Arthur Worsley

Arthur Worsley was known in showbusiness circles as 'The Godfather of Ventriloquism.' A brilliant ventriloquist he topped the bills in the heydays of British variety both on stage and in numerous television shows. Unlike other vent acts who relied on cross-talk with their comic 'dummy' Worsley remained silent and let his dummy, provide the irascible patter. On stage Worsley was a faceless character with few expressions and it was his dummy, Charlie Brown, who dominated the act with his forceful personality. He would criticise Worsley's appearance and jibe him with remarks such as 'Turn me round son!' and 'Look at me when I'm talking to you!' Worsley began performing as a ventriloquist at the age of 11 when he began appearing in variety shows in Manchester billed as 'The World's youngest ventriloquist.' By the age of 14 he had turned professional. By the 1940s, under the management of Lew and Leslie Grade, Worsley was one of the highest paid performers in Britain. He appeared in ten variety seasons at the London Palladium sharing the bill with stars such as Max Miller, Vera Lynn and Gracie Fields and he was a favourite in cabaret at London's top hotels. In the 1950s and 1960s he toured Australia, Canada and while in New York became an unexpected hit on television talk shows. An appearance on the top rating Ed Sullivan Show prompted the host to remark "Arthur Worsley is setting the pace - he must be the best vent in the world." The comedian Barry Cryer persuaded Worsley to appear in several episodes of the British tv comedy show Joker's Wild. Soon after he retired to Blackpool. Fans often wrote to him simply addressing the envelope 'to The World's Greatest Ventriloquist, Blackpool.' The letters were always delivered to Worsley's home.