Ray Alan

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Ray Alan, born Raymond Alan Whyberd on 18 September 1930 in Greenwich, London, was an English ventriloquist, television entertainer, and writer. He started in show business as a child, winning a talent contest at five, working as a call-boy at the Hippodrome at 13, and performing magic between acts. He left school to perform full-time.

Alan is best known for his ventriloquist dummies Lord Charles and Ali Kat, and later the puppets Tich and Quackers. He toured the world and even performed with Laurel and Hardy in 1954, which inspired the look of Lord Charles. His TV debut came with Lord Charles on The Good Old Days in the 1960s. He also starred in Tich and Quackers on a children's show, created Ali Cat for the HTV series Magic Circle in 1977, and hosted Ice Show on the BBC for two years. In 1986 he had a ventriloquism show on Channel 4 called A Gottle of Geer, which he later turned into a book.

Alan continued to perform into his seventies, including a tour on the QE2 in 1998–1999. His last stage appearance was in November 2008 at a charity concert in Bridlington, which earned a standing ovation. He wrote four novels: Death and Deception (2007), A Game of Murder (2008), A Fear of Vengeance (2010), and Retribution (2011, published posthumously). He also wrote for comedians and shows under the name Ray Whyberd, including Tony Hancock, Dave Allen, Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies, and Bootsie and Snudge.

Alan married Greta Motherwell in 1956; they divorced in 1972. He later dated Barbie Hayes in the 1980s and married Jane Laycock in 1991. He lived in Reigate, Surrey, and died on 24 May 2010 in Redhill, Surrey, from pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis, aged 79.

As a TV presenter, he hosted Where in the World and It’s Your Word, and appeared on Cartoon Carnival and many game shows such as Celebrity Squares, Give Us A Clue, Family Fortunes, 3-2-1, Bullseye, and The Bob Monkhouse Show, as well as The Des O’Connor Show and Blue Peter.