Frankie Howerd
Kingswood Heritage Museum has an extensive collection of images of the many celebrities who have grown up in and visited the area. Many of these images are featured in one of the Museum’s new exhibitions for 2025.
This month’s “Memory” features the late Frankie Howerd (born Francis Alick Howard), the well-known comedian and comic actor.
Frankie began his career in radio after the Second World War, and was also a regular on the Music Hall circuit. During the 1960’s Frankie appeared in a number of television and stage roles, including “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, which led into regular television work.
During the 1960s and 1970s Frankie was involved in television shows for the BBC, Thames and Yorkshire Television. He became well known for his seemingly off-the-cuff remarks to the audience, direct addresses to camera and comments such as such as “Oooh, no missus” and “Titter ye not”. This was perhaps best illustrated in the show “Up Pompeii!”
Frankie’s film credits include his debut appearance in 1954 opposite Petula Clark in “The Runaway Bus”; “The Ladykillers”; appearances in three of the “Carry On” series of films; “The Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery”; “Up Pompeii”, and “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
Frankie continued working on stage and television until his death at the age of 75 in 1992. The featured photograph (courtesy of the South Gloucestershire Gazette) illustrates a visit by Frankie to present awards at the NSPCC Young League in Downend in 1980.
If you were present when Frankie visited Downend please share your memories with Kingswood Heritage Museum by email at kingswoodmuseum@gmail.com, or by phone on 0117 9605664.