Rikki Fulton

The youngest of three brothers, Robert Kerr Fulton was born into a non-theatrical family at 46 Appin Road, Dennistoun, Glasgow. Fulton's mother, who was 40 at the time of his birth, developed severe postnatal depression. Due to this, Fulton grew up a "solitary child" and developed a "voracious reading habit" throughout his childhood. ==Career==

Fulton began his professional acting career in straight theatre, primarily performing in repertory theatre and on BBC Radio, including The Gowrie Conspiracy in 1947. Alongside acting, he worked in the family stationery business with his brothers. After the bank withdrew its financial support, he committed himself fully to his acting career. In the early 1950s, Fulton moved to London and became the compère of The Show Band Show, working alongside the likes of singer Frank Sinatra. In 1957 he appeared, with Tommy Steele, as the Dame in the pantomime Goldilocks and the Three Bears at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. His 1958 pantomime appearance was in Sinbad The Sailor at the Alhambra Theatre, Glasgow In 1959 he appeared again in Sinbad The Sailor, with Reg Varney at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh. In 1960, he headlined in the new Scottish pantomime "A Wish for Jamie," with Kenneth McKellar, Fay Lenore and Reg Varney, which premiered at the Alhambra Theatre Glasgow, and in its sequel "A Love for Jamie," which ran for three consecutive winters. He starred in pantomime and Five Past Eight in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. While working at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh, Fulton met comedian Jack Milroy. Together they created a stage double act named "Francie and Josie", two Teddy Boys from Glasgow. Fulton continued to perform regularly in pantomime and in straight theatre, mostly notably with the Royal Lyceum Company in Edinburgh and the Scottish Theatre Company based in Glasgow. However, it was the comedy sketch show, Scotch and Wry, that became a Hogmanay institution. In 1982, he made an appearance in the film Gorky Park, where he played a KGB officer. Director Michael Apted chose Fulton for the role because "he [Apted] had never seen such cruel eyes". Fulton, along with Denise Coffey, adapted the French playwright Molière's, Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme as ''A Wee Touch o' Class.'' He performed in the lead role at that year's Edinburgh Fringe; the Festival re-booked it for the following year and it went on tour throughout Scotland. Fulton made several guest appearances in other BBC Scotland programmes. Alongside his Scotch and Wry co-stars Gregor Fisher and Tony Roper, Fulton made two appearances in Rab C. Nesbitt; once in 1988 and 10 years later in 1998. In 1992, Fulton was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and a year later the Lifetime Achievement award from BAFTA Scotland. Fulton's last full performance on television came on New Year's Eve 1999 with the comedy special ''It's a Jolly Life and his final Last Call monologue as the Reverend I.M. Jolly. After saying his final goodbye to television, Fulton wrote and published his autobiography, Is It That Time Already?'' (1999). In 1994, Fulton was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts from Abertay University, Dundee, in 1995 an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Strathclyde and in 2000 another honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of St Andrews. ==Personal life==

Fulton was first married to actress Ethel Scott, who appeared with him on The Rikki Fulton Show in 1960 and 1961. Matheson saw Fulton perform in a production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever, He grew to depend on Kate more and more until, eventually, it was decided he move into the Quayside nursing home. After contracting the "superbug" MRSA and returning to Quayside, Fulton died on 27 January 2004, aged 79. The Reverend Alastair Symington, who was a close friend of Fulton, led the service, which featured tributes from Fulton's widow and Tony Roper. Both Rikki and his wife were strong supporters of the Scottish SPCA, which received a financial donation following Fulton's funeral. A Scottish SPCA inspector represented the animal welfare organisation at the service. Kate Matheson died in 2005 after completing a book about her relationship with Fulton, entitled Rikki & Me. For her funeral in Glasgow, Matheson requested no black ties should be worn because "we [she and Fulton] were together again". ==Theatre==

• Laxdale Hall (1953) • Dance Party Roof (1957–1958) • The Rikki Fulton Show (1960) • The Five Past Eight (1960's) • The Adventures of Francie and Josie (1962–1965) • The Grand Tour (1965) • The Rikki Fulton Hour (1965) • Rikki (1966) • The Scotched Earth Show (1977) • Scotch and Wry (1978) • Out with the Old, in with the New (1978) • The Miser (1979) • Charles Endell Esquire (1979) • Square Mile of Murder (1980) • ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' (1980) • ''The Winter's Tale'' (1981) • The Dollar Bottom (1981) • The House on the Hill (1981) • Bergerac (1983) • Local Hero (1983) • Boswell for the Defence (1983) • Gorky Park (1983) • The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady (1984) • Comfort and Joy (1984) • The Girl in the Picture (1985) • The Holy City (1986) • Supergran (1986) • Rab C. Nesbitt (1988, 1998) • ''Tis' the Season to Be Jolly'' (1993) • Jolly: A Man for All Seasons (1994) • The Tales of Para Handy (1994–1995) • Jolly: A Life (1995) • ''It's a Jolly Life'' (1999) ==Notable characters==

• Scotch and Wry Supercop a frequently dimwitted traffic cop who rides a motorbike, his trademark is how he removes his goggles (pings off and flies off camera), is often getting into more trouble than those he stops. Carries a small pocket sized notepad and pencil. Rev. I. M. Jolly is portrayed as a pessimistic and world weary minister of the Church of Scotland who hosts the fictional programme Last Call. In the show, he speaks directly to the audience about events from his week in a subdued and reflective manner. His delivery is consistently understated and melancholic. Rev. David Goodchild a minister who offered a few thoughts on "Last Call" and has an unfortunate mix up between his water and neat gin. Rev. David Goodchild is often confused with Rev. I.M. Jolly, but they were two different people. Dickie Dandruff owner of "The Fourways Café" also goes by the moniker "The Gallowgate Gourmet" and presents a cooking segment called "Dirty Dick's Delicat'messen" where he prepares food in comedic style from his filthy café kitchen in the Gallowgate area of Glasgow. • Francie and Josie Josie is also another character from his comedy show "Francie and Josie" with co-star Jack Milroy who played "Francie". ==References==