Voting Station

Bob Monkhouse

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TV Personality

The Resume

    (June 1, 1926-December 29, 2003)
    Born in Beckenham, Kent, England, United Kingdom
    Comedian, TV presenter, and game show host
    Hosted over 30 game shows, including ‘The Golden Shot’ (1967-72,1974-75), ‘Celebrity Squares’ (1975-79,12993-97), ‘Family Fortunes’ (1980-83), and ‘Wipeout’ (1998-2002)
    Also hosted the talk show ‘The Bob Monkhouse Show’ (1982-86) and the talent show ‘Opportunity Knocks’ (1987-89)
    Appeared in the films ‘Carry On Sergeant’ (1958), ‘Dentist in the Chair’ (1960), ‘Dentist on the Job’ (1961), and ‘The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom’ (1968)
    Named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to entertainment (1993)
    Signature line: ‘When I said I was going to be a comedian, they all laughed. Well, they’re not laughing now, are they?’

Why he might be annoying:

    He was expelled from Dulwich College for climbing the clock tower.
    He joined all three of Britain’s main political parties so he could be booked at their functions.
    He got his first broadcasting job by tricking his RAF group captain into signing a letter stating that he was a war hero and the BBC should give him an audition.
    During his first marriage, he slept with hundreds of women. (Most notably, Diana Dors.)
    He hoarded thousands of cans of food, until they went bad and started exploding.
    As a talk show host, he was criticized for excessive fawning over his guests.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His mother was physically and emotionally abusive.
    His mother wore black to his first wedding and refused to speak to him for twenty years.
    He recorded and preserved over 150,000 hours of TV, including many shows that had been lost by the BBC.
    He was known for his ad-libbing talents, which he got to demonstrate in ‘Bob Monkhouse on the Spot’(1995), where the audience would suggest a topic and he would devise a routine.
    He said, ‘The great thing about being a stand-up comedian is that you are master of all you survey…. That’s a pretty euphoric state to be in, and I’ve never lost that feeling of sustained glee.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 19 Votes: 15.79% Annoying