British Comedy Guide
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams

Kenneth Williams

  • English
  • Actor and writer

Press clippings Page 3

The chirpy team knocked out this cheeky response to Joseph L Mankiewicz's Egyptian epic, Cleopatra, in no time: a garden-shed version of the pyramids. Sid James is Mark Antony, Amanda Barrie the Queen of the Nile, and with Kenneth Williams Julius Caesar - who utters the immortal: "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" - this ranks as one of yer classic Carry Ons.

Paul Howlett, The Guardian, 2nd April 2016

Radio comedy still misses Kenneth Williams

It's tempting to believe that somewhere in the bowels of Broadcasting House in London the voice of Kenneth Williams is still roaming, rich, ribald and ever-so-fruity, ready to jump out and surprise us.

Kate Chisholm, The Spectator, 24th February 2016

Video: Nicholas Parsons on Paul Merton's JAM milestone

As Paul Merton clocks up more appearances on Just a Minute than veteran player Kenneth Williams, Nicholas Parsons celebrates his momentous milestone.

Nicholas Parsons & Paul Merton, BBC News, 18th February 2016

Paul Merton on Just a Minute

As Paul Merton surpasses Kenneth Williams as a Just a Minute legend, he talks about the fast-talking panel show's best and worst guests - and why everyone was scared the day he arrived.

Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian, 16th February 2016

Preview: unseen Kenneth Williams diaries

Excoriating, furious, bitter, resentful, occasionally self-hating and almost always bitchy on an epic scale, the diaries of Kenneth Williams, star of the Carry On films, astonished fans when a selection of them was published more than 20 years ago.

Mail on Sunday, 6th December 2015

Kenneth Williams' 12 classic quotes

The actor's private letters and diaries have been preserved for the nation and offer a revealing insight into his troubled genius.

Tom Parry, The Mirror, 4th December 2015

British Library acquires Kenneth Williams' diaries

Personal letters and diaries belonging to Carry On star Kenneth Williams have been acquired by the British Library.

BBC News, 3rd December 2015

First in a series of retrospectives from British comedy greats, delivered via carefully collated archive interview footage, starting with one of comedy's most fascinating figures, Kenneth Williams. Unencumbered by Carry On baggage, it was the chatshow that allowed Williams to express himself. These interviews show how Williams's wispy frame inflated with enthusiasm given a soapbox for his specialist subject: himself. With excerpts arranged to present his storied life in chronological order, it's a fine addition to GOLD's comedy roster.

Mark Jones, The Guardian, 24th June 2015

Radio Times review

"Oh - what's the bloody point?" Kenneth Williams was, as they say, "good value" on chat shows. Wogan could engage automatic pilot as Williams whipped the audience into hysterics, riffing through anecdotes and voices. As this clip show proves, he was a ludicrously witty man - a smutty, funny C3PO. So of all his notable quotables, why is it the defeated final line of his diary that is now inescapable? Oh infamy, infamy...

Because the truth is, Williams doesn't fit the "tears of the clown" stereotype. He didn't suffer in silence: he told interviewers and the nation about his depression, narcissism and various complexes. His skill - whether on Round the Horne, Carry On, or on the sofa - is that he always said the unsayable. It's just that he made you laugh while doing it.

Jonathan Holmes, Radio Times, 24th June 2015

Jim Dale 'wasn't good friends with the Carry On clique'

The TV veteran reveals he was snubbed by Sid James and Kenneth Williams when he appeared on This Is Your Life.

Jasper Rees, The Telegraph, 12th May 2015

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