Arthur Askey (June 6, 1900 - November 16, 1982) was a prominent British comedian.
Askey was born in Liverpool. His career began in the music halls, but he rose to stardom in 1938 through his role in the first radio sitcom, Band Waggon , prior to which radio comedy had consisted of broadcast standup routines. It had begun as a variety show, but had been unsuccessful until Askey and his partner, Richard Murdoch, took on a larger role in the writing. Askey's humour owed much to the playfulness of the characters he portrayed and his use of catchphrases, as parodied by the Arthur Atkinson character in The Fast Show.
During World War II, Askey starred in several comedy films, notably The Ghost Train (1941). When television arrived, he made the transition well. He also made many stage appearances as a pantomime dame. His last film was the British softcore porn film Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse (1978), starting Debbie Ash . Soon afterwards, he was forced to give up performing, and had both legs amputated due to circulatory problems before his death.
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