Editing John Junkin (section)

==Career==
In 1960, Junkin joined [[Joan Littlewood]]'s Stratford East [[Theatre Workshop]] and played the lead in the original production of ''[[Sparrows Can't Sing]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-junkin-6107168.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-junkin-6107168.html |archive-date=13 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=John Junkin|date=8 March 2006|website=The Independent}}</ref> A few years later, he joined the [[Royal Court Theatre]] company, and was the foil to [[Tony Hancock]] in some of Hancock's last work for British television.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://theavengers.tv/forever/pnote-junkin.htm|title=The Avengers Forever: John Junkin|website=theavengers.tv}}</ref> Junkin played a diverse range of roles on the small screen; however, he is best remembered for his comedy roles and his appearances as a television quiz master. To international audiences, he may be best remembered for playing Shake, the assistant to [[Norman Rossington]], in [[the Beatles]] film ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/499141/index.html|title=BFI Screenonline: Hard Day's Night, A (1964)|website=[[BFI Screenonline]]}}</ref> In comedy roles, Junkin was rarely short of work, on account of his ability to play the stony-faced symbol of low level, petty-minded and unquestioning authority, whether the army sergeant, police constable or site foreman.

In 1964 Junkin recorded a number of radio programmes on land for the fledgling ship-based [[pirate radio]] station [[Radio Caroline]]. His announcements did not include any topical references, and the music was played in by studio engineers. When the programmes were broadcast, the onboard DJs occasionally cut in to give live time checks .<ref name="Caroline">{{cite web|url=https://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/djsj2k.htm|title=Disc Jockeys I-J|website=The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame|accessdate=9 March 2024}}</ref>

One of his rare leading roles was in the BBC series ''[[The Rough with the Smooth]]'', in which he and [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]] played comedy writers (with both actors contributing scripts to the series as well).<ref name="Teleg">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1512356/John-Junkin.html|title=John Junkin|date=8 March 2006|work=The Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group |access-date=9 August 2008}}</ref> He also hosted his own afternoon television series in the mid-1970s. Titled simply ''Junkin'', it was produced by [[Southern Television]] for the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] network.<ref name=guardian>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/mar/08/broadcasting.obituaries|title=Obituary: John Junkin|date=8 March 2006|website=the Guardian}}</ref>

Junkin has an entry in the [[Guinness Book of Records]] as the voice of Mr Shifter, one of the chimps in the [[PG Tips]] tea advertisement, the longest-running series of commercials on television.<ref name="Teleg"/>

With [[Barry Cryer]], Junkin wrote for [[Morecambe and Wise]] from 1978 to 1983, in addition to two Christmas specials in 1972 and 1976.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/jan/27/barry-cryer-obituary|title=Barry Cryer obituary|work=The Guardian|date=27 January 2022 |accessdate=30 January 2022 |last1=Dixon |first1=Stephen }}</ref>