Al Read was a famous British radio comedian active throughout the 1950s and 60's.

He was born on the 3rd of March, 1909 in Salford,then in Lancashire now part of Greater Manchester and was a sausage maker in his fathers business. He became known as a popular after dinner speaker with wry and well observed humour in clubs.In 1950 Al had his debut on the BBC. His comedy was based about the monologue form but he also became well known for his dialogs in which he played both voices.His humour was observational and was about northern English working class people,often in a domestic situation. Statistics Population: 72,750 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ805985 Administration Borough: Salford Metropolitan county: Greater Manchester Region: North West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester Historic county: Lancashire Services Police force: Greater Manchester Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: North West Post... Lancashire is a county in North West England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England and has a population of 2. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... A monologue is a speech made by one person speaking his or her thoughts aloud or directly addressing a reader, audience or character. ...

The Al Read Show was one of the most popular radio comedy shows in the UK in the 1950s and 60's.Up to 35 million people listened to it.His catchphrases 'Right Monkey' and 'You'll be lucky to get that,I say you'll be lucky to get that!' were well known.In 1963 he headed a variety format for ITV called Life and Al Read which was apparently unscripted and was broadcast live.In 1966 another ITV series called 'Al Read Says What a Life!' was broadcast.It was generally considered that sound radio was his best medium,though. It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ...

In 1954 he appeared high on the bill at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium theatre The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held in the United Kingdom once each year, usually in a theatre in Londons West End. ... The London Palladium in 2004 The London Palladium is one of the most famous of Londons West End theatres. ...

He described his own work as 'pictures of life' and it was certainly very perceptive about the human condition,and very witty.Many of his monologue recordings are still available from the BBC.

Al Read died on the 9 September 1987

References

• Papillon Graphics Encyclopaedia of Greater Manchester,2002
• BBC.co.uk Guide to Comedy