When Johny Morris came to Wick
Those of us that grew up in the sixties, seventies and eighties will remember with great affection the entertainer and broadcaster the late Ernest John (“Johny”) Morris OBE.
In the 1960’s Johny was most famous for his narration of the Tales of the Riverbank series of stories about Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat, GP the Guinea Pig, and their many animal friends along a riverbank.
Johny was perhaps most famous for his television role as the presenter, narrator and ‘zoo keeper’ for “Animal Magic”, which ran for more than 400 editions from 1962 until 1983. Johny created comic dialogues with the animals, whom he also voiced.
The programme also featured inserts shot at Bristol Zoo Gardens in Clifton. Johny’s regular companion on the show was Dotty, the ring-tailed lemur. Sadly, when the idea of imposing human qualities and voices upon animals fell out of favour the series was discontinued .
The photograph features a visit by Johny to Wick school in 1982.Kingswood Heritage Museum would like to hear from any of our readers who remember Johny’s visit.
If you have any memories that you would like to share please contact us on 0117 960 5664 or by email at: kingswoodmuseum@gmail.com