Difference between revisions of "Bob Monkhouse"

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(Remove references to attending conventions and contributing to fanzines following consultation with Rob Hansen; we don't know that he did either of these things -- unless somebody has a citation?)
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(June 1, 1928 – December 29, 2003)  
 
(June 1, 1928 – December 29, 2003)  
  
'''Robert Alan Monkhouse''', OBE was best known as an [[British]] comedian who hosted a number of television game shows. He was a schoolfriend of [[Denis Gifford]] and [[Bryan Berry]] and attended the presentation dinner for the [[International Fantasy Awards]] at the [[White Horse]] on September 1, 1953. The winners had been previously announced at [[Coroncon]] but it's not known that Monkhouse attended the convention itself.
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'''Robert Alan Monkhouse''', OBE was best known as a [[British]] comedian who hosted a number of television game shows. He was also a serious [[collector]] of [[science fiction]].  
  
He also drew for [[comic books]], notably ''Tornado'' (1948).
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Monkhouse was a schoolfriend of [[Denis Gifford]] and [[Bryan Berry]] and started contributing to comics while still a teenager, notably ''Tornado'' (1948). There are persistent rumours that he contributed to [[fanzines]] and attended [[conventions]], but no hard evidence for either – and that absence may be more significant as if he had attended conventions then surely somebody would have mentioned it in a contemporary report.  
  
He was long a customer of [[Rog Peyton]]'s [[Andromeda Bookshop]], and maintained a large [[collection]] of [[books]], films and [[comics]].  
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He did attend the presentation dinner for the [[International Fantasy Awards]] at the [[White Horse]] on September 1, 1953, along with prominent authors and fans such as [[Arthur C. Clarke]], [[C. S. Youd]] and [[Ted Carnell]]. The widely available photograph of the dinner likely contributed to the convention rumours.  
  
He died of cancer.  
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He was certainly a major collector of books and comics, and a long-term customer of genre bookshops such as [[Dark They Were and Golden Eyed]] in [[London]] and [[Rog Peyton]]'s [[Andromeda Bookshop]] in [[Birmingham]]. Authors conducting signings reported being asked to inscribe a copy for him. In ''[[Ansible]]'' #199 (February 2004) [[Brian Aldiss]] said that his mother had received a letter from Monkhouse in the 1960s saying how much he'd enjoyed Aldiss's work leading to an ongoing correspondence.  
  
 
* [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/dec/29/obituaries Obituary] by Dennis Barker, The Guardian, December 29, 2003.
 
* [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/dec/29/obituaries Obituary] by Dennis Barker, The Guardian, December 29, 2003.

Latest revision as of 03:00, 23 October 2024

(June 1, 1928 – December 29, 2003)

Robert Alan Monkhouse, OBE was best known as a British comedian who hosted a number of television game shows. He was also a serious collector of science fiction.

Monkhouse was a schoolfriend of Denis Gifford and Bryan Berry and started contributing to comics while still a teenager, notably Tornado (1948). There are persistent rumours that he contributed to fanzines and attended conventions, but no hard evidence for either – and that absence may be more significant as if he had attended conventions then surely somebody would have mentioned it in a contemporary report.

He did attend the presentation dinner for the International Fantasy Awards at the White Horse on September 1, 1953, along with prominent authors and fans such as Arthur C. Clarke, C. S. Youd and Ted Carnell. The widely available photograph of the dinner likely contributed to the convention rumours.

He was certainly a major collector of books and comics, and a long-term customer of genre bookshops such as Dark They Were and Golden Eyed in London and Rog Peyton's Andromeda Bookshop in Birmingham. Authors conducting signings reported being asked to inscribe a copy for him. In Ansible #199 (February 2004) Brian Aldiss said that his mother had received a letter from Monkhouse in the 1960s saying how much he'd enjoyed Aldiss's work leading to an ongoing correspondence.

See also: Celebrity Fen.


Person 19282003
This is a biography page. Please extend it by adding more information about the person, such as fanzines and apazines published, awards, clubs, conventions worked on, GoHships, impact on fandom, external links, anecdotes, etc. See Standards for People and The Naming of Names.