Roy Hudd was an English comedian, actor, author, and celebrated authority on the history of music hall entertainment born on 16 May 1936 in Croydon. He began his career as a window dresser and commercial artist before making his professional comedic debut at the Streatham Hill Theatre on 27 October 1957. Early in his career, Hudd performed with Eddie Kay as the comedy duo “the peculiar pair” and worked as a Redcoat at Butlin's Clacton alongside Cliff Richard. He achieved national prominence in radio with the satirical series The News Huddlines, which ran from 1975 to 2001. A prolific actor, Hudd appeared in television series such as Lipstick on Your Collar and Coronation Street. He was the longstanding president of the British Music Hall Society and released the CD Mirth, Magic and Melodrama, featuring classic monologues. Hudd was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2004 and published his autobiography, A Fart in a Colander, in 2009. Hudd died in Ipswich on 15 March 2020.
