Kenneth Horne - Definition and Overview

Kenneth Horne (February 27 1907 - February 14 1969) was a British comedian and businessman. He starred in the BBC radio programmes Much Binding in the Marsh, (with Richard Murdoch), Beyond Our Ken and Round the Horne - in the latter he was given a number of strange names. As well as being an excellent comedian he was also chairman of Triplex Glass and Chad Valley Toys, until he gave up business due to a stroke and concentrated on his comedy. He was particularly close to Kenneth Williams, who looked on him as a substitute father. He also did some TV advertising and he was in the series Horne A'plenty.

He died whilst standing up to make a speech, just after the fourth series of Round the Horne was completed. A fifth series had been commissioned, but it was decided that the show could not continue without its star.

Since December 2002, editions of Round the Horne may be heard at 19:30 UK time (= GMT during the winter months) each Wednesday on the digital service called BBC 7.

Radio

• Ack Ack, Beer Beer (1939-44)
• Much Binding In The Marsh (1947-53)
• Free and Easy (1953)
• Twenty Questions (as chairman)
• Beyond Our Ken (1958-64)
• Round The Horne (1965-9)

TV

• Horne A'Plenty (1968)

External links

• Short biography (http://www.radioacademy.org/halloffame/horne_k)
• BBC 7 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7)
• Kenneth Horne (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1453334/) at the Internet Movie Database

References

• Norman Hackforth, Solo for Horne. A biography of Kenneth Horne (Angus & Robertson hardback, ISBN 0207956502; Coronet Books paperback, ISBN 0340242744)