Clapham and Dwyer

Clapham and Dwyer, Charles Clapham (1894-1959) and William Henry Dwyer (1891-1943), were a British comedy duo in the 1920s and 1930s.[1]

Cigarette card of Clapham and Dwyer from 1935

The duo were a popular music hall and stage act, appearing in venues all over the country. As part of their act in 1929 they originated the Cockney Alphabet, a humorous alphabet that replaces the letters of the alphabet with cockney phonetics, such as "A for ‘Orses" (Hay for Horses) and ending with "Z for Effect" (Said for Effect). In February 1929, they appeared in two early short films made in the Lee DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process. They also appeared in their own scene in the early Will Hay film Radio Parade of 1935.

In 1935, they were banned by BBC Radio for some months for allegedly broadcasting an improper joke .[2] It is said that, during a live broadcast, when they discovered that a page of their script was missing they ad-libbed:

"What’s the difference between a champagne cork and a baby?” asked Clapham. When Dwyer replied that he didn’t know Clapham retorted: “A champagne cork has the name of the maker on it."[3]

Such material was considered rather risqué at the time. However, there are differing accounts as to what the joke actually was.[4][5]

The plotline of the 1937 musical revue film Sing As You Swing uses their being banned in this way from the "BVD" broadcasting organisation as a running gag.

References
  1. BFI Database entry
  2. Street, Sean (2002). A Concise History of British Radio, 1922-2002. Kelly Publications. ISBN 9781903053140.
  3. 'No smut please - we're the BBC' - Daily Express - 14 March 2008
  4. http://www.therecordmine.com/cd_image/clapham_dwyer_notes.htmtheir page Archived 1 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  5. The Guardian Notes and Queries

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