfectly wonderful performances. I am simply delighted with it. Bertie and Jeeves are just as I have always imagined them, and every part is played just right.<br>
Bless you!<br>
P. G. Wodehouse{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=204}}</blockquote>

Wodehouse later reconsidered his opinion and thought Carmichael overacted in the role.{{sfn|Taves|2006|p=114}} Only one of the episodes remains: the others were wiped to reuse the expensive videotape.{{sfn|Taves|2006|p=117}}

In September 1970 Carmichael was the lead role in ''[[Bachelor Father (British TV series)|Bachelor Father]]'', a sitcom loosely based on the true story of a single man who fostered twelve children. There were two series—one in 1970, one the following year—and a total of 22 episodes; he negotiated a salary of £1,500 per episode, making him the best-paid actor at the BBC.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=214, 220–223}}{{efn|According to calculations based on the [[Consumer Price Index (United Kingdom)|Consumer Price Index]] measure of inflation, £1,500 in 1970 is approximately £{{Inflation|UK|1500|1970|cursign=£|fmt=c|r=-1}} in {{Inflation/year|UK}}.{{sfn|Clark|2023}}}} The media historian [[Mark Lewisohn]] thought that the programme, "although ostensibly a middle-of-the-road family sitcom of no great ambition, came over as a polished and professional piece of work that pleased audiences over two extended series".{{sfn|Lewisohn|1998|p=53}}

Carmichael was one of the driving forces behind the BBC's decision to adapt [[Dorothy L. Sayers]]'s [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] stories for television. He first had the idea of appearing as Wimsey in 1966, but various factors—including financing, Carmichael's association with Bertie Wooster in the public's eye and difficulty obtaining the rights—delayed the project. By January 1971, however, they were able to start filming the first programme, ''[[Clouds of Witness]]'', which was broadcast in 1972 in five parts. This was followed by ''[[The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club]]'', ''[[Murder Must Advertise]]'', ''[[The Nine Tailors]]'' and  ''[[The Five Red Herrings]]'' between February 1973 and August 1975.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=236, 238–256}}{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=379–382}} Richard Last, writing in ''The Daily Telegraph'' thought Carmichael was "an inspired piece of casting.&nbsp;... he has exactly the right outward touch of aristocratic frivolity but more than the ability to suggest the steel underneath".{{sfn|Last|1972|p=12}} [[Clive James]], reviewing for ''[[The Observer]]'', described Carmichael as "an extremely clever actor", and thought he was "turning in one of those thespian efforts which seem easy at the time but which in retrospect are found to have been the ideal embodiment of the written character".{{sfn|James|1973|p=34}} Carmichael went on to play Wimsey on [[BBC Radio 4]], recording nine adaptations with [[Peter Jones (actor)|Peter Jones]] as [[Mervyn Bunter]], Wimsey's [[valet]].{{sfn|"Search: Wimsey". ''BBC Genome''}}

In 1979 Carmichael appeared in ''[[The Lady Vanishes (1979 film)|The Lady Vanishes]]'', which starred [[Elliott Gould]] and [[Cybill Shepherd]]; the film was a remake of [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s [[The Lady Vanishes|1938 film of the same name]]. Carmichael appeared as [[Charters and Caldicott|Caldicott]] alongside [[Arthur Lowe]]'s character [[Charters and Caldicott|Charters]], two cricket-obsessed English gentlemen; the roles were played in the original by [[Naunton Wayne]] and [[Basil Radford]]. The journalist Patrick Humphries, while describing the film as "lamentable", thought that only Carmichael and Lowe "emerge with any credibility".{{sfn|Humphries|1986|p=52}}{{sfn|Maxford|2002|p=59}} Carmichael was interviewed on ''Desert Island Discs'' for a second time in June 1979.{{sfn|"BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs: Ian Carmichael (1979)". BBC}}{{efn|His selection was [[Gustav Holst]], ''[[The Planets]]''; Orchestra of the [[Royal Opera House]], the theme from ''[[Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film)|Murder on the Orient Express]]''; [[Aram Khachaturian]], Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from ''[[Spartacus (ballet)|Spartacus]]''; [[Jimmy Dorsey]] and his orchestra, "[[On the Alamo]]"; [[Neal Hefti]], the theme from the film ''[[Boeing Boeing (1965 film)|Boeing, Boeing]]''; [[Nino Castelnuovo]] and [[Ellen Farner]], the duet of Guy and Madeleine from ''[[The Umbrellas of Cherbourg]]''; and [[Count Basie and His Orchestra]], ''Doin' Basie's Thing''. His book choice was [[Leo Tolstoy]]'s ''[[War and Peace]]'' and his luxury item was paper and pencils.{{sfn|"BBC Radio 4 – Desert Island Discs: Ian Carmichael (1979)". BBC}}}}

===Semi-retirement, 1979–2009===
In 1979 Carmichael published his autobiography ''Will the Real Ian Carmichael&nbsp;...'', which marked what Fairclough calls his "semi-retirement" in Yorkshire.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=263}} He continued to work periodically, including providing the voice for Rat in the 1983 film ''[[The Wind in the Willows (1983 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]''{{sfn|Fiddick|1983|p=2}} and as the narrator for the television series [[The Wind in the Willows (TV series)|of the same name]] between 1984 and 1990.{{sfn|"Ghost at Mole End (1984)". British Film Institute}}{{sfn|"Happy Birthday (1990)". British Film Institute}} He revisited the works of Wodehouse in the late 1980s and early 1990s, providing the voice of [[Galahad Threepwood]] for two radio productions, ''[[Pigs Have Wings]]'' and ''[[Galahad at Blandings]]''.{{sfn|"Pigs Have Wings". ''BBC Genome Project''}}{{sfn|"Galahad at Blandings". ''BBC Genome Project''}}

In 1992 and 1993 he played Sir James Menzies in two series of ''[[Strathblair]]'', a BBC family drama set in 1950 broadcast on Sunday evenings.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=277}} He undertook his last stage role in June 1995, playing Sir Peter Teazle in [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]]'s ''[[The School for Scandal]]'' at the [[Chichester Festival Theatre]].{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=292}} From 2003 he took his final role: that of T. J. Middleditch in the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] hospital drama series ''[[The Royal]]''.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=300, 305–307}} He continued filming with ''The Royal'' until 2009.{{sfn|Brooks|Woods|2010}}

===Personal life===
In late March 1941, when Carmichael's regiment was posted to Whitby he met "Pym"—Jean Pyman Maclean—who he described as "blonde, just eighteen, five feet six, sensationally pretty and a beautiful dancer"; he thought her personality was "warm&nbsp;... genuine. There was an innocence about her, an unsophistication that disarmed even the most worldly".{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=118–119}} The couple became engaged in May 1942 and married on 6 October 1943;{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=36}} they had two daughters, Lee (born in 1946) and Sally (born in 1949).{{sfn|Jennings|2014}} Pym died of cancer in 1983.{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=269}}

In 1984 Carmichael recorded a series of short stories for the BBC; the programmes were produced by [[Kate Fenton]]. They began a relationship and she left the BBC in 1985 and moved in with him in the Esk Valley, near [[Whitby]]. They were married in July 1992.{{sfn|Jennings|2014}}{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|p=286}}{{sfn|"Biography". ''Kate Fenton''}} Carmichael enjoyed playing and watching cricket, and listed it as one of this interests in ''[[Who's Who]]''.{{sfn|Herbert|1972|p=609}} He was a member of the [[Lord's Taverners]] cricket charity from 1956 until October 1976,{{sfn|Fairclough|2011|pp=212–214}} and would relax on film sets playing a casual game with other members of the cast and crew, a practice he was introduced to by the Boulting brothers.{{sfn|Carmichael|1979|pp=282, 319, 330}} He was also a member of the [[Marylebone Cricket Club]].{{sfn|"Ian Carmichael". ''The Daily Telegraph''. 8 February 2010}}

In 2003 Carmichael was appointed [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] for services to drama.{{sfn|''The London Gazette''. 14 June 2003}} He died on 5 February 2010 of a [[pulmonary embolism]].{{sfn|Jennings|2014}}