Beyond Our Ken
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Beyond Our Ken (1958-1964) was a radio programme, the predecessor to Round the Horne (1965-1968). Both programmes starred Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Bill Pertwee, Hugh Paddick and Betty Marsden. The name is a pun on Kenneth Horne's name and the (now mainly Scots/Scottish English) word ken, meaning 'knowledge or perception'.
It also featured Ron Moody, and Stanley Unwin made one appearance in the pilot episode. It was initially written by Barry Took and Eric Merriman. Took subsequently left the show and Merriman continued to write solo. It featured characters similar to those later featured in Round the Horne, for instance Fanny Haddock (parodying Fanny Craddock). It was also notable for Pertwee's Frankie Howerd impersonation, "Hankie Flowered". Another favourite was Kenneth Williams, who played a gardener called Arthur Fallowfield. His reply to any question was (in West Country brogue) "The answer lies in the soil!"
When Beyond Our Ken ended, apparently due to a dispute between Merriman and the producers, Barry Took returned together with Marty Feldman to write a new series with the same cast which became Round the Horne.
Beyond Our Ken is sometimes seen as an inferior predecessor to Round the Horne, which became one of the most popular and influential shows of its day despite having a shorter run. But without Beyond Our Ken, Round the Horne would not have existed at all.
In 2004 the BBC began releasing the series on CD in box sets, one per season.