Talk:Jon Pertwee

Biography assessment rating comment
WikiProject Biography Assessment

Very nearly but not quite a B: Citations especially needed.

The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article. -- Yamara 07:21, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

He told this story about his origins that I've believed for years but now I don't know what to make of it. He said he was a French Baron (I'm not kidding; he said this!) and he signed a book for me, "Jon Pertweit De Leon." Can someone research this (outside of on IMDB or something along that level of "dependability"). I may have to rethink my life... Gingermint (talk) 05:53, 2 October 2009 (UTC)

In interview excerpts at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3NB3Z_74jk (around 2:50 mark), he also mentions the French name. Can't call it a "confirmation", and the Baron title is not mentioned, but at least you can be assured of remembering it correctly... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 118.210.129.243 (talk) 03:22, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Place of Death
There seems to be some dispute regarding that, i.e. some media glitch at some point .. I've seen reports claiming he died in Conneticut and claims he's died in New York. Outpost Gallifrey and IMDB backing New York, Daily Telegraph claiming Conneticut. I *think* I recall it being on one of the DVD commentaries too as New York, but I'm not sure there. Anyone have any info on this/how so many sources got this wrong, whatever the correct might be? I would suggest leaving it at just United States till one report is entirely discredited .. though I will not make this edit, not knowing if one of the reports is discredited or not.


 * ChiLlBeserker 09:07, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Some of the confusion probably comes from the fact that CT and NY are just next to each other. Pertwee was on holiday in NY, but could conceivably have while staying overnight in CT. I am inclined to accept the CT location myself, as New York seems to me more like a generic location, where CT is too specific to be a mistake. --khaosworks|talk 09:26, August 8, 2005 (UTC)


 * I think the NYTimes, being in New York, is more likely to have gotten it right. It's common for people working in New York City or even visiting to actually stay in Connecticut and drive in. This distinction might be lost on a British paper. Type 40 (talk) 17:28, 3 May 2008 (UTC)

Jon
Right then. I will give five English pounds to the first person who can explain why he changed his name from John to Jon. Was there another John Pertwee? Was it just a whim? Did he legally change his name, or did his friends continue to call him John? When I think of the name Jon I think of Jon from the 1980s comic strip sensation Garfield and also Jon Anderson of the 1980s power-pop band Yes, which means that Pertwee was ahead of the curve somewhat. As for the discussion above, given that he was a universe-spanning Time Lord we could just put "he died on Earth in the 20th century". -Ashley Pomeroy 11:53, 21 October 2005 (UTC)


 * Apparently, it was because he was appearing on stage (music hall?) early in his career and the venue he was in misspelled his name on the marquee either by accident or because they didn't have a spare 'h' and he decided to keep it that way. Type 40 (talk) 17:30, 3 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Do you have any source for that claim? Many thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 09:44, 6 March 2024 (UTC)

"Who Is The Doctor?" or "I Am The Doctor"?
I notice that in the article, hsi single is titled as "Who Is" when I've always heard that it is called "I Am". Can someoen clear that up, and if possible, upload a cover or label image? It would be a nice addition to the article. --24.47.147.176 18:19, 20 October 2006 (UTC)

Details of the single are given here -. The track is indeed called "Who is the Doctor?", but the lyrics repeat "I am the Doctor".

86.163.212.155 (talk) 10:39, 18 May 2011 (UTC)

Other TV Shows
I am sure Jon Pertwee also starred in a TV series called "Misleading Cases" - hilarious. Should this not be discussed in an article on Pertwee?

I'm astonished to find Jon Pertwee's Wikipedia page makes barely any mention of Worzel Gummidge. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.153.119.241 (talk • contribs)


 * I agree. More Worzel! Type 40 (talk) 17:33, 3 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Put in a new section on Worzel Gummidge, which can easily be expanded upon, but yes, it was badly needed.--Tuzapicabit (talk) 08:37, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Officer or Seaman?
According to this:, Pertwee was an Ordinary Seaman, not an officer. Did he get promoted later in the war, or should the article be changed to reflect his rank? Orville Eastland 02:33, 24 May 2007 (UTC)
 * He left HMS Hood in spring 1941 to undergo officer training, and gained his commission, according to his citation on the HMS Hood Association website Jock123 (talk) 13:25, 9 November 2013 (UTC)

Pertwee Reference - Millennium Effect
The reference Millennium Effect referring to Jon Pertwee no longer exists. Could some other user please remove it as I do not know how to. I am a new user. I have also created an Internal Link to the character of "Spotty". Kathleen.wright5 13:22, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Navy Lark
Can we find more information on the Navy Lark? He did it for almost twenty years and it made him relatively well known in the late 1950s and 1960s. Type 40 (talk) 17:32, 3 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Agreed. I believe that, in the UK up to 1975, more people will have first heard of him through the Navy Lark than any other way.  "Disambiguation" should be changed too.  Repeats currently BBC7 Tuesdays, via http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio7/programmes/schedules. For more, search www.amazon.co.uk. 82.163.24.100 (talk) 21:26, 11 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Jon Pertwee had more roles in The Navy Lark Lark than just CPO Pertwee and three others. Off the top of my head and without doing any research I can think of Vice Admiral Burwasher, Commander Wetherby, The Master, the dockyard policeman who was once the bugler at Plymouth Barracks, the Divisional Officer at Dartmouth and Big Dutch Sancho. I vaguely remember hearing him talking about his time in the programme in which he said he insisted on taking on more roles when Ronnie Barker left.

Final public appearance was a TV commercial ?
Is it worth mentioning that Pertwee's final public appearance was probably in a British TV commercial for a cellphone network ? The campaign parodied "X-Files" scenarios, with actors resembing Mulder and Scully.

In this particular advert, the agents turn up to investigate garbled reports of "time being freed"... only to discover it's a Vodafone customer enthusiastically telling everyone about the extra time allocated free on his cellphone tariff.

The agents leave dejectedly, announcing that there is no time machine... not noticing Jon Pertwee stepping into a lock-up garage and closing the door. Bright light and sounds come from inside - *something* is happening behind that door...

Clearly a reference to Pertwee as the Doctor, I believe this advert continued to be broadcast after his death, with the permission of his widow. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.25.121.255 (talk) 05:01, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

DIY
John Pertwee also seems to have been a DIY man. In the 1950s he had articles in the magazine "Homemaker" on various projects including converting a former boathouse.

Could his son Sean confirm any of this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.93.199.154 (talk) 13:47, 15 June 2010 (UTC)


 * Oh yeah sure, I'll just text him, shall I? :P Imagine Wizard (talk • contribs • count ) Iway amway Imagineway Izardway. 22:27, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

Later Life
I have having some difficulty understanding this paragraph:

"In late 1995, he starred as an almost cameo in an amateur filming of the story between the second doctors exile and his arrival on earth which depicts the second doctor being told he wasn't 'correct' and that the third, played by Jon, will complete him. This video was created by Tony Garner, is around 8 minutes long and has never been on sale or publicly shown, but Pertwee's scenes are included on the BBC DVD The War Games, Troughton's final regular Doctor Who appearance."

Can anyone translate it please.JohnC (talk) 23:50, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

Additional References
Additional video appearance:- "The Airzone Solution", a video produced by a group of Doctor Who fans and produced by Bill Baggs, included appearances by several ex-members of the Doctor Who cast, including Jon Pertwee, Colin Baker, Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy, Nicola Bryant and Michael Wisher, along with the future "voice of the Daleks" Nicholas Briggs - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106234/.

The "Dimensions in Time" Doctor Who charity special was broadcast during Noel's House Party, and Pertwee appeared on that as a guest to introduce the clips.

Many of the nursery rhymes recorded by Pertwee (as already mentioned) were incorporated in a set of audio cassettes given away free with the "Pampers" brand of disposable nappies in the UK during the mid to late 1980's.

86.163.212.155 (talk) 10:35, 18 May 2011 (UTC)

"Who is the Doctor" single cover
This is titled "Cover of the 1972 ""Who is the Doctor" single" - It can't be the 1972 cover as the logo on it didn't come into 1980... I'll remove shortly unless anyone thinks differently 92.21.50.84 (talk) 20:05, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

“Dad’s Army” reference clarification…
''Avice’s sister Daphne married Captain Philip Cecil Clowes [4] and became the mother of Pertwee's cousin, the writer St. John Legh Clowes (1907-1951). Coincidentally, Jon Pertwee was the writers' first choice for the role of Captain George Mainwaring in Dad's Army. Why would St. John Legh Clowes have been casting Dad's Army''? It is true that the role was intended for Pertwee (indeed it appears that he knew he was being considered, but took a role on Broadway instead, although he or his agent neglected to tell the BBC, who sent David Croft to New York to tell him to return for the pilot, which he opted not to do…), but was Clowes involved?Jock123 (talk) 13:14, 9 November 2013 (UTC)

Other Interests
Pertwee was somewhat conceited and arrogant. He considered himself to be a world-class waterskier, but few experts seemed to agree with him. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.157.120.106 (talk) 20:29, 7 August 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 4 one external links on Jon Pertwee. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20120224085608/http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/tribute/pertwee/2561638 to http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/tribute/pertwee/2561638
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20110725103713/http://spicycauldron.com/2007/06/26/jon-pertwee-sings-noodle-doodle-man/ to http://spicycauldron.com/2007/06/26/jon-pertwee-sings-noodle-doodle-man/
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20150626131857/http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/television/kids/worzelgummidge.htm to http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/television/kids/worzelgummidge.htm
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20150610221639/http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=8697 to http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=8697

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Tom Baker's ratings
The following material was deleted by, then reinstated by
 * "Ratings for the series rose higher under his successor, who overtook him in popularity and became viewed by some as the definitive Doctor."

I propose removing it again - it has no relation to the subject of this article, Jon Pertwee, and vague comments like "viewed by some..." are meaningless. This article is to concentrate on Jon Pertwee, not to sing the praises of Tom Baker.--Gronk Oz (talk) 15:52, 12 May 2019 (UTC)
 * My concern about the account was that it had only a single edit at the time, which seemed suspicious. Paul Benjamin Austin (talk) 16:02, 12 May 2019 (UTC)
 * Agreed, though I would not have an opinion on the SP speculation. Nevertheless, I don't see how this material is relevant to Pertwee's article.  It may be true, but it belongs in Baker's article instead.  But all that is just my personal view... --Gronk Oz (talk) 06:24, 13 May 2019 (UTC)

Lead sections
The lead section is supposed to be a summary of the most important aspects of a topic. See MOS:LEAD. Something which is mentioned in a single throwaway sentence in the article obviously should not be mentioned in the lead. It is not one of the most important aspects of the topic. The user persistently adding details of an ageing Pertwee's one man show has not bothered to give a reason for their behaviour. Mentioning it in the lead section is absurd. 146.90.125.113 (talk) 07:02, 30 September 2019 (UTC)


 * Agreed. I have moved the "Who is Jon Pertwee" source to the body. Putting a tag is not really appropriate, because in general, the lead should summarise content in the body which is already sourced. Ritchie333 (talk)  (cont)  14:17, 30 September 2019 (UTC)


 * Not sure what "ageing" has to do with it. Pertwee is mentioned as a cabaret performer as well - that is not mentioned in the body but you did not remove. Why? A one-off performance on stage at the Glasgow Empire is mentioned - again you did not remove. So it just seemed to be an issue with the one-man show, which is clearly more significant as it was not just a one-off. Rodericksilly (talk) 16:02, 30 September 2019 (UTC)

Movie Helter Skelter 1949
Pertwee played 2 roles in this movie which was a parody of many things, involved many leading lights of the entertainment world of the time and preceded any other British comedies.

Wiki has the much later 1976 movie as an entry which is not the same

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041455/reviews 27.33.51.79 (talk) 11:35, 25 April 2020 (UTC)