Frank Muir - Revision history

Kurt: /* Writing for radio */

2024-09-21T16:40:32Z

Writing for radio

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:40, 21 September 2024
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	The pair were invited to appear on a new humorous literary radio quiz, ''[[My Word!]]''. In the final round Muir and Norden each told a story to "explain" the origin of a well-known phrase. An early example took the quotation "Dead! And never called me mother!" from a stage adaptation of ''[[East Lynne]]'' by Mrs Henry Wood, which became the exclamation of a youth coming out of a [[telephone booth\|public telephone box]] which he had discovered to be out of order. In early broadcasts of ''My Word!'' the phrases were provided by the quizmaster, but in later series Muir and Norden chose their own in advance of each programme and their stories became longer and more convoluted. This became a popular segment of the quiz, and Muir and Norden later compiled [[My Word!#Syndication and spin-offs\|five volumes of books]] containing some of the ''My Word!'' stories.		The pair were invited to appear on a new humorous literary radio quiz, ''[[My Word!]]''. In the final round Muir and Norden each told a story to "explain" the origin of a well-known phrase. An early example took the quotation "Dead! And never called me mother!" from a stage adaptation of ''[[East Lynne]]'' by Mrs Henry Wood, which became the exclamation of a youth coming out of a [[telephone booth\|public telephone box]] which he had discovered to be out of order. In early broadcasts of ''My Word!'' the phrases were provided by the quizmaster, but in later series Muir and Norden chose their own in advance of each programme and their stories became longer and more convoluted. This became a popular segment of the quiz, and Muir and Norden later compiled [[My Word!#Syndication and spin-offs\|five volumes of books]] containing some of the ''My Word!'' stories.

	Frank Muir was also, like Norden, a contestant on the ''My Word!'' spinoff, ''[[My Music (radio)\|My Music]]''. As a television personality, Muir's unofficial trademark was a crisply knotted pink [[bow tie]].		Frank Muir was also, like Norden, a contestant on the ''My Word!'' spinoff, ''[[My Music (radio programme)\|My Music]]''. As a television personality, Muir's unofficial trademark was a crisply knotted pink [[bow tie]].

	==Later career==		==Later career==

Kurt: /* Writing for radio */

2024-09-21T16:39:30Z

Writing for radio

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	Upon his return to civilian life, he began to write scripts for [[Jimmy Edwards]]. When Edwards teamed up with [[Dick Bentley]] on [[BBC Radio]], Muir formed a partnership with [[Denis Norden]], Bentley's writer, which was to last for most of his career. The vehicle created for Bentley and Edwards, ''[[Take It From Here]]'', was written by Muir and Norden from 1948 until 1959; the last series in 1960 used other writers. For ''TIFH'', as it became known, they created "[[The Glums]]", a deliberately awful family, which was the show's most popular segment. For ''TIFH'', Muir and Norden wrote the phrase, "Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me", later used by [[Kenneth Williams]] in ''[[Carry on Cleo]]''. In his autobiography ''A Kentish Lad''<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Muir\|first=Frank\|title=A Kentish Lad - His Autobiography\|publisher=Corgi\|year=1998\|isbn=0-552-14137-2\|location=United Kingdom\|pages=148}}</ref> Muir expressed disappointment that he and Norden were never credited for it.		Upon his return to civilian life, he began to write scripts for [[Jimmy Edwards]]. When Edwards teamed up with [[Dick Bentley]] on [[BBC Radio]], Muir formed a partnership with [[Denis Norden]], Bentley's writer, which was to last for most of his career. The vehicle created for Bentley and Edwards, ''[[Take It From Here]]'', was written by Muir and Norden from 1948 until 1959; the last series in 1960 used other writers. For ''TIFH'', as it became known, they created "[[The Glums]]", a deliberately awful family, which was the show's most popular segment. For ''TIFH'', Muir and Norden wrote the phrase, "Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me", later used by [[Kenneth Williams]] in ''[[Carry on Cleo]]''. In his autobiography ''A Kentish Lad''<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Muir\|first=Frank\|title=A Kentish Lad - His Autobiography\|publisher=Corgi\|year=1998\|isbn=0-552-14137-2\|location=United Kingdom\|pages=148}}</ref> Muir expressed disappointment that he and Norden were never credited for it.

	Muir and Norden continued to write for Edwards when he began to work for BBC television with the school comedy series ''[[Whack-O]]'' and the subsequent 1960 film [[Bottoms Up!]], and in the anthology series ''[[Faces of Jim]]''. With Norden, in 1962, he was responsible for the television adaptation of [[Henry Cecil Leon\|Henry Cecil's]] comic novel ''[[Brothers in Law (TV series)\|Brothers in Law]]'', which starred a young [[Richard Briers]], and its spin-off ''[[Mr Justice Duncannon]]''.		Muir and Norden continued to write for Edwards when he began to work for BBC television with the school comedy series ''[[Whack-O]]'' and the subsequent 1960 film [[Bottoms Up (1960 film)\|Bottoms Up!]], and in the anthology series ''[[Faces of Jim]]''. With Norden, in 1962, he was responsible for the television adaptation of [[Henry Cecil Leon\|Henry Cecil's]] comic novel ''[[Brothers in Law (TV series)\|Brothers in Law]]'', which starred a young [[Richard Briers]], and its spin-off ''[[Mr Justice Duncannon]]''.

	The pair were invited to appear on a new humorous literary radio quiz, ''[[My Word!]]''. In the final round Muir and Norden each told a story to "explain" the origin of a well-known phrase. An early example took the quotation "Dead! And never called me mother!" from a stage adaptation of ''[[East Lynne]]'' by Mrs Henry Wood, which became the exclamation of a youth coming out of a [[telephone booth\|public telephone box]] which he had discovered to be out of order. In early broadcasts of ''My Word!'' the phrases were provided by the quizmaster, but in later series Muir and Norden chose their own in advance of each programme and their stories became longer and more convoluted. This became a popular segment of the quiz, and Muir and Norden later compiled [[My Word!#Syndication and spin-offs\|five volumes of books]] containing some of the ''My Word!'' stories.		The pair were invited to appear on a new humorous literary radio quiz, ''[[My Word!]]''. In the final round Muir and Norden each told a story to "explain" the origin of a well-known phrase. An early example took the quotation "Dead! And never called me mother!" from a stage adaptation of ''[[East Lynne]]'' by Mrs Henry Wood, which became the exclamation of a youth coming out of a [[telephone booth\|public telephone box]] which he had discovered to be out of order. In early broadcasts of ''My Word!'' the phrases were provided by the quizmaster, but in later series Muir and Norden chose their own in advance of each programme and their stories became longer and more convoluted. This became a popular segment of the quiz, and Muir and Norden later compiled [[My Word!#Syndication and spin-offs\|five volumes of books]] containing some of the ''My Word!'' stories.

Kurt: /* Personal life and death */

2024-09-21T16:28:18Z

Personal life and death

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	In 1949 Muir married Polly McIrvine (d. 2004). They had two children: Jamie (born 1952), a TV producer, and Sally (born 1954), who co-founded the Muir and Osborne knitwear design company, and is married to the journalist and author [[Geoffrey Wheatcroft]].<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/36556/muir\|title=MUIR - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements\|website=announcements.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>		In 1949 Muir married Polly McIrvine (d. 2004). They had two children: Jamie (born 1952), a TV producer, and Sally (born 1954), who co-founded the Muir and Osborne knitwear design company, and is married to the journalist and author [[Geoffrey Wheatcroft]].<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/36556/muir\|title=MUIR - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements\|website=announcements.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>

	Muir died in [[Thorpe, Surrey]], on 2 January 1998<ref name="indep-obit">{{cite news\|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-frank-muir-1136512.html\|title=Obituary: Frank Muir\|~~authors~~=first1=Barry\|last1=Took\|first2=Dick\|last2=Vosburgh\|date=3 January 1998\|work=The Independent\|access-date=12 May 2009}}</ref> aged 77. In November 1998, ten months after his death, he and Denis Norden were joint recipients of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Writer of the Year Award.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/features_static/awards/britishcomedyawards.php \|title=The UK Comedy Guide \|publisher=Chortle \|access-date=2012-06-12}}</ref> Muir's widow, Polly, died in Surrey on 27 October 2004, aged 79.		Muir died in [[Thorpe, Surrey]], on 2 January 1998<ref name="indep-obit">{{cite news\|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-frank-muir-1136512.html\|title=Obituary: Frank Muir\|author1=\|first1=Barry\|last1=Took\|author2=\|first2=Dick\|last2=Vosburgh\|author1-link=Barry Took\|author2-link=Dick Vosburgh\|date=3 January 1998\|work=The Independent\|access-date=12 May 2009}}</ref> aged 77. In November 1998, ten months after his death, he and Denis Norden were joint recipients of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Writer of the Year Award.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/features_static/awards/britishcomedyawards.php \|title=The UK Comedy Guide \|publisher=Chortle \|access-date=2012-06-12}}</ref> Muir's widow, Polly, died in Surrey on 27 October 2004, aged 79.

	== Bibliography ==		== Bibliography ==

Kurt: /* Personal life and death */

2024-09-21T16:22:58Z

Personal life and death

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:22, 21 September 2024
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	In 1949 Muir married Polly McIrvine (d. 2004). They had two children: Jamie (born 1952), a TV producer, and Sally (born 1954), who co-founded the Muir and Osborne knitwear design company, and is married to the journalist and author [[Geoffrey Wheatcroft]].<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/36556/muir\|title=MUIR - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements\|website=announcements.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>		In 1949 Muir married Polly McIrvine (d. 2004). They had two children: Jamie (born 1952), a TV producer, and Sally (born 1954), who co-founded the Muir and Osborne knitwear design company, and is married to the journalist and author [[Geoffrey Wheatcroft]].<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/36556/muir\|title=MUIR - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements\|website=announcements.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>

	Muir died in [[Thorpe, Surrey]], on 2 January 1998<ref name="indep-obit">{{cite news\|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-frank-muir-1136512.html\|title=Obituary: Frank Muir\|authors=Took~~, Barry &~~ Vosburgh~~, Dick~~\|date=3 January 1998\|work=The Independent\|access-date=12 May 2009}}</ref> aged 77. In November 1998, ten months after his death, he and Denis Norden were joint recipients of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Writer of the Year Award.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/features_static/awards/britishcomedyawards.php \|title=The UK Comedy Guide \|publisher=Chortle \|access-date=2012-06-12}}</ref> Muir's widow, Polly, died in Surrey on 27 October 2004, aged 79.		Muir died in [[Thorpe, Surrey]], on 2 January 1998<ref name="indep-obit">{{cite news\|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-frank-muir-1136512.html\|title=Obituary: Frank Muir\|authors=first1=Barry\|last1=Took\|first2=Dick\|last2=Vosburgh\|date=3 January 1998\|work=The Independent\|access-date=12 May 2009}}</ref> aged 77. In November 1998, ten months after his death, he and Denis Norden were joint recipients of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Writer of the Year Award.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/features_static/awards/britishcomedyawards.php \|title=The UK Comedy Guide \|publisher=Chortle \|access-date=2012-06-12}}</ref> Muir's widow, Polly, died in Surrey on 27 October 2004, aged 79.

	== Bibliography ==		== Bibliography ==

Kurt at 16:15, 21 September 2024

2024-09-21T16:15:10Z

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	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\|name = Frank Muir		\|name = Frank Muir
			\| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the British Empire\|CBE]]
	\|image = Frank Muir.jpg		\|image = Frank Muir.jpg
	\|caption = Muir in 1970		\|caption = Muir in 1970

Kurt at 16:12, 21 September 2024

2024-09-21T16:12:57Z

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	\|caption = Muir in 1970		\|caption = Muir in 1970
	\|birth_name = Frank Herbert Muir		\|birth_name = Frank Herbert Muir
	\|birth_date = {{Birth date\|1920\|2\|5\|df=yes}}		\|birth_date = {{Birth date\|1920\|02\|05\|df=yes}}
	\|birth_place = [[Ramsgate]], England		\|birth_place = [[Ramsgate]], England
	\|death_date = {{Death date and age\|1998\|1\|2\|1920\|2\|5\|df=yes}}		\|death_date = {{Death date and age\|1998\|01\|02\|1920\|02\|05\|df=yes}}
	\|death_place = [[Thorpe, Surrey]], England		\|death_place = [[Thorpe, Surrey]], England
	\|other_names =		\|other_names =

Kurt at 16:20, 24 August 2024

2024-08-24T16:20:41Z

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	~~{{short description\|English comedy writer (1920–1998)}}~~
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\|name = Frank Muir		\|name = Frank Muir
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	\|isbn = 978-1-84854-195-5		\|isbn = 978-1-84854-195-5
	\|page=273		\|page=273
	}}</ref> Muir found unexpected household fame when he undertook voice-overs for advertisements, including [[Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut]] chocolate ''("Everyone's a Fruit and Nut case"'', to the tune of the ''Danse des mirlitons'' from Tchaikovsky's ''[[The Nutcracker]]'').<ref>{{Cite AV media\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ2gXCpPTCo&t=4m45s \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/LQ2gXCpPTCo\| archive-date=2021-12-12 \|url-status=live\|title=Classic British Adverts from the 1970s Part 4/10\|time=4:45\|via=Youtube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Other popular advertising campaigns of the period in which Muir appeared included [[Batchelors]]' Savoury Rice ''("Every grain will drive them insane!")'', a coffee advert in which he used the phrase ''"impending doom"'', and [[Unigate]] milk ''[[Humphreys (Unigate)\|Humphreys]]''.~~{{citation needed\|date=May 2018}}~~ In the 1960s Muir was Assistant Head of Light Entertainment at the BBC and in 1969 joined [[London Weekend Television]] as Head of Entertainment.		}}</ref> Muir found unexpected household fame when he undertook voice-overs for advertisements, including [[Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut]] chocolate ''("Everyone's a Fruit and Nut case"'', to the tune of the ''Danse des mirlitons'' from Tchaikovsky's ''[[The Nutcracker]]'').<ref>{{Cite AV media\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ2gXCpPTCo&t=4m45s \|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/LQ2gXCpPTCo\| archive-date=2021-12-12 \|url-status=live\|title=Classic British Adverts from the 1970s Part 4/10\|time=4:45\|via=Youtube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Other popular advertising campaigns of the period in which Muir appeared included [[Batchelors]]' Savoury Rice ''("Every grain will drive them insane!")'', a coffee advert in which he used the phrase ''"impending doom"'', and [[Unigate]] milk ''[[Humphreys (Unigate)\|Humphreys]]''. In the 1960s Muir was Assistant Head of Light Entertainment at the BBC and in 1969 joined [[London Weekend Television]] as Head of Entertainment.

	In 1976 Muir wrote ''The Frank Muir Book: An irreverent companion to social history'', which is a collection of anecdotes and quotations collected under various subjects including "Music", "Education", "Literature", "Theatre", "Art" and "Food and Drink". (In the United States, this book is titled "An Irreverent Social History of Almost Everything.") A similar format to ''The Frank Muir Book'' was used in his BBC radio series ''Frank Muir Goes Into...'', in which [[Alfred Marks]] read the quotations, linked verbally by Muir. He published books based on these series. His ''The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose'', which again uses a similar format with more scholarly aspirations, was published in 1990.		In 1976 Muir wrote ''The Frank Muir Book: An irreverent companion to social history'', which is a collection of anecdotes and quotations collected under various subjects including "Music", "Education", "Literature", "Theatre", "Art" and "Food and Drink". (In the United States, this book is titled "An Irreverent Social History of Almost Everything.") A similar format to ''The Frank Muir Book'' was used in his BBC radio series ''Frank Muir Goes Into...'', in which [[Alfred Marks]] read the quotations, linked verbally by Muir. He published books based on these series. His ''The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose'', which again uses a similar format with more scholarly aspirations, was published in 1990.

Kurt at 18:34, 5 December 2022

2022-12-05T18:34:59Z

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	{{short description\|English comedy writer (1920–1998)}}		{{short description\|English comedy writer (1920–1998)}}
	~~{{use British English\|date=August 2018}}~~
	~~{{use dmy dates\|date=October 2017}}~~
	~~{{float_begin\|side=right}}~~
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\|name = Frank Muir		\|name = Frank Muir
	\|image = Frank Muir ~~in 1970~~.jpg		\|image = Frank Muir.jpg
	\|caption = Muir in 1970		\|caption = Muir in 1970
	\|birth_name = Frank Herbert Muir		\|birth_name = Frank Herbert Muir
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	}}		}}
	}}		}}
	~~{{float_end\|}}~~
	'''Frank Herbert Muir''' {{post-nominals\|country=GBR\|size=100%\|CBE}} (5 February 1920 – 2 January 1998) was an English [[comedy]] writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with [[Denis Norden]] endured for most of their careers. Together they wrote [[BBC Radio]]'s ''[[Take It from Here]]'' for over 10 years, and then appeared on BBC radio quizzes ''[[My Word!]]'' and ''[[My Music (radio programme)\|My Music]]'' for another 35. Muir became Assistant Head of Light Entertainment at the [[BBC]] in the 1960s, and was then [[London Weekend Television]]'s founding Head of Entertainment. His many writing credits include editorship of ''The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose''.		'''Frank Herbert Muir''' {{post-nominals\|country=GBR\|size=100%\|CBE}} (5 February 1920 – 2 January 1998) was an English [[comedy]] writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with [[Denis Norden]] endured for most of their careers. Together they wrote [[BBC Radio]]'s ''[[Take It from Here]]'' for over 10 years, and then appeared on BBC radio quizzes ''[[My Word!]]'' and ''[[My Music (radio programme)\|My Music]]'' for another 35. Muir became Assistant Head of Light Entertainment at the [[BBC]] in the 1960s, and was then [[London Weekend Television]]'s founding Head of Entertainment. His many writing credits include editorship of ''The Oxford Book of Humorous Prose''.

Kurt: /* References */

2022-12-05T18:33:11Z

References

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	==References==		==References==
	{{Reflist}}		{{Reflist}}

	~~{{S-start}}~~
	~~{{s-aca}}~~
	~~{{succession box\|title=[[Rector of the University of St Andrews]]\|years=1976–1979\|before=[[Alan Coren]]\|after=[[Tim Brooke-Taylor]]}}~~
	~~{{S-end}}~~

	~~{{Rectors of the University of St Andrews}}~~

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Muir, Frank}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Muir, Frank}}

Kurt: clean up

2022-10-22T04:01:57Z

clean up

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	{{Rectors of the University of St Andrews}}		{{Rectors of the University of St Andrews}}

	~~{{Authority control}}~~

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Muir, Frank}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Muir, Frank}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:39, 21 September 2024
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	Upon his return to civilian life, he began to write scripts for [[Jimmy Edwards]]. When Edwards teamed up with [[Dick Bentley]] on [[BBC Radio]], Muir formed a partnership with [[Denis Norden]], Bentley's writer, which was to last for most of his career. The vehicle created for Bentley and Edwards, ''[[Take It From Here]]'', was written by Muir and Norden from 1948 until 1959; the last series in 1960 used other writers. For ''TIFH'', as it became known, they created "[[The Glums]]", a deliberately awful family, which was the show's most popular segment. For ''TIFH'', Muir and Norden wrote the phrase, "Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me", later used by [[Kenneth Williams]] in ''[[Carry on Cleo]]''. In his autobiography ''A Kentish Lad''<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Muir\|first=Frank\|title=A Kentish Lad - His Autobiography\|publisher=Corgi\|year=1998\|isbn=0-552-14137-2\|location=United Kingdom\|pages=148}}</ref> Muir expressed disappointment that he and Norden were never credited for it.		Upon his return to civilian life, he began to write scripts for [[Jimmy Edwards]]. When Edwards teamed up with [[Dick Bentley]] on [[BBC Radio]], Muir formed a partnership with [[Denis Norden]], Bentley's writer, which was to last for most of his career. The vehicle created for Bentley and Edwards, ''[[Take It From Here]]'', was written by Muir and Norden from 1948 until 1959; the last series in 1960 used other writers. For ''TIFH'', as it became known, they created "[[The Glums]]", a deliberately awful family, which was the show's most popular segment. For ''TIFH'', Muir and Norden wrote the phrase, "Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me", later used by [[Kenneth Williams]] in ''[[Carry on Cleo]]''. In his autobiography ''A Kentish Lad''<ref>{{Cite book\|last=Muir\|first=Frank\|title=A Kentish Lad - His Autobiography\|publisher=Corgi\|year=1998\|isbn=0-552-14137-2\|location=United Kingdom\|pages=148}}</ref> Muir expressed disappointment that he and Norden were never credited for it.

	Muir and Norden continued to write for Edwards when he began to work for BBC television with the school comedy series ''[[Whack-O]]'' and the subsequent 1960 film [[Bottoms Up!]], and in the anthology series ''[[Faces of Jim]]''. With Norden, in 1962, he was responsible for the television adaptation of [[Henry Cecil Leon\|Henry Cecil's]] comic novel ''[[Brothers in Law (TV series)\|Brothers in Law]]'', which starred a young [[Richard Briers]], and its spin-off ''[[Mr Justice Duncannon]]''.		Muir and Norden continued to write for Edwards when he began to work for BBC television with the school comedy series ''[[Whack-O]]'' and the subsequent 1960 film [[Bottoms Up (1960 film)\|Bottoms Up!]], and in the anthology series ''[[Faces of Jim]]''. With Norden, in 1962, he was responsible for the television adaptation of [[Henry Cecil Leon\|Henry Cecil's]] comic novel ''[[Brothers in Law (TV series)\|Brothers in Law]]'', which starred a young [[Richard Briers]], and its spin-off ''[[Mr Justice Duncannon]]''.

	The pair were invited to appear on a new humorous literary radio quiz, ''[[My Word!]]''. In the final round Muir and Norden each told a story to "explain" the origin of a well-known phrase. An early example took the quotation "Dead! And never called me mother!" from a stage adaptation of ''[[East Lynne]]'' by Mrs Henry Wood, which became the exclamation of a youth coming out of a [[telephone booth\|public telephone box]] which he had discovered to be out of order. In early broadcasts of ''My Word!'' the phrases were provided by the quizmaster, but in later series Muir and Norden chose their own in advance of each programme and their stories became longer and more convoluted. This became a popular segment of the quiz, and Muir and Norden later compiled [[My Word!#Syndication and spin-offs\|five volumes of books]] containing some of the ''My Word!'' stories.		The pair were invited to appear on a new humorous literary radio quiz, ''[[My Word!]]''. In the final round Muir and Norden each told a story to "explain" the origin of a well-known phrase. An early example took the quotation "Dead! And never called me mother!" from a stage adaptation of ''[[East Lynne]]'' by Mrs Henry Wood, which became the exclamation of a youth coming out of a [[telephone booth\|public telephone box]] which he had discovered to be out of order. In early broadcasts of ''My Word!'' the phrases were provided by the quizmaster, but in later series Muir and Norden chose their own in advance of each programme and their stories became longer and more convoluted. This became a popular segment of the quiz, and Muir and Norden later compiled [[My Word!#Syndication and spin-offs\|five volumes of books]] containing some of the ''My Word!'' stories.