Editing Michael Hordern (section)

====''Stripwell'', and voice work====
Between 1973 and 1981, Hordern appeared on radio for the BBC as [[Jeeves]] in the series ''[[What Ho! Jeeves]]'' alongside [[Richard Briers]] as [[Bertie Wooster]].<ref>[http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/087f6f13b1fc4a2eac61ff3994d6ef96 "What Ho, Jeeves!: Part 1: Jeeves Exerts the Old Cerebellum"], BBC, accessed 12 February 2016.</ref> In 1974, Hordern narrated several other, one-off programmes for the broadcaster, including ''The Honest Broker'', ''The Last Tsar'', and ''Tell the King the Sky Is Falling''.<ref name="BFIHORDERN" /> In 1975 Hordern played the judge in [[Howard Barker|Howard Barker's]] play ''Stripwell'' at the [[Royal Court Theatre]]. Hordern described the character as "a man wracked by guilt, full of self-doubt and pessimism".<ref name="HORDERN143">Hordern, p. 143.</ref> It was a role which the actor found to be too close to his own personality for comfort. His time in the play was marred by personal problems; he and Eve had briefly separated and the actor was forced to rent a small flat in [[Sloane Square]] from the actor [[Michael Wilding (actor)|Michael Wilding]] after being banished from the family home. Hordern and Eve soon reconciled, but it was a time which he was keen to forget, including the play. Critics were complimentary of his performance, with one writing: "''Stripwell'''s ambiguities are therefore viewed half affectionately and half contemptuously and this comes over well in Michael Hordern's portrayal of bumbling, sometimes endearing ineffectiveness, as skilful and accomplished a performance as one would expect from this actor."<ref name="HORDERN143" />

Later, in 1975, Hordern narrated ''[[Barry Lyndon]]'', [[Stanley Kubrick|Stanley Kubrick's]] filmed adaptation of [[William Makepeace Thackeray]]'s novel ''[[The Luck of Barry Lyndon]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120711213838/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6bc285f7 "Barry Lyndon (1975)"], [[British Film Institute]], accessed 26 January 2016.</ref> The critic John Riley, writing for the British Film Institute, thought that the actor provided "a witty and ironic foil to the characters' helplessness".<ref>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/498104/ "Barry Lyndon (1975)"], by John Riley. BFI Screenonline, [[British Film Institute]], accessed 26 January 2016.</ref> The same year Hordern was asked to narrate 30 episodes of the children's animation series ''[[Paddington (1975 TV series)|Paddington]]'', which was based on the [[Paddington Bear]] book series by [[Michael Bond]].<ref>Hordern, pp. 167–169.</ref> In his 1993 autobiography, Hordern wrote of his enjoyment at working on ''Paddington'' and that he could not differentiate between his enjoyment in comedy and drama: "it's a bit like difference between roast beef and meringue, both delicious in their way, but there is nothing more satisfying than a thousand people sharing their laughter with you".<ref>Quote from the author; Hordern, p. 167.</ref>