Bob Monkhouse... The Million Joke Man

Comedy genius and legend, Bob Monkhouse meticulously catalogued thousands of jokes in sixteen beautifully handwritten and illustrated volumes. Gold has been granted unlimited and exclusive access to these unique jokes books, and they will be revealed to the public for the first time on Bob Monkhouse: Million Joke Man.

This brand new series, presented by Paul O'Grady, takes a retrospective and intimate look at the extraordinary life and career of Bob, the man who wrote, and then told, over a million jokes. Known to the nation as a game show host, he was also an extremely popular stand-up comedian and skilled joke writer.

In each programme Paul unearths previously unseen private archives of scripts, personal and professional correspondence of Bob's, in an attempt to discover the secret behind his successful six-decade career at the very top of British show business. From the books, to his fellow professionals, to a fascinating array of rarely seen footage, the audience will get a real insight into the extraordinary talent and personal life of Bob Monkhouse, the man with a million jokes.

Famous faces, family and friends paying homage to Bob, include comedy writer Colin Edmonds, the man who was bequeathed Bob's books. Abigail Williams, Bob's adopted daughter, David Renwick, James Moir, Jimmy Tarbuck, Brian Tesler, Russ Abbot, Alan Nixon, Dabber Davies, Ken Bruce, Joe Pasquale, Tim Vine, Steve Punt, Jon Culshaw, Gaby Roslin, Anne Aston, Debra Stephenson, Dominic Holland and others.

Featured archive in the series is drawn from a variety of sources and includes Bob Monkhouse's work on series and specials including Calling All Forces, For Love Or Money, The London Palladium Show, The Show Band Show, The Golden Shot, The Bob Monkhouse Comedy Hour, Quick On The Draw, Celebrity Squares, Bonkers, Bob's Your Uncle, Bob Says Opportunity Knocks, Bob's Full House, The Bob Monkhouse Show, Bob Monkhouse On The Spot, The Royal Variety Performance, An Audience With Bob Monkhouse, Family Fortunes, Jonathan Creek and the films Carry On Sergeant, Dentist In The Chair and Dentist On The Job.