| Peter David Jones | |
|---|---|
 Peter Jones[when?] |
|
| Born | Peter Geoffrey F. Carey-Jones 12 June 1920 Wem, Shropshire, England |
| Died | 10 April 2000 (aged 79) Westminster, London, England |
| Years active | 1944–1989 |
| Spouse(s) | Jeri Sauvinet |
Peter Jones (12 June 1920 – 10 April 2000) was an English actor, screenwriter and broadcaster.
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Biography
Early life and career
Jones was born in Wem, Shropshire[1] and he was educated at the Wem Grammar School and Ellesmere College. He made his first appearance as an actor in Wolverhampton at the age of 16 and then appeared in repertory theatre in East Anglia. In 1942 he acted on the West End stage in The Doctor's Dilemma and in 1942 he made an uncredited film appearance in Fanny by Gaslight. An early film credit was as a Xenobian trade delegate in Chance of a Lifetime (1950).
Radio
Between 1952 and 1955 Jones starred alongside Peter Ustinov in the BBC radio comedy In All Directions. The show featured Jones and Ustinov as themselves in a car in London perpetually searching for Copthorne Avenue. The comedy derived from the characters they met along the way, often also played by themselves. The show was unusual for the time in that it was largely improvised – with the tape subsequently edited for broadcast by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, who also sometimes took part. Two of the more popular characters were Morris and Dudley Grosvenor, two rather stupid East End spivs whose sketches always ended with the phrase "Run for it Dudley" (or Morry as appropriate). One recording, from October 1952, survives in the BBC Sound Archives. Another notable radio role was as Bunter in Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey stories. He was for 29 years a regular contestant on the panel game Just A Minute.[2]
Narration
Following his seminal portrayal of 'The Book' in the original BBC radio and subsequent television and LP adaptations of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, he narrated (in similar style) Douglas Adams's radio series Last Chance to See. He also occasionally narrated television documentaries, such as the Equinox episode "Unravelling the Universe", first broadcast in December 1991.
Television appearances
On television, he is probably best known for his lead role in the series The Rag Trade, but he also had acting roles in the British comedy series The Goodies , the courtroom drama Rumpole of the Bailey, Holby City, Whoops Apocalypse,The Bill, Midsomer Murders, and two episodes of The Avengers.
Film
Jones featured in a number of films, including Private's Progress, School for Scoundrels (reprising his Dudley Grosvenor character as a used-car salesman), Just Like A Woman (1967 Film) alongside Wendy Craig, Chariots of Fire and The Return of the Pink Panther.
Screenwriter
A talented screenwriter, he wrote and starred in the sitcom Mr Big and wrote and starred in J Kingston Platt's Showbiz Handbook.
He died of natural causes, aged 79, in 2000 at Westminster, London.[3] His daughter, Selena Carey-Jones, is an actress and one of his two sons, Bill Dare, is a writer, and producer of BBC Radio's Dead Ringers. His wife, Jeri, died in 1999.
References
External links
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