Nicholas Parsons, long time presenter of the British radio comedy panel show
Just a Minute and the British version of the game show
Sale of the Century, as well as appearances in movies and narrative television shows, died on January 28 2020.
Nicholas Parsons was born on October 10 1923 in Grantham, Lincolnshire. He attended St. Paul's School in London. Although he wanted to become an actor from when he was young, his family wanted him to go into engineering. It was after he left school, then, that he spent five years as an engineering apprentice at Drysdales, a manufacturer of marine pumps, in Clydebank, a town near Glasgow, Scotland. During World War II he had been offered a position in the Merchant Navy, but he had to decline after falling ill with pleurisy.
It was while he was still working as an engineering apprentice that he was discovered by talent scout and radio personality Carroll Levis. Following World War II, Mr. Parsons became a full time actor. His stage debut was in
The Hasty Heart at the Aldwych Theatre on the West End in 1945. He made his television debut in 1946 in the production
Hay Fever. He made his feature film debut in
The Master of Bankdam in 1947. On stage he spent two years in repertory at Bromley. On television he the television short "The Princess and the Woodcutter" and guest starred on
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre.
In the Fifties Nicholas Parsons was a regular on the television shows
The Eric Barker Half-Hour,
Look at It This Way,
Here and Now, and the children's puppet show
Four Feather Falls. He was a host on the shows
What's It All About?,
They're Off!, and
Dial M for Music. Mr. Parsons was a regular on
The Arthur Haynes Show. He guest starred on
The Passing Show,
The Adventures of Robin Hood,
The Adventures of the Big Man,
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents,
Saturday Playhouse, and
Saturday Spectacular. He appeared in the feature films
To Dorothy, a Son (1954),
Simon and Laura (1955),
An Alligator Named Daisy (1955),
The Long Arm (1956),
Eyewitness (1956),
Brothers in Law (1957),
Happy is a Bride (1958),
Too Many Crooks (1959),
Carlton-Browne of the F.O. (1959),
Upstairs and Downstairs (1959),
Let's Get Married (1959), and
Doctor in Love (1960).
In 1967 Nicholas Parsons began hosting the comedy panel radio show
Just a Minute. He would continue to do so until 2019. Nicholas Parsons appeared on every single show, either as the host or a panellist without interruption until 2018, when he missed two shows because of illness. He would later host a television version of
Just a Minute starting in 1994. In the Sixties Mr. Parsons was also the host of the television show
Know Your Onions. Beginning in 1969 and until 1974 he was the announcer and a regular on
The Benny Hill Show. He continued to appear on
The Arthur Haynes Show. He appeared in the mini-series
Night Train to Surbiton. He was a regular on
The Very Merry Widow and How and the American sitcom
The Ugliest Girl in Town. He guest starred on
Vacation Playhouse. He appeared in the movies
Carry On Regardless (1961),
Murder Ahoy (1964),
Every Day's a Holiday (1964),
The Wrong Box (1966),
The Ghost Goes Gear (1966), and
Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1968).
Starting in 1971 Nicholas Parsons began hosting the British version of the American game show
Sale of the Century, something he would continue to do until 1983. He continued to appear on
The Benny Hill Show until 1974. He was a guest on such shows as
Password,
The Golden Shot,
This is Your Life,
Those Wonderful TV Times, and
Star Games,
3-2-1. He guest starred on
Comedy Playhouse and
The Morecambe & Wise Show. He appeared in the films
Danger Point (1971) and
Spy Story (1976).
In the Eighties Nicholas Parsons hosted
Super Troupers and
Blankety Blank. He was a guest on such shows as
Look Who's Talking,
Family Fortunes,
The Russell Harty Show,
Punchlines!,
Looks Familiar, A
Question of Entertainment,
Scruples,
You Bet!,
Roland's Rat Race,
The Joke Machine, and
Laughlines. He guest starred on
The Little and Large Show,
Who Dares Wins,
Roland Rat: The Series, and
Doctor Who.
In the Nineties Mr. Parsons was the presenter on TV shows
Kappatoo and
Cluedo. Starting in 1994 and until 1999 he was the host of the television version of
Just a Minute. He also appeared on such shows as
A Bit of Fry and Laurie,
Spatz,
TV Squash,
Public Enemy Number One,
The Music Game,
Auntie's Bloomers, The Clothes Show,
Surprise Surprise!,
Cryer's Crackers, Countdown,
Give Us a Clue, Our House, and
The Weakest Link.
In the Naughts Nicholas Parsons appeared in the film
Lady Godiva (2008). He narrated the TV show
The Wotwots. He guest starred on
Agatha Christie's Marple. He was the host of
Loose Women. He was a guest on such TV shows as
A Question of TV,
Kelly,
Through the Keyhole,
Never Mind the Buzzcocks,
Arena,
Breakfast with Frost,
Gameshow Marathon,
Screenswipe,
Timeshift, and
The Funny Side of...
In the Teens Mr. Parsons guest starred on
Comedy Lab. He was the voice of Dagon on the mini-series
Good Omens. He was a guest on
The Alan Titchmarsh Show,
Pointless Celebrities,
The Ronnie Barker Comedy Lecture, and
Rebirth of a British Icon V7497.
Nicholas Parsons's last edition of
Just a Minute was on September 23 2019. He had been the show's host for fifty-two years.
In the United Kingdom there can be no doubt that Nicholas Parsons will always be remembered as the host of
Just a Minute and
Sale of the Century. Tony Hall, the outgoing director of the BBC said of Mr. Parsons, "Very few people have done so much to entertain audiences over the
decades, and no one deserves to be called a broadcasting legend more
than Nicholas Parsons. His charm, inventive intellect and ability to
create laughs were unsurpassed..." On Twitter Stephen Fry tweeted, "He ruled Just A Minute for Just a Lifetime. A stunning achievement: never scripted, always immaculate. From comedian's sidekick to great institution, via
Sale of the Century and much more. Unrivalled continuity, professionalism and commitment." It seems likely that Nicholas Parsons's run on
Just a Minute will never be surpassed.
While
Just a Minute and the British version of
Sale of the Century were unavailable in the United States, Americans would be familiar with Nicholas Parsons through his film and television appearances. He was a wonderful actor, his years as a straight man giving him a knack in particular for comedy. He was delightful as Army officer Alan Frazer Scrope in
The Wrong Box, and he gave a moving performance as the vicar Reverend Wainwright in the
Doctor Who serial "The Curse of Fenric." Even when a particular movie wasn't very good, as in the case of
The Ghost Goes Gear, Nicholas Parsons always was. In the end Nicholas Parsons was an extraordinarily talented man, as a straight man, an actor, and a game show host.
