# George Roper > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/George_Roper > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/George_Roper.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Roper > Source revision: 1354937504 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|English comedian (1934–2003)}} {{EngvarB|date=May 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}} {{about|the British comedian|the English football manager|George Roper (footballer)|the character from British sitcom ''[Man About the House](/source/Man_About_the_House)''|George Roper (character)|the ship lost on its maiden voyage near Melbourne|George Roper (ship)}} {{Infobox comedian | name = George Roper | image = Georgeroper.JPG | image_size = 200px | caption = | pseudonym = | birth_name = George Francis Furnival | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1934|05|15}} | birth_place = [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool), [Lancashire](/source/Lancashire), England | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2003|07|1|1934|05|15}} | death_place = [Sandbach](/source/Sandbach), [Cheshire](/source/Cheshire), England | medium = Comedy | active = Early 1960s – 2003 | genre = | subject = | influences = | influenced = | spouse = | notable_work = ''[The Comedians](/source/The_Comedians_(1971_TV_series))'' }} '''George Francis Roper''' (born '''Furnival'''; 15 May 1934 – 1 July 2003){{citation | first = Anthony | last = Hayward | title = George Roper – Obituary | newspaper = The Independent | location = London | date = 22 July 2003 | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/george-roper-548453.html | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101224233344/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/george-roper-548453.html | archive-date = 2010-12-24}} {{citation | first = Bernard | last = Manning | title = George Roper – An all-round stand-up comedian, he never stopped performing | newspaper = The Guardian | location = London | date = 17 July 2003 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jul/17/guardianobituaries2 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140310215754/http://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jul/17/guardianobituaries2 | archive-date = 2014-03-10}} was an English comedian, best known for his appearances in the long-running UK television series ''[The Comedians](/source/The_Comedians_(1971_TV_series))''. == Early history == Roper was born in [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool) to a working-class family of Irish descent, to parents who were devout [Roman Catholic](/source/Roman_Catholic). In conversation with the writer Ken Irwin in 1972,{{Cite book | last = Irwin | first = Ken | title = Laugh with the Comedians | year = 1972 | publisher = Wolfe Publishing/TV Times | isbn = 0-7234-0489-5 }} he remarked that "the rough and ready upbringing of Catholics in Liverpool brings out the humour in a family":
He's another comic who has known poverty. There were five children in the Roper family, three girls and two boys. Dad saw a lot of life – he was a window cleaner. 'Times were hard when I started at school, in the early war years,' says George. 'We never went without, but a jam butty was often a meal'.
Two of Roper's great-uncles were popular stars of the British [Music Hall](/source/Music_hall): Johnnie Cullen of the comedy team [Cullen and Carthy](/source/Cullen_and_Carthy), and George Sanford of the dance act [Sanford and Lyons](/source/Sanford_and_Lyons). He was also a cousin to the British jazz singer [Jeannie Bradbury](/source/Jeannie_Bradbury). He left school at the age of fifteen to join the [Merchant Navy](/source/Merchant_Navy_(United_Kingdom)) as a [galley boy](/source/Cabin_boy), then as steward. Later he served his [national service](/source/national_service) in the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) (RAF), based in [Eindhoven](/source/Eindhoven) in the Netherlands. It was during this period in the Netherlands that Roper began to sing with [big band](/source/big_band)s at RAF concert parties. He married [Linda Groves](/source/Groves_family) in December 1968, and they had three children: Nicholas, Louise and [Matthew](/source/Matt_Roper). == Career == {{quote box|align=right|width=250px|quote=One of the most startling things about him was his resemblance to the great 1990s American comedian [Bill Hicks](/source/Bill_Hicks). Like Hicks, Roper was predominantly concerned with the metaphysical futility of daily existence, only in his case, he maybe didn't realise it. |author=[Tony Hannan](/source/Tony_Hannan) in ''A History of Northern Comedy''{{Cite book|author=Tony Hannan|author-link=Tony Hannan|title=On Behalf of the Committee – A History of Northern Comedy|publisher=Scratching Shed Publishing|year= 2009|isbn=978-0-9560075-6-8}}}} Working mainly in the [North West England](/source/North_West_England) region, Roper began to sing semi-professionally in clubs and hotels during the early 1960s while supporting himself in various jobs, but soon found his real talent lay in performing comedy. He was encouraged by the [music hall](/source/music_hall) comedian [Sandy Powell](/source/Sandy_Powell_(comedian)). In his stage act the number of songs soon constricted and the gags expanded. By 1965, with his portly figure, bejewelled fingers, deadpan style and a laid back microphone technique he began to draw sizeable audiences as a stand-up comic on the booming club and casino scene of [Manchester](/source/Manchester). Regular at Manchester's Cabaret Club were the young reporter [Michael Parkinson](/source/Michael_Parkinson) and [Johnnie Hamp](/source/Johnnie_Hamp), a producer from [Granada Television](/source/Granada_Television),{{citation | title = Comedians Mourn As George Has His Last Laugh | newspaper = Manchester Evening News | location = Manchester | date = 10 August 2004 | url = http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/61/61935_comedians_mourn_as_george_has_his_last_laugh.html | access-date = 6 October 2010}} who said of Roper, "When I had the idea for The Comedians, he was one of the first people I called. It wasn't necessarily the gags he told, it was the face. There was always a twinkle in the eye." Hamp was on the look-out for new acts for a new show, which was to become ''The Comedians'', a groundbreaking television series which ran intermittently between 1971 and 1993. Filmed in Manchester before a live audience, the programme consisted mainly of [Northern](/source/Northern_England) club comedians telling jokes. It was a major success at the time, garnering several industry awards and a [BAFTA](/source/BAFTA) nomination,{{citation | title = BAFTA Television Awards – Winners and Nominees | url = http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/nominations/?year=1971 | access-date = 28 December 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080216215259/http://www.bafta.org/awards/television/nominations/?year=1971 | archive-date = 16 February 2008}} though the jokes told often contained racist or sexist stereotypes. This was acceptable on British TV during the 1970s but would not be acceptable today. Nevertheless, the show stands as a major social document of the era.{{citation | title = CultureCast: Talk - Paul Merton discusses The Comedians | url = http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/hubnew/tpl/uploads/cct_episode_4.pdf | publisher = National Portrait Gallery and Tyne & Wear Museums | access-date = 6 October 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927131115/http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/hubnew/tpl/uploads/cct_episode_4.pdf | archive-date = 27 September 2011}} {{quote box|align=left|width=250px|quote=With his off-beat and sometimes surreal humour, Roper was an oddity in the series. His jokes were clean, inoffensive and were usually centred on "wellies" ([wellington boot](/source/wellington_boot)s). Everyone wore "wellies" in Roper's jokes. |source=''The Times'' – 10 July 2003{{citation | title = George Roper, comedian, was born on May 15, 1934. He died on July 1, 2003, aged 69 | url = https://www.thetimes.com/article/lives-in-brief-h6mh98zjhpb | work = [The Times](/source/The_Times) | date = 10 July 2003 | url-access=subscription | access-date = 5 February 2016 }}}}
In June 1971 he was one of a group of artists invited to perform in a televised Royal Gala Performance at the [Empire Theatre](/source/Liverpool_Empire_Theatre), Liverpool in the presence of the Queen. The show featured only Liverpool-born performers and marked the opening of the [Mersey Tunnel](/source/Mersey_Tunnel). George Roper later made a number of notable television appearances including ''[The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club](/source/The_Wheeltappers_and_Shunters_Social_Club)'', ''[Celebrity Squares](/source/Celebrity_Squares)'', ''At Long Last, This'' and ''[The Grumbleweeds](/source/The_Grumbleweeds)''. In 1980 he performed on the experimental comedy show ''Here Comes Channel 8'' (taking a look into the future of television, set in 1999) alongside [Spike Milligan](/source/Spike_Milligan), [Rula Lenska](/source/Rula_Lenska) and [Michael Bentine](/source/Michael_Bentine). He was also a regular comic performer on the ITV gameshow ''[3-2-1](/source/3-2-1)''. His work for the [BBC](/source/BBC) in radio comedy included appearances on [''The Frankie Howerd Variety Show''](/source/Frankie_Howerd), [''Windsor Davies Presents''](/source/Windsor_Davies), [''The Arthur Askey Show''](/source/Arthur_Askey), the panel show ''Wit's End'' for [BBC Radio 2](/source/BBC_Radio_2) and ''You've Got To Be Joking'' for [BBC Radio 4](/source/BBC_Radio_4).{{citation | title = George Roper in the Radio Times Archives | url = http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?adv=0&q=%22george+roper%22&media=all&yf=1923&yt=2009&mf=1&mt=12&tf=00%3A00&tt=00%3A00 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160208043350/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?adv=0&q=%22george+roper%22&media=all&yf=1923&yt=2009&mf=1&mt=12&tf=00%3A00&tt=00%3A00 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 8 February 2016 | publisher = BBC | access-date = 5 February 2016 }} By the 1990s, comic tastes in the UK had changed quite radically, and many variety performers who filled the television schedules often found work difficult to come by. Roper was still in demand in clubs and in summer shows. He could also be seen as a contributor to documentaries including ''Heroes of Comedy''. He appeared regularly in the Spanish resort of [Benidorm](/source/Benidorm), sharing the headline spot at the Talk of the Town with jazz musician [Eric Delaney](/source/Eric_Delaney). He frequently performed for [expatriate](/source/expatriate)s in Hong Kong and the Middle East. He also toured Australia several times, where ''The Comedians'' made him a star. == Death == George Roper died of cancer in 2003 at the age of 69. The previous year had seen him reunited with his co-stars from ''The Comedians'' for a long season at the [Opera House](/source/Opera_House_Theatre%2C_Blackpool), [Blackpool](/source/Blackpool). His final stage appearance was at the Liverpool Empire in May 2003. His funeral was attended by many figures from the world of comedy and sport, including [Ricky Tomlinson](/source/Ricky_Tomlinson), [Ken Dodd](/source/Ken_Dodd), [Frank Worthington](/source/Frank_Worthington), [Tommy Docherty](/source/Tommy_Docherty) and all of his contemporaries from ''The Comedians''.{{citation | title = STARS bid farewell to comic pal | work = Manchester Evening News | url = http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/62/62625_stars_bid_farewell_to_comic_pal.html | date = 11 July 2003 | access-date = 5 February 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120523174243/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/62/62625_stars_bid_farewell_to_comic_pal.html | archive-date = 23 May 2012 }} ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == *{{IMDb name|id=1094041|name=George Roper}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20071116113100/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/314197?view=credit Filmography and credits] – [British Film Institute](/source/British_Film_Institute) {{DEFAULTSORT:Roper, George}} Category:Groves family Category:1934 births Category:2003 deaths Category:English male comedians Category:English stand-up comedians Category:British Merchant Navy personnel Category:Deaths from cancer in England Category:Comedians from Liverpool Category:20th-century English comedians Category:21st-century English comedians --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [George Roper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Roper) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Roper?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.