Short and bespectacled, "big-hearted" Arthur Askey was one of the most important (and most beloved) English comedians of the 20th century. His tv series "Before Your Very Eyes" took its title from one of his catchphrases. The programme ran on BBC in 1952-53, returning in '55 after a hiatus.
"Before Your Very Eyes" featured comic monologues and simple skits, of the sort which had been popular in English music hall between the wars. Askey was ably assisted by Dickie Henderson, soon to become a major comedian in his own right. During the 1955 editions, much of this programme's appeal was provided by Norma Ann Sykes, performing under the stage name "Sabrina". Sabrina was a 1950s English version of Goldie Hawn: a sexy airhead, endowed with a huge bosom and a voluptuous figure, shown to excellent advantage in her incredibly tight evening gowns. With all of her talents on display, Sabrina became one of the first sex symbols in English television.
One of the scriptwriters for "Before Your Very Eyes" was Talbot Rothwell, who churned out a considerable number of jokes concerning Sabrina's sexy figure. This proved to be excellent training for Rothwell a few years later, when he became the principal scriptwriter for the "Carry On" movies.
