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Collection Description
Denis Norden (b.1922) and Frank Muir (1920–98) did not meet until 1947 but were already on a parallel course as both served in the RAF during the Second World War and both spent their free time writing comedy material to amuse fellow servicemen. At the war’s end, Muir landed a job with the BBC, writing comedy material for Jimmy Edwards, and, in 1947, scriptwriter Ted Kavanagh brought him together with Norden in the hope that the newly introduced pair might hit it off. It was the beginning of an outstanding 30-year partnership.
The Archive represents all phases of Muir and Norden’s work, from their first major success, Take it from Here, which won the hearts of the British listening public in the late 1940s and 1950s, to their enduring characters The Glums, who made the transition to television in the late 1970s. The intervening years produced such favourites as Bedtime with Braden, Gently Bentley and the unforgettable Whack-O! series, described by the British Comedy website as ‘undoubtedly one of the major successes of early British television’. ‘Professor’ Jimmy Edwards was the star, and 60 half-hour episodes were broadcast over eight series. The full scripts of some episodes classed as ‘missing’, including ‘The Marchioness’ from 1957, are held at Sussex. The pair also scripted episodes of The Peter Ustinov Show. Muir and Norden were in constant demand for three decades; their partnership only began to wind down when Muir took a full-time executive role with BBC Light Entertainment. Recognition came frequently in the form of awards, and they were each awarded the CBE in 1980.
Prior to deposit, the collection had been carefully ordered and clearly listed. The original listings are retained and are the means of locating the scripts within the 40-box archive. Each box includes a list of its contents. The majority of scripts are from Muir and Norden’s radio work, but some scripts are for television productions. Although the greatest part of the Archive is the work of Frank Muir and Denis Norden, other celebrated names feature. Contributions from John Cleese, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and others appear in the files of Cambridge Circus. The names of other collaborators can be found on the title pages of relevant scripts.
Archival history
The decision to place the Archive at Sussex was made jointly by Denis
Norden and Jamie Muir, son of the late Frank Muir, acting for his family.
Jamie, a television producer, had used the Mass-Observation Archive
for research towards a series on life in the 1930s and felt Sussex
would be a natural home for scripts which boast such strong and popular
material from the 1940s and 50s.
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