Kenneth Williams Interview 13th February 1980

[@zaphodbeeblebrox6627]

Hard to believe the World lost this fabulous entertainer 30 years ago. Thank God for film & Video . He can still entertain a new generation even though he’s gone. Rest in Peace Kenny.

[@charlesdavis7087]

Hi Zaphod; I read your post, but you also put up a picture presumably of yourself. I am amazed, startled, drawn to look at it closely, amazed again, lost for words. Nevertheless, I have to agree with you... he was fabulous, almost magical, fascinating, one worthy of being called a recanter.... And little old moi just discovered him about a year and a half ago. I watch everything I can. My heart really goes out to him... and yet he's "gone!" In short, he... is... entertaining... a new generation... here in the 21st century. Had a friend much like Kenneth in West Hollywood named Roland Brown. Roland passed on a few years ago and seeing Kenneth keeps me some how in 'touch' with Roland... and many wonderful memories. Enough for now. Re - membered .

[@juliemacandrews1434]

..marvelous all rounder..fabulous...

[@UnexpectedBooks]

It’s 2021 and I just discovered Mr. Williams with this video, thanks to the KZbin algorithm. He’s clearly a gem and the comments underscore that. I look forward to watching more of him.

[@petesmith9472]

..any Carry On movie will do the trick

[@DrMoorehen]

he was great, but troubled. Watch Fantabulosa, a biopic

[@martinkearney3924]

David Benson's Think no evil of us is the best tribute to Kenneth Williams 🎉

[@ShanaiCollins]

Bless lovely Kenneth! it's a shame he's not alive such an intelligent human and such a tragic soul!

[@LPJack02]

RIP Kenneth Williams (February 22, 1926 - April 15, 1988), aged 62 You will be remembered as a legend.

[@maxwellfan55]

Well put, friend.

[@juana9483]

Wonderful and irreplaceable Kenneth Williams, so intelligent, witty, hilarious, cultured, charismatic and eloquent. Such a talent! I absolutely love him! Sadly missed but a treat to still be able to see videos of him and hear the radio shows etc.

[@aryehfinklestein9041]

Simply the best raconteur of all time.

[@ianbentley7276]

i'd put him in a dead heat with peter ustinov.

[@ianbentley7276]

with the exception of Peter Ustinov. I'd have them equal.

[@TheRowlandstone73]

I'm a bigger fan of Kenneth in general, and he is a brilliant raconteur, but I'd put Peter Ustinov streets ahead of anyone when it comes to telling stories. I find Kenneth entertaining, but not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, whereas Ustinov has me creased!

[@kennybrown4920]

@@ianbentley7276 Don't you think you should add Orson Wells?

[@CatsandJP]

Came across this by chance and absolutely loved him. He’s my kind of person confident open and honest extremely intelligent pity more people where not like him. Pity he wasn’t prime minister we could do with his kind here in Oz

[@markreynolds8871]

A comic genius and the best chat show guest of all time.😀

[@UNOwen1]

I just watched An audience with... and I loved it so much, but, I got so sad when I have to snap back to reality & realise dear Kenneth isn't here any more. So many people love him, and I hope wherever he is, he's as happy as he's made so many.

[@charlesdavis7087]

I know what you mean. It's a little like being entertained by a ghost. Laughing at... with... the dead. Maybe I've crossed over too and don't know it? I discovered K. W. about a year and a half ago... and I'm totally enchanted. Some times, I think I can hear him... speaking to me.. even as I write these lines, I hear his voice. Very remarkable. He can seem so close, so very close. Maybe he is here... in some way. It isn't a horse.

[@davidwhyberd7612]

What was so impressive is that Kenneth only had a few written prompts and it was a seamless and brilliant performance. I still, to this day, feel so sad that he died before his time. My uncle knew him professionally and met him in Oxford Street the day before he died. He said that he was to have an operation and was terrified. My uncle also knew Tony Hancock, another tortured, highly intelligent man who was very insecure and nervous before performing and became a chronic alcoholic. Hancocks Half Hour with Kenneth, Hattie, Sid and Bill gives me great pleasure to this day. The marvelous array of characters that Kenneth portrayed was wonderful.

[@LALakersNornIron]

The end of that when the music plays and the audience stand up and clap and cheer him whilst Kenny stands there and smiles always chokes me up and brings a tear to the eye.

[@funmonsterUK]

A bloomin' visionary... So talented... I miss you Kenny Boy xxx

[@johnbanks4761]

this kind of actor, this kind of person isn't to be found anymore..most of the performers/actors etc now just don't have the presence that people like Kenneth Williams had, the background the history that they had back then..helped make them..now they don't have that richness to them

[@Syklonus]

Don't be so petty. There are plenty of wonderful performers in the world today, and that doesn't take anything away from what Kenneth was back then.

[@wibblywobblytimeywimey4669]

Nowadays people just don’t know how to BE themselves. The influence of social media, I feel, has had such monumental affect. They feel the need to impress, the need to be someone they’re not, constantly being judged, etc, etc.

[@yoya4766]

@@wibblywobblytimeywimey4669 As Kenneth says its a war against being authentic.

[@smokie33]

Nice to see an interviewer with some intelligent questions. ☺

[@AndroidLust7]

He really is amazing.

[@robhavock9434]

Ultra intelligent man, honest and brave man, outstanding legend of comedy but intellectual and historian.

[@billk9856]

1:28 on, love how he delivers the gag, she doesn't get it or chooses not to get it, then he acknowledges those in the audience that did get it.

[@adamgrimsley2900]

Such a sharp and erudite mind

[@MrHairyNeck]

I find out something different about Kenneth in every interview. Thanks.

[@AntPDC]

Wonderful! Good interviewer too. Kenny is so missed!

[@smokie33]

I thought So too.

[@rael1999]

One of our great eccentrics (sorry Ken)...he left us such a wonderful legacy !

[@rainbowsalads]

I've always felt him to have a very mature elderly essence about him, even way back in the 60s. So to think he would only be 86 this year in 2012 is quite remarkable.

[@tobyjack9608]

What a great treasure to find Kenneth Williams. Thank you for posting. I agree with all the positive comments below. However, I am stuck on the blonde lady in the audience wearing a tiara at 8:27. Why would that be? Time to do some research on tiara's and 1980's Britian.

[@peggymount]

Fabulous interview. I think the interviewer is actually very good. Prompts at the right points and lets the interviewee talk. And Mr Williams seems very relaxed and willing to talk a bit more deeply than he usually does. Wish it was a longer interview.

[@austinbourke9292]

This wonderful man was an interviewers dream

[@johnmacintyre6879]

Miss you !!

[@nicholasdavies6264]

Ask this guy a question and off he goes for an hour ! Superb!

[@qazzell]

Spot on..What a Legend.

[@huggyhuggsbears1265]

As many people who knew Kenneth professionally and personally have said many times that he was a walking contradiction, fiercely private at home and highly eccentric when in company of the few friends he had. The many anecdotes of him going out for a meal and asking for a private quiet corner ( with a screen put around him so the other diners couldn't see him ) but then as the night went on and his conversations became louder and louder there wasn't many in the restaurant who didn't know who was behind the screen. If you look at some of his interviews he will deliberately be crass and say certain words that he knew would shock but would get a laugh and a reaction from the audience, he had to be louder and controversial than anybody else, he himself wrote in his diary as living a Jekyll & Hyde existence, he knew what he was doing and hated himself for behaving that way but he couldn't help it. As much as he hated public recognition it's obvious that HE needed the public to feed his eccentricities inorder to validate his worth, after all what is a performer/ entertainer without his/her audience. Torwards the later part of his life he became a regular guest on chat shows ( mainly on Parkinson ) and as funny as the stories were he would continue to tell the same ones over and over again but every now and again he'd change the details but essentially it was the same stories. I just like many others feel he was much better and far more talented to spend his time appearing on chatshows, i just wished that some Director or writer had offered him a straight role for a film or play specifically written for him, he would have been fantastic I'm sure, he was much more than a man with silly voices, but sadly that part never came his way. Whatever personal & professional turmoil he had in his life there is no denying he has left behind a great comedic legacy behind for us & future generations to enjoy.

[@cBearTV-]

❤️💛... Who else just loves Kenneth singing 🎶 clementine 🎶

[@BNCA70]

Good interview - intelligent questions and she was listening to him - unlike today's shower of interviewers - with a few exceptions.

[@BobzCountryBunker]

Kenneth Williams was without doubt one of the best storytellers we have ever known. I would class him alongside Peter Ustinov, Peter Cook, Richard Burton and so many more.... I wish we still had entertainers of his calibre with us today, but none spring to mind unfortunately [sad face]. Also, does anyone know the interviewer's name? She reminds me a little of the food critic Grace Dent, but then I have had one or two measures of scotch...

[@annestrmsted9749]

Great

[@catherineoconnell3213]

Great chap...... Wise words... 14/03/2021

[@zoolook3264]

It REALLY annoys me when people say "He was good, it's a SHAME he was gay" I mean what is THAT supposed to mean? I'm as straight as you can get but I love this guy, his preferences - and his demons facing them, have nothing to do with how incredible he was / is still to watch today. He was a pure genius, and like so many genius's he was constantly fighting with himself about how others saw him and how he saw himself. I can only speak for myself, but he has helped change my life by making it better. Thank you Kenneth, you were a TRUE joy to watch. RIP xxx

[@mannixflinn6227]

So true. His books are amazing. Very funny. And his diaries. They give you a whole new perspective on life. He made a documentary years ago about where he grew up, and he walked all around Bloomsbury and Kings Cross telling very interesting stories about the area and his experiences. I was in London recently and visited all the places in the documentary, with a downloaded copy of the video on my phone as a guide. It was a great experience.

[@silliusbillius1338]

In all fairness, I've never seen a single comment that stated "its a pity he was gay". Plenty that have said "its a pity that he never seemed to be able to come to terms with his homosexuality", but I'd suggest that the combination of his poor relationship with his father, his conservatism & religious upbringing (Wesleyan methodist) together with the illegality of homosexuality at the time was bound to leave its unhappy mark.

[@londonlady1966]

I think he was asexual.

[@josephclift3662]

​@@londonlady1966 a sexual what? Lol. Stop messin' about!

[@cotterj99]

A wonderful interview with Kenneth discussing the comic mask that he and many others wear. It made me laugh and think in equal measure. So much so I am writing a blog about it.

[@paulrichardson3978]

8

[@Sameoldfitup]

We have known the days...

[@meadowlane37]

brilliant,

[@WiseGuy02]

He said he never got good marks at school, but he certainly appears to be very intelligent.

[@KDoyle4]

Love it when Kenneth honestly cackles, near the end of the video at 8:14.

[@SylviaIllingworth]

God bless him, I miss him. I just finished his diaries again. I don't think it was intentional overdose as he mentions in the diaries he has no guts for suicide. I think he was in such pain with his health that he over medicated. I could listen to him all day. X

[@stellaashker1]

I adore this man!!! Has anybody noticed there's a geezer in the audience with a full body tattoo and he has no shirt on!!

[@christopherwilliams2093]

Either the studio lights made him feel too hot or because a well-known person (Mark Roberts) may have done it for a bet!!!!

[@ianclarke1852]

Utterly unique

[@INDIANBLANKET]

Why can't more people in the limelight be more like this?

[@allies7184]

Why was there a man sitting in the front without his shirt on? Very strange!

[@cBearTV-]

Kenneth, an exhibitionist??... Hardly even in #CarryOn films where he wore shorts, you never saw his ankles! He was the traditional Sandal & sock English man. 💛

[@paulphilipempey1]

Maybe he was eccentric, who cares! Great orator with interesting anecdotes.

[@davidwhyberd7612]

It was interesting when Kenneth has Stephen Fry as his guest. Stephen did most of the talking and was funny. He is a superb raconteur, but Kenneth was a great mimic as well.

[@spudhead169]

Extremely clever man.

[@martinkearney3924]

David Benson's Think no evil of Us is the best tribute available regarding Kenneth Williams

[@TheRowlandstone73]

As much of a fan of Kenneth as I am, whenever I see him interviewed, I always get the feeling he can't wait to get home and write something scathing and unpleasant about them in his diary! There's no entry for this particular day though.

[@lorenzomagazzeni5425]

True, the carry on made him know him to the world, like or not.

[@PodOfHeat]

Am I seeing things or is there an actual bird sitting in the audience at 1:33 and a tattooed man with no shirt on?

[@shushey]

Looks like Trevor James and Sid the Venezuelan parrot.

[@martinclark8162]

WTF?, WTFFFFF? --- And some say Kenneth was exentric. Well f' me sideways with the sharp end of a pineapple and batter me in treacle, you're right, where the hell did these two come from? (And how the hell did you spot them Heatpodude?, you deserve a cigar for spotting these two. Where do I post it to?)

[@martinclark8162]

@@shushey Dude, Sid the Venezuelan parrot? Give me a break --- please.....

[@BelatedCommiseration]

Isn't it amazing that, even at thirty years distance, the same people who seem to be in the audiance for these type of shows hardly ever seems to change at all...except these days they seem less disciplined and and more rowdy because of the Springer and co influence presumably.

[@Kiinell]

I'm baffled by the completely shirtless heavily tattooed man at 1.33

[@Emilpoika]

Well spotted xD

[@silliusbillius1338]

Be even more stumped by the person sat next to "Mr Ink" wearing a bird costume. Imagine it was the local nutters club day out to the TV studio.

[@andyrob3259]

And what about the guy between them who appears to be wearing a WW1/2 military hat? With what looks like no face but masses of hair. And on the next row behind a guy in a beret with either a ghoulish face or it’s Marcel Marceau. And up from him a member of Kiss? Weird.

[@HowlingWolfLeather]

Modern interviewers look and learn!

[@dogwithwigwamz.7320]

Kenneth Williams - as was - could, I`m sure, have recited the complete works of Shakespere in perfectly well received English and 10 minutes flat if not sooner. Whilst it took me 20 minutes to write this.

[@markpav9906]

who be the beautiful interviewer?

[@jimbobjimjim6500]

Williams was a good talker because of his Celtic background.

[@rnw2739]

Rubbish... he was brought up in a Cockney household and borough - Utterly Anglo Saxon

[@markeddeckmusic7202]

Roman Blood , infamy infamy

[@jimbobjimjim6500]

@@rnw2739 Yeah.....Anglo Saxons are well known for being open and warm like Williams was....

[@rnw2739]

@@jimbobjimjim6500 typical Celtic pathetic remark and generalisation.

[@markciale5246]

If he were to do nothing but read the phone directory, Kenneth Williams would still be hilarious!!

[@markjordan1533]

I was in the audience.

[@Roundymooney]

You must be 150 now if you're a day

[@markjordan1533]

@@Roundymooney no I was about 19. We were just top right of the frame when he comes on stage. The shows theme was British eccentrics and we were invited on as we were punks. Other guests included Spit the dog and a woman who dressed like the queen.

[@robbryant52]

Who is the lady

[@Cal99ers]

Just gets going good then it's over

[@EddiePedalo]

"Homeopathy works". Even when Kenneth wasn't being funny, he was still hilarious. A comic genius.

[@Johnnybananass-_]

such a Bona chitchat

[@laytonjones2093]

Only way to describe Kenny is LEGEND

[@jeremyroberts4566]

A true genius. How different would he have been if he had been more comfortable with his sexuality?

[@stevenbuchanan7793]

Who is the interviewer?

[@baward]

Does anyone know who the interviewer is? I think I remember her face from way back when, but not her name

[@johnking5174]

I think it is Mavis Nicholson.

[@baward]

I don't think it's Mavis Nicholson, although that lady (Mavis) did have a similar voice and also interviewed Kenneth Williams.

[@johnking5174]

This clip might help, near the end the announcer gives the name, but am not sure on the spelling. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZaUmIWKZ9aiebM

[@baward]

Hi John, I am almost 100% certain that she is called Shelley Rohde. I found this other clip of her interviewing James Mason and she's the spit. Quite a few pictures and so on of her on the internet. kzbin.info/www/bejne/on-tgYxnm8eBac0 A clip of Mavis Nicholson: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i33HYX2wipijkK8

[@juliaward1127]

It is not Mavis Nicholson.

[@timgalway9960]

Why is there a naked tattooed man sitting in middle of the audience?

[@mooremarriott2841]

Tim Galway I was just thinking the same thing, nowadays it's normal but then he might have been considered a bit of a freak

[@frankmachin5438]

Tim Galway oh yes!! What’s up with that?!

[@naly202]

Poor Ken had so many interesting things to say, yet he is allowed only 8 minutes. Also, i have the impression the interviewer wasn't paying much attention to what he was saying.

[@123rosebuds]

Such a funny, whitty man.

[@farmbrough]

He's an exhibitionist because he used to lift his skirts up when he wasn't wearing any pants on the set of the Carry On films!

[@sensimania]

The audience looks very different compared to what today's audience would look like. Not a young face in sight.

[@meirwise1107]

He hated having to do these interviews. He said that he gave away a bit of himself each time. Rip Kenneth.

[@WillScarlet1991]

I wonder what his reaction would have been if he knew his diaries had been published en masse to the public?

[@elvisleeboy]

​@@WillScarlet1991 He said in another interview that he would not mind at all should his diaries be published after his death.

[@WillScarlet1991]

@@elvisleeboy I'm sure he said it with some nuances. I think I remember that interview. I may be wrong but he mentioned them being published not in their entirety.

[@bampop]

He was always adorable and entertaining. The interviewer was just plain rude.

[@rainbowsalads]

of course he was very child like and funny too : ) I was just amazed after doing the maths to think he might still be around and active today.

[@juliaward1127]

Shelley Rhode keeps being impolite to Kenneth Williams, especially in her summing up.

[@elvisleeboy]

I agree, she was out of her depth and did not let him finish his points and therefore deprived us all of hearing them.

[@PaulinOsakanow]

love the topless tattooed chap in the audience at 1:33 and his partner next to him!.

[@digitalmediafan]

PaulinOsakanow oh yes he was rather ahead of his time. Grotesque imo though

[@elvisleeboy]

That Coward recitation should have received a round of applause from the audience, but they evidently had no idea what was in front of them. It was like seeing a magic trick performed to a box of locusts.

[@grai]

rather bizarre the interviewer needed to put away the Penguin Freud and relax a bit

[@Tobytrim]

What an entertaining and talented man! - And what a waste, when I think of the shite performances he was forced to deliver in those god awful carry on movies!

[@janeday9148]

Both of them have very uncomfortable body language Kenneth is having to work hard at this interview

[@Ladynipchick2]

I think I agree. She was certainly not at ease.

[@0robbi0]

nice try..

[@syang1116]

what a racontuer

[@karldelavigne8134]

What a waste of an interview.

[@rajsingha1099]

Who is the interviewer?

[@MrDavey2010]

Who is the interviewer?