Terry Hall (1926-2007)

[Michael Rhodes]

Terry Hall, the ventriloquist who has died aged 80, entertained the
baby-boom generation as the creator and sidekick of Lenny the Lion,
television's most ineffectual king of beasts.

Making their BBC debut in 1956, Hall and Lenny were an instant hit
with children, who were captivated by the idea of a talking lion that
was, by turns, cowardly, bashful and generally unleonine, and whose
catchphrase - "Aw, don't embawass me!" - became one of the best-known
on the air.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2007/04/12/db1202.xml

It was while Hall was appearing in a summer show at Blackpool in 1954,
and spending a free afternoon at the zoo, that he stumbled on the idea
for Lenny when he wandered into the lion house; inspired, he returned
to his digs and set about making his new ventriloquist's doll from
some old fox fur, a ball of papier maché for the nose, wide heavy-
lidded and articulated eyes and some rather fearsome, fang-like teeth.