What happened to the cast of It Ain't Half Hot Mum? As John Clegg dies aged 90, we reveal what became of the stars of the 1970s sitcom deemed 'too racist to air again' by the BBC

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  • READ MORE: It Ain’t Half Hot Mum and Dad’s Army star John Clegg dies aged 90

Beloved BBC actor John Clegg – who starred in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum – has died aged 90 after passing away ‘peacefully in care’.

The star was best known as La Di Da Gunner Graham in the 1970s hit British sitcom, along with beloved co-stars Don Estelle and Melvyn Hayes.

Fifty years on, catchphrases including ‘Shuutt up!!’ and ‘Oh dear. How sad’ are forever etched in the memories of fans of ‘the BBC’s most non-PC comedy’, which was set in India during the closing months of the Second World War.

But the sitcom is now often considered too offensive for today’s viewers – particularly because white actor Michael Bates darkened his skin to play Indian character Rangi Ram. 

It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, which starred Windsor Davies and ran for over 56 episodes from 1974 to 1981, has also been accused of homophobia.

Beloved BBC actor John Clegg - who starred in It Ain't Half Hot Mum (pictured the stars of the show) - has died aged 90 after passing away 'peacefully in care'

Beloved BBC actor John Clegg – who starred in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum (pictured the stars of the show) – has died aged 90 after passing away ‘peacefully in care’

A decade ago it was reported the BBC ruled it would not be shown again because of ‘the undertone of racism’. 

At its peak, the series attracted up to 15 million viewers. But what did some of its brightest stars go on to do and where are they now?

John Clegg

Beloved BBC actor John Clegg, who was best known as La Di Da Gunner Graham in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, has died aged 90.

An announcement on Tuesday said he ‘died peacefully in care’ and ‘will be missed by all his friends from the theatre, his friends in Chichester and his family.’ A private funeral will be held on August 29 in West Sussex.

BAFTA member Morris Bright MBE paid tribute to John on X, penning: ‘We is very sorry indeed to hear that La Di Da Gunner Graham, actor John Clegg, has gone to that great concert party in the sky, aged 90. He certainly was one of the boys who entertained us.’

Beloved BBC actor John Clegg, who was best known as La Di Da Gunner Graham in It Ain't Half Hot Mum, has died aged 90. Pictured, in the sitcom
Beloved BBC actor John Clegg, who was best known as La Di Da Gunner Graham in It Ain't Half Hot Mum, has died aged 90

Beloved BBC actor John Clegg (pictured right), who was best known as La Di Da Gunner Graham in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, has died aged 90. Pictured left, in the sitcom

John, born to English parents in Murree, Punjab, India, in 1934, played Gunner ‘Paderewski’ Graham in the classic sitcom.

He also appeared in episodes of Dad’s Army and Mr. Bean, and more recently in romantic comedy film Bridget Jones’s Diary.

John was married to fellow sitcom star Mavis Pugh, until her death in 2006, with both starring in 1988’s You Rang, M’Lord and 1972’s Are You Being Served?

Pugh also appeared in Fawlty Towers while Clegg had a smaller part in 2001’s Bridget Jones’ Diary.

In October 2017, Clegg gave a talk called ‘My Life as an Actor’ to the Chichester Literary Society detailing his career that began at the prestigious RADA drama school in London.

He entertained an audience with tales including his encounter with a young Dame Judi Dench who said she didn’t think he was suited to traditional Shakespearean roles.

As a fan of Rudyard Kipling, Clegg also co-produced a one-man show with wife Mavis, based on the storyteller, that achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival in the 1980s.

Windsor Davies

Windsor Davies on the set of It Ain't Half Hot Mum
Davies, pictured in 1994, passed away in 2019

Windsor Davies on the set of It Ain’t Half Hot Mum in the early 1980s (left) and in 1994 (right)

Windsor Davies – who was born in 1930 to Welsh parents in Canning Town, east London – played Battery Sergeant-Major ‘Shut Up’ Williams from 1974 to 1981.

The actor enjoyed success on film, television and stage, and also appeared in the TV series Ring Out An Alibi, The New Statesman and Terrahawks, as well as the films Carry On England and Carry On Behind. 

In 1975, he had a number one hit with the novelty track Whispering Grass with his sitcom co-star Estelle, which was one of the biggest selling duets of all time on the UK charts. 

Davies went on to star opposite Donald Sinden as Oliver Smallbridge in the long-running ITV sitcom Never The Twain about rival antiques dealers during the 1980s.

The actor’s most recent credited appearance was in an episode of My Family in 2004.

He died on January 17 2019, aged 88, just four months after the death of his wife of 62 years.

The actor, who delivered a series of memorable catchphrases in his eardrum-shattering military scream, passed away at his home in France, his family announced.

His daughter Jane, one of his five children, said the loss of her father and her mother Eluned would ‘leave a very large and very close family who will all remember them with love, laughter and gratitude’.

Melvyn Hayes 

Melvyn Hayes in character on the set of 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum'
Melvyn Hayes in 2014

Melvyn Hayes in character on the set of ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’, where he played Bombardier ‘Gloria’ Beaumont (left) and pictured in 2014 (right)

Melvyn Hayes played Bombardier ‘Gloria’ Beaumont in the show and continued to work with co-star Davies in subsequent years. 

Projects included a 15-week panto season at the London Palladium in 1981 with Jim Davidson, Mollie Sugden, Lionel Blair and Clive Dunn. 

He met wife Jayne in 1986 when they worked on a touring production of The Dresser, and the couple went on to have a daughter, Lily. 

The actor also has daughters Sacha and Talla and a son Damian by his first wife Rosalind, and daughters Jo and Charlie by his second wife Wendy. 

The 89-year-old and Jayne have legal guardianship of three foster children, Josh, Jordan and Toni. 

He went on to appear on This Is Your Life – in an episode that drew in some 18 million viewers – and was a guest on 12 further occasions, including the 500th and 1,000th editions. 

In 2011, Hayes and Jayne relocated to the Isle of Wight as they felt it would be a ‘safer’ place for the children they foster – over 50 to date.

In February 2019, Hayes called on the BBC to play a repeat of the hit show as a tribute to co-star Davies. 

He even suggested that the public broadcaster could censor some elements of the sitcom which would not be considered politically correct in order to air the show again. 

Hayes told the Mirror: ‘We were a real team. Such a wonderful, generous man. And the outpouring of affection shows what nostalgia there is for IAHHM. I thought surely the BBC could re-run it, even just one episode, as a tribute.

‘…But no. It’s deemed politically incorrect – even though it’s about a concert party in India when sergeant majors all spoke like that. It’s so ridiculous.’

Melvyn added: ‘None of the Indian people I’ve met found the show offensive, though. They loved the fact we used Urdu. I wish they’d show it again.’

As recently as January 2024, Hayes told The Telegraph: ‘To ignore it completely, to take it off air and treat it as an object of shame was just wrong. It deserves better than that. And I’m not just saying that because of the repeat fees I’d get!’

George Layton

British actor George Layton played character Bombardier 'Solly' Solomons in the first two series of hit sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum (pictured) and pictured in May 2008
British actor George Layton played character Bombardier 'Solly' Solomons in the first two series of hit sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum and pictured in May 2008

British actor George Layton played character Bombardier ‘Solly’ Solomons in the first two series of hit sitcom It Ain’t Half Hot Mum (left) and pictured in May 2008, right

After bursting onto screens as Bombardier 'Solly' Solomons in the first two series of the show, George Layton (pictured in 2014) went on to play a recurring character in ITV drama Minder in the 1980s

After bursting onto screens as Bombardier ‘Solly’ Solomons in the first two series of the show, George Layton (pictured in 2014) went on to play a recurring character in ITV drama Minder in the 1980s

After bursting onto screens as Bombardier ‘Solly’ Solomons in the first two series of the show, George Layton went on to play a recurring character in ITV drama Minder in the 1980s.

He also did voice work – playing various voices as part of kids cartoon show Pigeon Street. Layton was also the voice of Sydney, the well know animated character in the Tetley Tea adverts.

In 1999 he joined the cast of Sunburn, playing a manager in Cyprus, while he also made guest appearances in Doctors, Holby City and Casualty.

Layton went on to star as Pat Butcher’s love interest in EastEnders. In a 2015 interview, he told the Express: ‘I still get recognised from It Ain’t Half Hot Mum and it was fantastic but I only did two series.

‘I never felt my role, Bombardier “Solly” Solomons, developed properly. I spoke to the co-writer, David Croft, and he said, “If you’re not happy, you can leave,” so I did.’ 

Layton has also written three short story novels, entitled The Fib and Other Stories, The Swap and Other Stories and The Trick and Other Stories.

In August 2012, Layton competed in series seven of Celebrity Masterchef.

Now aged 82, Layton is enjoying life as a doting husband to his wife, Moya Smylie, and father to their four children.

He told The Telegraph in 2022 that he was the chef at home, adding: ‘The difficulties of the pandemic have helped slowly bring the curtain down on my long acting career. To be honest, taking over the nightly meal preparation was something of a pleasure.’

Don Estelle

Don Estelle played Gunner 'Lofty' Sugden in It Ain't Half Hot Mum
Don pictured in 1981

 Don Estelle, who was often teased for his 4ft 9in height, played Gunner ‘Lofty’ Sugden in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum (left); and pictured in 1981 (right). He died in 2003 aged 70

Don Estelle played Gunner ‘Lofty’ Sugden in the ’70s sitcom and also had a number-one hit with Whispering Grass, duetting with fellow actor Windsor Davies.

Estelle was born in Manchester, and spent his early years there until the Second World War, when he was evacuated to Darwen, near Blackburn, Lancashire.

He became a boy soprano at the Holy Trinity Church there, known today as St Peter’s, Darwen. His first stage experience was with a local charity group, the Manchester Kentucky Minstrels.

This led to a solo career in the north of England Club circuit – renowned as a tough circuit for any aspiring artiste – during which time he met Davies.

His big break came when he appeared in another BBC classic, Dad’s Army, playing a Pickford’s removal man delivering a naval gun to the platoon.

It Ain’t Half Hot Mum ran for eight years and brought the release of a cast album of the show.

The ensuing single, Whispering Grass, sold well over one million copies; a follow-up album by the duo, Sing Lofty, sold more than 80,000 copies.

Estelle soon became an unlikely pop star, going on to perform regularly around the world, from the UK to New Zealand, Australia and beyond – he even appeared on Top of the Pops.

In 1999 he wrote his autobiography, Thoughts of a Gemini. He also reworked the classic Laurel and Hardy movie song Trail of the Lonesome Pine featuring politician Sir Cyril Smith.

TV audiences also saw the actor play a cameo role in the award winning series, The League of Gentlemen.

On radio, he featured in Music From the Movies, the Brian Matthew Show, the Charlie Chester Show, the John Dunn Show, Pete Murray’s Open House, the David Jacobs Show, the Jimmy Young Show and the Terry Wogan Show.

Estelle passed away on in August 2003 aged 70, with his family at his bedside in Rochdale Infirmary following a period of illness.

Survived by his two children, Shiela and Philip, and his second wife, Elizabeth, she said of her late husband: ‘He had a lovely singing voice. He regretted it was not more well known. 

‘He loved singing more than anything but he loved comedy as well. He lived absolutely for his showbiz career. He loved his music more than anything.’

Michael Bates

The BBC has reportedly deemed classic sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum too racist to ever air again. (Above Windsor Davies, left, and Michael Bates in the TV series)

The BBC has reportedly deemed classic sitcom It Ain’t Half Hot Mum too racist to ever air again. (Above Windsor Davies, left, and Michael Bates in the TV series)

Bates as Cyril Blamire in Last of the Summer Wine, a role her played until 1975 - three years before his untimely death

Bates as Cyril Blamire in Last of the Summer Wine, a role her played until 1975 – three years before his untimely death

The show courted controversy in its heyday – and in subsequent years – for having Rangi Ram, an Indian character, played by a white actor, Michael Bates.

According to co-writer Jimmy Perry, Bates was born to British parents in India, the son of an Empire civil servant.

The Clockwork Orange star spoke Urdu and Hindi fluently, and would often speak to Perry in the ‘pidgin Urdu’ that they had picked up during their time in the Forces.

Perry said: ‘Like most children of Empire, he’d had an Indian nurse, an ‘ayah’, who taught him the best of her own culture. He never lost the ability to squat on his haunches — a great relaxation trick.’

During an interview with Neil Clark for The Daily Telegraph in 2013, Perry said that all Bates wore ‘was a light tan. He wasn’t blacked up!’

However, the show has been pulled from air by the BBC, who describe Bates as being ‘blacked up’ on their website’s article about the series.

Despite being best known for his starring role in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Bates also continued to play Cyril Blamire in Last of the Summer Wine until 1975.

His life was cut tragically short when he died of cancer in 1978, aged 57. 

Some have since come out in support of the programme; British-Indian comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar, who found fame in the comedy series Goodness Gracious Me, has previously said the sitcom should not be banned from repeat channels or streaming platforms.

‘There’s been those discussions about programmes that have been removed,’ he said, adding that he understood that ‘in this day and age’ some classic shows are considered unacceptable. 

But he explained: ‘I’ve always defended It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. My argument was always that first of all, Michael Bates could speak Urdu fluently. 

‘He served in the Army in India and he could speak the language. And secondly, within that programme, the character he was playing wasn’t the butt of the joke… He [Rangi Ram] was the fixer, he was the one who sorted things out.’

Speaking to fellow comedian Rob Brydon on his podcast in 2022, he said it was also important not to erase old programmes as they offer an insight into the past.

‘Context is everything,’ he said. ‘My argument has always been about trying to judge things from that time, to understand what the social climate was like with regards to entertainment. Society moves on and it evolves.

‘The problem for me with removing them completely is that they are part of the story, the social story of where we’ve got to now… I’m all for putting up disclaimers, putting up all those kinds of things, but I think erasing it kind of erases some of that journey.’

Donald Hewlett

Donald Hewlett played Colonel Charles Reynolds in It Ain't Half Hot Mum
Donald Hewlett went on to have five children including daughter Siobhan Hewlett who is also an actor

Donald Hewlett played Colonel Charles Reynolds in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum (left) and later in life (right) went on to have five children including daughter Siobhan Hewlett who is also an actor

Donald Hewlett, who played Colonel Charles Reynolds in the show, frequently appeared in other British sitcoms including sci-fi parody Come Back Mrs. Noah and BBC’s You Rang, M’Lord.

Both were written by David Croft and Jimmy Perry – the writers behind It Ain’t Half Hot Mum.

As well as a five-year stint playing Lord George Meldrum in the latter, Hewlett also made appearances in films such as Spike Milligan’s Adolf Hitler – My Part in His Downfall, A Touch of Class, Carry On Behind and The First Great Train Robbery.

Cult television fans also remember him as Hardiman in the first episode of The Claws of Axos in 1971, one of the many British officials who came up against Jon Pertwee’s Doctor in the series.

Hewlett lived in Whitstable, Kent for many years before moving to Fulham in South West London with his third wife Therese McMurray-Hewlett. 

One of his five children, Siobhan Hewlett, is also an actress, best known for her part as the daughter-in-law of Maggie (played by Marianne Faithfull) in 2007’s Irina Palm.

Donald died after a short bout of pneumonia on 4th June 2011 at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in West London aged 90.

Michael Knowles 

In It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Michael Knowles played Captain Jonathan Ashwood
Knowles went on to be a script writer for television, too, with credits in Are You Being Served? Pictured: aged 74 in Norfolk in 2011

In It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Michael Knowles played Captain Jonathan Ashwood (left). He went on to be a script writer for television, too, with credits in Are You Being Served? Right: pictured aged 74 in Norfolk in 2011 

Michael Knowles, who played Captain Jonathan Ashwood, starred in many of the same sitcoms as Donald Hewlett, including Come Back Mrs. Noah and as The Honourable Teddy Meldrum in You Rang, M’Lord?

Knowles wasn’t just an actor but a script writer for television, too, with credits in Are You Being Served? and It Sticks Out Half a Mile. The latter is a radio sequel to Dad’s Army, having starred as Captain Cutts in the television version of the popular programme.

He was also behind the voice of the Head of the Air Force in the The BFG animation based on Roald Dahl’s novel.

Michael, now aged 87, has been married to actress Linda James since 1964, and the pair share twin daughters.

Following the death of You Rang, M’Lord? co-star Frank Williams in 2022, Knowles agreed to take over as president of the Dad’s Army Appreciation Society, having been an avid supporter of the society since its founding in 1993.




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