Dick Emery's Comedy Characters

Dick Emery's characters were some of the best remembered on British television for many years and among his comedic creations were the breath-catching First World War veteran, Lampwick; the old codger who would connive to get his own way and cause trouble between his daughter and son-in-law - Hettie; the frustrated spinster - the toothy Vicar. The 'bovver boy'; Gaylord. The effeminate swinger who referred to everyone as 'Honky Tonk' - the upper-class tramp; College - the bike riding Ton Up Boy - and most famously Mandy; the brassy blonde who always misunderstood the street interviewer (a feature that opened the show until 1975) and interpreted his question to have a suggestive meaning so that it would lead her to slap him on the shoulder as she announced, "Ooh, you are awful - but I like you!" It became a national catchphrase and was so popular that it also became the title of Emery's full-length feature film in 1972.

In creating these characters Emery utilised his natural flair for mimicry, picking up on the idiosyncrasies of people he'd met, his ear for dialogue and his observation of mannerisms combining to create characters who were funny, and yet believable and identifiable. In 1973, at the height of his popularity Emery wrote 'Dick Emery In Character' a book which explained how he'd formed some of these memorable creations - extracts from which are below.

Dick Emery created many other characters in a lifetime of entertainment. Below is just a selection of the popular characters he used in his TV show.