Al Read was a popular British radio comedian

Comedian

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

 active throughout the 1950s

1950s

The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...

 and 1960s

1960s

The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...

.

Read was born in Broughton

Broughton, Greater Manchester

Broughton is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the east bank of the River Irwell and A56 road, in the northeastern part of the City of Salford, north-northwest of Manchester city centre and south of Prestwich. Broughton consists of Broughton Park, Higher...

, Salford

City of Salford

The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...

, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

 and was a sausage maker in his father's business. He became known as a popular after dinner speaker with wry and well-observed humour in clubs. In 1950 Read made his radio début on the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

. His comedy was based around the monologue

Monologue

In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...

 form, but he also became known for dialogues in which he played both voices. His humour was observational and was about northern English

Northern England

Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...

 working class

Working class

Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...

 people, often in a domestic situation.

The Al Read Show was one of the most popular radio comedy shows in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s. Up to 35 million people listened to it each week. His catchphrases "Right Monkey" and "You'll be lucky, I say you'll be lucky!" were well known. In 1963 he headed a variety format for ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 called Life and Al Read which was apparently unscripted and was broadcast live. In 1966 another ITV series called Al Read Says What a Life! was broadcast. He also worked extensively on the variety stage. It was generally considered that sound radio was his best medium.

In 1954 he appeared high on the bill at the Royal Variety Performance

Royal Variety Performance

The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...

 at the London Palladium

London Palladium

The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...

. In 1959 he appeared with comedian Jimmy Clitheroe

Jimmy Clitheroe

James Robinson Clitheroe was a British comic entertainer. He never grew any taller than 4 feet 3 inches, and could easily pass for an 11-year-old boy, the character he played in The Clitheroe Kid....

 in the Royal Northern Variety Performance, in the presence of the Queen Mother, at the Palace Theatre, Manchester

Palace Theatre, Manchester

The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent...

.

The introduction to his radio show was usually "Al Read: introducing us to ourselves"; and he himself described his work as "pictures of life". His monologues were certainly very perceptive about the human condition

Human condition

The human condition encompasses the experiences of being human in a social, cultural, and personal context. It can be described as the irreducible part of humanity that is inherent and not connected to gender, race, class, etc. — a search for purpose, sense of curiosity, the inevitability of...

, and also very witty. Many of his monologue recordings are still available from the BBC.

The Al Read Show

Surviving editions held by the BBC Sound Archive

BBC Sound Archive

The BBC Sound Archive is a collection of audio recordings maintained by the BBC and founded in 1936. Its recordings date back to the late 19th century and include many rare items including contemporary speeches by public and political figures, folk music, British dialects and sound...

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First Broadcast	Repeated	Description
25 November 1954	4 July 2004 13 March 2005 30 April 2006 24 June 2007 6 January 2008	Dad! Dad! Is that Al Read? He's a classic comedy act isn't he, Dad? Vintage humour from November 1954, isn't it, Dad?
25 January 1955	No repeat
15 November 1955	11 July 2004 20 March 2005 7 May 2006 1 July 2007 13 January 2008	The sausage maker from Salford turned king of the comedy catchphrase stars in this episode first broadcast in 1955.
6 February 1966	12 November 1998 18 July 2004 27 March 2005 14 May 2006 8 July 2007 20 January 2008	The sausage maker from Salford turned king of the comedy catchphrase stars in this episode, first broadcast in 1966, featuring his best-loved characters and timeless humour.
October 1995	26 November 1998 27 July 2004 3 April 2005 21 May 2006 15 July 2007 27 January 2008	Al Read with all you ever needed to know about health, courting, marriage, kids and football, from the northern comic's monologues of the 1950s.
October 1995	3 December 1998 1 August 2004 10 April 2005 28 May 2006 22 July 2007 3 February 2008	Ken Bruce introduces the Northern comic's monologues from the 1950s. Arriving home late, Al's efforts to relax are thwarted by his wife.
October 1995	10 December 1998 8 August 2004 17 April 2005 4 June 2006 29 July 2007 10 February 2008	Right Monkey! A collection of Al Read's 1950s monologues. Al lifts the lid off horse racing. Compiled in October 1995 by Mike Craig.
October 1995	17 December 1998 15 August 2004 24 April 2005 11 June 2006 5 August 2007 17 February 2008	Classic comedy from Salford's favourite son. Al Read looks at the very British institutions of hospitals, the post office and noisy neighbours. From December 1998.
October 1995	24 December 1998 22 August 2004 1 May 2005 18 June 2006 12 August 2007 24 February 2008	Al Read gives his views on the fire brigade, the joys of driving and the morning after the night before. From December 1998.