Duggie Brown

Duggie Brown (born Barry Dudley 7 August 1940 in Rotherham, West Riding of Yorkshire^[2]) is an English comedian and actor. He is the brother of actress and singer Lynne Perrie.^[3]

Stage work

Brown started his career as a successful cabaret artist, performing his now legendary comedy act in clubs all over the UK.

He went on to have long success as one of the acts on Granada Television's popular series The Comedians (and his notable "who is it?" parrot and plumber sketch). He made regular appearances on the show from 1971 to 1993.^[4] In 1977 he appeared on BBC Radio as Mr. Fewster in an episode of Hinge and Bracket.

In 2012, The Comedians TV series celebrated 40 years with the release of a DVD The Original Comedians LIVE - 40th Anniversary Show, recorded live during a summer gig in 2011 held at the Blackpool Grand theatre. The DVD featured the new performances from Duggie, along with Stan Boardman, Roy Walker and Mick Miller.^[5]

Brown performed his comedy on various other entertainment shows, including The Good Old Days, where he made appearances spanning 1971-1980.

Brown has acted on stage in several productions. In 1999, he played "The Fool" in Shakespeare's "King Lear" for the Northern Broadsides Theatre Company nationwide tour. In 2013, he toured the country as Mr. Boo in Little Voice, the show received rave reviews.^[6]

Television and film work

Since the early 1970s, Brown has had a successful acting career in television and film, one of his early roles being in the Ken Loach's film Kes (1969), based on a novel by Barry Hines, in which he played a milkman, his sister Lynne Perrie also starred as the lead character's mother.

He appeared in Jack Rosenthal's Another Sunday and Sweet F.A. (1972),^[7] which was part of Granada Television's Sunday Night Theatre series. He also appeared in the film For the Love of Ada (also 1972), the big screen spin-off of the television series of the same name. He worked alongside his sister (Perrie) again, in Colin Welland's factory drama Leeds United (1974) in the BBC's Play For Today series.^[8] Brown appeared in another Play For Today]], The Price of Coal, again directed by Ken Loach, and based on the book by Barry Hines.^[9]

Brown starred in the short-lived Granada Television comedy series Take My Wife (1979) and in the same period also presented the short-lived Saturday morning children's programme The Mersey Pirate. He had a regular role as laboratory technician Phil Strong in the popular detective series The Enigma Files (1980).

From 1980-1982, he played in the 13 episode comedy series The Glamour Girls.^[10] Brown had a role in the highly acclaimed BBC Drama series "House of Cards" (1990). In 1994, he briefly joined the cast of Channel 4's soap opera Brookside as Ray Piper.

In 1997, he played George Freeman in Coronation Street, and again in 2004, this time playing Honor Blackman’s husband Bernie.^[11] The same year he appeared in the long-running ITV drama series Fat Friends, and the film Between Two Women.

In 2002, Brown appeared in 'A is for Acid' with Martin Clunes for ITV.

In 2006, Brown appeared as Mr. Cord in episode four of the first series of Hotel Babylon.^[12]

Over the years, Brown has played one-off roles in many long-running television serials, including Crown Court, The Cuckoo Waltz, All Creatures Great and Small, The Bill, Minder, Last of the Summer Wine and Peak Practice.

Brown was one of the original co-hosts of the game show 3-2-1, with Ted Rogers and Chris Emmett. From 1994-1996, he was a regular team captain on Barry Cryer's news game show Cryer's Crackers.

Notes

External links

• Duggie Brown at the Internet Movie Database