Editing Rod Hull

{{short description|English comedian (1935–1999)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Rod Hull
| image       = File:Rod Hull and Emu.jpg
| caption     = Rod Hull with his puppet sidekick, Emu
| birth_name  = Rodney Stephen Hull
| birth_date  = {{Birth date|df=yes|1935|8|13}}
| birth_place = [[Isle of Sheppey]], [[Kent]], England
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1999|3|17|1935|8|13}}
| death_place = [[Winchelsea]], [[East Sussex]], England
| occupation  = Entertainer, comedian
| notable_works = [[Emu (puppet)|Emu]]
| children      = 6, including [[Toby Hull|Toby]]
}}

'''Rodney Stephen Hull''' (13 August 1935 – 17 March 1999) was a British comedian and popular entertainer on television in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without [[Emu (puppet)|Emu]], a mute and highly aggressive arm-length [[puppet]] modelled on the Australian bird.

==Early life ==
Hull was born on the [[Isle of Sheppey]], [[Kent]], England in 1935.<ref name="screen">{{cite web |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1054277/index.html |title=Rod Hull biography |first=Alistair |last=McGown |website=[[British Film Institute]] Screen Online |date=17 March 1999 |access-date=25 February 2010}}</ref> He attended Delamark Road School and the County Technical School, [[Sheerness]]. After national service with the [[Royal Air Force]], he qualified as an electrician.

==TV career==
===Australia ===
Hull moved to Australia in 1956.<ref>{{citation |title=This Is Your Life - Rod Hull - 3rd February 1983 VHSRip UK | date=28 January 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbqBl5QQquQ&t=626 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/VbqBl5QQquQ |archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live |language=en |access-date=2019-11-30}}{{cbignore}}</ref>  His first job in television was as a lighting technician with [[TCN Channel 9]] in [[Sydney]].<ref name="screen"/> He then began appearing on air, including as Constable Clot in Channel 9's ''Kaper Kops'' with [[Reg Gorman]] and [[Desmond Tester]], a regular segment in its children's afternoon programming. Clot proved popular and soon gained his own segment, ''Clot in the Clouds'', which depicted him 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, ''[[Super Flying Fun Show|The Super Flying Fun Show]]'', playing a wacky character named 'Caretaker Clot,' an extension of his ''Kaper Cops'' role. Hull first used Emu as a puppet in this show. There are conflicting reports as to how this came about. The 2003 [[Channel 4]] documentary ''Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand'' states that "In fact, Emu was a Channel Nine creation".<ref>{{Citation |title=Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand | date=24 April 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbeISqjKM4k |access-date=2024-03-11 |language=en}}</ref> Other sources cite a Channel Nine producer, Jim Badger, who said that he had requested a reluctant Hull to use Emu.<ref name="screen"/> Hull claimed full authorship of Emu, saying, "Sure I found him in a cupboard, but I had put him there in the first place. I concocted him, nobody else."<ref name="screen"/>  The bird subsequently became a regular part of Hull's set on cabarets back in the United Kingdom and Australia.

===Britain ===
Hull returned to the UK in 1971 and signed with International Artists.<ref name="screen"/> Soon after, his Australian success translated to his native country with Hull appearing on several children's and adult light entertainment shows.

His first UK television appearance came on the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] show ''Saturday Variety'', but it was his appearance in the 1972 [[Royal Variety Performance]] that provided his springboard to national recognition.<ref name="screen"/>

==Emu==
Hull used Emu to create havoc while not accepting blame for it. The use of a false arm attached to Hull's jacket, which cradled the emu, made it appear that the neck and head moved of its own volition. Hull used the puppet to make violent attacks on people nearby. During these events Hull would make half-hearted attempts to pull the bird away from its victim but would often become embroiled in the fracas, rolling around on the floor, creating theatrical 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, and comedian [[Marty Morton]] took over Hull's co-hosting position in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Super Flying Fun Show |url=https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1970s/super-flying-fun-show-the/ |website=Nostalgia Central |access-date=11 June 2024}}</ref>

Hull and Emu were regulars on ''The [[Hudson Brothers]] Razzle Dazzle Show'', which aired for one season as a Saturday morning children's show on American broadcaster [[CBS]] in 1974-75.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvparty.com/varhudson.html |title=Hudson Brothers |first=Billy |last=Ingrham |website=Tvparty! |access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref>

At least two people have alleged that Hull sexually assaulted women using Emu as a cover. Darts champion Eric Bristow wrote: "He used the puppet to feel up women and stick his hand between people's legs."<ref>{{cite book |first=Eric |last=Bristow |title=The Autobiography: The Crafty Cockney |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0eHTuRtG4NIC&q=rod+hull |publisher=Random House |date=15 September 2009 |pages=160–62 |isbn=978-1-4090-6316-2}}</ref> In a 2007 interview with ''[[Chortle]]'', comedy producer Michael Hurll said to Hull "Look Rod, you've got your hand in that emu, up girls' skirts and squeezing their tits; doing things you would get locked up for."<ref>{{cite web |title=You'd never get away with it today... Six comedy icons with a seedy reputation |website=Chortle |date=20 November 2017 |url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/features/2017/11/20/38474/youd_never_get_away_with_it_today |access-date=11 June 2024}}</ref> Hurll reported similar assaults on men in a [[Channel 4]] documentary, ''Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand'' (2003).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbeISqjKM4k |title=Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand |website=[[YouTube]] |date=3 July 2003}}</ref>

In 1972, Hull destroyed [[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|The Queen Mother]]'s bouquet of flowers during the after-show line-up at the Royal Variety Performance. During 1976, Hull's Emu repeatedly attacked [[Michael Parkinson]] during his [[Parkinson (TV series)|chat show]], eventually causing Parkinson to fall off his chair.<ref name="obituary">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/298817.stm |title=Obituary: The man behind Emu |work=BBC News |date=18 March 1999 |access-date=25 February 2010}}</ref> Fellow guest [[Billy Connolly]] threatened, "If that bird comes anywhere near me, I'll break its neck and your bloody arm!"{{fact|date=May 2024}} In later years, Parkinson later referred to Emu as "that bloody bird."<ref>{{cite news |last=Heslop |first=Katy |date=2007-06-27 |title=Parkinson: the greatest hits |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2007/jun/27/parkinsonthegreatesthits |access-date=2024-03-11 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

He later starred in the television series ''[[Emu's Broadcasting Company]]'' (1975–1980), ''[[Emu's World]]'', ''EMU TV'' and ''[[Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show]]'', taking his television career up to 1991.

In 1983 he appeared in the US on ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson|The Tonight Show]]'', attacking host Johnny Carson, even after he was asked not to by the producers, and [[Richard Pryor]] in one of his first public appearances after undergoing major emergency reconstructive surgery on his face.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://povonline.com/cols/COL236.htm |title=Rod Hull & Emu |website=POVonline |access-date=25 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309092126/http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL236.htm |archive-date=9 March 2010  }}</ref>

==Later life==
By the 1990s, Hull was seen less frequently on TV, although he continued to appear in [[pantomime]] and television commercials, made personal appearances and occasional TV appearances. Comedians [[Richard Herring]] and [[Stewart Lee]] included a "not 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 of Hull and was finally unmasked by the real Rod Hull who appeared in the last episode of the series.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.patrick/rod6.html |title=Rod Hull vs Rod Hull |website=The Curmudgeonly Lee & Herring Pages |access-date=25 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529212432/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.patrick/rod6.html |archive-date=29 May 2010}}</ref> It was to be Hull's penultimate television appearance.

A 2003 Channel 4 documentary, ''Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand'',<ref>{{cite news |first=Nancy |last=Banks-Smith |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/jul/04/television.artsfeatures |title=Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand &#124; No 57: The History of a House |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=4 July 2003 |access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref> suggested 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 makers of the programme, as a talented performer who could have developed a more varied career in the entertainment industry had he not been repeatedly forced to perform with the Emu. 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."<ref name="screen"/>

==Personal life==
Hull married his first wife Sandra Carter in 1958; they had two daughters, Deborah and Danielle.<ref name="U">{{cite episode |title=The Unforgettable Rod Hull |series=[[The Unforgettable]] |air-date=1 February 2012}}</ref> Hull's second wife, Cher Hylton-Hull, who he married in 1978, already had a daughter, Catrina, and the couple had three children together: [[Toby Hull|Toby]], Amelia, and Oliver.<ref name="U"/> Catrina appeared in his ''Pink Windmill'' show.

He was a fan of the football club [[Bristol Rovers F.C.|Bristol Rovers]], and he recorded a song called "Bristol Rovers All the Way" in 1974, with the squad of that time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bristol Rovers All The Way |url=http://www.45cat.com/record/db9029 |website=45cat |access-date=11 June 2024}}{{cite web |title=Bristol Rovers All The way | website=[[YouTube]] | date=26 July 2008 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r8afyJjOsM}}</ref>

In 1986 Hull bought [[Restoration House]] in [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]] for £270,000 but the cost of renovations and an unpaid tax bill, caused by his accountant not paying his tax properly over the previous 20 years<Ref>Daily Mirror - Sat, 23 Oct 1993 - page 18</Ref> and the recession and property slump, resulted in Hull leaving the property in October 1993 and then bankruptcy in September 1994. His production company, Hibou Productions went bust with debts of £38,500.<Ref>Daily Mirror Wed, 13 Oct 1993 - Page 9</Ref><ref name="independent">{{cite news|author=Pierre Perrone |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-rod-hull-1081501.html |title=Obituary: Rod Hull |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |location=London |date=19 March 1999 |access-date=22 November 2013}}</ref> Cher, who had been instrumental in his success, moved back to her home country of Australia with their children, while Hull remained in England and relocated to a shepherd's cottage in East Sussex.<ref name="independent" />

==Death==
On the night of 17 March 1999, Hull was trying to adjust the television aerial on the roof of his bungalow at half-time during an [[Inter Milan]] vs. [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] Champions League match, when he slipped and fell. He suffered a severe skull fracture and chest injuries, and was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital in Hastings. Following an inquest, the coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.<ref name="coroner">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/336174.stm |date=5 May 1999|access-date=29 October 2008|work=BBC News |title=Rod Hull's death 'accidental'}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Prior to Hull's death, [[Lee and Herring]] had planned to revive their "not Rod Hull" character for their contemporary series, ''[[This Morning with Richard Not Judy]]'', but although they filmed several sketches – in which the character would die after performing a pointless stunt – the footage was never used.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.richardherring.com/warmingup/warmingup.php?id=231 |date=4 July 2003 |website=RichardHerring.com |title= Warming Up |access-date=29 October 2008}}</ref>  Instead, the final episode of the second and final series of ''This Morning with Richard Not Judy'' concluded with a post-credits sketch featuring Kevin Eldon's Rod Hull character, fading out to a simple dedication reading "This series is dedicated to Rod Hull."

Hull and Emu were also the subject of the song "No One Knew the Real Emu" by [[The Toy Dolls]] (2004).<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Last Album? (2004) |url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Toy-Dolls-Our-Last-Album/master/333244 |website=[[Discogs]] |access-date=11 June 2024}}</ref>

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."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/298801.stm |date=18 March 1999 |work=BBC News |title=Rod Hull dies in rooftop fall |access-date=29 October 2008}}</ref>

His son [[Toby Hull|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 later appeared in their own series on [[CITV]].{{fact|date=May 2024}}

In June 2018, puppeteer [[Phil Fletcher]] bought one of the last remaining Emu puppets for £8,860 at Chippenham Auction Rooms in Wiltshire.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/rod-hulls-emu-smashes-estimate-at-auction-11391198 |title=Rod Hull's Emu smashes estimate at auction |work=Sky News |date=1 June 2018 |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[Bernie Clifton]], contemporary comedian with ostrich puppet based comedy routine
*''[[Super Flying Fun Show]]'', Australian children's television show where Hull first performed with Emu
*''[[Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table]]'', Australian series for which Hull was a writer

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090924203830/http://rodhull.co.uk/ The Rod Hull Tribute Website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071209225202/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/7253 BFI: List of series made]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070103000815/http://sausagenet.com/program.asp?mode=view&progid=27&progname=Emus+Broadcasting+Company Sausage.net: Emu's Broadcasting Company]
* {{IMDb name|0401467}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hull, Rod}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:1999 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century English screenwriters]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths from falls]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in England]]
[[Category:English male television writers]]
[[Category:Butlins Redcoats]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English puppeteers]]
[[Category:English television writers]]
[[Category:Male actors from Kent]]
[[Category:People from the Isle of Sheppey]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of the Korean War]]
[[Category:Comedians from Kent]]