Denis Norden
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Denis Norden CBE |
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|---|---|
| Born |
Denis Mostyn Norden 6 February 1922 Hackney, London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Writer, television presenter (retired) |
| Years active | c. 1939–2006 |
| Spouse(s) | Avril Rosen (1943–) |
| Children | 2 |
Denis Mostyn Norden, CBE (born 6 February 1922) is a retired English comedy writer and television presenter. After an early career working in cinemas, he began scriptwriting during the Second World War. From 1948 to 1959, he co-wrote the successful BBC Radio comedy programme Take It From Here with Frank Muir. Muir and Norden remained associated for more than 50 years: after they stopped collaborating on scripts, they appeared regularly together on radio panel programmes My Word! and My Music.
Norden wrote scripts for Hollywood films. He also presented television programmes on ITV for many years, including the nostalgia quiz Looks Familiar and blooper shows It'll Be Alright on the Night and Laughter File. He retired in 2006.
Norden was born in Mare Street, Hackney in London's East End, and was educated at Craven Park Elementary School and the City of London School where he was a contemporary of Kingsley Amis. Upon leaving school, he worked as a stagehand, moved into cinema management by the age of 17 and quickly progressed to be the manager of a cinema in Watford, he also organised variety shows. He joined the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and was a wireless operator with a signals unit. His writing career began in the Royal Air Force when he wrote for troop shows. Whilst preparing for one of these shows in 1945, Norden, accompanied by fellow performers Eric Sykes and Ron Rich, went to a nearby prison camp in search of stage lighting; the camp turned out to be the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, which had recently been liberated by the Allies. Norden, Sykes and Rich organised a food collection amongst their comrades to feed the starving camp inmates.
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