He appeared in all 58 episodes from 1980-88.
But in the business he was possibly even better known as a “warm-up” man, getting the audience in the right mood before the main attraction. He served as warm-up man, or studio host, on thousands of television shows, joking to the audience on the section of the show that takes place before transmission or recording.
He would do as many as 15 shows a week. At one time, he warmed up the audience for Terry Wogan’s live show at the BBC’s London Shepherd’s Bush studio and then jumped on his motorbike and drove to Thames Television’s Teddington studios to do the same for the Des O’Connor show, which started slightly later.
He also warmed up the audience for This is Your Life, which was tricky, because so few people knew in advance who the subject would be on the night and anything could happen. The subject was not told and there were a few instances of stars refusing to co-operate. On one occasion, in 1985, he was warming up the audience when Eammon Andrews came out, tapped him on the shoulder and said: “Felix Bowness, this is your life”
Born in Berkshire to French-Canadian parents, he was an accomplished amateur boxer in his youth. During the Second World War, he served in the Royal Berkshire Regiment and took part in the Normandy landings. His craft was hit and he came to in a convent, surrounded by nuns and he thought he was dead and had gone to Heaven.
He won a talent show at the Palace Theatre in Reading, and Dame Vera Lynn encouraged him to become a singer. But he preferred to pursue a career as a comedian and appeared in variety and summer shows, pantomime and cabaret, before developing his specialism as a warm-up man.
During the 1960s, he worked regularly with Benny Hill and in the 1970s had small parts in a string of sitcoms. He made repeated appearances in different roles in Sykes (1972-79), Dad’s Army (1974-77) and Are You Being Served? (1975-78).
Hi-de-Hi! was created by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the same writers as Dad’s Army. And just as Perry drew on his Home Guard experiences for Dad’s Army, he drew on his time as a Butlin’s redcoat for Hi-de-Hi!.
By then Bowness was well-known within the business. The role of Fred Quilley, who ended up at Maplin’s after getting caught up in a racing scandal and losing his jockey licence, elevated Bowness from bit player and warm-up man to a central role in the ensemble, which included Su Pollard, Ruth Madoc and Simon Cadell. Bowness went on to appear with Pollard and several other Hi-de-Hi! regulars in Perry and Croft’s You Rang, M’Lord (1990-93), playing the grocer who makes regular deliveries to the aristocratic Meldum family, and in Croft and Richard Spendlove’s Oh, Doctor Beeching! (1996-97), in which he played a railway ticket collector.
He is survived by Mavis, his wife of 59 years, and by one son.
Born March 30, 1922; Died September 13, 2009.
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