The ventriloquist Peter Brough introduced a new, walking Archie Andrews dummy when Educating Archie was moved from radio (where it had been a fixture since 1944, drawing in an audience of over 15 million listeners) to television.
At its peak, the radio show took over the country. Kiddies licked Archie Andrews lollipops and washed themselves with Archie Andrews soap; there were Archie Andrews comics and annuals, and the dummy’s face appeared everywhere (for charity as well as for enviable fees).
The manic-eyed Archie, elegantly clad in a broad-striped blazer, always haughtily called his mentor “Brough” as if he were some menial functionary in a stately home.
Archie was always stronger than his manipulator; indeed, part of his charm was the appeal of the stroppy dummy to the anarchist child in everyone.
Aiding the scamp schoolboy puppet in the series, in addition to Brough, were regulars Irene Handl (as the housekeeper Mrs Twissle), Dick Emery (doubling as the gardener and the versatile opportunist Mr Monty) and Freddie Sales (as the sponging lodger).
Jayne Mansfield lookalike, Sheena Marshe, also appeared, as did Ray Barrett and Peter Stanwick.
Marty Feldman was involved in the writing of all but two of the episodes.
By the 1960s, the show’s appeal had run its course, and Archie was laid to rest in 1961 when – following the death of his father Arthur (who was also a ventriloquist) – Peter Brough quit show business to take over his family’s textile and menswear business.
The dummy was revived for occasional TV appearances. Peter Brough died in 1999 after a short illness, aged 83.
Archie Andrews
Peter Brough
Irene Handl
Dick Emery
Freddie Sales
Ray Barrett
Sheena Marshe
Peter Stanwick
