Ruxton Hayward
Ruxton Lionel Hayward | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1930[1] |
| Died | 22 September 2011 (aged 81) |
| Occupation(s) | Entertainer, Boy Scout leader. |
Ruxton Hayward[2] was a British eccentric. In the early 1950s, as a scoutmaster in London, he attempted to recruit acts for a stage show. Secombe and Bentine were approached at the stage door one night by the eccentric figure of Ruxton Hayward, a six-foot-two, red-bearded scoutmaster with a bicycle who – in a high-pitched voice – announced that he wanted to be a Goon. Bemused by Ruxton, Michael told him to find Peter Sellers over at the Finsbury Empire and present himself by saying: ‘Michael Bentine says I’m a genius’… with Ruxton unaware that this was a signal to Peter that he might find the scoutmaster worthy of incorporation into his act… and ultimately the inspiration for his Bluebottle character. Sellers was so taken with Hayward's appearance—the man being tall with a bushy red beard, and wearing a Boy Scout uniform with short trousers—that he used an imitation of Hayward's high-pitched voice for the character Bluebottle in The Goon Show.[3] The character became a popular regular in the series, and was often greeted by applause and cheers from the studio audience.
Hayward lived on, unaware of his fame until the events above were described by Peter Sellers on television in 1972. After this Hayward attempted a stage career, developing characters he called "Bearded Schoolboy", "Woolly Wolfcub", and "Happy Sandboy". He also made appearances at meetings of the Goon Show Preservation Society. He was an active member of the actors union Equity, subsection Variety. According to an article in The Guardian,[4] he was elected as a union representative at least once.
In 1999 Hayward pleaded guilty to making an indecent image of a child under 16. [5]
The Goon Show Preservation Society website reported Ruxton's death in Charing Cross Hospital, London on 22 September 2011.
References
- ^ England & Wales, Birth Index, 1916-2005, Hammersmith, London, Jul-Aug-Sep vol. 1a p95
- ^ Picture of Ruxton Hayward at Goon.org
- ^ The Goons: The Story, edited by Norma Farnes, Virgin Publishing 1997 ISBN 1-85227-679-7
- ^ Front, Rebecca (7 May 2005). "Hayward and Rhubarb the Clown elected". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ "Bluebottle is a paedophile". Scottish Herald. 15 September 1999. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
