Kenneth Williams on 'Aspel and Co', 1987

Michael Aspel chats with Carry On film actor Kenneth Williams. The other guests are actress Loretta Swit, and snooker player Dennis Taylor.

[@nathelondon3719]

Unprecedented. Unequalled. Unique. There will never be another Kenneth Williams. RIP

[@davidhardiman9603]

Yes, an absolutely correct description. Description is better than blind praise. Well done. God bless him.

[@Actingskint]

He was indeed all off these and more . I watched a interesting upload about his life , which made reference to his struggle with his sexuality . He was a gifted performer , but a tortured man in many ways . He never believed he would find love on his terms , and his bond with his mother was so strong , that he was always torn between , being seen as a gifted performer , who had this loyalty to his mum , yet an unfulfilled man emotionally . His diaries were quite acidic in their content ,& he was by all accounts a difficult man to deal with on and off stage \ set . But times have moved on ,& more people are allowed to bee themselves . Perhaps Kenneth would have found thee love he was seeking , or perhaps he wouldn't . Maybe he's was a product of his upbringing , & the constrictive attitudes of the era .who can ever guess at what might have been .

[@DuncanEduardo]

The greatest raconteur and orator the UK entertainment industry ever produced. Brilliant eccentric man. Absolutely love him

[@dannycarter1966]

Oh Kenneth, if you only knew how much the country loved you.

[@ppuh6tfrz646]

I think he knew. But he wanted something more personal and meaningful to him but because he was afraid of it, he never allowed it to happen.

[@EveEve5]

Television shrinks the mind but without it we would never have seen the wonderful Kenny Williams ❤

[@markglover2525]

Kenneth was from another planet, where people's brains run 3x faster than ours, and the funniest words are listed first in the dictionary.

[@PaulHunter-ih1ye]

R.I.P Kenny - what a Godsend to Comedy. A truly unique comic genius that has never been or ever will be surpassed. ❤❤

[@danhorton8689]

Loretta quite obviously adores Kenny The way she lovingly holds his head in her hands never ceases to move me God bless you, Kenny A true genius among men 👏 ❤

[@BNCA70]

How lovely the way Loretta cupped his face with her hands and then hugged him at the end.

[@wildizer]

Kenneth Williams and Robin Williams are so similar. Manic, tragic, hilarious, truly unique, flamboyant. Amazing people

[@fayesouthall6604]

Absolutely right

[@zootMKVI]

If this is from February 1987 it's only about 16 months before he died in April 1988. A chat show's gift. Don't think he knew how much he was appreciated.

[@cnevill2]

Fantastic dialogue from Kenneth. Hiding the fact that he was in a lot of physical pain and very frustrated with life generally.

[@drtonyhaworth5711]

Kenneth dear Kenneth how we miss you so sadly ,there has never been another and Never will be…..the person I wanted to most have a Dinner with …See you one Day now rest Ken …..RIP

[@stevouk]

Williams wrote very disparagingly in his diaries in letters about appearances like this. He felt that he was getting worse and worse, "eating myself alive" he wrote. "I just start, and off I go, getting more and more indiscreet." He was dead within a year of this broadcast.

[@laytonjones2093]

Just love Kenneth Williams

[@sharonjones873]

Kenneth Williams, genius, pure and simple.

[@faithmapstone9982]

Kenneth you were a joy! ❤

[@jamestilby2223]

COMMENT 90 ABSOLUTELY AGREE THERES ONLY ONE KENETH WILLIAMS THE MAN OF A THOUSAND VOICES..... 😂

[@johnjones-henderson3249]

Omg kenneth William's whar a funny man he was I was crying with laughter is army days story his facial expressions and his voice genius love all the carry on films he did a very clever and funny man so sadly missed god has captured so many great comedy legends definitely heavens gain our loss RIP kenneth hope your doing a double act with charles hawtry god bless

[@philipbonner6486]

Always a brilliant funny interview with Kenneth Williams, your so sadly missed 😢 Rest in Peace.

[@bernardfox9078]

You don't hear oratory like this these days ! So funny.

[@MichaelWalsh-qn3ef]

Aspel was never any Parkinson, he always looked bored to me. Love Kenneth x

[@ppuh6tfrz646]

Yes, I always thought that Aspel gave off an air of disapproval.

[@fayesouthall6604]

I think he let people perform.

[@pianobanter]

Thursday, 5th February 1987. "I went on the show with Dennis Taylor and an American girl called Hot Lips from MASH. The audience was super! My spot went very well but of course I felt all the self-loathing after over such appalling indulgence. With me it's all verbal diarrhoea and while I'm gabbing on, another side of me is saying 'oh dear, what an exhibition you're making of yourself"

[@JuggiesArchive]

Interesting insight 👍

[@WillScarlet1991]

Do you think Kenneth would have approved of his diaries going public? I feel he would have been aghast. Something really private to him and then the whole world knows all about his thoughts.

[@1960dave1960]

@@WillScarlet1991I read his diaries, thought that the last entry was rather poignant….!!

[@shaunigothictv1003]

Nowadays most whites kids in London speak English with a hybrid Jamaican dialect which is very different from the anglo saxon dialect of English which was spoken by Kenneth Williams. In the early 2000's, young white kids on council estates in London became JAMAICANISED. This is when they starting speaking with English with a hybrid Jamaican dialect. For example, Essex county is the only place in Britain where the cockney dialect/and or accent is still spoken.

[@nebularain3338]

Just say you're a racist and be done with it.

[@stevegray5263]

Ja-fake-an

[@shaunigothictv1003]

@@stevegray5263Interesting. Its actually referred to as MLE though. Google it and you will see.

[@JamesDickson-vs5of]

Absolutely nothing not to like about the late Kenneth Williams, i wonder what he'd though about the internet, what a presious haman being , sleep tight brother, happy healthy peace

[@user-vm9fl2en9r]

Kenneth is a genius. Loretta loves Kenneth. Aspel is utterly hopeless.

[@user-dv3xy2hx3r]

LEGEND BRILLIANT MAN ❤

[@wordscapes5690]

You can see in the eyes, he’s got that “Let’s get this over with and piss off!” expression - not always, but just occasionally. A consummate professional! He was seriously ill at this stage, and deeply depressed.

[@LeeMills-ml9jm]

Kenneth was unique, a true one off and the chat show host's dream guest. Always hilarious and a brilliant raconteur. Michael really did well in this interview - he actually managed to ask a couple questions.

[@johnoneill4483]

A wonderful force of nature!

[@martinjones5965]

9:48 Emma Chiswick ... how much is it. Brilliant!

[@rdmountford3132]

Very sweet Loretta hugged Ken St the end..just one year later dear Kenny was gone. You could tell he was in pain. His serious discussion on Napoleon's health reflected his own dread that he had a serious illness.

[@martinjones5965]

I bet she treasured that hug

[@zackspaulding]

Simply brilliant!! 👏 😂

[@josefstout2194]

Pure joy

[@davidreid8075]

The emptiness of modern Britain.

[@TheRealLagatha]

Love and miss him 😢

[@raytaaffe6588]

I never knew the Welsh were 'mean' and 'you couldn't trust them', as Kenneth said, but I've never liked them mainly because most of them don't like us, the English...so there! LOL. Love Kenneth's gag about having a burglar alarm on the dustbin, and I must remember it as I have a particularly mean associate. I was glued to EVERY ONE of Kenneth's words as he was SO unique and funny.

[@jessiejames7492]

Just hilarious! If i was there i would be rolling on the floor with laughter. Cant imagine Aspel being so composed.

[@paulhenshall2221]

Aspel always kept a straight face with his guests. Whereas I loved it when I see Parkinson creased up, much more fun.

[@jessiejames7492]

@@paulhenshall2221 yes i remember parkinson s interview with peter sellers and michael caine esp. he was laughing so much. Michael caine loves telling stories and is so funny. I loved these two interviews.

[@Scott_22]

He was incredible!

[@lindablanthorn7787]

What a naturally funny man ❤

[@extramild1]

I think you could take what Kenneth says about TV and apply it to social media - he was a man ahead and very much of his time.

[@AlanCrouch]

A genius..

[@Nordicroo]

Funny to hear him say "...and if he's got some to fire..." rather than "...and if he has some to fire..." as it was rare for him to make a slip oratorically. But his diction was incredible.

[@stephenlees1691]

the best ever

[@jean6872]

*What about that for a performance.*

[@mike-myke22]

a wonderful raconteur.

[@leytonjay]

This is basically stand up! It's brilliant. Why didn't he do stand up? He could've jumped straight into the big middle class tours, bypassing the backrooms in pubs which he would've hated. I guess stand up was still pretty old school at that time, but these routines are good 5mins strung together which is the starting point of a good hour show.

[@alanchamberlain9902]

Ken looked old here, I don't think he realized how good his work on the Carry On's were, its a shame he didn't live a bit longer into the 90s and maybe 2000. There isn't comedy actors around like that anymore.

[@user-kl4bh4lq6r]

What 🤣 A Character RIP

[@clarehennessey3653]

I so miss this quality, this British humour. I remember Round The Horne, there is nothing these days, it's all doom and gloom.

[@nebularain3338]

There's plenty good these days. You just want to believe that the past was better becasue you are getting old and feeling irrelevant.

[@Useaname]

Dear Kenneth. He clearly was in pain here.

[@user-ww9xx1lw9g]

Such a funny intelligent man but a sadness etching from his face .

[@marccas10]

Sadness transformed into comic genius. Such a fantastic shame.

[@teralmiles]

2:36 is such a total mood.

[@musicbybackinnyc1]

the doctor said hold it in hold it in lol

[@justsayin644]

i love the lack of political correctness we all so sadly miss these days

[@rcmakingtracks18]

One of a kind, very special human being.

[@martinjones5965]

13:08 I love the way KW takes back dominance of the proceedings at this point which coincides with it resuming being interesting.

[@pietjepuk9575]

So this was in 1987 and he died the year after , he was 62 🤦‍♂🤦‍♂

[@LordOfLight]

He was a tormented soul - and suspected of killing his own father.

[@fayesouthall6604]

His dad wasn’t a nice guy

[@mojofilter96]

2023 and most modern "celebs" are superb at nothing. Kenneth Nostradamus 😂

[@martinjones5965]

13:56 One of his favorite sayings "Bugler alarm on the dust bin".

[@lakehayden]

What are you doing the dying swan for 😂🤣

[@npc3po301]

No wonder these types of shows irked him, plebs laughing at anything, fellow guests needing prompts to intervene, he loved to engage but surrounded by those without any verve of their own he felt dutybound to just ramble

[@EddieDeeVee-pf1iu]

Tour de Force 10x over

[@kevintraynor4508]

Wonder what Kenneth Williams would have thought about Y. Tube if he had been around to see it. Would he have thought of it the same as teleivision

[@JuggiesArchive]

He may not of known about it... he wasn't much into tech I think.

[@user-vh7eu5bt4i]

Be grateful you're gone Kenny, for you wouldn't recognise ol' blighty today.

[@rosemaryallen2128]

That reminds me of how I went to see a lady doctor for some minor thing, and she stared at me with shocked glee and announced, "You're MENOPAUSAL!" I was quite unconcerned at this normal eventuality, which was doubtless a great disappointment to her...

[@chickenbento]

The immediately unforgettable, Mr. Michael Aspel. What a bore, with his tedious quips and interjections, paling in the light of the inimitable Kenneth Williams.

[@alanhargreaves-thevoiceofr2361]

before 'They' took over ...

[@krishnan-resurrection714]

Erudite. intelligent ..intellectual ....-that WAS Britain .....what happened ? .. . . Immigration happened . . .!

[@ijustwatchyoutube1242]

Him and sid made the carry ones it's a shame Kenneth took his own life

[@Regi869]

Did old Kenneth ever partake in any of that nose candy??

[@christinedewick2874]

Not with those nostrils 😅😅😅

[@sirbarnabyst.johntoffingto9017]

I must say I am absolutely superb at doing nowt to speak of . . . so I won't bother.

[@grai]

*WE* enjoy it but sadly he didn't he was far too unhappy and had been for most of his life to take any satisfaction in his own GENIUS at making people laugh which is such a gift being gay in his time wasn't easy and he wanted to be a serious actor and was deeply disappointed in his career He looks very worn down here and killed himself soon after

[@johnrider3749]

Kenneth Williams would be cancelled by the woke brigade these days,

[@alegomanYTPs]

how come this looks dreadfully worse than the 1974 one?

[@JuggiesArchive]

It's from a low-quality VHS tape originally. The 1974 one is from a more recent TV broadcast.

[@thomasm1964]

Geordies in Carlisle? Wrong side of the country, Kenneth.

[@markflatters9819]

I think what he probably meant was they all sound like Geordie's....which the Carlisle accent is very similar too!

[@nevana1656]

The army camp.was in Carlisle where new recruits from Newcastle area went

[@thomasm1964]

@@nevana1656 Interesting. Were there no camps available in the north-east? It must have felt like crossing the Alps into a foreign land for the poor buggers! After his retirement, my Dad (a Lancashire lad and a career soldier who spent almost his whole service abroad) would roll up the windows of the car and claim that the wheel-mounted machine guns were extended and armed as we crossed the Lancashire / Yorkshire border. According to him, he couldn't relax again until we returned and could once more breathe the clean fresh air of God's own county. I don't know how he felt about County Durham though.

[@Man-From-Another-Place]

A lot of Geordies end up in that part of England. The country narrows up there, so it isn't that far away from Newcastle.

[@thomasm1964]

@@Man-From-Another-Place I know. I live between the two.

[@a34rwl]

Anally fixated, wasn't he.

[@somnambulist7705]

Did Aspel ask him about his father’s poisoning? Shame the police dropped it

[@Useaname]

Why. If they hadn't, we would have lost him.

[@somnambulist7705]

@@Useaname So you would value letting an alleged poisoner go free so you could have had the memories. I wouldn’t myself, not that I’m saying he did anything of course. But I’m allowed to think it.

[@Useaname]

@@somnambulist7705 yes, but I think of the value a person brings to the table. One value will always be above another. That is our world.

[@Useaname]

@@somnambulist7705 and it is way more likely than not, that he did what he supposedly did. After all, how did that substance get into the bottle otherwise? There were only 3 people living there. But a bigger question is why did the authorities not pursue it? That question is stranger.

[@somnambulist7705]

@@Useaname so if someone poisoned a family member of yours, but was a celebrity you’d be fine with it? We will never know what he did but I agree it’s a crime it was never investigated properly. We did have the death penalty in 1962 so if found guilty he could have faced that.

[@pweir2005]

Loretta Doesnt have a clue what he is talking about..