Funny man Arthur Askey’s lifetime of showbiz memorabilia and personal treasures are set for auction – revealing the popularity and legacy of the “grandfather” British comedy.
With fans ranging from Margaret Thatcher to Eric Morecambe, the sale of the Arthur Askey collection on November 13, celebrates one of the greats of British comedy known for his catchphrases such as Before Your Very Eyes and Hello Playmates.
The 220-lot collection is made up of the comedian’s well-annotated scripts, clothes and personnel effects, as well as photographs and letters from a career spanning more than 60 years. It also includes letters from comedians such as Stan Laurel and the actor Sir Laurence Olivier, revealing just how revered Askey, who died in 1982, aged 82, was by his peers.
The archive also boasts letters of congratulations from two British prime ministers, Margaret Thatcher and Ted Heath who described himself as one of the comedians “immeasurable fans”. Born in Toxteth, Askey paved the way for later generations of Liverpool-born comedians, including Ted Ray, Ken Dodd, Jimmy Tarbuck and John Bishop.
Also included in the sale is a telegram from fellow Liverpudlian Paul McCartney who, as a schoolboy, inherited Askey’s desk at the Liverpool Institute High School for Boys. The comedian had carved his initials into the desk which, according to McCartney, in later interviews, had become “a shrine” to its revered former owner.
Hansons Auctioneers’, Victoria Sheppard, said: “It is difficult to overstate how big a comedian Arthur Askey was in his day and what a trailblazer he was for British comedy. He was one of the few entertainers to make the successful transition from the old music hall to the emerging broadcast era of radio and television. Along the way he was the also the first comedian to popularise the catchphrase and master ad lib.”
“His warm, sometimes surreal style was a forerunner to later British comedians who mixed slapstick with smart wordplay.”
Askey’s most famous catchphrase “I thang you” almost certainly inspired the line “I thank you” in the 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
In a 2008 interview Mike Myers told The Guardian: “I grew up loving the old British comedy, the cheeky, irreverent stuff – people like Benny Hill, Peter Sellers, and the kind of warm, goofy charm of someone like Arthur Askey.” The sale also includes both editions of “The Big Red Book” presented to Askey after two appearances on This is Your Life, the first in 1959 and the second in 1974 – a show broadcast on Christmas Day that year.
Among the star-studded cast paying tribute were Gracie Fields who had flown in from Capri, Val Doonican, Jack Warner, June Whitfield and David Nixon. The collection has been consigned by Askey’s three grandchildren, Jane, William and Andy Stewart who remember the “big-hearted” comedian simply as the “best grandfather”. Hansons’ Victoria Sheppard continued: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a personal belonging from one of this country’s comedy legends.”
Eric Morecambe tribute
Askey, who was 5ft 2in tall, and famed for his distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, was the only comedian who made Eric Morecombe starstruck. According to his son, Gary Bartholomew, Eric put Askey on a pedestal alongside greats such as Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello.
Gary said: “Eric Morecambe, was a huge fan of Arthur Askey. In fact, Arthur was a massive inspiration, living proof that a British entertainer from humble beginnings in the north of England could go on to become a big star of stage and screen.” Before Eric and Ernie teamed up, Ernie, aged 14, was already on the London stage with Askey, appearing in the Band Waggon – a theatrical version of the popular radio show. Askey’s role of respected mentor continued throughout their lives. Gary said: “Once Eric and Ernie became established, a fascinating thing came about. Whenever we were in Arthur’s company, my father acted as if he was the company of a king or a president, so reverential did he become. He was always quiet in Arthur’s company, you could say star struck. It wasn’t often my father was quiet in someone’s company, so this notable and unique.”
Margaret Thatcher’s favourite comedian
Askey became a household name in the BBC’s first regular radio comedy series, Band Waggon, in 1938.
The public embraced the pair’s anarchic humour and “Big-Hearted Arthur” and co-star Richard “Stinker” Murdoch became huge stars. Among their fans was a 14-year-old Margaret Thatcher who, before the advent of television, recalled listening to the show gathered around the radio with her family.
In a 1987 interview she said: “Our heroes in those days were on the radio. Everyone listened to Winston Churchill and Arthur Askey… all of those great variety things on radio were very much part of our lives, part of our entertainment because we hadn’t very much else.” Her appreciation was lifelong and, in 1981, she recommended him for a CBE.
In the letter, one of several from The Iron Lady in the sale, she writes: “In my job there are few things which give one especial pleasure: to recognise your wonderful contribution to the life of our country was, for me, a delight.”
When Askey became ill in 1982, she wrote a letter to him in St Thomas’s Hospital, also in the sale, saying: “I do hope that you are not in too much pain. Denis and I are thinking of you.”
Family man
Treasured photos in the sale also pay tribute to Askey the family man as a loving husband, father and grandfather.
His granddaughter Jane Stewart said: “My pint-sized grandad literally glowed with energy and joy doing what he always wanted to do from a very young age – entertain. He was big hearted, a generous performer who literally wanted to spread happiness. A cheeky chappie whose life was dedicated to brightening your day. “I used to love grandad and grandma coming over for Sunday lunch, mum pulled out all the stops, and after they would retire to the living room to watch the football, while I snuck into my parents’ bedroom to watch the black and white movies.
“I also loved going to the theatre and into granddads dressing room with the smell of greasepaint, the costumes hanging all over the place, grandad’s makeup spread out on the dressing table, and all the buzz and chatter. When we went to see him in panto, usually on Boxing Day we would normally be sitting at the front or near to it, and a some point he would mention we were ‘in’ and ask us to stand and take a bow.”
Arthur Askey brief biog
Arthur Bowden Askey was born in Toxteth, Liverpool in 1900 and raised at 90 Rosslyn Street, Liverpool.
He was educated at St. Michael’s Council School and later the Liverpool Institute for Boys, but by the age of 16 was touring local clubs as an entertainer. In 1918, aged 18, he joined Royal Welsh Fusiliers, later serving in the Bantam Battalion made up of men under the regulation height of 5ft 3in.
The sale includes a postcard photograph of Private Askey in uniform with his Lee Enfield rifle and steel helmet, as well as Welch Regiment blazer badge. But it was soon discovered his talent was best channelled into keeping up morale at troop concert parties.
After leaving the army, Askey honed his comedy skills as an end-of-pier entertainer treading the boards at seaside variety shows, before working solo as a comedian. In 1925, after an encounter on a train – described as “love at first sight” – he married his lifelong partner May.
It was the start of a happy marriage and after the birth of daughter Anthea in 1933, a happy family life was something he would happily retreat to, shunning the limelight. Aged 39 when WWII broke out Askey was a household name, appearing in a number of films, including Band Waggon (1940); Charley’s (Big-Hearted) Aunt (1940); The Ghost Train (1941); I Thank You (1941); as well as a popular entertainer of the troops.
A programme from a variety concert at Buckingham Palace in June 1942 at which Askey appeared in front of George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret is included in the sale. From the early 1950s, Askey starred in several sitcoms toured the theatre circuit, sometimes with his actress daughter, Anthea. He also appeared on the panel of the talent show New Faces. Askey continued to work into his eighties, playing two performances a night in pantomimes, and in 1980 made one of his last appearances at The Royal Variety Show.
But in 1982 circulatory problems in his legs caused him to have both legs amputated. A hard-working entertainer to the end, even after his first leg was removed, he was said to have said: “At least I can still play Long John Silver.” Arthur Askey died on November 16, 1982.
Tributes from Fellow Liverpudlian Legends and Comedy Greats
Jimmy Tarbuck said: “He was one of the great comics of all time. He had to be – he played my mother! Wehad such fun in the London Palladium pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk. It was apleasure to share the stage with him, and I can only hope some of his craft rubbed onto me. The stage and the audience lit up as soon as he walked on. And that, my friends, is part of what being a comedian is all about.”
Ken Dodd said: “Growing up in Liverpool, Arthur Askey was a legend. He had this amazing rapport with the crowd and a style that mixed cheekiness with genuine warmth. That stuck with me.”
– Cited in The British Comedy Scene (2014) by Michael Shennan
Paul McCartney said: ““…the comedians like Arthur Askey … hardly any of them made it in America… for us to actually go and take over was something you can’t repeat.”
– cited in a 1983 interview
Peter Sellers said: “Arthur Askey was a wonderful influence – his sense of timing and his ability to be silly yet charming was something I always admired. He made comedy accessible and warm.”
– Quoted in The Peter Sellers Companion (1996) by Peter Clayton
Eric Morecambe said: “Askey was one of the greats – he showed how you could bring music hall humour into the television age without losing the spirit of live performance. We always looked up to him as a trailblazer.”
– From an interview in Comedy Legends (BBC Archive, 1982)
Auction Details
Auction: The Arthur Askey Collection
Auction date: 13th November 2025 | 10am
Location: Hansons Derbyshire Saleroom
Auction Viewing: Monday 10th – Wednesday 12th November | 10:00am – 3:00pm daily
Viewing Venue: Hansons Derbyshire Saleroom, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derby, DE65 6LS
Catalogue online: 30th October 2025 | www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
📧 Auction Enquiries: [email protected]
