Remembering Norman Wisdom

Clowning Around
This is perhaps the quintessential image of Wisdom, a goofy yet lovable expression. But his life didn't begin under the happiest of circumstances: as a child in London, his parents divorced, and his father abandoned him and his brother Fred. After a spell in a children's home (from which he ran away), Wisdom went into the merchant navy and the army, where he was allowed to develop his creative talents on the side as a musician and stage entertainer.

• 40 Years of Monty Python
• Britain in the 20th Century