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Starred 'Professor' Jimmy Edwards as the conniving, cane-thrashing, horse-betting (and often drunken) Headmaster of Chiselbury School ('For the Sons of Gentlefolk') with his assistants Mr. Oliver Pettigrew, the science master, played by Arthur Howard who was also his long suffering assistant headmaster...a twittering, hand-wringing bag of nerves. Mr. Halliforth was played by Edwin Apps. Also appearing was Gordon Phillott as Mr. Dinwiddie who was very ancient and deaf. The headmaster was always dreaming up schemes to make money for his beer fund and thwacking young boys on the behind with his faithful old cane. Especially a boy called Wendover. Hence Jim's favourite instruction to the boy: "Bend over, Wendover!"

Written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden

Whack-O! theme tune

The film 'Bottoms Up!' brought Whacko! faithfully to the big screen in 1960.

The Official Frank Muir Tribute

The Whacko! series was remade in the  early 1970s, in colour, for an early evening slot, still with Jimmy Edwards but with Julian Orchard as Mr. Pettigrew and Harold Bennett as Mr. Dinwiddie.
(Harold Bennett is remembered now as ‘young Mr. Grace’ in “Are You Being Served?”)
    The old Muir and Norden scripts were adapted for this series by Robert Gray.

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