Keith Harris

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For the Australian rugby league player, see Keith Harris (rugby league footballer).

Keith Harris (born 21 September 1947 in Lyndhurst, Hampshire) is an English ventriloquist who is known for his television show (which ran from 1982 till 1990), audio recordings and club appearances with his puppets Orville The Duck and Cuddles The Monkey. In 2005, he and Orville, appeared in the Five reality TV show, The Farm and went on to win it. Keith now lives in Poulton-le-Fylde near Blackpool. A well known star in his time, Harris came close to bankruptcy in the years that followed the cancellation of his TV show.

Though his show was axed, Harris has remained a celebrity in the UK and is something of a minor legend. Though his TV show was never ever renewed he has remained on Britain's TV screens as he has been guest-starring in the shows of many others. His guest appearances include TV shows such as Harry Hill, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Trisha and The Weakest Link, among many, many others. This combined with work entertaining in the clubs and holiday camps around the country, as well as starring in a commercial for a well-know brand of washing powder (Persil) abled him to became solvent again and once more live a nice lifestyle.

Keith had a short appearance on the sketch comedy series Little Britain as himself, with Orville, as part of a group of entertainers waiting to meet the royal family. They were interrupted by a man with a pathetic sock puppet who claimed he was Keith Harris and that his sock was Orville. The real Keith Harris was naturally annoyed at this and the fake Keith, after a few attempts at claiming to be other people, was thrown out. The sketch was part of a series about a former BBC news presenter's desperate attempts to meet the royals, who he idolised. The sketches did not make the TV version of the show, but are included in the deleted scenes portion of the DVD.

In 2005 Harris was among the all-star line up in Peter Kay and Tony Christie's music video, "Is This the Way to Amarillo". Fellow children's entertainer Geoffrey Hayes, who also had financial troubles after his own show was axed in the 1990s, also appeared in the video.

[edit] Trivia

• Harris drives a Mercedes with the registration "ORV 1L".
• In Purley, England, there is a carpet showroom called "Keith Harris Carpets". Some believe that this is a business owned by Harris. While the owners name is in fact Keith Harris, it is not the TV star in question.
• Harris turned down a role in Ricky Gervais sitcom Extras.