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After the war, Rix returned to the stage, forming his own theatre company in 1947 as an actor-manager, a career he was to pursue for the next 30 years. He ran rep companies at [[Ilkley]], [[Bridlington]] and [[Margate]], and whilst at Bridlington, in 1949, he found the play that was to bring him fame and fortune - Reluctant Heroes. More importantly, in the same year, he engaged his wife to be, [[Elspet Gray]] as an actress in his company and six months later they married. They were together, domestically and professionally, for 64 years until her death in February 2013. In 1950 they toured together with Reluctant Heroes until Brian managed to persuade the Whitehall Theatre management that this army farce was the ideal play to follow the long-running Worm's Eye View. It was a happy choice, for Brian's productions ran there for the next 16 years, before he moved to the Garrick Theatre, breaking many West End records in the process. His farces for the BBC Television also began at the Whitehall, increasing Brian and Elspet's popularity as well as that of the [[Trafalgar Studios|Whitehall Theatre]].
After the war, Rix returned to the stage, forming his own theatre company in 1947 as an actor-manager, a career he was to pursue for the next 30 years. He ran rep companies at [[Ilkley]], [[Bridlington]] and [[Margate]], and whilst at Bridlington, in 1949, he found the play that was to bring him fame and fortune - Reluctant Heroes. More importantly, in the same year, he engaged his wife to be, [[Elspet Gray]] as an actress in his company and six months later they married. They were together, domestically and professionally, for 64 years until her death in February 2013. In 1950 they toured together with Reluctant Heroes until Brian managed to persuade the Whitehall Theatre management that this army farce was the ideal play to follow the long-running Worm's Eye View. It was a happy choice, for Brian's productions ran there for the next 16 years, before he moved to the Garrick Theatre, breaking many West End records in the process. His farces for the BBC Television also began at the Whitehall, increasing Brian and Elspet's popularity as well as that of the [[Trafalgar Studios|Whitehall Theatre]].


''Reluctant Heroes'' the first [[Whitehall farce]] was by [[Colin Morris (playwright)|Colin Morris]], who later became well-known for his his dramatised documentaries on BBC TV. One of those, Jacks and Knaves, was the forerunner for [[Z-Cars]], a long running police drama on the BBC. During the four year run of Reluctant Heroes at the Whitehall, Rix also sent our National Tours of the play, generally with John Slater (later to be in Z-Cars) playing the dread Sgt. Bell, and always playing to packed houses. To give some sense of its popularity, at one time Rix had the play running at the Whitehall, three tours on the road and the film (which was no 1 at the UK box office in 1952) on release. Rix himself played the gormless north-country recruit, Horace Gregory, in both film and throughout the four year run at the Whitehall. This is where his reputation for losing his trousers began. He subsequently lost them at least 12,000 times in the 27 years he was on stage in the farces.
''Reluctant Heroes'', the first [[Whitehall farce]], was by [[Colin Morris (playwright)|Colin Morris]], who later became well-known for his his dramatised documentaries on BBC TV. One of those, Jacks and Knaves, was the forerunner for [[Z-Cars]], a long running police drama on the BBC. During the four year run of Reluctant Heroes at the Whitehall, Rix also sent our National Tours of the play, generally with John Slater (later to be in Z-Cars) playing the dread Sgt. Bell, and always playing to packed houses. To give some sense of its popularity, at one time Rix had the play running at the Whitehall, three tours on the road and the film (which was no 1 at the UK box office in 1952) on release. Rix himself played the gormless north-country recruit, Horace Gregory, in both film and throughout the four year run at the Whitehall. This is where his reputation for losing his trousers began. He subsequently lost them at least 12,000 times in the 27 years he was on stage in the farces.


In the first two years at the Whitehall, Brian's understudy was [[John Chapman (English writer)|John Chapman]], who also played a small part in Act 3, which ensured a long wait in the dressing room. To occupy his time, he began the first draft of the play that was to follow Heroes. [[Dry Rot (film)|later filmed]]) was produced in 1954 with John Slater, Basil Lord and Brian himself in the cast and ran for nearly four years. When Dry Rot went on tour with John Slater in the lead, he was joined by two young actors, [[Ray Cooney]] and Tony Hilton. Both became involved in Brian's next production at the Whitehall, ''[[Simple Spymen]]'' (again by John Chapman) and had time to draft One For The Pot, which followed Simple Spymen. In all, 7 playwrights were spawned by the Whitehall Farces - Colin Morris, John Chapman, Ray Cooney, Tony Hilton, Clive Exton, Raymond/Charles Dyer and Philip Levene. All because the plays ran and ran and they had time on their hands.
⚫
and three tours on the roada production which ran at the Whitehall Theatre for four years and also toured. The theatre specialised in [[farce]]s, such as ''Dry Rot'' (1954, [[Dry Rot (film)|later filmed]]) and ''[[Simple Spymen]]'' (1958), both by [[John Chapman (English writer)|John Chapman]]. After the Whitehall Theatre lease expired in 1966, Rix moved on to the [[Garrick Theatre]]. Rix appeared in 11 films and 90 farces for BBC TV and was regularly seen on screen not wearing his trousers. He also made a handful of films that were well suited to his talents as a farceur such as ''[[The Night We Dropped a Clanger]]'' (1959), ''[[The Night We Got the Bird]]'' (1961), ''[[Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!]]'' (1973). In the late 1950's and early 1960's he was (alongside Robert Morley) the BBC's highest paid performer with view figures frequently topping 15 million.<ref name="ReferenceA">Discussion between Brian and Jonathan Rix</ref>

In 1967, Brian moved on to the [[Garrick Theatre]] after the Whitehall Theatre lease expired. The larger stage gave him the opportunity to try his repertoire scheme. This was a similar idea to the way plays were presented at the National Theatre - that is several productions, each one being played on different days or weeks, thus giving the actors the chance to play a variety of roles - or even to have a night or two off. Brian tried with three farces - Stand By Your Bedouin, Uproar In The House and Let Sleeping Wives Lie - but as this was a commercial venture, without any state subsidy, it proved too expensive to run and Brian was forced to keep Let Sleeping Wives Lie on at the Garrick and transfer Uproar in the House (with Nicholas Parsons playing Brian's role) to the Whitehall. Stand By Your Bedouin went into storage. Let Sleeping Wives Lie enjoyed a further two year run with [[Leslie Crowther]], Elspet Gray, Derek Farr, [[Andrew Sachs]] and Brian playing the lead roles. After the first year, Rona Anderson took over from Elspet Gray.


⚫
Rix appeared in 11 films and 90 farces for BBC TV and was regularly seen on screen not wearing his trousers. He also made a handful of films that were well suited to his talents as a farceur such as ''[[The Night We Dropped a Clanger]]'' (1959), ''[[The Night We Got the Bird]]'' (1961), ''[[Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!]]'' (1973). In the late 1950's and early 1960's he was (alongside Robert Morley) the BBC's highest paid performer with view figures frequently topping 15 million.<ref name="ReferenceA">Discussion between Brian and Jonathan Rix</ref>


During the 1970s, he presented the TV series ''Let's Go'', the first British programme to be created specifically for people who had learning disabilities. In 1980, he retired from acting, and became [[Secretary-General]] of the [[Mencap|National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults (Mencap)]] - it became “The Royal Society” the following year - and in 1987 became its Chairman. Since 2002 the Society has been officially called the “Royal Mencap Society”, with Rix serving as its President.
During the 1970s, he presented the TV series ''Let's Go'', the first British programme to be created specifically for people who had learning disabilities. In 1980, he retired from acting, and became [[Secretary-General]] of the [[Mencap|National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults (Mencap)]] - it became “The Royal Society” the following year - and in 1987 became its Chairman. Since 2002 the Society has been officially called the “Royal Mencap Society”, with Rix serving as its President.

Revision as of 18:43, 29 November 2013

The Right Honourable
The Lord Rix
Born (1924-01-27) 27 January 1924 (age 100)
Cottingham, Yorkshire, England
OccupationActor
Known forCharity work for Mencap
SpouseElspet Gray 1949-2013 (her death)
ChildrenShelley Rix (deceased)
Louisa Rix
Jamie Rix
Jonathan Rix

Brian Norman Roger Rix, Baron Rix, [Kt CBE DL] (born 27 January 1924) is an English actor and charity worker.

Early years

Born in Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, the youngest of four children. His father, Herbert Rix, and Herbert's two brothers, ran the shipping (and subsequently, oil) company in Kingston upon Hull, founded by his grandfather Robert Rix. As a good Yorkshireman Brian, who was a talented cricketer, only wanted to play for Yorkshire CCC in his childhood, but when he was being educated at Bootham School, York his ambitions changed. He did play for Hull CC when he was 16 (and after the war for the MCC, the Stage and the Lord's Taverners) but during his school days his sister Sheila became an actress and Brian developed the same ambition - to go on the stage. All four Rix children had become interested in the theatre because of their mother, Fanny, who ran a good amateur dramatic society and was the lead soprano in the local Operatic Society. All her children performed in the plays and two of them, Brian and Shelia, became professional actors. Sheila Mercier, as she was known, worked regularly with her brother and then went on to play Annie Sugden for 25 years in the Yorkshire TV soap opera Emmerdale Farm. Brian became a professional actor when he was 18, on deferred service from the Royal Air Force, with Donald Wolfit's Shakespeare Company. After only 4 months as a professional actor, he played Sebastian in Twelfth Night at the now demolished St James's Theatre in London. His deferment was extended and he gained his first weekly rep(ertory) experience with the renowned White Rose Players at the Opera House in Harrogate. From there he went into the Royal Air Force, eventually ending up as a volunteer Bevin Boy working down the coal mines near Doncaster.

Career

After the war, Rix returned to the stage, forming his own theatre company in 1947 as an actor-manager, a career he was to pursue for the next 30 years. He ran rep companies at Ilkley, Bridlington and Margate, and whilst at Bridlington, in 1949, he found the play that was to bring him fame and fortune - Reluctant Heroes. More importantly, in the same year, he engaged his wife to be, Elspet Gray as an actress in his company and six months later they married. They were together, domestically and professionally, for 64 years until her death in February 2013. In 1950 they toured together with Reluctant Heroes until Brian managed to persuade the Whitehall Theatre management that this army farce was the ideal play to follow the long-running Worm's Eye View. It was a happy choice, for Brian's productions ran there for the next 16 years, before he moved to the Garrick Theatre, breaking many West End records in the process. His farces for the BBC Television also began at the Whitehall, increasing Brian and Elspet's popularity as well as that of the Whitehall Theatre.

Reluctant Heroes, the first Whitehall farce, was by Colin Morris, who later became well-known for his his dramatised documentaries on BBC TV. One of those, Jacks and Knaves, was the forerunner for Z-Cars, a long running police drama on the BBC. During the four year run of Reluctant Heroes at the Whitehall, Rix also sent our National Tours of the play, generally with John Slater (later to be in Z-Cars) playing the dread Sgt. Bell, and always playing to packed houses. To give some sense of its popularity, at one time Rix had the play running at the Whitehall, three tours on the road and the film (which was no 1 at the UK box office in 1952) on release. Rix himself played the gormless north-country recruit, Horace Gregory, in both film and throughout the four year run at the Whitehall. This is where his reputation for losing his trousers began. He subsequently lost them at least 12,000 times in the 27 years he was on stage in the farces.

In the first two years at the Whitehall, Brian's understudy was John Chapman, who also played a small part in Act 3, which ensured a long wait in the dressing room. To occupy his time, he began the first draft of the play that was to follow Heroes. later filmed) was produced in 1954 with John Slater, Basil Lord and Brian himself in the cast and ran for nearly four years. When Dry Rot went on tour with John Slater in the lead, he was joined by two young actors, Ray Cooney and Tony Hilton. Both became involved in Brian's next production at the Whitehall, Simple Spymen (again by John Chapman) and had time to draft One For The Pot, which followed Simple Spymen. In all, 7 playwrights were spawned by the Whitehall Farces - Colin Morris, John Chapman, Ray Cooney, Tony Hilton, Clive Exton, Raymond/Charles Dyer and Philip Levene. All because the plays ran and ran and they had time on their hands.

In 1967, Brian moved on to the Garrick Theatre after the Whitehall Theatre lease expired. The larger stage gave him the opportunity to try his repertoire scheme. This was a similar idea to the way plays were presented at the National Theatre - that is several productions, each one being played on different days or weeks, thus giving the actors the chance to play a variety of roles - or even to have a night or two off. Brian tried with three farces - Stand By Your Bedouin, Uproar In The House and Let Sleeping Wives Lie - but as this was a commercial venture, without any state subsidy, it proved too expensive to run and Brian was forced to keep Let Sleeping Wives Lie on at the Garrick and transfer Uproar in the House (with Nicholas Parsons playing Brian's role) to the Whitehall. Stand By Your Bedouin went into storage. Let Sleeping Wives Lie enjoyed a further two year run with Leslie Crowther, Elspet Gray, Derek Farr, Andrew Sachs and Brian playing the lead roles. After the first year, Rona Anderson took over from Elspet Gray.


Rix appeared in 11 films and 90 farces for BBC TV and was regularly seen on screen not wearing his trousers. He also made a handful of films that were well suited to his talents as a farceur such as The Night We Dropped a Clanger (1959), The Night We Got the Bird (1961), Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1973). In the late 1950's and early 1960's he was (alongside Robert Morley) the BBC's highest paid performer with view figures frequently topping 15 million.[1]

During the 1970s, he presented the TV series Let's Go, the first British programme to be created specifically for people who had learning disabilities. In 1980, he retired from acting, and became Secretary-General of the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults (Mencap) - it became “The Royal Society” the following year - and in 1987 became its Chairman. Since 2002 the Society has been officially called the “Royal Mencap Society”, with Rix serving as its President.

Lord Rix is also President of the Friends of Richmond Park.[2][3]

Performances as Actor Manager [1][4][5]

Whitehall Theatre

1950-1954 Reluctant Heroes (1,610 performances)

1954-1958 Dry Rot (1,475 performances)

1958-1961 Simple Spymen (1403 performances)

1961-1964 One For the Pot (1210 performances)

1964-1966 Chase Me, Comrade (765 performances)

On tour

1966-1967 Chase Me, Comrade; Stand By Your Bedouin; Uproar in the House;

Garrick Theatre

1967-1969 Let Sleeping Wives Lie

1969 She's Done It Again

1971-1973 Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something

Cambridge Theatre (+ extended tour)

1974-1976 A Bit Between the Teeth

Whitehall Theatre

1976-77 Fringe Benefits

Lyric Theatre

1988-1989 Dry Rot

Occasional One Night Stands

1994-2012 Tour de Farce; Life in the Farce Lane; A Peer Round Whitehall;

Television

90 Full length and one act plays for the BBC. More than 30 were live.

Series entitled: BBC Sunday-Night Theatre; Laughter from the Whitehall; Dial Rix; Brian Rix presents…; Six of Rix;

1952 Reluctant heroes (Act 1); Postman’s Knock;

1954 Dry Rot (Act 1);

1956 Love in a Mist; The Perfect Woman; Madame Louise; Queen Elizabeth Slept Here; Reluctant Heroes;

1957 You Too Can Have a Body; Jane Steps Out; Plunder; What the Doctor Ordered; Thark;

1958 On Monday Next…; Nothing But the Truth; Wanted, One Body; Cuckoo in the Nest; Simple Spymen (Act 1);

1959 A Policeman’s Lot; Nap Hand; Beside the Seaside; Sleeping Partnership; A Cup of Kindness;

1960 Is your Honeymoon Really Necessary?; Doctor in the House; Reluctant Heroes; Boobs in the Wood;

1961 A Fair Cop; Wolf’s Clothing; Basinful of the Briny; Flat Spin; Will Any Gentleman?;

1962 One For The Pot (Act 1); A Clear Case; See How They Run; Between the Balance Sheets; What a Drag; Round the Bend; Nose to Wheel; No Plums in the Pudding;

1963 Come Prancing (18 million viewers; Love's a Luxury; Caught Napping; Skin Deep; Rolling Home; What a Chassis; High Temperature;

1964 (This year they also started repeats!) Trial and Error; All for Mary; One Wild Oat; Chase Me Comrade! (Act 1); Dry Rot; Simple Spymen;

1965 Don'Just Stand There; Rookery Nook; The Brides of March; Women Aren't Angels;

1966 The Dickie Henderson Show; To Dorothy, a Son; Good Old Summertime; The Little Hut; One for the Pot;

1967 Look After Lulu; Stand By Your Bedouin (Act 1); Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?; Uproar in the House (Act 1); Money for Jam; Chase Me Comrade;

1968 One for the Pot; Let Sleeping Wives Lie; Keep Your Wig On; A Bit on the Side; A Public Mischief;

1969 What an Exhibition; Two on the Tiles; Sitting Ducks; The Facts of Life; Odd Man In;

1970 Let Sleeping Wives Lie; Clutterbuck; Lord Arthur Savile's Crime; So You Think You're a Good Wife?; Stand By Your Bedouin!;

1971 Reluctant Heroes; She's Done It Again!;

1972 What the Doctor Ordered; Will Any Gentleman?; One Wild Oat; Aren't Men Beasts!; A Spot of Bother; Madame Louise;

1973-74 - ITV "Men of Affairs" (17 episodes): 1. May We Have Our Ball Back?; 2. Brick Dropping; 3. Passes That Ship; 4. Half a Dozen of the Other; 5. Well I'm Burgled; 6. Horseface; 7. Near Miss; 8. To Russia With...; 9. Dash My Wig; 10. Desirable Residence; 11. Flagrant Memories; 12. Arabian Knights; 13. Silver Threads; 14. A Fair Cop; 15. ...As a New Born Babe; 16. Dinner for One; 17. It’s a Bug!;

1977 "A Roof Over My Head" (8 episodes) 1. A Roof Over My Head; 2. First, Find Your House; 3. Take Me to Your Solicitor; 4. The Sitting Tenant; 5. Learn to Dread One Day at a Time; 6. Not Cricket; 7. Another Fine Mess; 8. Home and Dried;

1978-1983 Let’s Go (42 episodes)

Radio

1963 Yule Be Surprised

1964 One Man's Meat (15 episodes)

1967 Souvenir

1968 Radio series – Brian Rix says That’s life

1971 Radio play- For Love of a Lady

1978-1979 Brian Rix – Sunday mornings –Radio 2

1982 Falstaff in Henry IV (pt1); Josiah Bounderby in Hard Times

Films

1951 Reluctant Heroes

1954 What Every Woman Wants

1955 Up to His Neck

1956 Dry Rot

1957 Not Wanted on Voyage

1960 And the Same to You

1961 Nothing Barred; The Night We Dropped a Clanger; The Night We Got the Bird;

1973 Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something!

Author

Books

1975 My Farce from My Elbow

1989 Farce About Face

1992 Tour de Farce: A Tale of Touring Theatres and Strolling Players (from Thespis to Branagh)

1995 Life in the Farce Lane

1996 Gullible’s Travails (ed)

2006 All About Us! The story of people with a learning disability and Mencap

Honours and awards[6]

Rix was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions, in October 1961 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at a friend's house in Surrey, and again in April 1977, when Andrews surprised him at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. He was also a castaway on Desert Island Discs on two occasions. The first was with Roy Plomley on the 16th May 1960, which was also the first time a castaway was caught on film and broadcast the following evening. His second appearance was with Kirsty Young on 1 March 2009.[7]

Rix was created a Commander of Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1977, and knighted in June 1986[8] for his services to charity. On his 68th birthday, 27 January 1992, he was created a life peer, becoming Baron Rix, of Whitehall, in the City of Westminster and of Hornsea in Yorkshire. (Hornsea at that time was in North Humberside but Rix had it moved back into Yorkshire (on paper at least) two years before it actually happened!). He was Vice Lord Lieutenant of Greater London from 1987-1997 and was the first Chancellor of the University of East London from 1997-2012. He is now the Chancellor Emeritus.

He has been awarded ten Honorary Degrees by the following Universities: Hull (MA 1981), Open (MA 1983), Essex (DU 1984), Manchester (LLD 1986), Nottingham (DSc 1987), Dundee (LLD 1997), Exeter (LLD 1997), Bradford (DU 2000), Kingston (DLitt 2012), East London (DU 2013) and five Fellowships including Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych). He has also received numerous Awards including: The Evian Health Award (1988), RNID Campaigner of the Year Award (1990), The Spectator Campaigner of the Year Award (1999), Yorkshire Lifetime Achievement Award (1999, UK Charity Awards (2001), Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service - British Neuroscience Association (2001) and the e-Politix Charity Champions Lifetime Achievement Award (2004).

Personal life

In 1949 he married the actress Elspet Gray. The couple had four children, including the producer and children's author Jamie Rix and actress Louisa Rix. Their daughter Shelley Elspet Rix was born with Down's syndrome, and he has always used his name to promote public awareness and understanding of learning disabilities. Shelley Elspet Rix died in July 2005 in Hounslow, Greater London.[9] Elspet Gray died on 18 February 2013.[10]

Rix has been a radio ham for over 50 years, and has call sign G2DQU.[11]

Affiliations

Rix is the author of two biographies, My Farce From My Elbow (1974) and Farce About Face (1989), and two theatre histories, Tour de Farce and Life in the Farce Lane. He also edited, compiled and contributed to Gullible's Travails, an anthology of travel stories by famous people for the Mencap Blue Sky Appeal. For Mencap's 60th anniversary he produced All About Us! - The history of learning disability and of the Royal Mencap Society.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Discussion between Brian and Jonathan Rix
  2. ^ "Lord Rix". www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  3. ^ "About the Friends of Richmond Park". Friends of Richmond Park. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  4. ^ Brian and Elspet Rix's diaries
  5. ^ BBC Archives
  6. ^ Information provided by Brian Rix to his son, Jonathan.
  7. ^ "Desert Island Discs with Brian Rix". Desert Island Discs. 1 March 2009. BBC. Radio 4. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "No. 50759". The London Gazette. 30 December 1986.
  9. ^ Deaths England and Wales 1984-2006
  10. ^ Dennis Barker Obituary:Elspet Gray, The Guardian, 18 February 2013
  11. ^ Famous Ham Radio Operators and their Callsigns

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