Editing Deryck Guyler

{{Short description|English actor (1914–1999)}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Deryck Guyler
| image       = Deryck_Guyler.jpg
| image_size  =
| caption     =
| birth_name  =
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|1914|4|29|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Wallasey]], [[Cheshire]], England
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|1999|10|7|1914|4|29|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Ashgrove, Queensland]], Australia
| occupation  = Actor
| spouse      = {{marriage|Margaret Mary McConnell (a.k.a. "Paddy Lennox")|1941}}
| children    = 2
}}

'''Deryck Bower Guyler''' (29 April 1914 – 7 October 1999) was an English actor, best remembered for appearances in [[sitcom]]s such as ''[[Please Sir!]]'' and ''[[Sykes (TV series)|Sykes]]''.<ref name="BBC19991008">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/468894.stm|title=Deryck Guyler: British comedy stalwart|work=BBC News|date=8 October 1999|access-date=5 May 2021}}</ref>

==Early life==
Guyler was born in [[Wallasey]] on the [[Wirral Peninsula]], [[Cheshire]], the son of Samuel Phipps Guyler, a jeweller, and Elsie Evelyn, née Bower.<ref name="auto1">The Catholic Who's Who and Yearbook, vol. 35, Burns & Oates, 1952, p. 189</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/oct/09/guardianobituaries1 | title=Deryck Guyler | website=[[TheGuardian.com]] | date=9 October 1999 }}</ref> In his childhood, a next-door neighbour was Irené Eastwood, who would also go on to have a career in show business when she changed her name to [[Anne Ziegler]] - the 1921 census shows the Eastwood family at 111 Hartington Rd, Liverpool and the Guylers at 113. He attended [[Liverpool College]] and originally planned a career in the Church of England, having studied theology for a year.<ref name="auto"/> In the 1930s, he joined the Liverpool Repertory Theatre and performed in numerous productions. During the [[Second World War]], he was called up and joined the [[Royal Air Force Police|RAF Police]] but was later invalided from service, whereupon he joined [[Entertainments National Service Association]] (ENSA) and then, in 1942, the [[BBC]]'s Drama and Repertory company.<ref name="auto"/>

==Career==
From 1946, Guyler became a regular on the immensely popular radio series, ''[[It's That Man Again]]'' (''ITMA''), a series built around comedian [[Tommy Handley]].<ref name="Gdn19991009">{{cite news|last=Woddis|first=Carole|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/oct/09/guardianobituaries1|title=Deryck Guyler|work=The Guardian|date=9 October 1999|access-date=5 May 2021}}</ref> Guyler claimed that his character 'Frisby Dike' (named after a Liverpool department store bombed in the [[Liverpool Blitz|Blitz]]) was the first time the [[Scouse|real Liverpudlian accent]] was heard on the radio. He took part in a Royal Command Performance of ''ITMA'' for [[King George VI]] and [[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|Queen Elizabeth]] in December 1947. Guyler remained with the show until Handley died in 1949 when the series ended.

After ''ITMA'', Guyler worked in roles from the [[BBC]]'s ''[[Children's Hour]]'' to classical parts, including with [[John Gielgud]] in ''[[King Lear]]''. He was known for his often amusing asides in rehearsals. For a ''[[Children's Hour]]'' documentary about life in the coal mines, which Guyler was narrating, the producer had visited a mine and recorded most-realistic sound effects. As these were banging, crashing and thumping sounds he was heard to mutter: "Sounds like a [[Peter Brook]] production".
[[File:Birchflow DG.png|thumb|Deryck Guyler's autograph, signed in 1976]]
In the 1950s, he played the time-traveller (also known as "the voice") in the British sci-fi radio series ''[[Journey into Space#Journey to the Moon/Operation Luna|Journey into Space]]''. In the same period, he was on the radio series ''Just Fancy'' for 9 years which starred [[Eric Barker]].<ref name="BBC19991008" /> Guyler took on the role in the title character of a [[Scotland Yard]] detective in the [[Light Programme]] series ''Inspector Scott Investigates'', created by John P. Wynn, that ran from 1957 to 1963. During the half-hour programme a crime was committed; Scott and his sidekick, Det. Sgt. Bingham (Brian Hayes, brother of [[Patricia Hayes]]) interviewed two or three suspects; then, while music played, there was a short intermission for listeners to guess 'whodunit' before the final revelation. In [[Henry Reed (poet)|Henry Reed]]'s series of radio dramas about Herbert Reeve's inquiries into the life of Richard Shewin, Guyler played General Gland, soldier-scholar, campanologist and author of war memoirs, including in ''Not a Drum was Heard''. During the 1960s and 1970s, he starred in the satirical radio programme about life in the British civil service ''[[The Men from the Ministry]]'' with [[Richard Murdoch]]. <!-- Not in the entire run, originally the role was played by Wilfrid Hyde-White. -->He was in the series for 11 years.<ref name="BBC19991008" /> Guyler played the pompous, self-important Number One in the General Assistance Department, with Murdoch as his diffident but equally incompetent Number Two.

He appeared as the Police Sergeant in [[the Beatles]]' film ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' (1964) and as the art professor in the [[Gerry & the Pacemakers]] film ''[[Ferry Cross the Mersey (film)|Ferry Cross the Mersey]]'' (1965).

Guyler holds a unique place in theatrical history, having 'acted' in every performance of ''[[The Mousetrap]]'' since the opening night on 6 October 1952 in [[Nottingham]], via a recorded news bulletin which is still being used during performances of the play at [[St Martin's Theatre]], [[London]].

==Television==
One of Guyler's first television appearances was as the manager of a TV repair shop in ''Three Live Wires'' in 1961, followed closely by his television success as one of [[Michael Bentine]]'s sidekicks in the surreal BBC show ''[[It's a Square World]]'' (1961), but he gained greater recognition on the small screen in his association with comedian and writer [[Eric Sykes]]. He played the part of Constable ('Corky') Turnbull in ''[[Sykes and a...]]'' (1960–65) which was later revived as ''[[Sykes (TV series)|Sykes]]'' (1972–79). In 1975, he appeared in the ITV children's show ''The Laughing Policeman'', based on the [[Charles Penrose (entertainer)|Charles Penrose]] song and his character from the series.

In between the two series with Eric Sykes, Guyler was also a regular in the [[sitcom]] ''[[Please Sir!]]'' (1968–72), playing the cantankerous school caretaker Norman Potter. Claiming to be an ex-[[7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|Desert Rat]], Potter would often complain to [[John Alderton]], who played the part of schoolteacher Mr Hedges, about class '5C' and their "dreadful behaviour".

Other television appearances include those in ''[[That's My Boy (1963 TV series)|That's My Boy]]'' (1963), a comedy series starring [[Jimmy Clitheroe]], and the short-lived political comedy ''[[Best of Enemies (TV series)|Best of Enemies]]''. He also played a tremorous surgeon in the film ''[[Carry On Doctor]]''. During the 1980s, he contributed the voice-over to an animated skeleton in UK adverts for Scotch Video Tapes.<ref>Aardman: An epic journey taken one frame at a time, pg. 78</ref> He was the narrator of the BBC documentary about [[Fred Dibnah]] - ''Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack''

Guyler had been a devotee of [[washboard (musical instrument)|washboard]] playing since his school days and appeared in many television light entertainment shows performing his washboard novelty act. He also played washboard on an episode of ''[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968–1977)|The Morecambe and Wise Show]]''. In 1990, he played the washboard on three tracks of an album by long-time fan [[Shakin' Stevens]].{{cn|date=July 2022}}

==Personal life==
In 1941, Guyler married Margaret Mary McConnell<ref name="auto1"/> (a.k.a. "Paddy Lennox"), from the three-sister variety harmony act the Lennox Sisters, and they had two sons, Peter and Christopher. He converted to [[Roman Catholicism]] in 1945.<ref name="Gdn19991009" />

Guyler's passion was collecting jazz records and as of 1986, he had about 1,600 78rpm records, collecting records up to about the year 1947.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Deryck Guyler|series= It's a Funny Business|network=BBC |station=Radio 2 |date= October 1986|language= English}}</ref> In addition, he was a well known [[Wargaming|wargamer]], and a founding member of the [[Society of Ancients]], a group of wargamers specialising in the [[classical era]]. Very active in the society in its early years, being elected its first president in 1966,<ref>"Slingshot" magazine, Issue 5</ref> Guyler was later made an honorary life president of the society.

A long-time resident of [[Norbury]], [[South London]], he retired to [[Ashgrove, Queensland]], Australia, in 1993, to be near his younger son Chris, daughter-in-law Judy and his three grandchildren.

He died on 7 October 1999 and his funeral service was held at St. Mark's Catholic Church, [[Inala, Queensland]], on 13 October. In 1995, [[Danny Baker]] and the [[BBC]] had made a 10-minute tribute to Guyler, which was used as a part of the eulogy delivered by his son Chris.

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1945|| ''[[I'll Be Your Sweetheart]]'' || Politician || Uncredited
|-
|1953|| ''[[A Day to Remember (1953 film)|A Day to Remember]]'' || Angry Man in Ferry Queue || Uncredited
|-
|1954|| ''[[Mad About Men]]'' || Editor ||
|-
|1955|| ''[[The Flaw (1955 film)|The Flaw]]'' || Theatre Manager || Uncredited
|-
|1956|| ''[[Ramsbottom Rides Again]]'' || Postman ||
|-
|1962|| ''[[It's Trad, Dad!]]'' || Narrator ||
|-
|1962|| ''[[The Fast Lady]]'' || Dr. Blake ||
|-
|1963|| ''[[Nurse on Wheels]]'' || Driving Examiner ||
|-
|1964|| ''[[Smokescreen (film)|Smokescreen]]'' || Station Master ||
|-
|1964|| ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' || Police Inspector ||
|-
|1964|| ''[[Ferry Cross the Mersey (film)|Ferry Cross the Mersey]]'' || Trasler ||
|-
|1965|| ''[[The Big Job (film)|The Big Job]]'' || Police Sergeant ||
|-
|1967|| ''[[Carry On Doctor]]'' || Mr. Hardcastle ||
|-
|1971|| ''[[Please Sir! (film)|Please Sir!]]'' || Norman Potter ||
|-
|1973|| ''[[No Sex Please, We're British (film)|No Sex Please, We're British]]'' || Park Keeper ||
|-
|1974|| ''[[Barry McKenzie Holds His Own]]'' || Police Constable ||
|-
|1975|| ''[[One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing]]'' || Harris ||
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{iMDb name|0349899}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/sunday/ ''Radio Roots: Deryck Guyler'' Russell Davies]'  programme about Guyler's career, on [[BBC7]] 'Listen again' - streaming audio
* {{British Comedy Guide|people|deryck_guyler}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guyler, Deryck}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:Comedians from Cheshire]]
[[Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:People educated at Liverpool College]]
[[Category:Male actors from Wallasey]]
[[Category:English male radio actors]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force airmen]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:Washboard players]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]