Deryck Guyler
Encyclopedia
Deryck Guyler was an English
actor
, best known for his portrayal of officious, short-tempered middle-aged men in sitcoms such as Please Sir!
and Sykes
.
on the Wirral Peninsula
, and raised on the other side of the River Mersey
in the city of Liverpool
where his father was a jeweller. He attended Liverpool College and originally planned a career in the church. During the Second World War
he was called up and joined the RAF Police
but was later invalided from service, whereupon he joined Entertainments National Service Association
(ENSA) and then (on 4 May 1942) the BBC
's Drama and Repertory company in Manchester
.
(ITMA) until the series was cancelled in 1949 upon the death of the main star Tommy Handley
. Guyler claimed that his character 'Frisby Dike' (named after a Liverpool department store bombed in the Blitz) was the first time the real Liverpudlian accent was heard on the radio.
He took part in a Royal Command Performance of ITMA for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
in December 1947.
After ITMA, Guyler carried on working in a variety of roles from light entertainment (BBC Children's Hour
) to classical (acting with John Gielgud
in King Lear
). In the 1950s, he played the time-traveller (also known as "the voice") in the British sci-fi radio series Journey Into Space. Guyler then took on his best known radio 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 'whodunnit' before the final reveal. His success continued into the 1960s and 1970s when he starred in the satirical radio programme about life in the British civil service The Men from the Ministry
with Richard Murdoch
. Guyler played the pompous, self-important Number One in the General Assistance Department, with Murdoch as his diffident but equally incompetent Number Two.
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
. He delivered a news bulletin via a recording which is still being used at the St Martin's Theatre
at present.
His voice (or rather, an imitation of it by Bob Mortimer
) is well known to this day as that of the bulldog Churchill, in the current ITV series of commercials for the eponymous insurance company, immortalizing Guyler's own catchphrase "Oh, yes!"
His popularity is lampooned in an episode of the seminal radio comedy The Burkiss Way
dating from the 1970s. An advertising agency hired to spice up output suggests having a radio comedy without Deryck Guyler in it. This completely baffles the rest of the panel who find it impossible to understand the concept and offer various possibilities such as "you mean it only has Deryck Guyler in it a bit".
He appeared as the Police Inspector in The Beatles
' 1964 film A Hard Day's Night
and as the art professor in the Gerry & The Pacemakers
1965 film Ferry Cross The Mersey
.
's sidekicks in the inventive and surreal BBC show It's a Square World
(1960).
It was when radio comedian and writer Eric Sykes
moved into television that Guyler got major recognition on the small screen. He played the part of Constable Turnbull (alias Corky) in Sykes
, which ran for 20 years from 1960. Later he appeared in numerous television light entertainment shows in which he performed a novelty act playing the washboard
. He was also a regular on the sitcom Please Sir!
, where he played the cantankerous school caretaker Norman Potter. Claiming to be an ex-Desert Rat, Potter would often complain to John Alderton
, who played the part of schoolteacher Mr Hedges, about class 'Five C' and their 'dreadful behaviour'.
His subsequent television appearances include those in Three Live Wires, That's My Boy - the comedy series starring Mollie Sugden
and Christopher Blake
- and Best of Enemies
. He also played a doddery surgeon in the film Carry On Doctor
.
In 1975, he appeared in the ITV children's show The Laughing Policeman, based on the Charles Penrose
song and his PC Corky character from Sykes.
He was the voice over in adverts for Scotch Video tapes, which ran in the mid-1980s in the UK.
In 1990, he played the washboard on three tracks of an album by longtime fan Shakin' Stevens
. Guyler had been a devotee of washboard playing since his schooldays. He also played washboard on an episode of the Morecambe and Wise Show.
In rehearsal he was well-known for his often amusing asides. Once he was narrating a Children's Hour
documentary about life in the coal mines. For this the producer had visited a mine and recorded most-realistic sound effects. As these were banging, crashing and thumping away he was heard to mutter ‘Sounds like a Peter Brook
production’.
, South London
, he retired to Ashgrove
, Brisbane
, Queensland
, Australia
in 1983, where he lived until his death. He married Paddy Lennox from the three-sister music hall act The Lennox Theatre, and they had two sons, Peter and Christopher.
Deryck Guyler was a well known wargamer
, and was 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, he was later made an honorary life president of the society.
His funeral service was held at St. Mark's Catholic Church, Inala, on 13 October 1999 and he was cremated at Mt. Gravatt Cemetery. In 1995, there was a 10-minute tribute to Guyler, made by Danny Baker
and the BBC
, which the family used as a part of the eulogy delivered by his son Chris at his funeral service at St. Mark's. Paddy Guyler died on 6 January 2002. Both are buried at Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens in the Brisbane suburb of Holland Park.
He was also the narrator for the BBC documentary on Fred Dibnah
- Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known for his portrayal of officious, short-tempered middle-aged men in sitcoms such as Please Sir!
Please Sir!
Please Sir! was a London Weekend Television produced situation comedy, created by writers John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featured the actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies...
and Sykes
Sykes
Sykes is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1972 to 1979. Starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, it was written by Eric Sykes, who had previously starred with Jacques in Sykes and A... and Sykes and a Big, Big Show ....
.
Early life
Guyler was born in WallaseyWallasey
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...
on the Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
, and raised on the other side of the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
in the city of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
where his father was a jeweller. He attended Liverpool College and originally planned a career in the church. During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was called up and joined the RAF Police
Royal Air Force Police
The Royal Air Force Police is the Service Police branch of the Royal Air Force. It was formed on 1 April 1918, when the RAF was formed by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service . It is responsible for the policing of all service personnel much like there RN or Army...
but was later invalided from service, whereupon he joined Entertainments National Service Association
Entertainments National Service Association
The Entertainments National Service Association or ENSA was an organisation set up in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes...
(ENSA) and then (on 4 May 1942) 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...
's Drama and Repertory company in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Career
After the war, he became a regular on the immensely popular radio series, It's That Man AgainIt's That Man Again
It's That Man Again was a BBC radio comedy programme which ran from 1939 to 1949. The title was a contemporary phrase referring to ever more frequent news-stories about Hitler in the lead-up to World War II, and specifically a headline in the Daily Express written by Bert Gunn...
(ITMA) until the series was cancelled in 1949 upon the death of the main star Tommy Handley
Tommy Handley
Thomas Reginald "Tommy" Handley was a British comedian, mainly known for the BBC radio programme ITMA . He was born at Toxteth Park, Liverpool in Lancashire....
. Guyler claimed that his character 'Frisby Dike' (named after a Liverpool department store bombed in the Blitz) was the first time the real Liverpudlian accent was heard on the radio.
He took part in a Royal Command Performance of ITMA for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
in December 1947.
After ITMA, Guyler carried on working in a variety of roles from light entertainment (BBC Children's Hour
Children's Hour
Children's Hour—at first: "The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational service for children during the period when radio dominated broadcasting....
) to classical (acting with John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
in King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
). In the 1950s, he played the time-traveller (also known as "the voice") in the British sci-fi radio series Journey Into Space. Guyler then took on his best known radio 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 'whodunnit' before the final reveal. His success continued into the 1960s and 1970s when he starred in the satirical radio programme about life in the British civil service The Men from the Ministry
The Men from the Ministry
The Men from the Ministry was a British radio comedy series broadcast by the BBC between 1962 and 1977, starring Wilfrid Hyde-White, Richard Murdoch and, from 1966, when he replaced Hyde-White, Deryck Guyler...
with Richard Murdoch
Richard Murdoch
Richard Bernard Murdoch was a British comedic radio, film and television performer.Richard Bernard Murdoch attended Charterhouse School. He then appeared in Footlights whilst a student at Pembroke College, Cambridge...
. Guyler played the pompous, self-important Number One in the General Assistance Department, with Murdoch as his diffident but equally incompetent Number Two.
Guyler holds a unique place in theatrical history, having "acted" in every performance of The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The Mousetrap opened in the West End of London in 1952, and has been running continuously since then. It has the longest initial run of any play in history, with over 24,500 performances so far. It is the longest running show of the modern...
since the opening night on 6 October 1952 in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. He delivered a news bulletin via a recording which is still being used at the St Martin's Theatre
St Martin's Theatre
St Martin's Theatre is a West End theatre, located in West Street, near Charing Cross Road, in the London Borough of Camden. It was designed as one of a pair of theatres with the Ambassadors Theatre by W.G.R...
at present.
His voice (or rather, an imitation of it by Bob Mortimer
Bob Mortimer
Robert "Bob" Renwick Mortimer is an English comedian and actor, who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves...
) is well known to this day as that of the bulldog Churchill, in the current ITV series of commercials for the eponymous insurance company, immortalizing Guyler's own catchphrase "Oh, yes!"
His popularity is lampooned in an episode of the seminal radio comedy The Burkiss Way
The Burkiss Way
The Burkiss Way was a BBC Radio 4 sketch comedy series broadcast from August 1976 to November 1980. It was written by Andrew Marshall and David Renwick, with additional material in early episodes by John Mason, Colin Bostock-Smith, Douglas Adams, John Lloyd and others. The show starred Denise...
dating from the 1970s. An advertising agency hired to spice up output suggests having a radio comedy without Deryck Guyler in it. This completely baffles the rest of the panel who find it impossible to understand the concept and offer various possibilities such as "you mean it only has Deryck Guyler in it a bit".
He appeared as the Police Inspector in The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' 1964 film A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night (film)
A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black-and-white comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was written by Alun Owen and originally released by United Artists...
and as the art professor in the Gerry & The Pacemakers
Gerry & the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with...
1965 film Ferry Cross The Mersey
Ferry Cross the Mersey (film)
Ferry Cross the Mersey is a 1965 musical film featuring Gerry and the Pacemakers.The film, directed by Jeremy Summers, is one of the more uncommon artifacts of the Mersey scene, shown very rarely on television and never issued on video...
.
Television
His first television success came as one of Michael BentineMichael Bentine
Michael Bentine CBE was a British comedian, comic actor and founding member of the Goons. A Peruvian Briton by heritage as a result of his father's nationality, In 1971 Bentine received the Order of Merit of Peru because of his fund-raising work for the 1970 Great Peruvian...
's sidekicks in the inventive and surreal BBC show It's a Square World
It's a Square World
It's a Square World was a groundbreaking British comedy show starring Michael Bentine and was produced by the BBC. It ran from 1960 till 1964. The series led Bentine to a BAFTA award in 1962 for Light Entertainment and a compilation show, screened by the BBC in 1963, won that year's Press Prize at...
(1960).
It was when radio comedian and writer Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes, CBE is an English radio, television and film writer, actor and director whose performing career has spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and/or performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Peter...
moved into television that Guyler got major recognition on the small screen. He played the part of Constable Turnbull (alias Corky) in Sykes
Sykes
Sykes is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1972 to 1979. Starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, it was written by Eric Sykes, who had previously starred with Jacques in Sykes and A... and Sykes and a Big, Big Show ....
, which ran for 20 years from 1960. Later he appeared in numerous television light entertainment shows in which he performed a novelty act playing the washboard
Washboard
A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its originally subsidiary use as a musical instrument....
. He was also a regular on the sitcom Please Sir!
Please Sir!
Please Sir! was a London Weekend Television produced situation comedy, created by writers John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featured the actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies...
, where he played the cantankerous school caretaker Norman Potter. Claiming to be an ex-Desert Rat, Potter would often complain to John Alderton
John Alderton
John Alderton is an English actor who is best known for his roles in Upstairs, Downstairs, Thomas & Sarah and Please Sir!. Alderton has often starred alongside his wife, Pauline Collins.-Early life:...
, who played the part of schoolteacher Mr Hedges, about class 'Five C' and their 'dreadful behaviour'.
His subsequent television appearances include those in Three Live Wires, That's My Boy - the comedy series starring Mollie Sugden
Mollie Sugden
Isobel Mary 'Mollie' Sugden was an English comedy actress best known for portraying the saleswoman Mrs. Slocombe in the British sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1985. She later reprised this role in Grace & Favour, which ran from 1992 to 1993...
and Christopher Blake
Christopher Blake
Christopher Blake was an English actor and screenwriter who is best remembered for starring in the British sitcom That's My Boy alongside Mollie Sugden.- Early life:...
- and Best of Enemies
Best of Enemies
Best of Enemies is a Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Supermystery novel.After the deconstruction of the Berlin Wall, an undercover agent working for the highest levels of the United States government system, the "Swallow", is turned into a target for terror, after landing on U.S soil...
. He also played a doddery surgeon in the film Carry On Doctor
Carry On Doctor
Carry On Doctor is the fifteenth film in the Carry On series. It is the second in the series to have a medical theme. Frankie Howerd makes the first of his two appearances in the film series. He stars alongside regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Bernard Bresslaw...
.
In 1975, he appeared in the ITV children's show The Laughing Policeman, based on the Charles Penrose
Charles Penrose
Charles Penrose was an English music hall and theatre performer, and later radio comedian, who is best known for his unusual comic song "The Laughing Policeman"...
song and his PC Corky character from Sykes.
He was the voice over in adverts for Scotch Video tapes, which ran in the mid-1980s in the UK.
In 1990, he played the washboard on three tracks of an album by longtime fan Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens
Shakin' Stevens, also known as "Shaky" is a platinum selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter who holds the distinction of being the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s . His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, although it was not until 1980 that he saw...
. Guyler had been a devotee of washboard playing since his schooldays. He also played washboard on an episode of the Morecambe and Wise Show.
In rehearsal he was well-known for his often amusing asides. Once he was narrating a Children's Hour
Children's Hour
Children's Hour—at first: "The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational service for children during the period when radio dominated broadcasting....
documentary about life in the coal mines. For this the producer had visited a mine and recorded most-realistic sound effects. As these were banging, crashing and thumping away he was heard to mutter ‘Sounds like a Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
production’.
Selected filmography
- The Fast LadyThe Fast LadyThe Fast Lady is a 1962 British comedy film, directed by Ken Annakin. The screenplay was written by Henry Blyth and Jack Davies, based on a story by Keble Howard.It marked the film debut of Julie Christie.-Plot:...
(1962) - Nurse on WheelsNurse on WheelsNurse on Wheels is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Gerald Thomas, and starring Juliet Mills, Ronald Lewis, and Joan Sims.Nurse on Wheels shares its cast and production team with the Carry On films, but the film is not an official member of the Carry On series.-Cast:* Juliet Mills as Joanna...
(1963) - SmokescreenSmokescreen (film)Smokescreen is a 1964 British crime thriller, written and directed by Jim O'Connolly, and starring Peter Vaughan.-Cast:* Peter Vaughan as Roper* John Carson as Trevor Bayliss* Yvonne Romain as Janet Dexter* Gerald Flood as Graham Turner...
(1964) - A Hard Day's NightA Hard Day's Night (film)A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black-and-white comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was written by Alun Owen and originally released by United Artists...
(1964) - Ferry Cross the MerseyFerry Cross the Mersey (film)Ferry Cross the Mersey is a 1965 musical film featuring Gerry and the Pacemakers.The film, directed by Jeremy Summers, is one of the more uncommon artifacts of the Mersey scene, shown very rarely on television and never issued on video...
(1965) - The Big JobThe Big Job (film)The Big Job is a British comedy film that was first released in 1965. It stars Sid James, Dick Emery, Joan Sims, Sylvia Syms, Jim Dale and Lance Percival....
(1965) - Carry On DoctorCarry On DoctorCarry On Doctor is the fifteenth film in the Carry On series. It is the second in the series to have a medical theme. Frankie Howerd makes the first of his two appearances in the film series. He stars alongside regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Bernard Bresslaw...
(1967) - Please Sir!Please Sir! (film)Please Sir! is a 1971 British comedy film starring John Alderton, spun off from the television series Please Sir!.-Cast:* John Alderton as Bernard Hedges* Deryck Guyler as Norman Potter* Noel Howlett as Maurice Cromwell...
(1971) - No Sex Please, We're BritishNo Sex Please, We're British (film)No Sex Please, We're British is a 1973 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring Ronnie Corbett, Ian Ogilvy, Susan Penhaligon and Arthur Lowe...
(1973) - Barry McKenzie Holds His OwnBarry McKenzie Holds His OwnBarry McKenzie Holds His Own is the 1974 sequel to the 1972 Australian comedy film The Adventures of Barry McKenzie.Returning from the original film is Barry Crocker in the title role, as well as Barry Humphries in the role of Barry's aunt, Dame Edna. Also returning in the director's chair is Bruce...
(1974) - One of Our Dinosaurs Is MissingOne of Our Dinosaurs is MissingOne of Our Dinosaurs is Missing is a 1975 British comedy film, which is set in the early 1920s, about the theft of a dinosaur skeleton from the Natural History Museum. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company. The title is a parody of the...
(1975)
Personal life
A long term resident of NorburyNorbury
Norbury is a town in the London Borough of Croydon, also crossing the London Borough of Merton. It shares the postcode London SW16 with nearby Streatham. Norbury is south of Charing Cross.-History:...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, he retired to Ashgrove
Ashgrove, Queensland
Ashgrove is an inner suburb of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, located approximately 4 km north-west of the Brisbane CBD. Ashgrove is a leafy residential suburb, characterised by its hilly terrain and characteristic Ashgrovian houses built in the early 20th century...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1983, where he lived until his death. He married Paddy Lennox from the three-sister music hall act The Lennox Theatre, and they had two sons, Peter and Christopher.
Deryck Guyler was a well known wargamer
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
, and was a founding member of the Society of Ancients
Society of Ancients
The Society of Ancients is an international, non-profit organization based in the UK that aims to promote interest in Ancient & Medieval history and wargaming, covering the periods from 3000BC to 1500AD.-The Society:...
, 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, he was later made an honorary life president of the society.
His funeral service was held at St. Mark's Catholic Church, Inala, on 13 October 1999 and he was cremated at Mt. Gravatt Cemetery. In 1995, there was a 10-minute tribute to Guyler, made by Danny Baker
Danny Baker
Danny Baker is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Since the late 1970s, he has worked for a wide range of publications and broadcasters including NME, LWT, the BBC, and Talk Radio....
and 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...
, which the family used as a part of the eulogy delivered by his son Chris at his funeral service at St. Mark's. Paddy Guyler died on 6 January 2002. Both are buried at Mount Thompson Memorial Gardens in the Brisbane suburb of Holland Park.
He was also the narrator for the BBC documentary on Fred Dibnah
Fred Dibnah
Frederick "Fred" Dibnah MBE , born in Bolton, was an English steeplejack and eccentric with a keen interest in mechanical engineering who became a cult television personality....
- Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack.
External links
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/sunday/Radio Roots: Deryck Guyler Russell DaviesRussell DaviesRobert Russell Davies , known as Russell Davies, is a British journalist and broadcaster. He presents a Sunday radio programme on BBC Radio 2 which spotlights popular song, as well as Brain of Britain on Radio 4.-Background:...
]' programme about Guyler's career, on BBC7 'Listen again' - streaming audio