Nicholas Parsons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicholas Parsons
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Parsons recording Just a Minute
at the Pleasance Grand, Edinburgh, in 2007 |
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| Born |
Christopher Nicholas Parsons
10 October 1923 Grantham, Lincolnshire, England
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| Died | 28 January 2020 (aged 96) Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England
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| Education | St Paul's School, London |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1945–2020 |
| Known for | Just a Minute (1967–2019) Sale of the Century (1971–1983) |
| Office |
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| Spouse(s) |
Denise Bryer
(m. 1954; div. 1989)Ann Reynolds
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 2 |
Nicholas Parsons (born Christopher Nicholas Parsons, 10 October 1923 – 28 January 2020) was a much-loved English actor and presenter. He was famous for hosting the funny radio show Just a Minute for many years. He also presented the popular game show Sale of the Century in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Nicholas grew up in Grantham, England, and went to St Paul's School, London. After World War II, he became a full-time actor. He appeared in plays, movies, and TV shows. He started hosting Just a Minute in 1967 and almost never missed a show until 2018. Besides his main shows, he also appeared as a guest on other TV programmes like Doctor Who.
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Early Life and School Days
Nicholas Parsons was born on 10 October 1923 in Grantham, Lincolnshire. He was the middle child, with an older brother and a younger sister. His father was a doctor, and his mother was a nurse.
Nicholas was born left-handed, but he was taught to write with his right hand. As a child, he had a stutter, which he learned to control as he grew up. He also had dyslexia, which made learning a bit slower, and suffered from migraine headaches. Despite these challenges, he did very well at school.
After attending Colet Court and St Paul's School, London in London, Nicholas wanted to become an actor. However, his parents thought engineering would be a better career. This was because he was good with his hands and had even fixed grandfather clocks when he was young.
Apprenticeship in Scotland
After school, Nicholas's family helped him get a job in Clydebank, near Glasgow, Scotland. He spent five years there as an engineering apprentice at a company that made marine pumps. He was only 16 when he moved from his comfortable London home to the industrial city of Glasgow. He also studied engineering at the University of Glasgow for two periods. He didn't graduate, but he finished his apprenticeship and became a mechanical engineer.
During World War II, he was offered a job in the Merchant Navy. However, he became very ill with pleurisy and spent five months in hospital, so he couldn't join.
Becoming a Star in Entertainment
Nicholas Parsons began his career while still an engineering apprentice. A Canadian showman named Carroll Levis discovered him, and Nicholas appeared on his radio show.
First Steps in Acting
After World War II ended, Nicholas became a full-time actor. His first big stage role was in The Hasty Heart in London's West End in 1945. He then toured in the play Arsenic and Old Lace. He made his first movie, Master of Bankdam, in 1947. He also spent two years performing in repertory theatre in places like Bromley and Windsor. In 1952, he became a regular comedian at the Windmill Theatre, performing stand-up comedy.
He also starred in the West End play Boeing-Boeing and other popular shows.
Movies, TV, and Radio
In the 1950s and 1960s, Nicholas appeared in many British films, often in supporting roles. In the late 1960s, he played David Courtney in an American TV comedy called The Ugliest Girl in Town.
In the 1950s, Nicholas provided the voice for Tex Tucker in the children's puppet TV series Four Feather Falls. His first wife, Denise Bryer, who was also a voice actor, suggested he try for the role. In the late 1960s, he created and presented a funny radio show on BBC Radio 4 called Listen to This Space. It was quite new and different for its time, and he won an award for it in 1967.
Nicholas became well-known on TV in the 1950s and 1960s as the "straight man" to comedian Arthur Haynes. This meant he played the serious character who set up the jokes for Arthur. They worked together for ten years and even appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States. After their partnership ended, Nicholas became a regular on The Benny Hill Show from 1968 to 1971.
After Arthur Haynes passed away, Nicholas became a TV personality in his own right. He hosted the popular quiz show Sale of the Century from 1971 to 1983.
Hosting Just a Minute
Nicholas Parsons was the host of the BBC Radio 4 comedy game show Just a Minute from its very first show on 22 December 1967.
The game involves talking for one minute without "hesitation, repetition, or deviation." Nicholas was the perfect host for this show. He hosted almost every episode until 2018, when he was 94 years old and missed a couple of shows due to illness. He continued to host the show until his last broadcast on 23 September 2019.
Later Career Highlights
In 1988, Nicholas appeared as himself in a comedy show called The Comic Strip. The next year, he was a guest star in Doctor Who, playing Reverend Wainwright.
In 1990, Nicholas was the Narrator in the London stage musical Into the Woods. In 1991, he played the Mayor in the BBC children's series Bodger & Badger. He also appeared in the TV game show Cluedo in 1993.
He also played the Narrator in a special 21st-anniversary show of The Rocky Horror Show in 1994.
In 2005, Nicholas was a guest presenter on the BBC quiz show Have I Got News for You. He also appeared on Celebrity Mastermind in 2007. Just a Minute even had a TV version in 2012 to celebrate its 45th anniversary, with Nicholas as host.
Nicholas wrote two books about his life: The Straight Man: My Life in Comedy (1994) and Nicholas Parsons: With Just a Touch of Hesitation, Repetition and Deviation (2010).
In 2016, at 92 years old, Nicholas presented a BBC documentary called The Incredible Story of Marie Antoinette's Watch. This show allowed him to share his lifelong interest in horology (the study of clocks and watches).
He played himself and voiced a character named Dagon in the TV series Good Omens, which was filmed between 2017 and 2018. From 2001, he performed his comedy show The Happy Hour every year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Other Important Roles
From 1988 to 1991, Nicholas served as the Rector of the University of St Andrews, which is an important role in a university. He was also involved with many charities. He was a leading member of the Grand Order of Water Rats charity and was King Rat in 2019. He supported the British Stammering Association and was president of the Lord's Taverners charity from 1998 to 1999. He was also an Ambassador for Childline and The Silver Line, which are helplines for children and older people.
Nicholas supported the Liberal Party and later the Liberal Democrats. He was asked to become a politician in the 1970s but chose to stay in entertainment.
Awards and Special Recognition
Nicholas Parsons received several important awards for his work.
- He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2004 for his services to drama and broadcasting.
- He was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2014 for his charity work, especially for children's charities.
He also received honorary degrees from universities:
- An honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) from the University of St Andrews in 1991.
- An honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) from the University of Leicester in 2016.
- An honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) from the University of Lincoln in 2014.
Nicholas once held a Guinness World Record for the longest after-dinner speech, which lasted 11 hours!
Personal Life
Nicholas Parsons was married twice. He first married actress Denise Bryer in 1954, and they had two children together. They later divorced. He married Ann Reynolds in 1995. He loved cricket, both playing and watching, and had a lifelong passion for clocks.
Nicholas Parsons passed away on 28 January 2020, at the age of 96, after a brief illness.
