Editing Ronnie Barker (section)

===Early media career===
Barker's theatrical success enabled him to move into radio work. Barker, who had previously been known by his full name "Ronald", was now referred to as the less formal form "Ronnie", after a director changed it in the credits, although he did not tell Barker.<ref name=indobit/> His first radio appearance was in 1956, playing Lord Russett in ''Floggit's''.<ref name=indobit/> He went on to play multiple characters, but primarily the put-upon Able Seaman "Fatso" Johnson and Lieutenant-Commander Stanton in ''[[The Navy Lark]]'', a navy based sitcom on the [[BBC Light Programme]], which ran from 1959 to 1977, with Barker featuring in some 300 episodes.<ref name=indobit/><ref name=bbcobit>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/473779.stm|title=Obituary: Ronnie Barker|work=BBC News|date=4 October 2005|access-date=13 April 2010}}</ref>

He also featured in the show's radio spin-off ''The TV Lark'', in which his character, Fatso, was now a camera operator after the main characters were drummed out of the service, and as a trainee chef in ''Crowther's Crowd'' in 1963,<ref name=indobit/> and had roles on ''Variety Playhouse''.<ref name=C5>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=5}}</ref> Barker soon began working in film and television. His first acting job on television was in Melvyn's show ''I'm Not Bothered''.<ref name=M32>{{harvnb|McCabe|2005|p=32}}</ref> He appeared in various roles in the comedy series ''[[Faces of Jim|The Seven Faces of Jim]]'' from 1962, alongside [[Jimmy Edwards]] and [[June Whitfield]], as well as parts in ''Bold as Brass'' and ''[[Foreign Affairs (1966 TV series)|Foreign Affairs]]'' (as Russian embassy worker Grischa Petrovitch).<ref name=C56/> This was followed with dramatic parts in ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1965 TV series)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' as Jerry Cruncher in 1965 as well as a single episode role in  ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'', in which he played Cheshire, a cat lover.<ref name=C56>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=56}}</ref>

He had an uncredited role in the 1958 film ''[[Wonderful Things!]]''. In 1964 he appeared in [[Galton & Simpson]]'s gentle comedy ''[[The Bargee]],'' as 'Ronnie', the [[illiterate]] cousin of [[Harry H. Corbett]]'s rascally 'Hemmel Pike'.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057872/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl The Bargee (1964) – Plot Summary], imdb.com; accessed 24 January 2018.</ref> He did his first bit of on-screen 'porridge' as fellow convict to [[Charlie Drake]] in ''[[The Cracksman]]'' (1963).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Cracksman|url=http://www.prisonmovies.net/the-cracksman-1963-uk|website=Prison Movies|access-date=19 January 2018}}</ref> Other film work at that time included: ''[[Doctor in Distress (film)|Doctor in Distress]]'' (1963), ''[[Father Came Too!]]'' (1963) and ''[[A Home of Your Own]]'' (1965).<ref name=indobit/><ref name=guardobit/>

In 1966, Barker appeared in ''[[The Saint (TV series)|The Saint]] (S5, E9 "The Better Mousetrap")'' as the detective Alphonse.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Saint: The Better Mousetrap (Series 5, Episode 9) |url=https://tv.apple.com/gb/episode/the-better-mousetrap/umc.cmc.631hcweod35k0d47xl2xxfbkk?showId=umc.cmc.4ev1xwuij2ksyr0kso0tgxvgf |publisher=Apple TV |access-date=2 February 2025}}</ref> In 1966, Barker got his break with the satirical sketch series ''[[The Frost Report]]'', having been recommended for the show by producer [[James Gilbert (producer)|James Gilbert]].<ref name=C5/> The show starred [[David Frost]], [[John Cleese]] and Barker's future comedy partner [[Ronnie Corbett]], whom he had met in 1963 when Corbett was the barman at the Buckstone Club near the [[Haymarket Theatre]].<ref name=C2>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=2}}</ref> Corbett stated in his autobiography that the two had gravitated towards each other because of their similar backgrounds; neither had attended university, while many of the other cast and writers on ''The Frost Report'' had.<ref name=C13/> Each episode of the show, which was performed and broadcast live, focused on a single topic and principally revolved around a continuous monologue from Frost, with sketches from Barker, Corbett and Cleese as the show went on.<ref>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=51}}</ref> Barker starred alongside Cleese and Corbett in  [[Class sketch|''The Frost Report''{{'}}s best-known sketch]], which satirised the [[Social structure of Britain|British class system]], with Barker representing the middle class.<ref name=C13>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=13}}</ref>

After the first series, the special ''Frost Over England'' was produced, winning the [[Rose d'Or|Golden Rose]] at the Montreux Television Festival.<ref>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=52}}</ref> With a second series of the show announced, Frost, recognising their potential, signed both Barker and Corbett up to his production company [[David Paradine Productions]].<ref>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=53}}</ref> As part of the deal Barker was given his own show in 1968, ''[[The Ronnie Barker Playhouse]]'', which comprised six separate, thirty-minute plays. Barker starred in each piece as a different character.<ref name=C55>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=55}}</ref> After two series of ''The Frost Report'' on the [[BBC]], totalling 26 half-hour episodes, Frost moved to [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] after helping to set up [[London Weekend Television]]. There, Frost hosted ''Frost on Sunday'', with Barker and Corbett following and again performing sketches on the programme.<ref>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=58}}</ref> Barker began writing sketches for the programme under the pseudonym Gerald Wiley.<ref name=timesobit/> Barker and Corbett had a greater role on the show than on ''The Frost Report'' and Corbett felt "more aware of what [they] were doing."<ref>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=63}}</ref>

Barker began using the pseudonym Gerald Wiley when writing sketches because he wished the pieces to be accepted on merit and not just because he, as a star of the programme, had written them; he continued this tradition with the material he wrote later in his career, using a variety of pseudonyms.<ref name=indobit/> Barker brought his sketches in, claiming they had come from Wiley through Barker's agent [[Peter Eade]], and they were very well received. To maintain the deception, Barker had criticised material he himself had submitted under the pseudonym; when a Wiley-credited sketch about a [[ventriloquist]] had been poorly received by the audience Barker told Corbett "Well, Gerald Wiley let us down there", and on another occasion, when looking at a script, "I don't understand this line. What's he getting at?"<ref name=C67/> One of the first sketches he wrote was called "Doctor's Waiting Room", with the main part written for Corbett. Barker encouraged Corbett to buy the rights to the sketch and, further maintaining the myth, told him to reject Wiley's "request" for £3,000 as too expensive, before giving Corbett the sketch for free.<ref name=C67/> Speculation began about Wiley's identity, with [[Tom Stoppard]], [[Frank Muir]], [[Alan Bennett]] and [[Noël Coward]] all rumoured. After the second series of ''Frost on Sunday'', the cast and crew were invited to a Chinese restaurant, while Wiley said that he would reveal himself. Barker, who had told Corbett earlier in the day, stood up and announced he was Wiley, although initially nobody believed him.<ref name=C67>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|pp=67–72}}</ref> In 1969, Barker was able to write, produce and star as Sir Giles Futtock in the film ''[[Futtocks End|Futtock's End]]'' which featured little dialogue and only "grumble[s] and grunt[s]".<ref name=timesobit/><ref name=indobit/> 

''The Ronnie Barker Playhouse'' had been designed to find a successful idea for a sitcom, and the episode "Ah, There You Are" by [[Alun Owen]], which introduced the bumbling aristocratic character Lord Rustless, was chosen.<ref name=indobit/><ref name=C55/> Despite Barker's success on ITV, LWT's programme controller [[Stella Richman]] opted to fire Frost's company Paradine (Frost was sacked from the LWT board) and as Barker was contracted to the company rather than the network, he lost his job, as did Corbett.<ref>{{harvnb|Corbett|Nobbs|2007|p=73}}</ref>