Nicholas McArdle

Nicholas McArdle:

As a regularly recurring sight on the TV screens of the UK during the '70s-'90s, Nicholas McArdle's trademark drooping moustache and bald pate are so much more familiar than his name. His perennially middle-aged image has been lent to roles as politicians, council functionaries and dignitaries, accountants, army officers and a vast swathe of policemen of every rank from cloddish constable to chief inspector. See, for example, various coppers in 'Z-Cars', 'Crown Court', 'The Sweeney', 'The Professionals', 'Taggart' and 'Softly, Softly Task Force'.        

In 'The Sweeney' episode 'Hearts and Minds'

In the last series of  'It Aint Half Hot Mum'

It hasn't all been flashing lights and blue serge drama though. He is an accomplished comedy actor, with sitcom appearances in the likes of 'Happy Ever After' and 'Terry & June', 'To The Manor Born', 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum', 'No Place Like Home', 'Are You Being Served?', 'Butterflies', 'Time Of My Life' and 'Citizen Smith' - although he was actually playing a policemen in the last three of those. He also crops up in various comedians' light entertainment shows: see 'Kelly Monteith', 'The Mike Reid Show', 'Marty Amok', and 'The Howerd Confessions'. 

'Porridge' (1979) giving Mr McKay a hard time in the movie version

In the cinema, his name has appeared in the lower credits for movies such as 'Porridge' (1979), 'Dance With A Stranger' (1985), 'Sir Henry At Rawlinson End' (1980), and the sex comedy 'Can You Keep It Up For A Week?' (1975) - not as saucy as it sounds, it's about an accident-prone young chap trying to keep a job for seven days so that he can get married. Valerie Leon and Richard O'Sullivan also feature.     

 

'Can You Keep It Up For A Week?' (1975)

Fans of cult TV may recall seeing him in the 1978 'Doctor Who' adventure 'The Stones Of Blood'. He is also in the anthology chiller series 'The Supernatural', the sci fi drama 'The Flipside Of Dominick Hyde' and both 'The Goodies' and its forgotten 1968 forerunner 'Broaden Your Mind'. 

Does a lot of voiceover work these days. Check out the commercial sound clips at this site for a hint of his range.  


Nicholas McArdle-imdb

Rosalind Knight

Rosalind Knight: 

† Dec 3 1933 – Dec 19 2020

Charmingly chinny and cherubic actress who played a number of light comedy and romantic roles in the '50s, including 'Carry On Teacher' (1959), 'Carry On Nurse'(1959) and 'Blue Murder At St Trinians' (1957), before getting the more prestigious part of Mrs Fitzpatrick in 'Tom Jones' (1963). 

Ding dong! Catching the eye of Leslie Phillips
in 'Carry On Teacher' (1959)  

Other films include 'About A Boy' (2002), 'Eskimo Nell' (1975), 'Prick Up Your Ears' (1987) and 'Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?' (1969). 

In the Poirot mystery 'One Two Buckle My Shoe'

A quality TV stalwart, though in latter years she has done a lot of cosy crime and the odd 'Holby' and 'Heartbeat'. Some extent of her range can be gathered from the fact that in 1985 she portrayed both La Contessa Amelia Faraglione in 'Mapp & Lucia' and Jim Davidson's mum in 'Up The Elephant and Round The Castle'. 

See her in such diverse fare as 'Jeeves & Wooster', 'Coronation Street,'Gimme Gimme Gimme' and even an episode 'The Beverly Hillbillies'. She also holds the distinction of appearing in both 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' with Jeremy Brett, and 'Sherlock' with Benedict Cumberbatch.    

And this bizarre waste of talent; a sort of American 'Carry On'.

Return of the Tom Jones beauty spot in
'Start The Revolution Without Me' (1970)

Rosalind Knight - imdb profile