An Audience with Kenneth Williams (1983 TV Special) User Reviews

Fantastic

[paul-johnson107 · 8/10 · 13 March 2006]

What a great Audience with show. Mind you look at who the audience was with, its bound to be funny isn't it? Kenneth Williams was a one off, no one can replace him or should even try. His superb wit and humour is fantastic.

I wasn't sure what to make of it at first because he spoke so fast but now that i have seen it two or three times i understand 3 - quarters of the jokes that he told. You have to listen to his every word to understand the topic and to get the punchline of his jokes.

I think that it was a great show and covered a lot of history, right from his days in CSE and the Army, then through theatre and the Carry Ons right up to date, well what was then in 1983, as any Kenny Williams fans will know he made us laugh for another five years after this show however his body began to cry for help i think.

A great comedian, actor, theatre actor and writer, a remarkable man with a funny voice, brilliant only wish that i had been born before he died to enjoy his up to date work.

R.I.P Kenneth Williams - you are greatly missed.

what? the lamp post?

[johngraham64 · 9/10 · 30 August 2007]

A very funny summary of Kenneth Williams career, told by the man himself in front of a 'celebrity' audience.

Camping his way onto the stage (and throughout the show) KW tells funny stories of his professional life as an actor and some of the people he acted with, from Maggie Smith to Fenella Fielding (FF to KW: Why is your bum so hard? Do you leave it out at night?) to various Carry On players and the greats of the theatre. The 'actor playing the bishop in his cloth of gold' story will haunt Ms Mckenna to her grave.

OK so the questions are pre-planned, as are the responses, but this is one of the better 'Audiences With...'. A wonderful and entertainingly funny trip down memory lane for KW and his audience, it's always good for a load of laughs. Impossible to pick a favourite anecdote from it - there are too many.

Look it out and enjoy.

what an honour it is for us to have him

[petershelleyau · 23 October 2001]

This 1982 Granada television recording of Kenneth Williams talking to and answering questions from an audience of friends and coworkers reveals Williams as actor, singer and brilliant comediene. It begins with Kenneth in his dressing room speaking directly to the camera as the audience arrives, then we see Kenneth on stage, telling the studio audience of his life as an entertainer in the army, the theatre, revue, on radio, television and film. My favourite anecdotes are his working with Orson Welles on Moby Dick, his observations of Noel Coward, Edith Evans, a touching remembrance of Hatti Jacques, his impression of Phil Silvers and Sinatra meeting the Pope, coping with fame, and the demonstrations of the different kinds of humour. He sings the folk parody "The Young Court Wangler", and a parody of French songs "Crepe Suzette". Kenneth's hilarious vocal ability and moral innocence make him an individual talent.

Amazing

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 23 April 2011]

I have always been a big fan of Kenneth Williams, he had a huge charm and wit and was never less than very funny. An Audience with Kenneth Williams is just amazing to watch, any fans of Williams will adore this. The questions are well-planned and well-thought out, and Williams' answers were both insightful with none of his wit, fun and charm lost, and Williams himself is brilliant with such a command of the stage and his mannerisms and voice put to perfect use. I also found the material interesting and the way Williams delivers it is done with such non-stop hilarity. An Audience with Kenneth Williams is filmed quite nicely too. Overall, if you are a fan of the genius that was Kenneth Williams, this is unmissable. 10/10 Bethany Cox