Derek Royle

Who was Derek Royle?

Derek Royle was a British actor born in London, England. His face was probably better known than his name to British viewers, but he acted in films and TV from the mid-1960s until his death. He had a supporting role in the Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour in 1967, as well as a minor one with Cilla Black in the film Work Is a Four-Letter Word a year later. Most of his film appearances were in comedy films such as Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!

He appeared in a children's TV comedy series, Hogg's Back as Doctor Hogg, an eccentric general practitioner. Royle acted with Wendy Richard and Pat Coombs over two series. Royle played an unfortunate guest in a Fawlty Towers episode, "The Kipper and the Corpse", wherein he played the eponymous corpse. He also was the first actor to portray Monsieur Ernest LeClerc in the sixth series of 'Allo 'Allo!, and had a supporting role in a remake of Indiscreet and a new BBC version of a Lord Peter Wimsey story.

As a stage actor he was a mainstay of Brian Rix's Whitehall farces company. He specialised in absent minded characters and used his acrobatic skills to fall down stairs and immediately get up again as if nothing had happened.