A page from an autograph album, signed by Arthur English, the actor and comedian from the music hall tradition, born in Aldershot, Hampshire. After serving in the army in World War II, reaching the rank of sergeant, English worked as a painter and decorator whilst polishing up his amateur comedy routines, eventually becoming resident comedian at the Windmill Theatre in London. He also began to appear on radio, with the BBC series Variety Bandbox, where his usual persona was a stereotypical wartime "spiv", and he became known as "The Prince of the Wide Boys". In later life he appeared on British television, in mainly comedy roles, from the 1970s, and is remembered for his character of the bolshy maintenance man, Mr. Harman, in Are You Being Served? He played Arthur, Alf Garnett's mate in In Sickness and in Health, a follow-up series to Till Death Us Do Part and also appeared in The Sweeney.