Bob Carolgees

Bob Carolgees (born Robert Johnson) is a comedy entertainer who appeared on the Saturday morning TV series Tiswas and then later in its adult versions O.T.T. and Saturday Stayback. He is best known for appearing with an expectorating canine puppet named Spit the Dog.

In the early 1970s Carolgees ran a DJ and modelling school at 11A Lord Street in Liverpool. After a five-week course, DJs and models were tested in front of an audience at the Sportsmans Club in central Liverpool.

Carolgees first appeared in a guest spot on Tiswas on 31 March 1979. Main presenter Chris Tarrant's first words to him were "I don't know who the f--- you are, but stand there, you're going to be on the telly, it's great!" Clowning around with a monkey puppet named Charlie, Carolgees went down well with the viewing audience and after being invited back for several guest spots he soon became a team presenter. Carolgees, in pyjamas and headband, was also the Tiswas character Houdi Elbow, a comedy psychic and small-time magician.

As well as gaining national fame with these and Spit the Dog (plus Cough the Cat), he was also part of The Four Bucketeers who made the UK Top 30 in 1980, even making a Top of the Pops appearance.

One of Carolgees' trademarks was the wearing of mismatched fluorescent socks, with suitably short trousers to show them off.

Carolgees went on to work for eight years alongside Cilla Black in Surprise Surprise and for nearly two decades he entertained British armed forces around the world. He also fronted pop/game show Hold Tight!, produced by Granada Television for Children's ITV and game show Concentration.

In the 1980s, and at the height of his popularity, he featured in a series of Hellmann's Mayonnaise press and television commercials for eight years dressed as an overgrown schoolboy.

Carolgees was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1994 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel at the Lyceum Theatre in Crewe.

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