Frank Thornton
Birthday: Born in 1921-01-15 in Dulwich, London, England, UK
Deathday: 2013-03-16
Frank Thornton Ball (15 January 1921 - 16 March 2013), professionally known as Frank Thornton, was an English actor. He was known for playing Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served? (1972-1985) and its sequel Grace & Favour and as Herbert "Truly" Truelove in Last of the Summer Wine.
TV Credits
Are You Being Served?
Character: Captain Peacock
This comedy series, which follows the exploits of employees at London's fictional "Grace Brothers" department store, is full of sexual innuendo, slapstick, visual gags, and double entendres. Much of the show's humor parodies Britain's class system, and many of the show's characters are based on stereotypes of the period, including the effeminate Mr. Humphries and the rich, but stingy, store owner....
The Avengers
Character:
The Avengers is a British television series created in the 1960s. It initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed. Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. His most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish and assertive women: Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King. Later episodes increasingly incorporated elements of science fiction and fantasy, parody and British eccentricity....
Grace & Favour
Character: Capt Stephen Peacock RASC (Ex)
Grace & Favour is a British sitcom sequel to the long-running series Are You Being Served ? It aired on BBC1 for two series from 1992 to 1993 and marked the return of Are You Being Served ? creators and writers Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft....
The Goodies
Character:
A British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s, combining surreal sketches and situation comedy....
Richard & Judy
Character: Self
Richard & Judy was a British chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4, from 2001 to 2008, but later moved to digital channel, Watch, in October 2008. The programme featured a number of celebrities and a book club. Its final episode aired in July 2009 due to low ratings....
Last of the Summer Wine
Character: Truly
Unencumbered by wives, jobs or any other responsibilities, three senior citizens who've never really grown up explore their world in the Yorkshire Dales. They spend their days speculating about their fellow townsfolk and thinking up adventures not usually favored by the elderly. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse in 1973. The show ran for 295 episodes until 2010. It is the longest running comedy Britain has produced and the longest running sitcom in the world....
Dixon of Dock Green
Character: PC Cox
Created by Ted Willis. Dixon of Dock Green was a BBC television series following the activities of police officers at a fictional Metropolitan Police station in the East End of London from 1955 to 1976. Some episodes were later remade as a BBC radio series in 2005 and 2006....
The Champions
Character: Clerk
The Champions is a British espionage/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure series consisting of 30 episodes broadcast on the UK network ITV during 1968–1969, produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company. The series was broadcast in the US on NBC, starting in summer 1968....
The New Avengers
Character: Roland
The New Avengers is a British secret agent fantasy adventure television series broadcast during 1976 and 1977. It is a sequel to the 1960s series The Avengers and was developed by Albert Fennell and Brian Clemens. A joint United Kingdom-France-Canada production, the show picks up the adventures of John Steed and his team of Avengers fighting evil plots and world domination. Whereas in the original series Steed had almost always been partnered with a woman, in the new series he had two partners:...
From a Bird's Eye View
Character: Spinks
From a Bird's Eye View is a 1970 ATV and ITC Entertainment co-produced sitcom. In the United States it aired on NBC, which had originally ordered the series as an entry in the 1969-70 TV season but pushed it back to the 1970-71 season as a mid-season replacement. The series followed two International Airlines stewardesses, a scatterbrained Briton and a savvy American, as they flew the London-European routes. The series ran for 16 25-minute colour episodes. The series was not a big success in e...
Fall of Eagles
Character: Prince Albert
"Fall of Eagles" is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, dealing with the collapse of the ruling dynasties of Austria-Hungary (the Habsburgs), Germany (the Hohenzollerns) and Russia (the Romanovs)....
The Adventures of William Tell
Character: Tax Collector
The Adventures of William Tell is a British swashbuckler adventure series, first broadcast on the ITV network in 1958, and produced by ITC Entertainment....
The Cheaters
Character: Long
...
The BBC Television Shakespeare
Character:
The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and produced by BBC Television. It was transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985 and spanned seven series. Development of the series began in 1975 when Messina saw that Glamis Castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's play As You Like It. On returning to London, he envisioned an entire series devoted exclusivel...
The Kenny Everett Television Show
Character: Various
Sketch comedy show starring Kenny Everett....
Hancock's Half Hour
Character:
Hancock's Half Hour is a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy, series of the 1950s and 60s written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sid James; the radio version also co-starred, at various times, Moira Lister, Andrée Melly, Hattie Jacques, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams. The final television series, renamed simply Hancock, starred Hancock alone. Comedian Tony Hancock starred in the show, playing an exaggerated and much poorer version of his own char...
Blankety Blank
Character:
Blankety Blank is a British comedy game show based on the 1977–1979 Australian game show Blankety Blanks. The British version ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC One, hosted first by Terry Wogan and later by Les Dawson. Regular members of the celebrity panel on this version included Kenny Everett, Lorraine Chase, Gareth Hunt, Gary Davies, and Cheryl Baker. A revival fronted by Lily Savage was produced by the BBC from 26 December 1997 to 28 December 1999, followed by ITV from 7 Jan...
Crown Court
Character: Professor McIver
Crown Court is an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984....
The Kenny Everett Television Show
Character: Guest
Sketch comedy show starring Kenny Everett....
The Sooty Show
Character: Dr. Hugh
The Sooty Show is a British children's Puppet series which aired on the BBC from 1955 to 1967 and ITV from 1968 to 1992. It follows the adventures and comedic day to day life of puppets Sooty, Sweep and Soo with their owner Harry Corbett, and in later years, his son Matthew....
The Sooty Show
Character: Mr Wolfe
The Sooty Show is a British children's Puppet series which aired on the BBC from 1955 to 1967 and ITV from 1968 to 1992. It follows the adventures and comedic day to day life of puppets Sooty, Sweep and Soo with their owner Harry Corbett, and in later years, his son Matthew....
Casualty
Character: Edward Gutheridge
Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives....
The Gentle Touch
Character: Leo
The Gentle Touch is a British police drama television series made by London Weekend Television for ITV which ran from 1980-1984. Commencing transmission on 11 April 1980, the series is notable for being the first British series to feature a female police detective as its leading character, ahead of the similarly themed BBC series Juliet Bravo by four months....
The Man In Room 17
Character: Chief Inspector Bascombe
The Man in Room 17 is a British television series which ran for two seasons in the mid-1960s, produced by the Northern ITV franchise, Granada Television. Key to the series' success was the involvement of writer/producer Robin Chapman. The show was set in Room 17 of the Department of Social Research, where former wartime agent-turned-criminologist Edwin Oldenshaw solved difficult police cases through theory and discussions with his assistants. The novelty of the series was that Oldenshaw and hi...
The Goodies
Character: Waiter
A British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s, combining surreal sketches and situation comedy....
The Goodies
Character: Master of Ceremonies
A British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s, combining surreal sketches and situation comedy....
The Adventures of William Tell
Character: Heinburgher
The Adventures of William Tell is a British swashbuckler adventure series, first broadcast on the ITV network in 1958, and produced by ITC Entertainment....
Sykes
Character: Dr. Taplow
Classic sitcom starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques as brother and sister twins who have to tackle the trials and tribulations of suburban life....
Last of the Summer Wine
Character: Himself
Unencumbered by wives, jobs or any other responsibilities, three senior citizens who've never really grown up explore their world in the Yorkshire Dales. They spend their days speculating about their fellow townsfolk and thinking up adventures not usually favored by the elderly. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse in 1973. The show ran for 295 episodes until 2010. It is the longest running comedy Britain has produced and the longest running sitcom in the world....
Coronation Street
Character: Danny Roach
The residents of Coronation Street are ordinary, working-class people, and the show follows them through regular social and family interactions at home, in the workplace, and in their local pub, the Rovers Return Inn. Britain's longest-running soap....
Movie Credits
Are You Being Served? The Movie
Character: Captain Stephen Peacock
In this feature film version of the popular BBC sitcom, the staff of Grace Brothers go on holiday to Costa Plonka, where they find themselves in the middle of a revolution....
The Bed Sitting Room
Character: The BBC
In the hazy aftermath of World War III, the fallout from a 'nuclear misunderstanding' is producing strange mutations amongst the survivors, and the noble Lord Fortnum finds himself transforming into a bed sitting room....
Till Death Us Do Part
Character: Valuation Officer
The film version of 'Till Death Do Us Part' tells the story of Alf Garnett, his wife Else, and their newborn daughter Rita, living through the London Blitz and beyond....
The Wild Affair
Character: Wine Shop Manager
Young office assistant Majorie will marry soon, however she's plagued by doubts if her fiance is the right one. On her last day at work, her male colleagues don't miss a chance to comfort her... and flirt....
The Big Job
Character: Bank Official
A gang of hapless crooks, led by Sidney James, successfully perpetrate a robbery only to be caught after the fact. Fifteen years later they emerge from prison intent on retrieving their stolen loot - and discover a police station has been built over its hiding place....
The Old Curiosity Shop
Character:
1839. The young Nell Trent is leading a happy life with her grandfather in his curiosity shop. Wharf owner Daniel Quilp has given large amounts of money to Nell's grandfather as an investment, expecting a large profit. But when Quilp finds out the old man has lost all the money with playing cards, he is determined to get the man in a madhouse as revenge. Nell and her grandfather are forced to leave their house and to start traveling across the country. But Quilp isn't sitting still, his spies ar...
The Taming of the Shrew
Character: Gremio
Baptista has two daughters: Kate and Bianca. Everyone wants to wed the fair Bianca, but nobody's much interested in problem child, Kate. Baptista declares that he won't give Bianca away in a marriage until he's found a husband for Kate, so all the suitors begin busily hunting out a madman who's willing to do it, and they find Petruchio: a man who's come to wive it wealthily in Padua. And Petruchio marries Kate with a plan to tame her, while everybody else begins scheming to win Bianca's hand....
The Assassination Bureau
Character: Elevator victim (uncredited)
In 1908 London, a women's rights campaigner discovers the Assassination Bureau Limited, an organization that kills for justice. When its motives are called into question, she commissions the assassination of its chairman. Knowing that his colleagues have recently become more motivated by greed than morality, he turns the situation into a challenge for his board members: kill him or be killed....
Spanish Fly
Character: Dr. Johnson
British sex comedy. Sir Percy de Courcy accidentally turns some poor tasting wine into an aphrodisiac when his old school chum, Mike Scott arrives with a photographer and several gorgeous models....
Last Of The Summer Wine: 30 Years Of Laughs
Character: Self (archive)
This new special reveals the secrets of the long-running sitcom's extraordinary success. Helped by former cast and crew members, families of the stars no longer with us, and celebrity fans, we learn the secrets of this comedy classic and get to see previously unseen interviews and rare behind-the-scenes archive footage....
The Silent Witness
Character: The Barman (uncredited)
A man phones the police to confess to killing his wife accidentally, but investigations prove that his story is not as straightforward as it first appears...
Gonks Go Beat
Character: Mr. A&R
Bizarre sixties fable resembling Romeo and Juliet, but instead of Montagues and Capulets, there are two musical communities, one who like rock and roll and one who like ballads, who become reunited through the love between a couple who love across their grouping. It features little furry puppets called Gonks....
Johnny, You're Wanted
Character: Police Inspector
Returning late to London, Johnny gives a lift to an attractive female hitch-hiker. Some distance on, he stops to make a phone call and buy a coffee, but on returning to his cab finds the woman gone. Assuming she has hitched another ride, he continues on his way. A short time later he is flagged down by another driver, who has come across a woman lying by the roadside. The woman is Johnny's hitchhiker and she's dead....
Are You Being Served? Secrets & Scandals
Character: Archive Footage
Are You Being Served? is one of the most popular and most outrageous British sitcoms of all time. For more than a decade, millions of viewers tuned in for its smutty innuendo and the electric chemistry between the cast. But behind the laughter were plenty of secrets and scandals....
Cracked Nuts
Character: Revolutionary
To impress his fiancee's aunt, a young man tries to become king in a small kingdom, but the people there have already crowned one, who has won this honor by gambling. So he plans a coup d'etat. He tries to achieve this with a bomb, but then something goes wrong......
The Early Bird
Character: Drunken Doctor
Norman Pitkin is the assistant helping to run a small, old fashioned dairy which is threatened by a larger, modern organisation. Pitkin does his best to save the dairy (and his horse) and the usual chaos ensues...
Keep It Up, Jack!
Character: Mr. Clarke
Failed music hall performer Jack James inherits a brothel when his ancient Aunt dies. He takes over the running of the business and falls in love with its star attraction, beautiful prostitute Virginia....
Victim
Character: George - Henry's Assistant (uncredited)
A web of blackmail and murder attracts the attention of a barrister with a seemingly idyllic life, threatening to derail his career on the path of success....
The Three Musketeers
Character: Man in Small Carriage (uncredited)
The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a King's musketeer. He meets and quarrels with three men, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, each of whom challenges him to a duel. D'Artagnan finds out they are musketeers and is invited to join them in their efforts to oppose Cardinal Richelieu, who wishes to increase his already considerable power over the King. D'Artagnan must also juggle affairs with the charming Constance Bonancieux and the passionate Lady De Winter, a secret agent for...
30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia!
Character: Registrar
A 29-year old aspiring composer—still single and without any romantic prospects—vows to both marry and write a hit musical before he turns 30. Director Joseph McGrath's 1968 British comedy stars Dudley Moore, Suzy Kendall, Eddie Foy Jr. and Patricia Routledge....
Run For Your Wife
Character: Man on Bus
John Smith has been happily involved in a bigamous marriage for five years. He lives with Stephanie in Finsbury and Michelle in Stockwell. Fortunately, for John, he's a taxi driver which involves varying shift work! Simple? Well, when John unwittingly becomes a have-a-go hero and the Finsbury and Stockwell police forces discover something suspicious in their paperwork, John's happy bubble is about to be burst. The action of the movie takes place during the next hectic 24 hours as John, with the ...
Crooks and Coronets
Character: Cyril
Two crooks are hired to rob an eccentric old lady's estate, but once they get to know her, they can't bring themselves to do it....
If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them
Character:
Set in a cemetery, the film tells the story of a young man whom a blind man wrongly imagines to be black, and explores the nature of human prejudice....
Radio Cab Murder
Character: Inspector Finch
Fred Martin, a taxi driver who is a reformed convict, is used by the police to go undercover in order to help catch a gang of safe robbers. However things start to go wrong when the police stake out the wrong bank and Fred finds himself alone with the crooks....
No Sex Please: We're British
Character: Glass Shop Manager
A porn-store owner orders some new stuff from his supplier, but the delivery address gets mixed with the address of the local Barclays Bank. Here, David (the bank's assistant manager) and his new wife are shocked when photos, then films and finally two girls are sent to them in their bank-supplied flat. They and the banks' head cashier then hatch a plan to get rid of the porn—without letting their boss, the local police and David's mother in on what is happening....
Danny the Dragon
Character:
Gavin, Jean and Peter meet Danny the Dragon, an unintentional visitor from outer space. Danny and the children encounter many adventures before Danny finally manages to return to his own planet....
The Magic Christian
Character: Police Inspector
Sir Guy Grand, the richest man in the world, adopts a homeless man, Youngman. Together, they set out to prove that anyone--and anything--can be bought....
The Florentine Dagger
Character: (uncredited)
A playwright descended from the Borgia family becomes a murder suspect....
A Flea in Her Ear
Character: Charles, the Butler
Suspecting that her husband might be having an affair, a wife plots to catch him in the act....
Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World
Character: Estate Agent
Digby consumes a bowl of Project X, a liquid growth formula. Soon, he becomes a sheepdog of gigantic size!...
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
Character: Porter
Holmes and Dr. Watson take on the case of a beautiful woman whose husband has vanished. The investigation proves strange indeed, involving six missing midgets, villainous monks, a Scottish castle, the Loch Ness monster, and covert naval experiments....
Carry On Screaming!
Character: Mr. Jones
The sinister Dr. Watt has an evil scheme going—he's kidnapping beautiful young women and turning them into mannequins to sell to local stores. Fortunately for him, Detective Sergeant Bung is on the case, and he doesn't have a clue!...
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Character: Slave Driver
A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom....
Side by Side
Character:
Glam Rock musical comedy about two clashing nightclubs...
Lucy in London
Character: Passport Officer
Lucy goes to hip London to experience all the current fads....
It's Trad, Dad!
Character: TV Director
The hero and heroine want to popularize a trad jazz in their town. Some older people feel displeased about a trad jazz, and prevent their trying. The hero and heroine go to London television studio to ask trad jazz musician to support their trial....
Ride of the Valkyrie
Character:
An opera singer, dressed in full costume and dress, must navigate through the busy city streets to get to the theater in time for his performance. Filmed for the shelved portmanteau film 'Red, White and Zero' in 1967....
Red, White, and Zero
Character:
Composed of three shorts – Ride of the Valkyrie, The White Bus, and Red and Blue – from three of Britain’s most-celebrated directors - Lindsay Anderson, Peter Brook, and Tony Richardson. Comic legend Zero Mostel stars as an opera singer (in full costume) navigating the London transport network as he attempts to reach Covent Garden in 'Ride of the Valkyrie'. Scripted by Shelagh Delaney, 'The White Bus' blends realism, drama, and poetry as a despondent young woman travels home to the North of En...
The Comedy Man
Character: Producer
A middle-aged stock actor goes to London to try the big time. After much frustration, he lands a job doing TV commercials, gaining wealth and recognition. He eventually gives it all up to return to stage work and keep his pride....
The Impersonator
Character: Police Sargeant
When a USAF sergeant stationed on a base in England is suspected and then accused of murdering a woman, both he and a local school teacher must race to clear his name and find the real killer....
Portrait of Alison
Character: Police Photographer
An actress and an artist are linked by his brother to deadly smugglers sought by Scotland Yard....
All the Way Up
Character: Mr Driver
Fred Midway may be a bit short on brains, but he's got plenty of ambition. However, before he can gain promotion as a salesman, he must make his family more socially acceptable....
Some Will, Some Won't
Character: Purvis
Four people go to great lengths to obtain the fortune left in a will by a very wealthy practical joker....
Bless This House
Character: Mr Jones
The legendary Sid James stars as the head of a chaotic household in this movie spin-off from the hit ITV sitcom. Sid Abbott and his best mate Trevor (Peter Butterworth) enjoy home-brewing. Plans to turn their hobby into a profitable, if illicit, sideline come unstuck when a Customs and Excise officer (Terry Scott) moves in next door! What’s more, Sid’s outspoken and madcap family hinder neighbourly relations even further....
Steptoe & Son Ride Again
Character: Mr. Russell
Albert Steptoe and his son Harold are rag-and-bone men, complete with horse and cart to tour the neighbourhood. They also live amicably together at the junk yard. Always on the lookout for ways to improve his lot, Harold invests his father's life savings in a greyhound who is almost blind and can't see the hare. When the dog loses a race and Harold has to pay off the debt, he comes up with another bright idea. Collect his father's life insurance. To do this his father must pretend to be dead....
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer
Character: Tom Stoddart
Fresh-faced young Michael Rimmer worms his way into an opinion poll company and is soon running the place. He uses this as a springboard to get into politics and in the mini-skirted flared-trousered world of 1970 Britain starts to rise through the Tory ranks....
Our Miss Fred
Character: British Colonel
Danny La Rue stars in this 1970s drag comedy as Fred Wimbush, a Shakespearean actor who is drafted into WWII and is appearing in a camp show in France when the Nazis advance. Unless he continues in his female costume, Fred is certain to be shot as a spy. The risque gags and double entendres fly as he attempts to make his escape in the company of a troupe of Girl Guides....
The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom
Character: Factory Manager
Harriet Blossom is married to Robert Blossom, a businessman who'd rather spend the night at his bra factory than at home with her. One day, Harriet's sewing machine breaks, so Robert sends a repairman, Ambrose, to fix it. It's lust at first sight for Harriet, who convinces Ambrose to hide out in the attic for a tryst. When her new beau shows no desire to leave, the pair begin a years-long love affair right under Robert's nose....
We Love Are You Being Served?
Character:
Grace Brothers shut up shop over thirty years ago but for one night only we are reopening that infamous department store, climbing into the lift and going up to celebrate everything we love about Britain's brashest bawdiest sitcom, Are You Being Served?. Featuring side-splitting clips and behind the scenes footage, prepare to have your ribs well and truly tickled as we pay tribute to the true-blue sitcom phenomenon that is Are You Being Served?...
The Tomb of Ligeia
Character: Peperel
Verden Fell is shattered after the death of his lovely wife. But, after an unexpected encounter with Lady Rowena Trevanion, Fell soon finds himself married again. Nevertheless, his late wife's spirit seems to hang over the dilapidated abbey that Fell shares with his new bride. Lady Rowena senses that something is amiss and, when she investigates, makes a horrifying discovery -- learning that Fell's dead wife is closer than she ever imagined possible....
That's Your Funeral
Character: Town Clerk
Two funeral parlours fight one another for business, one of whom is more shady than the other....
The BFG
Character: Mr. Tibbs (voice)
Sophie is snatched from her orphanage early one morning by the BFG (Big Friendly Giant), whom she witnesses engaged in mysterious activities. She is soon put at ease, as she learns that BFG's job is to collect, catalog and deliver pleasant dreams to children. She joins him that night, but a mean giants follow them, planning to eat the children of the world....
Gosford Park
Character: Mr. Burkett
In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect....
The Making of 'Gosford Park'
Character: Self (uncredited)
A documentary giving film fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making this Robert Altman film about a murder at an English country estate. Includes interviews with the cast and crew, who relate some of their experiences with making the film, as well as giving their views on all the work that went into it....
Cloak Without Dagger
Character: Mr. Markley
A British Intelligence officer fails a mission during WW2. Years later whilst working in a hotel he bumps into an old flame who is desperate to discover what went wrong?...