Editing Kenneth Williams (section)

===Early career===
Williams's professional career began in 1948 in [[repertory theatre]]. Failure to become a serious dramatic actor disappointed him, but his potential as a comic performer gave him his break when he was spotted playing the [[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]] in [[Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Saint Joan (play)|St Joan]]'' in the [[West End theatre|West End]], in 1954 by radio producer [[Dennis Main Wilson]].{{sfn|Stevens|2010|pp=59, 77}} Main Wilson was casting ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]'', a radio series starring [[Tony Hancock]]. Playing mostly funny voice roles, Williams stayed in the series almost to the end, five years later. His nasal, whiny, [[Camp (style)|camp]]-cockney inflections (epitomised in his "Stop messing about&nbsp;... !" catchphrase) became popular with listeners. Despite the success and recognition the show brought him, Williams considered theatre, film and television to be superior forms of entertainment. In 1955 he appeared in [[Orson Welles]]'s London stage production ''[[Moby Dick—Rehearsed]]''. The pair fell out after Williams became annoyed with Welles's habit of repeatedly changing the script.{{sfn|Stevens|2010|pp=83, 135}}

When Hancock steered his show away from what he considered gimmicks and silly voices, Williams found he had less to do. Tiring of this reduced status, he joined [[Kenneth Horne]] in ''[[Beyond Our Ken]]'' (1958–1964), and its sequel, ''[[Round the Horne]]'' (1965–1968). His roles in ''Round the Horne'' included [[Rambling Syd Rumpo]], the eccentric [[folk singer]]; Dr Chou En Ginsberg, MA (failed), Oriental criminal mastermind; J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock, telephone heavy breather and dirty old man; and Sandy of the camp couple [[Julian and Sandy]] (Julian was played by [[Hugh Paddick]]). Their double act was characterised by [[double entendre]]s and [[Polari]], the homosexual argot.

Williams also appeared in West End [[revue]]s including ''Share My Lettuce'' with [[Maggie Smith]], written by [[Bamber Gascoigne]], and ''Pieces of Eight'' with [[Fenella Fielding]]. The latter included material specially written for him by [[Peter Cook]], then a student at [[Pembroke College, Cambridge]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jcA1AAAAQBAJ&q=kenneth+williams+peter+cook+sketches&pg=PA4|title=Tragically I Was An Only Twin: The Comedy of Peter Cook – Peter Cook, William Cook – Google Books|date=31 August 2013|access-date=30 June 2014|isbn=9781446429624|last1=Cook|first1=Peter|last2=Cook|first2=William |publisher=Random House }}</ref> Cook's "[[One Leg Too Few]]" and "Interesting Facts" were part of the show and became routines in his own performances. Williams's last revue, in 1961, was ''[[One Over The Eight]]'' at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]], with [[Sheila Hancock]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|title=Obituaries|publisher=Britishcomedy.org.uk|access-date=30 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194643/http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead }}</ref>