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Peter Brough

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Ventriloquist

The Resume

    (February 26, 1916-June 3, 1999)
    Born in London, United Kingdom
    With his puppet Archie Andrews, starred in the BBC radio show ‘Educating Archie’ (1950-60) and a televised adaptation on ITV (1958-59)
    Recorded ‘The Dummy Song’ with Max Bygraves

Why he might be annoying:

    He had his two upper front teeth filed down halfway so he could throw his voice farther.
    Like Edgar Bergen, he was a ventriloquist who became famous on the radio, where no one can see if your lips move.
    When he appeared on television, he stuck a cigar in his mouth to try to cover his frequent lip movements.
    He offered a £1,000 reward after accidentally leaving Archie on a train (1951).
    He retired from show biz, except for sporadic TV appearances, to take over the family textile business (1961).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He entertained the troops during World War II.
    His act was considered so important for morale that Archie was allowed an annual allowance of 50 clothing ration coupons for his tailored outfits.
    Several famous comedian got early breaks on ‘Educating Archie,’ including Benny Hill, Tony Hancock, Harry Seacombe, and (as a writer for the TV show) Marty Feldman.
    He said, ‘People always said 'Why a ventriloquist on the radio?' I always used to say 'Why not?' Radio is all about painting pictures for the mind.’
    He gave a private performance for King George VI and his two daughters, after which they asked him to remove Archie’s head so they could see how he worked. The King later quipped, ‘That’s the only fellow I’ve ever beheaded during my reign.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying