Monkhouse funeral held

The funeral of comic Bob Monkhouse has been held, a friend of the family said.

A service for the veteran star was held at Amersham Crematorium, Buckinghamshire.

David Ismay, a friend of Monkhouse, said the family would not be releasing any further details.

Monkhouse died peacefully in his sleep on December 29 at his home in the village of Eggington, near Leighton Buzzard, Beds, after a two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. He was 75.

Monkhouse was born in Beckenham, Kent, on June 1 1928, and attended Dulwich College.

There, he took his first steps as a comedian by writing and selling cartoons to comic weeklies.

Aged 18, Monkhouse formed a double act with Denis Goodwin, writing radio jokes for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope. He made several guest appearances on television shows before he and Goodwin landed their own television series in 1953 with a comedy sketch show, Fast and Loose.

Monkhouse later became a game show host with For Love or Money and in 1960 hosted the British version of scam show Candid Camera.

But it was not until 1967 that he became a true household name, presenting ATV's The Golden Shot.

Other game show jobs included Family Fortunes, Bob's Full House and Bob Says Opportunity Knocks. Monkhouse also appeared in 12 films including the first Carry On film, Carry on Sergeant, in 1958.

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