Leslie Randall obituary
My father, Leslie Randall, who has died aged 95, was an actor, writer and comedian best known for the TV show Joan and Leslie, ITV’s first sitcom, which began in 1955. He had a mammoth 62-year career in the business.
He was born in South Shields, son of Charlie Randall, an auctioneer and confectioner, and his wife, May (nee Richardson-Proud), a cabaret hostess who left Charlie and South Shields to work in London, taking Leslie, then aged three, and his sister, Noreen. They lived in Brixton and Streatham and he attended local schools.
He was evacuated to family in Darlington during the blitz. After that, he returned to London and worked as a trainee journalist with an Australian newswire, and in 1943 he joined the RAF. He survived a death-defying tour of duty when, as a newly qualified pilot officer bomb aimer, he joined his unit, 358 Squadron, in the far east, where 19 of the eight-man B-24 Liberator crews lost their lives.
Dad’s reaction to his wartime experience was a lifelong devotion to looking on the “bright side”. He was a bohemian, a smoker, drinker and poker player. When he wasn’t working, he was having fun, and his bright outlook was infectious.
Although he got a taste for acting while serving in the RAF, Dad’s first professional appearance as a comedian was on television in the BBC’s New To You talent showcase. This led to standup tour dates at Val Parnell’s Moss Empires variety theatres.
In 1951 he married Joan Reynolds, whom he met in repertory at Darlington. They shared their big break in 1955 starring in Joan and Leslie, which ran until 1958. The couple also appeared in a long-running series of TV adverts for Fairy Snow.
In 1966 he moved to California and appeared as an “‘English” comedy turn in TV episodes of The Monkees, in I Dream of Jeannie and Family Affair. But he hated being typecast. In 1969 he got a job at Australian Channel 7 as head of programme development, based in Melbourne, but did not enjoy the job and returned to the UK after 12 months.
He started a new career in writing and sold scripts to Kenneth Williams, June Whitfield and Warren Mitchell. His comedy play Forty Love, premiered at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre, Guildford, in 1975, then toured for six months before opening in the West End at the Comedy theatre. On TV he appeared in Casualty and Emmerdale, and he wrote the BBC radio series This is Living? for Warren Mitchell.
He did lots more stage work, from serious drama to comedy plays and pantomime. His films included Mystery Submarine (1963), Billy Liar (1964), Goal! (2005) and Goal II (2007). Last Chance Harvey (2008) was his final appearance before retiring.
His marriage to Mum ended in 1978. In 1998 he married Brenda Hart after a long relationship. Brenda died in 2012. He is survived by Susan and me, the children from his first marriage, and seven grandchildren.
