John Junkin

Born in Ealing, Middlesex, the son of a policeman, Junkin and his parents subsequently moved to Forest Gate so that he could attend St Bonaventure's Catholic School there, before qualifying as a teacher at St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill. He worked as a primary school teacher in the East End for three years before becoming a professional actor and scriptwriter.

In 1960, Junkin joined Joan Littlewood's Stratford East Theatre Workshop and played the lead in the original production of Sparrows Can't Sing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-junkin-6107168.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220613/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-junkin-6107168.html |archive-date=13 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=John Junkin|date=8 March 2006|website=The Independent}} A few years later, he joined the Royal Court Theatre company, and was the foil to Tony Hancock in some of Hancock's last work for British television.{{Cite web|url=http://theavengers.tv/forever/pnote-junkin.htm|title=The Avengers Forever: John Junkin|website=theavengers.tv}} Junkin played a diverse range of roles on the small screen; however, he is best remembered for his comedy roles and his appearances as a television quiz master. To international audiences, he may be best remembered for playing Shake, the assistant to Norman Rossington, in the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night.{{Cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/499141/index.html|title=BFI Screenonline: Hard Day's Night, A (1964)|website=BFI Screenonline}} In comedy roles, Junkin was rarely short of work, on account of his ability to play the stony-faced symbol of low level, petty-minded and unquestioning authority, whether the army sergeant, police constable or site foreman.

In 1964 Junkin recorded a number of radio programmes on land for the fledgling ship-based pirate radio station Radio Caroline. His announcements did not include any topical references, and the music was played in by studio engineers. When the programmes were broadcast, the onboard DJs occasionally cut in to give live time checks .{{cite web|url=https://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/djsj2k.htm|title=Disc Jockeys I-J|website=The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame|accessdate=9 March 2024}}

One of his rare leading roles was in the BBC series The Rough with the Smooth, in which he and Tim Brooke-Taylor played comedy writers (with both actors contributing scripts to the series as well).{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1512356/John-Junkin.html|title=John Junkin|date=8 March 2006|work=The Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group |access-date=9 August 2008}} He also hosted his own afternoon television series in the mid-1970s. Titled simply Junkin, it was produced by Southern Television for the ITV network.{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/mar/08/broadcasting.obituaries|title=Obituary: John Junkin|date=8 March 2006|website=the Guardian}}

Junkin has an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the voice of Mr Shifter, one of the chimps in the PG Tips tea advertisement, the longest-running series of commercials on television.

With Barry Cryer, Junkin wrote for Morecambe and Wise from 1978 to 1983, in addition to two Christmas specials in 1972 and 1976.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/jan/27/barry-cryer-obituary|title=Barry Cryer obituary|work=The Guardian|date=27 January 2022 |accessdate=30 January 2022 |last1=Dixon |first1=Stephen }}

Junkin lived in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. He married public relations executive Jenny Claybourn in 1977 and had a daughter, Annabel. Junkin and his wife separated in 1992. He died from lung cancer on 7 March 2006 in the Florence Nightingale House, Aylesbury, several miles from his home. A heavy smoker, he had also been suffering from emphysema and asthma.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4781654.stm|title=Comedy veteran John Junkin dies|date=7 March 2006|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|access-date=9 August 2008}} His life and work were honoured at the British Academy Television Awards in 2006.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bafta.org/heritage/in-memory-of/john-junkin|title=John Junkin|date=11 May 2012|website=www.bafta.org}}

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• Doctor in Love (1960) – Policeman (uncredited)
• The Dock Brief (1962) – Dock brief barrister (uncredited)
• The Primitives (1962) – Arthur
• The Brain (1962) – Frederick (uncredited)
• The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963) – Maurice (uncredited)
• Sparrows Can't Sing (1963) – Bridge Operator (uncredited)
• Heavens Above! (1963) – Reporter at Space Launch Site (uncredited)
• The Break (1963) – Harry
• Hot Enough for June (1964) – Clerk in Opening Scene
• The Pumpkin Eater (1964) – Undertaker
• A Hard Day's Night (1964) – Shake
• Doctor in Clover (1966) – Prison Warder (uncredited)
• The Wrong Box (1966) – First Engine Driver
• Kaleidoscope (1966) – Dominion Porter
• The Sandwich Man (1966) – Chauffeur
• How I Won the War (1967) – Large Child
• The Plank (1967) – One Eyed Truck Driver
• Simon, Simon (1970) – 2nd Workman – Driver
• Confessions of a Driving Instructor (1976) – Luigi
• Confessions from a Holiday Camp (1977) – Whitemonk
• Rosie Dixon – Night Nurse (1978) – Mr. Dixon
• Wombling Free (1978) – County Surveyor
• Brass Target (1978) – Carberry
• That Summer! (1979) – Mr. Swales
• Licensed to Love and Kill (1979) – Helicopter Mechanic
• A Handful of Dust (1988) – Blenkinsop
• Chicago Joe and the Showgirl (1990) – George Heath
• Girl from Rio (2001) – Mr. Bigelow
• The Football Factory (2004) – Albert Moss (final film role)

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• Floggit's
• Radio Caroline (first voice of the test transmissions in March 1964)
• Hello, Cheeky! with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Barry Cryer
• Just a Minute as an occasional guest
• I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue
• Junkin's Jokers

• The Benny Hill Show (1961) https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/13fa84c4b01343ad8a276299421b0fc1
• Winning Widows (1962, 1 episode)
• Dr. Finlay's Casebook Series 1 episode 6: "Cough Mixture", 1962 – Dougal Todd
• Hancock (1963, 1 episode) – Jerry Spring
• The Plane Makers, (1963) – Dusty Miller
• The Avengers (1963–1967) – Sergeant / Sheriff
• The Blackpool Show (1966 series with Tony Hancock) – Himself
• Further Adventures of Lucky Jim (1967) –
• Sam and Janet (1967) ITV, Two series of sitcom with Joan Sims (1) and Vivienne Martin (2)
• Marty, comedy television series with Marty Feldman, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Roland MacLeod (1968–69) – various characters
• Catweazle: "The Flying Broom-sticks" (1969) – Police Sergeant
• The Goodies (1972) – Police Sergeant
• The Shadow of the Tower (1972) – Master John
• Looking For Clancy (1975) – Jim Clancy
• Lord Peter Wimsey: "Five Red Herrings" (1975) – Mr. Alcock
• Out (1978) – Ralph Veneker
• The Sweeney (1978) – Taxi Yard Proprietor
• Only When I Laugh (1979) – Landlord
• Coronation Street (1981) – Bill Fielding (a short-lived boyfriend of Elsie Tanner)
• Odd One Out (1982) – Himself – Voiceover (voice)
• The Professionals (1983) – Hollis
• Blott on the Landscape (1985) – Waiter
• Crosswits (1985, quiz panelist)
• Ask No Questions (1986)
• Mr. Bean (1990) – The Maitre D'
• Inspector Morse (1992) – Chief Inspector Holroyd
• Picking Up the Pieces (1998) – Vinny
• The Thing About Vince (2000) – Frankie
• The Sins (2000) – Archie Rogers
• McCready and Daughter (2001)
• EastEnders (2001–2002) – Ernie Johnson

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb name|0432729}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080725184616/http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/johnjunkin.html John Junkin: reminiscences of making A Hard Days' Night]

{{Morecambe and Wise}}

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Category:1930 births

Category:2006 deaths

Category:Alumni of St Mary's University, Twickenham

Category:English radio people

Category:Deaths from lung cancer in England

Category:English male comedians

Category:English male film actors

Category:English male radio actors

Category:English male television actors

Category:English male voice actors

Category:English television writers

Category:Male actors from London

Category:Morecambe and Wise

Category:Offshore radio broadcasters

Category:People educated at St Bonaventure's Catholic School

Category:Actors from the London Borough of Ealing

Category:20th-century English comedians

Category:British male television writers

Category:20th-century English screenwriters

Category:Comedians from the London Borough of Ealing

Category:People from Ealing