Beyond Our Ken
The precursor of Round The Horne, Beyond Our Ken starred Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden, Patricia Lancaster and (replacing Ron Moody from the second series onwards) Bill Pertwee. The much maligned Douglas Smith was the announcer and sometime-participant (playing tugboats, lions and the like).
Broadcast from 1958 to 1964, Beyond our Ken ran for longer than its more famous progeny but is less well remembered. There is actually very little difference between the two; Beyond Our Ken was a testing ground for many of the sketch styles and characters, though recurring characters only appeared in the Horne-arama section of the show.
Created and written by Barry Took and Eric Merrimen, Beyond Our Ken came to an abrupt end in 1964 when Merrimen's involvment ended due to a dispute with the BBC. Given that the strength of the show had always been in its cast, it wasn't long before Took and Marty Feldman would be writing for them again in Round The Horne.
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Beyond Our Ken Intro
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