Frank Carson was one of Britain’s most distinctive comedians – a performer with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of jokes delivered at breakneck speed in his trademark Northern Irish accent. Carson’s catchphrase, “It’s the way I tell ‘em!”, accurately summed up his unique appeal to millions who came to love his quick fire, traditional style that he first brought to national prominence on the television series The Comedians in the 1970’s. In the decades that followed he was a near-permanent presence on television, never failing to win audiences over with his relentless routines which depended heavily on the quantity of gags as much as the quality.

Betty White was one of America’s favourite television comedy actresses whose career straddled seven decades, peaking with her acclaimed sitcom performances as Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls during the 1980’s and Sue Ann Nivens in The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970’s. An apparently sweet, sunny disposition was the disarming cover for White’s slightly subversive sense of humour, deployed by Betty to brilliant effect in countless guest spots across the years. The sheer length of her television career earned Betty White a place in The Guinness Book of Records, a sure indication of the scale of the success enjoyed by this much-loved American national treasure.

John Marley and Mark Wells discuss their memories of working with Frank Carson and look back at his career, and asses the work of the legendary Betty White.

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