Ted Moult

Edward Walker Moult (11 February 1926 – 3 September 1986) was a British farmer at Scaddows Farm near Ticknall, Derbyshire, who became a radio and television personality.

Ted Moult
Moult in 1984
Born
Edward Walker Moult

(1926-02-11)11 February 1926
Derby, England
Died3 September 1986(1986-09-03) (aged 60)
Cause of deathSuicide by gun
Years active1948-1986

Early life

Moult was born in Derby. He left Derby School at 17 in 1944 but, by 22, had his first dairy farm in Sinfin, on the outskirts of the city.[1] He has been credited with the concept of "pick-your-own" strawberries at his farm; he began in 1961, and always made a point of greeting his customers.

Showbiz career

Moult first came to public attention in the 1950s on BBC Radio's general knowledge quiz Brain of Britain, although he was knocked out in the first round.[1] He consolidated his fame with appearances on discussion programmes such as Any Questions? and panel games such as Ask Me Another, and was a household name by the mid-1960s.[1] The presenter Franklin Engelmann gave him the nickname 'Ticknall Ted'. He played the part of Bill Insley in the Radio 4 soap opera The Archers from 1983 to 1986.

In December 1959, he was the week's castaway on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in February 1964 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre.

Moult was perhaps best known latterly for his series of adverts for Everest Double Glazing in the 1980s,[2] featuring the selling line: "You only fit double glazing once, so fit the best: Everest". He appeared in the opening edition of Channel 4's first show Countdown and had a number of small cameo roles in films and television, playing the love interest of the housekeeper Mrs Hall in a 1980 episode of the TV series All Creatures Great and Small.

In 1983, Moult appeared on the third series of Bullseye as a celebrity guest throwing darts for charity. He threw 9 darts scoring a total of 180 and therefore winning £180 for the contestants' chosen charity.

The band Half Man Half Biscuit recorded a track called 'Do y'ken Ted Moult?' on their second album.

Advertising

In 1976 he appeared on the advert for Jacob's Cream Crackers a popular hit throughout Great Britain and Ireland.

Death

Ted Moult died by suicide by gunshot in 1986 after a period of depression after several weeks of wet weather that worried arable farmers.[1] After a private funeral, his life was celebrated at a public ceremony in Derby Cathedral. He is buried at Ticknall churchyard. He was survived by his wife Marie Rose (Maria) (1932–2014), and children.[3][4]

Books

Autobiography: Down to Earth: The Life and Views of Ted Moult, ISBN 0-901482-18-8

gollark: Why use aluminium when you could use... *indium*?
gollark: It's all *brown*, and *splintery*, and *rottable*.
gollark: Wood is such an evil material.
gollark: Submerge it in mineral oil.
gollark: Put it in liquid nitrogen, in an inert neon atmosphere.

References
  1. "Ted Moult". Inside Out East Midlands. BBC. 25 September 2006. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  2. Jameson, Angela (15 July 2004). "Fit the best, but it may not be Everest, regulator rules". The Times. Retrieved 4 March 2010. Everest's adverts are fondly remembered by those with a yen for 1980s nostalgia. They showed Ted Moult, a burly Derbyshire farmer, going to outrageous lengths to test the double glazing.
  3. http://www.fwi.co.uk/farm-life/suicide-can-touch-the-whole-farming-community.htm%7C Farmers Weekly 13 October 2012
  4. http://www.family-announcements.co.uk/derby/view/3472905/moult%7C Derby Telegraph 3 June 2014


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