Ronald William George BarkerOBE (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as Porridge, The Two Ronnies, and Open All Hours.
Barker began acting in Oxford amateur dramatics while working as a bank clerk, having dropped out of higher education. He moved into repertory theatre with the Manchester Repertory Company at Aylesbury and decided he was best suited to comic roles. He had his first success at the Oxford Playhouse and in roles in the West End including Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound. During this period, he was in the cast of BBC radio and television comedies such as The Navy Lark. He got his television break with the satirical sketch series The Frost Report in 1966, where he worked with future collaborator, Ronnie Corbett. He joined David Frost's production company and starred in ITV shows.
After rejoining the BBC, Barker achieved significant success with the sketch show The Two Ronnies (1971–87), with Ronnie Corbett. The duo maintained their careers as solo performers; Barker notably starred as inmate Norman Stanley Fletcher in the sitcom Porridge (1974–77) and its sequel Going Straight (1978) and as shopkeeper Arkwright in Open All Hours (1976–85). He wrote comedy under his own name, though for much of his written material after 1968 he adopted pseudonyms (including "Gerald Wiley") to avoid pre-judgments of his writing talent. He won a BAFTA for best light entertainment performance four times, among other awards, and received an OBE in 1978.
Later television sitcoms such as The Magnificent Evans and Clarence were less successful and he retired in December 1987. The following year, he opened an antiques shop with his wife, Joy. After 1999, he appeared in smaller, non-comic roles in films. He died of heart failure on 3 October 2005, aged 76.
future collaborator, Ronnie Corbett. He joined David Frost's production company and starred in ITV shows. After rejoining the BBC, Barker achieved significant...
actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with RonnieBarker in the BBC television comedy sketch show The Two Ronnies. He achieved...
Two Ronnies is a British television comedy sketch show starring RonnieBarker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from 10...
Charlotte Barker (born 1962) is a British actress. Barker was born in 1962 in Willesden, London, England, Barker is the only daughter of RonnieBarker and Joy...
Candles is a sketch from the BBC comedy show The Two Ronnies, written by RonnieBarker under the pseudonym of Gerald Wiley and first broadcast on 18 September...
to 1977, Beckinsale starred as prison inmate Lennie Godber alongside RonnieBarker in the hit BBC sitcom Porridge. Beckinsale expressed relief at landing...
with RonnieBarker delivering a mock-serious speech littered with spoonerisms, written by Barker. Writing in tribute for the inaugural RonnieBarker Talk...
The Two Ronnies, with newly filmed introductions by the stars, RonnieBarker and Ronnie Corbett. It was first broadcast 34 years after the first episode...
frequently featured a string of eccentric characters, often played by RonnieBarker or Jon Pertwee. Over the course of the programme Lt Murray marries Admiral...
Lionheart, and Denholm Elliott as Will Scarlet. It also features comedian RonnieBarker in a rare film role as Friar Tuck. Robin and Marian was filmed in Zamora...
created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and starring RonnieBarker and Richard Beckinsale. The programme was a direct spin-off to the sitcom...
directed by Bob Kellett and starring RonnieBarker, Michael Hordern, Roger Livesey and Julian Orchard. It was written by Barker. Almost entirely without dialogue...
The RonnieBarker Playhouse was a series of six comedy half hours showcasing the talents of RonnieBarker. All were broadcast by Associated-Rediffusion...
caught the attention of RonnieBarker. Jason was recruited to appear in Hark at Barker (LWT, 1969), starring opposite Barker's Lord Rustless, as Dithers...
1971 episode of LWT's Six Dates with Barker that was written by Spike Milligan and later adapted by RonnieBarker for The Two Ronnies sketch show in 1976...
Griffith, Eric Sykes and RonnieBarker. The screenplay was written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Hemel Pike and his cousin Ronnie are two boatmen operating...
John Cleese, RonnieBarker, and Ronnie Corbett. Cleese, tall and patrician in appearance and demeanour, represents the upper class; Barker, of average...
Six Dates with Barker is a series of six one-off, half-hour situation comedies showcasing the talents of RonnieBarker. All were broadcast by London Weekend...
television show hosted by David Frost. It introduced John Cleese, RonnieBarker, and Ronnie Corbett to television, and launched the careers of other writers...
Hark at Barker is a 1969 British comedy series combining elements of sitcom and sketch show, which starred RonnieBarker. It was made for the ITV network...
British sitcom anthology series that aired on BBC2 in 1973. Starring RonnieBarker, Seven of One was a series of seven separate 30-minute episodes that...
BBC sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke. Open All Hours stars RonnieBarker and David Jason as an uncle and nephew who operate a small grocery shop...
"plight of Soviet jewelry" instead of "Soviet Jewry". British comedian RonnieBarker also made great use of deliberate malapropisms in his comedy, notably...
to stay at her villa for recuperation. Of these are "the General" (RonnieBarker) a retired British Army veteran, Werner (Benno Fürmann), a young German...
Orders (1954). His television appearances included The Ronnie Corbett Show, The RonnieBarker Playhouse, The Saint, The Avengers, The Dick Emery Show...
British sitcom Shelley (1979–82). Later, she played Jane Travers in RonnieBarker's last starring television role before his retirement, the sitcom Clarence...
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