Comic actor

Born: December 4, 1930;

Died: March 31, 2016

RONNIE Corbett, who has died aged 85, was one of Scotland’s biggest showbusiness stars, although not in the literal sense of course. He was five feet and one and a half inches, which he liked to point out was half an inch taller than Samuel Pepys and meant that he would have towered over Charlotte Bronte.

Frequent self-deprecating remarks about his lack of height were part of his appeal, going back to the classic sketch on the class system on The Frost Report in 1966. John Cleese was the upper-class gent, Ronnie Barker represented the middle classes, and Corbett was the little working-class chappie, in the flat cap, on the end of the row.

Ronnie Corbett: 13 of the comedian's best jokes

He patiently waits his turn while they explain the class system, then adds that he knows his place, with just a hint of irony. When each concludes what they get out of the class system, he delivers a pay-off line about getting a pain in his neck because he has to look up to everyone else all the time.

But there was more to Corbett’s appeal than his diminutive height. There was a genuine warmth and charm about him.

It was most effectively showcased in his monologues on The Two Ronnies, perched on the edge of an oversized chair, like a little boy - impish, a little self-satisfied perhaps; starting off on a funny story, enthusiastically relating his tale, but taking every possible turn-off that presented itself en route.

I met him at Edinburgh Castle in 2010 when he had a cameo role in the comedy film Burke and Hare and he seemed much the same in real life: friendly, blethery, keener to discuss the Royal High School (which we both attended) than the film or his career.

He might have seemed random and meandering, but on screen Corbett was a master of timing and had honed his craft over many years, working largely in theatre. It was tough-going and he thought of giving up showbusiness and trying to find work elsewhere.

He was in his forties when The Two Ronnies began in 1971. It ran until 1987 and established Corbett and Barker as one of British comedy’s best ever double acts, though the programme came about almost by accident after BBC executives were impressed by their ad-libbing during a hold-up at the Bafta awards ceremony.

The show was both very clever and very silly, with a lot of the humour lying in old-fashioned puns, juvenile doubles entendres, wordplay and confusion - such as the occasion when shopkeeper Ronnie C mistakenly thinks Ronnie B wants four candles. And of course it was fork handles he was after.

And if a gag worked they were more than prepared to keep it going, present variations on it, like a composer with a musical theme, basically milk it for all it was worth.

Their roots lay in the traditions of music hall. In an interview with Radio Times in 2011 Corbett cited Scottish comedians Dave Willis and Jack Radcliffe as major influences. Dressing up, cross-dressing, song and dance were regular features on The Two Ronnies.

They went out of fashion when a younger, more obviously political and aggressive generation of comic actors came along in the 1980s, but in recent years their work has enjoyed favourable re-evaluation.

Matt Lucas and Miranda Hart claimed Corbett as an inspiration and Ricky Gervais gave him a memorable cameo role in an episode of Extras (2006), subverting his own cosy image by snorting cocaine at an awards bash. “It could have gone the wrong way,” Corbett said, “but the saving grace was Moira Stuart being my supplier.”

The son of a baker, Ronald Balfour Corbett was born in Edinburgh in 1930, the eldest of three children. He performed in amateur drama and did national service in the RAF (and was reputedly the shortest officer in the British Armed Forces, though that sounds like one of his stories).

He also worked briefly as a civil servant for the Ministry of Agriculture in Edinburgh before deciding to pursue a career as an actor in London.

He was soon getting small parts (no pun intended) in films, beginning with the role of a student in the comedy You’re Only Young Twice (1952), which was shot partly on location in Glasgow and starred the legendary Duncan Macrae.

He was also in the Whisky Galore! sequel Rockets Galore! (1958) and made repeated appearances on the long-running children’s TV show Crackerjack.

But a lot of his early work was on stage. He had a starring role in the original 1963 London production of The Boys from Syracuse, Rodgers and Hart’s musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, and he was Will Scarlett in Lionel Bart’s notorious Robin Hood flop Twang! (1965)

David Frost saw him in Danny La Rue’s cabaret show and recruited him for his satirical sketch show The Frost Report, where Corbett began his long and very successful association with Ronnie Barker in 1966.

It was his big break, though he returned to Scotland for the panto season that year, appearing in Cinderella at the Alhambra in Glasgow.

Corbett starred in the sitcom No, That’s Me Over Here! (1967-70), with Rosemary Leach as his wife and Henry McGee as the supercilious neighbour; and in 1969 he got his own TV show The Corbett Follies, but it was The Two Ronnies which, over two decades, established him a British institution.

He went on to do several sitcoms, including Now Look Here (1971-73) and The Prince of Denmark (1974), both of which co-starred Rosemary Leach; and Sorry! (1981-88), in which he played Timothy, a mild-mannered middle-aged man still living with his mother.

It ran for seven series, but Corbett never quite enjoyed the same level of success in sitcom as Ronnie Barker did.

His films include Casino Royale (1967), No Sex Please, We’re British (1973) and Fierce Creatures (1997), with John Cleese.

He was at his best in stand-up, or sit-down – one could never be sure with Corbett. He made a series of television specials, was popular as a guest on the likes of Have I Got News for You and stood in as host of Strictly Come Dancing when Bruce Forsyth was ill in 2009.

Corbett enjoyed his leisure time too, much of which was spent on the golf course. Latterly he split his time between London and a second home East Lothian. He also followed football – Crystal Palace and Hearts.

He is survived by his wife Anne, a former dancer whom he met while doing cabaret, and by daughters Emma and Sophie.

BRIAN PENDREIGH