Terry-Thomas

Simon Heffer resumes his series of Essays celebrating mid-20th century British film with a focus on five popular comic actors.The double-barrelled, single-named actor Terry-Thomas - with his monocle, his cigarette holder and the hallmark gap between his two front teeth - perfected the role of a particular type of British toff. Simon argues that whether playing a cad, a rotten bounder or a charmer, Terry-Thomas came to represent the louche and degenerate side of the upper classes at a time when the class system was coming under attack. Producer: Beaty RubensFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in April 2015.