The name may not be instantly familiar, but the TV shows to which 74-year-old, Michael Knowles has lent his considerable talent over the last four decades certainly are. From Dad's Army to Are You Being Served? and from It Ain't Half Hot Mum to You Rang M'Lord?, the Derbyshire-born actor's outstanding contribution to British comedy, both as a performer and as a writer, cannot be underestimated.
Originally intending to follow an entirely different career path, Knowles found himself a regular on some of writer, David Croft's most popular situation comedies - three of which (Dad's Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and You Rang M'Lord?) were created with the help of Croft's second, and perhaps most celebrated, writing partner, Jimmy Perry.
Michael Knowles: Beginnings
"Initially, I was going to read medicine but then the theatre won and I went to RADA," remembers Michael today. "From there I went into rep. and eventually TV. Having trained as a classical actor, I assumed I would be going to Stratford or The Old Vic - but it didn't turn out that way and I've had a marvellous career in comedy."
Early experiences in television comedy came in the form of the ever-popular, Dad's Army - a sitcom created by Jimmy Perry and David Croft about the Home Guard set in the fictional town of Walmington-on-Sea. Michael Knowles appeared in a number of different guises, most notably that of Captain Cutts.
"I did six episodes, all told, and the movie," he explains. "I was a little overawed at the beginning working with all these famous names. Then when later - with Harold Snoad - I wrote some 68 episodes for radio, I got to know them quite well."
Suite 101: Did you ever think that Dad’s Army would go on to become as iconic as it has? Why is it still so loved?
"One never knows how successful a show is going to be and Dad's Army didn't have that great a start, but eventually it was up and running. It strikes a cord with past generations who experienced the war and it is deeply patriotic and also very funny with a beautifully cast team of actors."
Michael Knowles: Are You Being Served?
While Dad's Army continued on its all-conquering run throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, another David Croft contribution to the genre - this time co-written with Jeremy Lloyd, who would later team up with Croft again on Come Back Mrs. Noah and 'Allo! 'Allo! - hit our screens.
Are You Being Served? - a double-entendre-laden sitcom with unforgettable characters and catchphrases, and set in the clothing department of the fictional Grace Brothers department store in London - began with a pilot episode in 1972 and ran for 13 years, finally coming to an end in 1985.
"That came out of the blue," says Michael of his time on the programme. "David Croft was too busy to write all the series. Harold Snoad (director of Keeping up Appearances) and I, I think, had started on the 'D.A' radio programmes and as David and I had the same agent, they took a chance on me.
"This was quite daunting - as I had to write with Jeremy LLoyd, a well established writer. He had literally just returned from Los Angeles where he had been scripting Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In - a very big TV show, so I was very much the junior writer. However, we got on fine. As an actor, I did two episodes and have the distinction of being the very first customer - albeit one who only came in to ask for the loo!"
Michael Knowles: A Life Spent Making People Laugh
Having made his name in the early 1970s, Michael Knowles went on to appear in more David Croft comedies than any other actor. Apart from the above-mentioned Dad's Army and Are You Being Served?, he also played key roles in In Ain't Half Hot Mum, You Rang M'Lord? and the all-but-forgotten Come Back Mrs. Noah.
Suite 101: What do you consider to be your proudest achievements in your career to date and do have any ambitions left to fulfill?
"If I look back, I think that I've not had a bad career. It's been an awful lot of fun and it does seem to have given a great deal of pleasure to a lot of people. I don't know what ambitions I still have, if any. I'll have to see what turns up!"
Adrian Peel - Adrian is an English freelance writer and journalist currently living in Mexico. Over the past eight years, he has had articles, features ...
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