Rod Hull
Encyclopedia
Rodney Stephen Hull better known as Rod Hull, was a popular entertainer on British
television
in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without Emu
, a mute, highly aggressive arm-length puppet
of the flightless emu
bird. However, Hull was careful to tailor its conduct according to his audience, and always ensured that it displayed a friendly demeanour when in the company of children.
, Kent
, England in 1935. He attended Delemark Road School and the County Technical School, Sheerness
. When he left school, he trained as an electrician and moved to Australia
in the early 1960s. His estranged son Steven now lives with his wife and children in Australia.
His first job in television was as a lighting technician with TCN Channel Nine in Sydney
. He then began appearing on-air, notably as Constable Clot in Channel Nine's Kaper Kops with Reg Gorman
and Desmond Tester
, a regular segment in its children's afternoon programming. Clot proved very popular and soon gained his own segment, Clot in the Clouds, which depicted Constable Clot daydreaming about having other professions, such as a world famous brain surgeon, 'Blood Clot'.
Later he worked with Marilyn Mayo as co-host of a children's breakfast TV programme, The Super Flying Fun Show, playing a wacky character named 'Caretaker Clot', an extension of his Kaper Kops role. Hull first used Emu as a puppet in this show. There are conflicting reports as to how this came about: Hull stated, "Sure I found him in a cupboard but I had put him there in the first place. I concocted him, nobody else." However, a Channel Nine producer, Jim Badger, recalled that he had requested a reluctant Hull to use Emu. The bird subsequently became a regular part of Hull's set on cabarets back in the United Kingdom
and Australia.
Hull returned to Britain in 1971 and signed with International Artists (after Emu tore up the office). Soon after, his Australian success translated to his native country with Hull appearing on several children's and adult light entertainment shows.
He began on an ITV show, Saturday Variety, but it was his appearance in the 1972 Royal Variety Performance
that provided his springboard to national recognition.
When Hull left The Super Flying Fun Show and Australia, a duplicate of Emu was made so the character could continue on the show, much to Hull's annoyance, comedian Marty Morton
took over Hull's co-hosting position in Australia.
Hull and Emu were regulars on the Hudson Brothers
Razzle Dazzle Show, which aired for one season as a Saturday morning kids' show on CBS
in 1974.
There were apparently no boundaries for Emu's outrageous behaviour. In 1972, it destroyed The Queen Mother
's bouquet of flowers during the after-show line-up at the aforementioned Royal Variety Performance, after which he appeared many other shows. During 1976 Hull and the uncontrollable Emu made their most famous appearances when Emu repeatedly attacked Michael Parkinson
during eponymous chat show
, eventually causing the interviewer to fall off his chair. Fellow guest Billy Connolly
threatened, "If that bird comes anywhere near me, I'll break its neck and your bloody arm!". Perhaps mindful of his professional future, Hull swiftly got his "pet" back on best behaviour. In later years, Parkinson always lamented the fact that despite all the star guests he had interviewed during his career, he would always be remembered for "that bloody bird".
This led to his own television series Emu's Broadcasting Company (1975–1980), Emu's World and Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show
. The record viewership for his main show.
In 1985 He travelled to America where he appeared on the The Tonight Show
, he even attacked Johnny Carson, even after he was told not to by the producers and Richard Pryor
in one of the comedian's first public appearances after undergoing major emergency reconstructive surgery on his face. This Lead to appearing on The Half hour comedy hour created by Burt Reynolds
.
in Rochester for £270,000 but after trying to renovate the house, as well unpaid tax bill Rod Become bankrupt in 1994 . Hull's wife Cher, who was instrumental in his success, moved the family to her home country of Australia, while Hull remained in England, and moved to a shepherd's cottage in East Sussex.
Hull was in the public eye less frequently during the 1990s, appearing in pantomime
and television commercials, and winning the 1993 "Pipe Smoker of the Year
" award. Nonetheless, his name remained well-known, and comedians Richard Herring
and Stewart Lee
included a "false Rod Hull" character in their 1996 television sketch show, Fist of Fun
, played by the actor Kevin Eldon. This character was performed as a grotesque imitation, a character who was finally unmasked by the real Rod Hull, who appeared (minus Emu) in the last episode of the series. It was to be Hull's penultimate television appearance.
A 2003 Channel 4 documentary, Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand, revealed 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
. He saw himself, according to the programme-makers, as a talented performer who could have developed a more varied career in the entertainment industry had he not been forced to repeatedly play the 'and Emu' role. Hull once complained, "I want to write but Emu doesn't leave me the time. I want to be a comedian in my own right, but again Emu won't let me do it."
football match between Internazionale and Manchester United. But in his attempt to improve reception, he fell through an adjoining greenhouse. The 63-year-old entertainer suffered a severe skull fracture and chest injuries. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Conquest Hospital in Hastings
. Following an inquest, the East Sussex Coroner, Alan Craze, recorded a verdict of accidental death.
had planned to revive their "false Rod Hull" character for their contemporary series, This Morning with Richard Not Judy
, but despite filming several sketches – in which the character would die after performing a pointless stunt – the footage was never used.
Hull was the subject of a song by the Merseyside group Half Man Half Biscuit.
Upon Hull's death, Michael Parkinson reminisced that he had found him to be "a very charming, intelligent and sensitive man – quite unlike the Emu." He observed that the puppet "was the dark side of Rod's personality, and very funny, provided it was not on top of you."
His son Toby
brought Emu out of retirement for the first time since his father's death during the 2003 pantomime season, appearing in Cinderella
at the Theatre Royal, Windsor
. Toby Hull and Emu now appear in their own series on CITV
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without Emu
Emu (puppet)
Emu is a puppet emu given to Rod Hull in the 1960s while he was presenting a children's breakfast television programme in Australia. Hull adopted the mute puppet for his cabaret act, and took it with him to the United Kingdom when he returned in 1970...
, a mute, highly aggressive arm-length puppet
Puppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
of the flightless emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
bird. However, Hull was careful to tailor its conduct according to his audience, and always ensured that it displayed a friendly demeanour when in the company of children.
Career
Hull was born in the Isle of SheppeyIsle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England in 1935. He attended Delemark Road School and the County Technical School, Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
. When he left school, he trained as an electrician and moved to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the early 1960s. His estranged son Steven now lives with his wife and children in Australia.
His first job in television was as a lighting technician with TCN Channel Nine in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. He then began appearing on-air, notably as Constable Clot in Channel Nine's Kaper Kops with Reg Gorman
Reg Gorman
Reg Gorman is an Australian actor and comedian who shot to fame playing the role of Jack the barman in popular Crawfords' soap, The Sullivans. He stayed with the series for its entire six year run.-External links:...
and Desmond Tester
Desmond Tester
Desmond Tester was an English and Australian film actor and television actor, host and executive. He was born in London, England. Among his most notable roles was that of the ill-fated boy Stevie in the Alfred Hitchcock film Sabotage .Tester made his first stage appearance at the age of 12,...
, a regular segment in its children's afternoon programming. Clot proved very popular and soon gained his own segment, Clot in the Clouds, which depicted Constable Clot daydreaming about having other professions, such as a world famous brain surgeon, 'Blood Clot'.
Later he worked with Marilyn Mayo as co-host of a children's breakfast TV programme, The Super Flying Fun Show, playing a wacky character named 'Caretaker Clot', an extension of his Kaper Kops role. Hull first used Emu as a puppet in this show. There are conflicting reports as to how this came about: Hull stated, "Sure I found him in a cupboard but I had put him there in the first place. I concocted him, nobody else." However, a Channel Nine producer, Jim Badger, recalled that he had requested a reluctant Hull to use Emu. The bird subsequently became a regular part of Hull's set on cabarets back in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Australia.
Hull returned to Britain in 1971 and signed with International Artists (after Emu tore up the office). Soon after, his Australian success translated to his native country with Hull appearing on several children's and adult light entertainment shows.
He began on an ITV show, Saturday Variety, but it was his appearance in the 1972 Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
that provided his springboard to national recognition.
Emu
Hull's puppet represented a side of his personality that enabled the entertainer to create a kind of gleeful havoc, while seemingly being not to blame for it. This was aided by the simple yet effective conceit of a false arm attached to Hull's jacket, which cradled the emu, therefore making it appear that the neck and head moved of its own volition. This seemingly independent movement gave the illusion that the bird had its own personality, which entailed sudden, unprovoked and aggressive attacks on anyone and anything that came too close. During these, Hull would make half-hearted attempts to pull the badly-behaved bird away from its victim but would often become embroiled in the fracas, rolling around on the floor to create a scene of mayhem.When Hull left The Super Flying Fun Show and Australia, a duplicate of Emu was made so the character could continue on the show, much to Hull's annoyance, comedian Marty Morton
Marty Morton
Marty Morton is a performer who has acted in many TV, theatre and commercials in Australia and in other countries including England.Morton was born in the north of England and emigrated to Australia 40 plus years ago.-Television:...
took over Hull's co-hosting position in Australia.
Hull and Emu were regulars on the Hudson Brothers
Hudson Brothers
The Hudson Brothers are an American music group formed in Portland, Oregon in the 1970s and consisting of Bill Hudson, Brett Hudson and Mark Hudson...
Razzle Dazzle Show, which aired for one season as a Saturday morning kids' show on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1974.
There were apparently no boundaries for Emu's outrageous behaviour. In 1972, it destroyed The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
's bouquet of flowers during the after-show line-up at the aforementioned Royal Variety Performance, after which he appeared many other shows. During 1976 Hull and the uncontrollable Emu made their most famous appearances when Emu repeatedly attacked Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
during eponymous chat show
Parkinson (TV series)
Parkinson is a British television talk show that was presented by Sir Michael Parkinson. It was first shown on the BBC from 1971 to 2004, and on ITV from 2004 to 2007.-Background:...
, eventually causing the interviewer to fall off his chair. Fellow guest Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
threatened, "If that bird comes anywhere near me, I'll break its neck and your bloody arm!". Perhaps mindful of his professional future, Hull swiftly got his "pet" back on best behaviour. In later years, Parkinson always lamented the fact that despite all the star guests he had interviewed during his career, he would always be remembered for "that bloody bird".
This led to his own television series Emu's Broadcasting Company (1975–1980), Emu's World and Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show
Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show
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 Broadcasting Company:...
. The record viewership for his main show.
In 1985 He travelled to America where he appeared on the The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
, he even attacked Johnny Carson, even after he was told not to by the producers and Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
in one of the comedian's first public appearances after undergoing major emergency reconstructive surgery on his face. This Lead to appearing on The Half hour comedy hour created by Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
.
Later life
In the late 1980s Hull bought Restoration HouseRestoration house
Restoration House in Rochester, Kent, England, is a fine example of an Elizabethan mansion. It is so named because King Charles II stayed there in 1660 on his way to reclaim England's throne, an event known as the Restoration....
in Rochester for £270,000 but after trying to renovate the house, as well unpaid tax bill Rod Become bankrupt in 1994 . Hull's wife Cher, who was instrumental in his success, moved the family to her home country of Australia, while Hull remained in England, and moved to a shepherd's cottage in East Sussex.
Hull was in the public eye less frequently during the 1990s, appearing in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
and television commercials, and winning the 1993 "Pipe Smoker of the Year
Pipe Smoker of the Year
Pipe Smoker of the Year was an award given out annually by the British Pipesmokers' Council, to honour a famous pipe-smoking individual. The award was discontinued in 2004 because its organisers feared it fell foul of laws banning all advertising and promotion of tobacco.-Pipe Smokers of the Year:...
" award. Nonetheless, his name remained well-known, and comedians Richard Herring
Richard Herring
Richard Keith Herring is a British comedian and writer, whose early work includes his involvement in the double-act, Lee and Herring...
and Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee
Stewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and directing the critically acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer - The Opera...
included a "false Rod Hull" character in their 1996 television sketch show, Fist of Fun
Fist of Fun
Fist of Fun was a popular 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...
, played by the actor Kevin Eldon. This character was performed as a grotesque imitation, a character who was finally unmasked by the real Rod Hull, who appeared (minus Emu) in the last episode of the series. It was to be Hull's penultimate television appearance.
A 2003 Channel 4 documentary, Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand, revealed 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
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
. He saw himself, according to the programme-makers, as a talented performer who could have developed a more varied career in the entertainment industry had he not been forced to repeatedly play the 'and Emu' role. Hull once complained, "I want to write but Emu doesn't leave me the time. I want to be a comedian in my own right, but again Emu won't let me do it."
Death
On 17 March 1999, Hull climbed on to the roof of his house in Winchelsea, near Rye, to adjust his television aerial during the Champions LeagueUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
football match between Internazionale and Manchester United. But in his attempt to improve reception, he fell through an adjoining greenhouse. The 63-year-old entertainer suffered a severe skull fracture and chest injuries. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Conquest Hospital in Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
. Following an inquest, the East Sussex Coroner, Alan Craze, recorded a verdict of accidental death.
Legacy
Prior to Hull's demise, Lee and HerringLee and Herring
Lee and Herring were a British standup comedy double act consisting of the comedians Stewart Lee and Richard Herring. They were probably most famous for their work on television, most notably Fist of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy but had been working together on stage and on radio...
had planned to revive their "false Rod Hull" character for their contemporary series, This Morning with Richard Not Judy
This Morning With Richard Not Judy
This Morning With Richard Not Judy or TMWRNJ was a BBC comedy television programme, written by and starring Lee and Herring. Two series were broadcast in 1998 and 1999 on BBC2...
, but despite filming several sketches – in which the character would die after performing a pointless stunt – the footage was never used.
Hull was the subject of a song by the Merseyside group Half Man Half Biscuit.
Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...
Upon Hull's death, Michael Parkinson reminisced that he had found him to be "a very charming, intelligent and sensitive man – quite unlike the Emu." He observed that the puppet "was the dark side of Rod's personality, and very funny, provided it was not on top of you."
His son Toby
Toby Hull
Toby Hull is the son of Rod Hull, a popular entertainer who appeared with an arm-length puppet known as Emu. He is one of three children from Hull's second marriage....
brought Emu out of retirement for the first time since his father's death during the 2003 pantomime season, appearing in Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
at the Theatre Royal, Windsor
Theatre Royal, Windsor
The Theatre Royal, Windsor is located in the town of Windsor, Berkshire, England, directly across the road from Windsor Castle.The present building was opened on 17 December 1910 after the previous theatre had burned down on 18 February 1908, under the ownership of Sir William Shipley.With the...
. Toby Hull and Emu now appear in their own series on CITV
CITV
CITV is a British television channel from ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive, as well as commissions and acquisitions. CITV itself is the programming block on the main ITV Network .The CITV channel broadcasts from 06:00 to 18:00...
.