Editing Barry Took

{{short description|English comedian}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox writer
| name         = Barry Took
| image        = Barry Took.jpg
| birth_name   = 
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1928|6|19|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Wood Green]], [[London]], England
| death_date   = {{death date and age|2002|3|31|1928|6|19|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[London Borough of Enfield|Enfield]], London, England
| resting_place  = [[New Southgate]] Cemetery and Crematorium, London, England
| period       = 1957–1999
| genre        = Radio, television
| notableworks = {{nowrap|''[[The Army Game]]'' (1957–1961) <br> ''[[Bootsie and Snudge]]'' (1960–64, 1974) <br>''[[Round the Horne]]'' (1965–68) <br> ''[[One-Upmanship]]'' (1976–78)}}
| spouse       = 
| partner      =
}}

'''Barry Took''' (19 June 1928{{snd}}31 March 2002) was an English writer, television presenter and comedian. His decade-and-a-half writing partnership with [[Marty Feldman]] led to the television series ''[[Bootsie and Snudge]]'', the radio comedy ''[[Round the Horne]]'' and other projects.

He is also remembered in the UK for presenting ''[[Points of View (TV series)|Points of View]]'', a [[BBC Television]] programme featuring viewers' letters on the [[BBC]]'s output,<ref name="Stevens">{{cite book |last=Stevens |first=Christopher |title=Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams |publisher=John Murray |year=2010 |page=370 |isbn=978-1-84854-195-5}}<!--|accessdate=4 July 2012--></ref> and the [[BBC Radio 4]] programme ''[[The News Quiz]]''.

Took was known as the "Father of Monty Python", for bringing together the comedy performers who would establish ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]''.<ref name="Telegraph"/>

==Early life and education==
The son of a manager at the Danish Bacon Company, Took was born in Victoria Road, [[Muswell Hill]],<ref name=Martin>{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Douglas |title=Barry Took, 73, Father of Monty Python, Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/14/nyregion/barry-took-73-father-of-monty-python-dies.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=14 April 2002 |access-date=1 May 2015}}</ref><ref name=Scotsman /> [[north London]], and lived in Winton Avenue, [[Bounds Green]]. When [[Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuated]] to [[Wisbech]] in Cambridgeshire during the Second World War, he ran away from his assigned home there, cycling 20 miles to [[Peterborough]] in order to get a train back to London.<ref name="Telegraph">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1389535/Barry-Took.html Obituary: Barry Took], ''The Telegraph'', 2 April 2002</ref> He attended [[Stationers' Company's School|Stationers School]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Gifford |first=Dennis |title=Barry Took |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/barry-took-729876.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829061449/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/barry-took-729876.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 August 2010 |date=1 April 2002 |access-date=24 November 2009}}</ref> but left at the age of 15.<ref name=Martin /> His elder brother Philip would eventually work for the US Space Program before dying as a young man.<ref name=Scotsman />

==Career==
With his limited education, Took found work as an office boy for a publisher and a cinema projectionist.<ref name=Scotsman /><ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> During his period of [[Conscription in the United Kingdom#After 1945|National Service]] in the [[Royal Air Force]], in which he played the trumpet,<ref name=Scotsman /> he began performing and later worked as a stand-up comedian, eventually becoming a West End [[revue]] performer, working on ''[[For Amusement Only]]'' and ''[[For Adults Only (revue)|For Adults Only]]''.

Took's best comedy writing was done in collaboration with [[Marty Feldman]], whom he first met in 1954.<ref name="screenonline">John Oliver [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/532391/ "Took, Barry (1928–2002)"], BFI screenonline</ref> The two men wrote for several television shows in the 1950s and 1960s, including ''[[The Army Game]]'' and its spin-off ''[[Bootsie and Snudge]]''. He co-wrote ''[[Beyond Our Ken]]'' for two series (1958–59) with [[Eric Merriman]] for BBC Radio before leaving after a disagreement with his fellow writer. With [[Marty Feldman]] he wrote most episodes of ''[[Round the Horne]]''; the intermittent partnership between them continued until 1974.<ref name="screenonline"/>

In the late 1960s, Took became comedy advisor to the BBC, and was responsible for bringing together the performers who formed ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' before he moved to the US to work briefly on ''[[Rowan and Martin's Laugh In]]''.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> He returned to the UK in early 1970 and was involved in setting up the BBC series ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'', although he had returned to take up the position of Head of Light Entertainment at [[London Weekend Television]]. He resigned from this position when [[Stella Richman]], his superior and the Director of Programming, was dismissed.<ref name="Telegraph"/> ''[[On the Move (TV series)|On the Move]]'' (1975–76), a programme linked to a national campaign to promote adult literacy, was written by Took and featured [[Bob Hoskins]] and Donald Gee. He was involved in two further television series in support of this initiative, ''Your Move'' and ''Write Away''.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news |title=Barry Took |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1389535/Barry-Took.html |work=The Telegraph |date=2 April 2002 |access-date=1 May 2015}}</ref>

In 1977, Took hosted his own comedy sketch show, ''Took and Co''. Also featuring [[Robin Bailey]], [[Chris Emmett]], [[Andrew Sachs]] and [[Gwen Taylor]]. The series ran for seven episodes late at night on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]].

In 1979, he became chairman of ''[[The News Quiz]]'' on [[BBC Radio 4]], a role he filled until 1981 and again from 1986 to 1995. In the same year he became a presenter of ''[[Points of View (TV series)|Points of View]]'', staying with the programme for over seven years.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/>

In 1983 he became known to a younger TV audience when he presented the quiz, 'What's it', on the BBC1 Saturday morning show, ''[[Saturday Superstore]]'', in its first series.

Took also hosted the [[BBC Radio 2]] comedy panel game ''The Impressionists'', which included [[Peter Goodwright]], [[Roger Kitter]], [[David Jason]] and Dave Evans and, in 1998, the single-series revival of ''[[Twenty Questions]]'' titled ''[[Guess What?]]''.

He had seven books published, including his autobiography and several histories of comedy.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> He also wrote [[Kenneth Williams]]'s life story for the ''[[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]]'' in 1996.<ref name="Stevens"/>

==Personal life and final years==
During his time with the Royal Air Force Took met his first wife, Dorothy "Dot" Bird, who was serving in the [[Women's Royal Air Force]].<ref name=Martin /> They married in 1950<ref name="Telegraph"/> and had three children (Barry, Susan and David), but were later divorced. In 1964,<ref name=Scotsman>[http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/barry-took-1-500864 "Barry Took"], ''The Scotsman'', 1 April 2002</ref> he married Lynden "Lyn" Leonard, this second marriage resulting in a daughter named Elinor. The couple separated in 1999,<ref name="Purser">{{cite news| first= Philip |last= Purser |url= https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/apr/01/broadcasting.guardianobituaries |title= Obituary: Barry Took| work= [[The Guardian]]| date= 1 April 2002}}</ref> and eventually divorced.<ref name=Martin /> He also spoke publicly about his experiences with [[Depression (mood)|depression]] and of undergoing extensive [[psychotherapy]] for several years.<ref name=Martin /><ref name= Scotsman />

After suffering from [[bladder cancer]] during the 1970s,<ref name=Scotsman /> he was diagnosed with [[oesophageal cancer|cancer of the oesophagus]] in 1999,<ref name="Purser"/> and suffered a [[stroke]] four weeks after undergoing major surgery.<ref>{{cite news |title=Comedian Barry Took dies |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1903971.stm |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=31 March 2002}}</ref> He died on Easter Sunday 2002, aged 73, in a nursing home in [[London Borough of Enfield|Enfield]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|title=Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006|access-date=28 February 2009|archive-date=20 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220163304/http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Autobiography==
*''A Point of View'' (1990)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0867458|Barry Took}}
* {{British Comedy Guide|people|barry_took}}
*[http://www.comedy-zone.net/standup/comedian/t/took-barry.htm Barry Took] – Comedy Zone
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/tv_and_radio/newsid_1903000/1903696.stm BBC News article reporting his death]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Took, Barry}}
[[Category:1928 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century English male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century English screenwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century Royal Air Force personnel]]
[[Category:English male television writers]]
[[Category:British television personalities]]
[[Category:Deaths from esophageal cancer in England]]
[[Category:English comedy writers]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:English male screenwriters]]
[[Category:English radio personalities]]
[[Category:English radio writers]]
[[Category:English television presenters]]
[[Category:English television personalities]]
[[Category:English television writers]]
[[Category:People educated at the Stationers' Company's School]]
[[Category:People from Muswell Hill]]
[[Category:People from Wisbech]]
[[Category:People from Wood Green]]
[[Category:Comedians from Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:Military personnel from the London Borough of Haringey]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force airmen]]
[[Category:Comedians from the London Borough of Haringey]]