Terry Scott Explained

Terry Scott
Occupation:Actor, comedian
Birth Name:Owen John Scott
Birth Date:4 May 1927
Birth Place:Watford, Hertfordshire, England
Death Place:Witley, Surrey, England
Spouse:
    Children:5

    Terry Scott, born Owen John Scott, (4 May 1927 – 26 July 1994) was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven of the Carry On films.[1] He is also best known for appearing in the BBC1 sitcom Terry and June with June Whitfield.

    Early life

    Scott was born and brought up in Watford, Hertfordshire, and educated at Watford Field Junior School and Watford Grammar School for Boys. He was the youngest of three children, and the only surviving son after his brother Aubrey died when Scott was six.[2] After National Service in the Navy at the end of the Second World War, he briefly studied accounting.

    Career

    Scott began his acting career with appearances on radio shows such as Workers Playtime, which were followed by appearances on television. He gained an opportunity to perform in farce when he joined the Whitehall Theatre Company. With Bill Maynard he appeared at Butlin's Holiday Camp in Skegness, Lincolnshire and partnered him in the TV series Great Scott - It's Maynard!.[3] During the 1960s he appeared alongside Hugh Lloyd in Hugh and I (1962–1967).[4] They both appeared as Ugly Sisters in pantomime at The London Palladium; Scott reappeared in later years in the same role alongside Julian Orchard. Scott and Lloyd later appeared in Hugh and I Spy (1968) and, as gnomes, in the sitcom The Gnomes of Dulwich (1969).

    Scott's novelty record "My Brother" (written by Mitch Murray, and released in 1962 on Parlophone) was based on a schoolboy character (he dressed in school uniform to sing it on TV). In the 1970s he had a role in TV commercials for Curly Wurly caramel bars, in which he again appeared dressed as a schoolboy, with short trousers and cap. He repeated this performance several times on BBC TV's long-running variety show The Good Old Days. Scott had played a small role in the very first of the Carry On films series of films, Carry On Sergeant in 1958. In 1968 he returned to the series with a role in Carry On Up the Khyber (1968), playing main roles in six of the later films.

    He starred alongside June Whitfield in several series of the comedy Happy Ever After and its successor Terry and June.[5] They had first worked together making a series of the sketch show Scott On (1968).[2] They also featured in supporting roles together in the film version of Bless This House. Although both Scott and Whitfield both made several Carry On appearances, they never appeared in the same film. From 1981 to 1992, Scott was the voice of Penfold the hamster in the animated series Danger Mouse.

    Personal life and death

    He suffered from ill health for several years in the latter part of his life. In 1979, he had a life-saving operation after a brain haemorrhage.[6] He also suffered from creeping paralysis and had to wear a neck brace.

    Scott was also diagnosed with cancer in 1987. He died from its effects at his family home in Witley, Surrey, on 26 July 1994, at the age of 67.[7] He said of his last illness: "I know it would be better to give up the booze, fags and birds, but life would be so boring, wouldn't it?"[8]

    When Terry and June ended in 1987, he suffered a nervous breakdown. The breakdown was in part brought on by his public confession that he had indulged in a series of affairs since his marriage to dancer Margaret Peden in 1957. The couple had four daughters.[2]

    Filmography

    Title Year Role Notes
    Blue Murder at St Trinian's 1957 Police Sergeant
    Carry On Sergeant 1958 Sergeant O'Brian
    Too Many Crooks 1959 Fire Policeman James Smith
    The Bridal Path 1959 Police Constable Donald
    I'm All Right Jack 1959 Crawley
    And the Same to You 1960 Police Constable
    The Night We Got the Bird 1961 P. C. Lovejoy
    Nearly a Nasty Accident 1961 Sam Stokes
    Double Bunk 1961 2nd River Policeman
    Mary Had a Little... 1961 Police Sergeant
    No My Darling Daughter 1961 Constable
    Nothing Barred 1961 P. C. Budgie
    What a Whopper 1961 Sergeant
    A Pair of Briefs 1962 Policeman at Law Courts
    Father Came Too! 1964 Executioner
    Murder Most Foul 1964 Police Constable Wells
    Gonks Go Beat 1965 PM
    Doctor in Clover 1966 Robert
    The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery 1966 Policeman
    Carry On Up the Khyber 1968 Sergeant Major MacNutt
    Carry On Camping 1969 Peter Potter
    Carry On Up the Jungle 1970 Cecil The Jungle Boy
    Carry On Loving 1970 Terence Philpott
    Carry On Henry 1971
    Carry On at Your Convenience 1971 Mr Allcock (scenes deleted)
    Carry On Matron 1972 Dr Prodd
    Bless This House 1972 Ronald Baines

    Discography

    Notes and References

    1. Book: Stevens, Christopher . Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams . John Murray . 2010 . 240 . 978-1-84854-195-5.
    2. The Unforgettable, ITV1, 22 September 2010
    3. Web site: BFI Screenonline: Scott, Terry (1927–1994) Biography.
    4. News: Much-loved comedy actor, he went on to more serious roles . Lloyd. Hugh. The Guardian. 16 July 2008. 30 December 2018.
    5. News: June Whitfield Interview. The Guardian. 11 December 2011. 30 December 2018.
    6. Web site: Terry Scott, epitome of the English sit-com, dies aged 67. HeraldScotland. en. 2018-01-09.
    7. Web site: Obituary: Terry Scott. Independent.co.uk. 24 October 2018. 27 July 1994.
    8. News: Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Williams, and the cast of Carry On: what happened next?. 6 May 2017. The Telegraph.
    9. Web site: Terry Scott - My Brother/Don't Light The Fire 'Til After Santa's Gone (R 4967) Ex. Windmill-records.co.uk. 26 August 2023.