Tim Brooke-Taylor

Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor (17 July 194012 April 2020) daughter of Francis Pawson, a parson who played centre forward for the English football team in the 1880s. He was expelled from primary school at the early age of five and a half. Brooke-Taylor was then schooled at Thorn Leigh Pre-Preparatory School, Holm Leigh Preparatory School (where he won a cup for his prowess as a bowler in the school cricket team) and Winchester College which he left with seven O-levels and two A-levels in English and history.

After teaching for a year at Lockers Park School, a preparatory school in Hemel Hempstead and a term back at Holm Leigh School as a teacher, he studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge. There he read economics and politics before changing to read law and mixed with other budding comedians, including John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden and Jonathan Lynn in the Cambridge University Footlights Club (of which Brooke-Taylor became president in 1963).

The Footlights Club revue, A Clump of Plinths, was so successful during its Edinburgh Festival Fringe run that the show was renamed as Cambridge Circus and transferred to the West End in London before being taken to both New Zealand and Broadway in the United States in September 1964. taking over the slot recently vacated by Peter Cook in his guise as E. L. Wisty. Brooke-Taylor played a reactionary City gent who believed he was the soul of tolerance.

In 1967, Brooke-Taylor became a writer/performer on the television comedy series At Last the 1948 Show, with John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman. The sketch appears on the DVD of At Last the 1948 Show. Footage of Brooke-Taylor and Cleese from At Last the 1948 Show was shown on the documentary special Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut). The sketch has since become known for its satirical depiction of Britain's class system and North-South divide.

Brooke-Taylor also took part in David Frost's pilot programme How to Irritate People in 1968, designed to sell what would later be recognised as the Monty Python style of comedy to the American market. Many of the sketches were later revived in the Monty Python TV series, such as the job interview sketch in which Brooke-Taylor played a nervous interviewee tormented by interviewer John Cleese. The programme was also the first collaboration between Cleese and Michael Palin. One of the sketches referred to Cleese's character dating a promiscuous woman named "Christine Wheadon", which was the name of Brooke-Taylor's wife.

Also in 1968, Brooke-Taylor made an unexpected and uninvited guest appearance in an episode of Do Not Adjust Your Set, filling in for Michael Palin who was ill that week. The episode he was in still survives and has been included in DVD compilation sets.

In 1968–69, Brooke-Taylor was also a cast member and writer on the television comedy series Marty starring Marty Feldman, with John Junkin and Roland MacLeod.

At around the same time, Brooke-Taylor made two series of Broaden Your Mind with Garden (and Oddie joining for the second series). Brooke-Taylor also appeared regularly in advertisements, including the Christmas commercials for the Brentford Nylons chain of fabric stores and in a public information film for the now-defunct E111 form, since replaced by the European Health Insurance Card.

In 1971, he played the short, uncredited role of a computer scientist in the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory; his scene was the final one filmed for the movie. After The Goodies on UK television, Brooke-Taylor also worked again with Garden and Oddie on the television animated comedy series Bananaman, in which Brooke-Taylor was the narrator, as well as voicing the characters of King Zorg of the Nurks, Eddie the Gent, Auntie and Appleman. He also lent his voice to the children's TV series Gideon.

Brooke-Taylor appeared in Amnesty International shows: in A Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick) he, Oddie and Garden, sang their hit song "Funky Gibbon", whilst in The Secret Policeman's Other Ball he took part in the sketches "Top of the Form" (with Cleese, Chapman, John Bird, John Fortune, Rowan Atkinson and Griff Rhys Jones), and "Cha Cha Cha" (with Cleese and Chapman). Brooke-Taylor, Garden and Oddie also appeared on Top of the Pops to perform "Funky Gibbon". On 18 February 1981, Brooke-Taylor, was the subject of Thames Television's This Is Your Life.

In the early 1980s Brooke-Taylor appeared in a number of skits on The Paul Hogan Show in Australia.

In 1997, he appeared in a special episode of One Foot in the Grave.

In 1998, Brooke-Taylor appeared as a guest in one episode of the political satire game show If I Ruled the World.

In 2004, Brooke-Taylor and Garden were co-presenters of Channel 4's daytime game show, Beat the Nation, in which they indulged in typical game show "banter", but took the quiz itself seriously. He appeared on stage in Australia and England, usually as a middle class Englishman, e.g. starring as Donald in a 1991 revival of Christopher Hampton's play The Philanthropist. The production, starring Edward Fox, played at Wyndham's Theatre in London from 15th May to 5th October 1991, following a regional tour. In the early 1980s, he branched out into pantomime as the Dame in Dick Whittington. He was also the author (and co-author) of several humorous books, based mainly on his radio and television work, and the sports of golf and cricket. His interest in golf came to the fore when he took part in the Pro-Celebrity Golf television series (opposite Bruce Forsyth), and appeared in the premiere episode of the BBC's golf-based game show Full Swing.

In 2008, Brooke-Taylor was heard in the Doctor Who audio story The Zygon Who Fell To Earth, made by Big Finish Productions. Paul McGann played the Eighth Doctor and Brooke-Taylor played the part of Mims, a Zygon taking the shape of a human.

Brooke-Taylor made his final public appearance when he attended the Bristol slapstick festival in January 2020, 3 months before his death.

Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews Brooke-Taylor was elected Lord Rector by the students of the University of St Andrews and held office between 1979 and 1982. In this role he represented the students, chaired the University Court and presided over the General Council in the absence of the Chancellor. At his installation he arrived by helicopter, rode a motorbike and was hauled in an open carriage as part of The Drag. Brooke-Taylor is remembered as an effective Rector who visited the town frequently, took the role seriously, wore a Saltire waistcoat while there and is said to have remarked that St Andrews was "the happiest university" he had been to.

Personal life and death Brooke-Taylor married Christine Wheadon in 1968 and they had two sons. He lived in Cookham Dean, Berkshire and was involved in local events. A keen golfer, he was a member of Temple Golf Club. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to light entertainment.

Brooke-Taylor died of complications from COVID-19 on 12 April 2020, aged 79, in Cookham, Berkshire. In tribute to Brooke-Taylor, the flag of his alma mater, Pembroke College, Cambridge, was lowered to half-mast the following day.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1968 One Man Band Reporter / Young Aristocrat Uncompleted / Unreleased 1969 The Thirteen Chairs Jackie1971 The Statue Hillcrest Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Computer Scientist Uncredited 1976 Pleasure at Her Majesty's Tim (with The Goodies) 1981 The Secret Policeman's Other Ball Various 1988 Under the Bed Bin Man 1989 Asterix and the Big Fight Cacofonix Voice, English version / Final film role

Television Year Title Himself Presenter 1992 The Upper Hand Trevor Episode: Blind Date 1996 Dennis the Menace Barney Voice, Episode: Unidentified Funny Object 1997 One Foot in the Grave Derek McVitie Episode: "Endgame" 1999 2002 TLC Hospital Chaplain 2004 Beat the Nation Quiz Co-Host Co-Host with Graeme Garden 2005 Absolute Power Peter Harrow 2005–2009 Heartbeat Ronnie Smethers Guest Role 2008 Agatha Christie's Marple Dr Edward Humbleby Episode: Murder is Easy 2009 Horne & Corden Vicar 2010–2011 Little Howard's Big Question Various Characters 2013 Animal Antics Co-Host 2015 Doctors Graham Parsons Episode: About Time

Radio Year Show or film Role Notes 1964–1973 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again Various Characters Wrote for the series 1973–1979 Hello Cheeky (radio show) Himself Wrote for the series 1972–2020 I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue Himself Panel show