Ronnie Corbett’s most recognisable comedy began with a simple arrangement: a chair, a story that seemed to wander, and a punchline delivered at exactly the right moment. In The Two Ronnies, his unhurried monologues became a distinctive counterpoint to sketches and musical numbers. But the chair was only one part of a career that took him from Edinburgh to London stages, television sitcoms, films and radio, and lasted more than six decades.
Edinburgh beginnings and the move to London
Born Ronald Balfour Corbett in Edinburgh on 4 December 1930, he was the son of William Balfour Corbett, a master baker, and Annie Elizabeth Corbett, née Main. He had a younger brother and sister. Corbett attended James Gillespie’s Boys School and the Royal High School. After taking part in amateur theatre at a church youth club, he decided he wanted to act, although his first job was with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Corbett completed National Service in the Royal Air Force from 1950 to 1953. He enlisted as an aircraftman and later received a commission; the Wikipedia account describes him as the shortest commissioned officer in the British Forces. After his service, he moved to London to pursue acting. At 5ft 1in, he could play younger roles, and his height later became material for self-deprecating jokes as well as a visual element in his performances.
His early work crossed theatre, film and television. He appeared in the film You’re Only Young Twice in 1952 and became a regular on the children’s programme Crackerjack! He had a small role in an episode of The Saint, and in 1956 appeared at Cromer in Take It Easy, billed as Ronald Corbett. In 1963, he played Dromio of Syracuse in the first London production of the musical The Boys from Syracuse. Two years later, he was performing cabaret at Winston’s, Danny La Rue’s Mayfair nightclub.
Finding a comic partner
It was at Winston’s that Corbett met Anne Hart, an actress and dancer whom he married in 1966. Another turning point came when David Frost saw him perform and invited him to join The Frost Report. Corbett and Ronnie Barker first worked together on the satirical programme, which ran from 1966 to 1967. Its combination of sketches, music and monologues gave the pair room to develop a rapport that audiences would soon recognise.
Corbett and Barker appeared with John Cleese in the programme’s “Class” sketch. Corbett’s shorter stature helped shape its visual joke: his character looked up at the others and delivered the line, “I get a pain in the back of my neck.” Their partnership also continued in Corbett’s sitcom No – That’s Me Over Here!, written by Frost Report writers, and in subsequent series including Now Look Here.
The Two Ronnies and the art of a digression
The Two Ronnies ran on BBC television from 1971 to 1987. Corbett and Barker performed sketches and musical numbers, but the format also gave each man space for an individual comic voice. Corbett’s contribution was the monologue: seated in a large easy chair, often in a golfing V-neck sweater, he would take a simple idea on a long, apparently meandering journey. The performance depended on control, not haste. Pauses, detours and apparent lapses of thought kept the audience waiting for the joke, while his timing made the eventual payoff feel both surprising and inevitable.
The programme also became known for wordplay and sketches such as “Four Candles” and the “Mastermind” sketch. Corbett and Barker’s work brought carefully constructed verbal comedy into regular family viewing and gave the pair a place in British television culture. Corbett’s chair monologues, in particular, made a recognisable format out of storytelling that seemed to be improvising even as it moved towards a carefully timed finish.
Beyond the partnership
Corbett’s career did not depend on The Two Ronnies alone. His best-known sitcom role outside the programme was Timothy Lumsden in Sorry!, which ran from 1981 to 1988. He also starred in No – That’s Me Over Here!, Now Look Here and The Prince of Denmark, and appeared in films including Casino Royale, Some Will, Some Won’t and No Sex Please, We’re British. His later screen roles included Reggie Sea Lions in Fierce Creatures.
In 2005, Corbett and Barker reunited for The Two Ronnies Sketchbook, combining material from their original series with newly recorded links. Corbett also appeared with Peter Kay in the 2005 Comic Relief video for “Is This the Way to Amarillo?”, and played Mr Tibbs in Children’s Party at the Palace. Later television appearances included Extras, Little Britain Abroad and the one-off special The One Ronnie. From 2010, he starred in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom When the Dog Dies, reuniting with writers Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent, with whom he had worked on Sorry!.
His career also included hosting and guest appearances across television and radio. He presented the game show Small Talk, was a castaway on Desert Island Discs in 2007, and appeared in the comedy programme Would I Lie to You? in 2010. These later roles kept him in front of audiences in different formats, while the armchair monologue remained the performance most closely associated with him.
Family, honours and final years
Corbett married Anne Hart on 30 May 1966. They had two daughters, both of whom became actresses, and a son who died at six weeks old after being born with a heart defect. Corbett lived in Addington, London, from 1970 to 2003, and also had a home in Gullane, East Lothian. A keen golfer and cricket fan, he served as president of the cricketing charity Lord’s Taverners in 1982 and 1987. He supported Crystal Palace and Heart of Midlothian football clubs.
Already an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Corbett was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity. Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh awarded him an honorary degree in 2002.
Corbett died on 31 March 2016, aged 85, in Shirley, London. He had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease the previous year. His funeral took place at St John the Evangelist Church near his home, with four candles displayed at the altar in tribute to one of The Two Ronnies’ best-known sketches. A memorial service followed at Westminster Abbey in 2017.
Why Ronnie Corbett deserves a place in British Legacy
Corbett’s place in British Legacy rests on a particular comic achievement: he made the act of telling a story into a performance. His chair monologues turned digression into structure. The apparent pauses and diversions were not incidental; they gave his audience time to anticipate the punchline and made its arrival part of the pleasure. That approach became one of the defining features of The Two Ronnies, a programme that brought sketches, musical numbers and distinctive individual performances to BBC television over sixteen years.
His contribution also extends beyond a single role or programme. From his early work in theatre and television to sitcoms such as Sorry! and his return to radio in When the Dog Dies, Corbett sustained a varied career while retaining a recognisable comic voice. The partnership with Ronnie Barker was central to his public reputation, but Corbett’s own timing, delivery and screen presence gave the duo an essential balance. His story connects Scottish beginnings and training with a long career in British theatre, broadcasting and comedy. Remembering him means recognising not simply familiar catchphrases or sketches, but the patience and precision that made an apparently wandering tale land exactly where it should.
Sources
Adapted in part from Ronnie Corbett by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text has been edited and combined with the existing article; this adapted text is shared under the same licence. Contributor history.
