The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
TV’s cherished ‘laughter monger’ passes away, 96
It’ll Be Alright On The Night host spent weeks in hospital
TV presenter and comedy writer Denis Norden has died aged 96, his family have said. The It’ll Be Alright On The Night host died yesterday after spending “many weeks” at the Royal Free Hospital in north London, a statement from his children, Nick and Maggie Norden said.
It added: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to all the dedicated staff and doctors who have looked after him with much devotion. A wonderful dad, a loving grandfather and great great-grandfather – he gave his laughtermongering to so many.
“He will be in our hearts forever.”
Norden presented the ITV bloopers show for 29 years until his retirement in 2006.
After stepping down he spent a great deal of time raising awareness of macular disease, a degenerative eye condition from which he suffered, and became a patron of the Macular Society.
He served in the RAF in the Second World War with other future famous names Eric Sykes and Bill Fraser, and wrote shows to entertain the troops.
Norden met future writing partner Frank Muir in 1947 and they created Take It From Here, the radio hit broadcast by the BBC between 1948 and 1960. His small screen career kicked off in 1951 with Here’s Television, the BBC sketch show starring Sid James and Ian Carmichael.
He became established as a TV presenter in the 1970s, hosting Looks Familiar, before It’ll Be Alright On The Night hit the airwaves in 1977.
Its popularity saw ITV commission spin-off Denis Norden’s Laughter File, with both running until his retirement.
Cathy Yelf, chief executive of the Macular Society said: “The society was privileged to have Denis as a patron.
“Denis first joined the society as a member in 2004 after he was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, the biggest cause of blindness in the UK. We’re pleased we were able to offer him the support he so needed at the time.
“He was an inspiration to many of us as he coped withhisdeterioratingsight for many years, before it became public knowledge, devising ways to learn his lines and carry on working.”