Frederick Robert Yule (7 October 1893 – 11 December 1982)[1] was an English character actor, comedian and singer, mainly known for his appearances in post-war BBC Radio programmes such as ITMA, Ray's a Laugh, Band Waggon (1947 era) and The Archers.
Born in Norfolk, Yule began his stage career as a singer in pantomime, West End musicals and music hall. He first broadcast in 1925, as the vocalist with Herman Darewski's orchestra. After that, he became a prolific broadcaster with a wide range, including variety, drama, features, talks, and programmes for young listeners. His voice was well known to a generation of radio listeners as the one that stopped "the mighty roar of London's traffic" at the start of each episode of In Town Tonight.[2]
Yule also provided more than one voice in a radio adaptation of Three Men in a Boat by Hubert Gregg. This was repeated, after many years in the archives, on BBC Radio 4 Extra. Yule's sole film appearance was in The Charcoal-Burner's Son (1939).[3]
He was married to the music hall actress Doreen Monte. Yule died in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, on 11 December 1982, aged 89.