Bob Monkhouse was Britain’s hardest working entertainer for much of his five decade career. Produced with the co-operation of the Bob Monkhouse Estate, this feature length documentary enjoys unrestricted access into the star’s personal archive to tell the story of how Monkhouse constantly recalibrated his style and performance to suit the ever-changing tastes in entertainment. 

 

The programme features a trove of material from Bob’s vast archive, including family photographs, rarely-seen film and video material from his earliest work, and television recordings previously thought to have been permanently wiped. Bob became known as ‘The King of the Gameshows’ for his work on television, but this film focuses on his career as a highly-regarded exponent of stand up comedy. Included in the programme is material never seen on television before, and an extended section on Bob’s final performance on stage for his fellow comedians before his death in 2003. The film is narrated by Bob’s friend who was present at that final performance, the entertainer Jon Culshaw.

 

Produced for Channel 5