
Rod Hull
Acting
Biography
Rodney Stephen Hull was a British comedian and popular entertainer on television in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without Emu, a mute and highly aggressive arm-length puppet modelled on the Australian bird.
Known For

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo is an Australian television series telling the adventures of a young boy and his intelligent pet kangaroo, and the various visitors to the fictional Waratah National Park in Duffys Forest, near Sydney, New South Wales.
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo

A BBC light entertainment show broadcast from 1975 to 1979, filmed in a big top at various British seaside resorts. Originally the big top belonged to various circuses, but in later seasons, the BBC bought its own to be the venue. The programme was developed by producer Michael Hurll.
Seaside Special

Fist of Fun was a British comedy television and radio programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring. A lot of the show's comic material was adapted from Lee and Herring's radio programme Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World. Each episode of Fist of Fun featured several disparate sketches and situations. Fist of Fun began as a BBC Radio 1 series in 1993, before becoming commissioned as a television series on BBC Two in early 1995. It was broadcast at 9pm on Tuesday nights, and was successful, but not a major ratings-winner. The second series was aired on Friday nights, and although its ratings were relatively good, the show suffered from a lack of preparation and poor promotion. The show was not given a third series, and Lee and Herring went on to write This Morning with Richard Not Judy, for BBC Two. Many other comedians who appeared in the series went on to fame themselves, including Kevin Eldon, Peter Baynham, Ronni Ancona, Alistair McGowan, Al Murray, John Thomson, Rebecca Front, Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins, Ben Moor and Sally Phillips.
Fist of Fun
Eggs 'n' Baker was a Saturday morning Children's BBC music and cookery show presented by ex-Bucks Fizz singer Cheryl Baker. It was often shown in the early morning slot before the magazine show, Going Live. During this time Cheryl was still a member of Bucks Fizz and would often appear with the group on the show. The show ran on BBC1 from 1988 to 1993.
Eggs 'n' Baker

Documentary that outlines the 1990s and the decade the changed the world.
The 90s: Ten Years That Changed the World

American TV variety show hosted by singing group The Hudson Brothers. It ran from 1974-1975.
The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show

Arsenio Hall and Thom Sharp hosted this short-lived comedy show aired Tuesday nights on ABC.
The 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour
Esther is a British talk show presented by Esther Rantzen. It was aired on BBC Two between 1995 and 2002 and over 600 episodes were made.
Esther

The Children's Royal Variety Performance was devised by entertainer Rod Hull in 1981 and took place in London until 1994 in aid of NSPCC.
The Children's Royal Variety Performance
In 1981, Rod Hull was offered the opportunity to make a series for younger children by the newly-awarded ITV franchise Central Independent Television. This led to the birth of the Pink Windmill in which Rod and Emu lived, the green witch named Grotbags (played by the singer and comedienne Carol Lee Scott), and her hopeless assistant Croc. The premise of the show was simple: each week Grotbags attempted to steal Emu so that, once captured, (in Grotbags's own words) she would be able to use its "special powers" to control all the "brats" in the world. Children from the Corona Theatre School—referred to collectively as the Pink Windmill Kids—were on hand to offer protection and break into one or two song and dance routines per episode. The show featured Rod Hull's chanted catchphrase "There's somebody at the door, oh, there's somebody at the door" every time a visitor rang the doorbell of the Pink Windmill—which 'sneezed' loudly when pressed.
Emu's World
Rod 'n' Emu was an animated series shown on CITV around 1991. It starred the voices of Rod Hull who created and wrote all the episodes starring as himself, Carol Lee Scott starred as Grotbags and Freddy Stevens as her assistants Croc the crocodile and Redford the robot. This was the last series to feature Hull, Emu and Scott before she starred in her own TV series Grotbags. The show was made by FilmFair for Central Independent Television and thirteen episodes were aired.
Rod 'n' Emu

Comedy special starring Charlie Callas, Charles Nelson Reilly, Bobby Vinton, and many other young comedians.
Hamburgers
Starring Rod Stewart and Emu in 1987 two series of Emu's Wide World were made. These followed a similar formula to the Pink Windmill Shows, but were pre-recorded, resulting in the phone-based Spin Quiz being replaced by Emu's Bargain Basement—an obstacle course in a supermarket
Emu's Wide World

Gaybo Laughs Back is an hour-long special, hosted by Gay Byrne who introduces some of the comedy highlights from his thirty-seven years at the helm of the long-running television series.
Gaybo Laughs Back
Emu was an anarchic British television puppet of Rod Hull, and after successful appearing on a number of Variety shows, he was given his own Television series on the BBC, then on ITV.
Emu's TV Series

Documentary about UK entertainer Rod Hull and his puppet Emu. It reveals that Hull nursed an increasing resentment towards his puppet, believing that the success of the bird prevented him from pursuing other avenues in show business.