Deryck Guyler

Deryck Bower Guyler (29 April 1914 – 7 October 1999) was an English actor, best remembered for appearances in sitcoms such as Please Sir! and Sykes.

Early life Guyler was born in Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, the son of Samuel Phipps Guyler, a jeweller, and Elsie Evelyn, née Bower. In his childhood, a next-door neighbour was Irené Eastwood, who would also go on to have a career in show business when she changed her name to Anne Ziegler – the 1921 census shows the Eastwood family at 111 Hartington Rd, Liverpool and the Guylers at 113. He attended Liverpool College and originally planned a career in the Church of England, having studied theology for a year. Guyler claimed that his character 'Frisby Dike' (named after a Liverpool department store bombed in the Blitz) was the first time the real Liverpudlian accent was heard on the radio. He took part in a Royal Command Performance of ITMA for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in December 1947. Guyler remained with the show until Handley died in 1949 when the series ended.

After ITMA, Guyler worked in roles from the BBC's Children's Hour to classical parts, including with John Gielgud in King Lear. He was known for his often amusing asides in rehearsals. For a Children's Hour documentary about life in the coal mines, which Guyler was narrating, the producer had visited a mine and recorded most-realistic sound effects. As these were banging, crashing and thumping sounds he was heard to mutter: "Sounds like a Peter Brook production".

In the 1950s, he played the time-traveller (also known as "the voice") in the British sci-fi radio series Journey into Space. In the same period, he was on the radio series Just Fancy for 9 years which starred Eric Barker. He was in the series for 11 years. He was the narrator of the 1979 BBC documentary about Fred Dibnah – Fred Dibnah, Steeplejack.

Guyler had been a devotee of washboard playing since his school days and appeared in many television light entertainment shows performing his washboard novelty act. On the BBC 'Children in Need' show on 26 November 1982, Guyler on washboard accompanied astronomer Patrick Moore on xylophone. He also played washboard on an episode of The Morecambe and Wise Show. In 1990, he played the washboard on three tracks of an album by long-time fan Shakin' Stevens.

Personal life In 1941, Guyler married Margaret Mary McConnell In addition, he was a well known wargamer, and a founding member of the Society of Ancients, a group of wargamers specialising in the classical era. Very active in the society in its early years, being elected its first president in 1966, Guyler was later made an honorary life president of the society.

He died on 7 October 1999 and his funeral service was held at St Mark's Catholic Church, Inala, Queensland, on 13 October.

Filmography