Percy Edwards

Percy Edwards
MBE
Edwards on Morecambe and Wise
Born(1908-06-01)1 June 1908
Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Died7 June 1996(1996-06-07) (aged 88)
Hintlesham, Suffolk, England
Occupation(s)Animal impersonator, entertainer, ornithologist

Percy Edwards MBE (1 June 1908 – 7 June 1996)[1] was an English animal impersonator,[2] entertainer and ornithologist.

Biography

When he was a child, bird impressions were often done with the assistance of hands on the mouth, however he was able to do them without.[3] During World War II, Edwards worked at Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies in Ipswich.[4]

Edwards became a household name after playing Psyche the dog in the radio series A Life of Bliss,[5] which he reprised for its television adaptation. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1993 for services to ornithology and entertainment.[6] In 2009, Sir David Attenborough presented a special BBC radio panel game, The Percy Edwards Showdown, dedicated to Edwards's life and career.[2] He is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's, Polstead, Suffolk.

The grave of Percy Edwards in the churchyard of St Mary, Polstead, Suffolk

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1960-1961 A Life of Bliss Psyche the Dog 10 episodes
1965 Pet Pals Animal Sounds 6 episodes
1966 Hugh and I Voices Episode “Hold That Tiger”
1971 The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer Bird impersonator Film
On the Buses Bird Impressions Episode “The Kids’ Outing”
1972 His Lordship Entertains Voices Episode 4 “The Safari Park”
1973 The Morecambe and Wise Show Jungle Sounds 1 episode
1976 Wodehouse Playhouse Bird Imitations Episode “The Nodder”
The End of the Pier Show Various Episode “The 9.36 to Didcot”
The Good Life Animal Noises Episode “The Happy Event”
1977 The Goodies The Dodo Episode “Dodonuts”
1979 Alien Alien Voices Film, uncredited
1981 Hi-de-Hi! Bubbles Episode 7 “No Dogs Allowed”
The Ark Stories Animal Sounds 11 episodes
The Island of Adventure Kiki Film
1982 The Plague Dogs Animal Vocalisations Film
The Dark Crystal Fizzgig Film
1983 Fair Ground! Captain Cutlass 9 episodes
Androcles and the Lion The Lion's Voice TV movie
1984-1985 Hilary Arthur 4 episodes
1985 In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro Baboon Voices Film
1986 Sorry! The Duck Episode “My Family and Other Monsters”
Labyrinth Ambrosius Film
1988 Bad Boyes Joey the Budgie Episode “The Holiday”

Bibliography

  • Call Me at Dawn (1948)
  • The Birdman's Pocket Book (1954)
  • The Road I Travelled (1979)
  • Country Book (1981)
  • Song Birds (1986)

References

  1. ^ Gifford, Denis (10 June 1996). "Obituary: Percy Edwards". The Independent. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Percy Edwards Showdown". BBC. 4 March 2009.
  3. ^ "BBC Archive (19th February 2017) "#Onthisday 1972: One-man vocal menagerie Percy Edwards showed off his range of animal impressions" - Twitter". Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  4. ^ "WW2 People's War - Joan Whitson". BBC History. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
  5. ^ "Wogan's Radio Fun - Percy Edwards and Patricia Hayes". YouTube.
  6. ^ "Percy Edwards - Biography". Imdb.com. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
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