NTG Will Hay Biography

“Modern audiences require a more intellectual type of comedy. In my sketch I portray school life in caricature. It is not burlesque, but an exaggerated portrayal of English character—a particular living type of schoolmaster.” Will Hay.

William Thomson Hay, in addition to being one of Britain's funniest actors, was an active scholarly man, his specialty being astronomy, flying and linguistics. He was self-educated and fluent in German, French, Italian, Latin and Afrikaans. However, his stage and screen character was one of incompetence.

In December 1888, Hay was born in Stockton on Tees (in the north of England) to a well-off family, far removed from showbusiness; his father was an Will Hay

engine fitter, his mother active in local politics. Whilst Hay was still a boy, his family moved to Lowestoft, then to Hemel Hempstead, then London, then back up north to Manchester just as Hay was finishing school.

When he was 19, Hay left home, got married and worked for a printing company whilst building a reputation as a joke-teller and after-dinner speaker. He became a professional entertainer in 1909, when he introduced his embryonic school master. The early Hay was far from the character preserved in his films. One contemporary critic even described him as “the best straight man there ever was”.

In the early twenties, Hay changed the name of his school master act from Bend Down to The Fourth Form at St Michael’s, and introduced some new characters. After some time with Fred Karno’s comedy troupe (famous for its connections with Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel et al) and as a standup comedian in the British music halls, Hay had perfected the comedy of reaction, becoming the main attraction at the Royal Variety Performance in 1925.

Hay’s sketches were unusual for their time as they lacked punch lines and relied instead on a continuous flow of jokes, so that one was never sure exactly when to laugh! But people did!

In 1927, Hay successfully took his act to America. However, he managed to avoid films until well into the thirties. He felt that appearing in films would use up his material too quickly. (A music hall comedian could typically perform the same act for months, even years, without fear of being found out!)

In 1933, Hay applied his astronomical skills and discovered a white spot on Saturn. He published his findings in his 1935 book Through My Telescope. For this achievement, he was made a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He even gets a mention in Patrick Moore's biography!

In 1934 Hay appeared as the magistrate in Those Were the Days, as this gave him the opportunity to break away from his most famous character. Now popular on radio and determined to appear in films, as well as writing his book, he no longer had time for regular stage tours.

Hay played a country vicar in Dandy Dick (1935) and the boss of radio station NBG in Radio Parade of 1935 (1934), in which he was almost lost amid the tide of stars of the day (all of whom perform very well in this splendid film).

Towards the end of 1935, Hay was offered a rôle in a school picture, Boys Will Be Boys. However, as this was not based on his St Michael’s characters, but the characters of Narkover School created by J B Morton (known as Beachcomber, a journalist in the Daily Express), he accepted.

So it was that cinema audiences first saw Will Hay in full swing, with pince-nez, mortar board, frustrated scowl, squinty eyes and pasted-over hair (Hay later wore a scratch wig). But the best was still to come.

Where There’s a Will marked his first teaming with Graham Moffatt, and Windbag the Sailor with Moore Marriott.

In Good Morning Boys, Hay appeared with Moffatt and Charles Hawtry (of Carryon fame), who also appeared in The Goose Steps Out. The former also united Hay with French-born director Marcel Varnel, who would go on to direct eight of Hay’s best comedies.

Running second in popularity only to George Formby at the British box office, in 1940 Hay put his film-making on hold. During the war, his specialist knowledge was so good that he gave up acting to teach astronomy and navigation to the Royal Navy Reserve Special Branch. One wonders how he could be taken seriously after several years of portraying an exceptionally incompetent teacher!

In common with many comedians, Hay worried about his stooges becoming too much a part of his act and stealing the limelight; since being united with them, he had made only one film with neither of them—Hey! Hey! USA.

Hay dumped his stooges and moved from Gainsborough to Ealing Studios. His best films were behind him, though. His two best films from the Ealing period, The Ghost of St Michael’s and My Learned Friend, both teamed him with another comedian, Claude Hulbert. The former was directed by Marcel Varnel, and was the last appearance of the schoolmaster character.

After completion of My Learned Friend in 1943, Hay underwent an operation for cancer and was too ill to resume filming. He thus returned to an old favourite, radio. There was also some theatre but Hay had to opt out of top billing because of ill health.

By 1947, Hay was well enough to approach Varnel about making another film. Early in the year though, Varnel was killed in a car crash and Hay’s interest waned. A few months later Hay had a stroke that left him physically crippled, so he was forced to retire.

Hay once said “the character I play is really a very pathetic fellow” and that he “gloried in the idea of an inefficient man doggedly trying to do a job of which he is utterly incapable”. This character was the cornerstone of his career.

Graham Rinaldi is currently working on a comprehensive biography of this remarkable man. Details will appear on this site when they are available, but publication is still a few years off.

Adapted from Quinlan’s Illustrated Directory of Film Comedy Actors, B T Batsford Ltd, 1992, and others.
Feel free to contact me if I have left out any salient points.


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William Thomson Hay, in addition to being one of Britain's funniest actors, was an active scholarly man, his specialty being astronomy, flying and linguistics. He was self-educated and fluent in German, French, Italian, Latin and Afrikaans. However, his stage and screen character was one of incompetence. In December 1888, Hay was born in Stockton on Tees (in the north of England) to a well-off family, far removed from showbusiness; his father was an engine fitter, his mother active in local politics. Whilst Hay was still a boy, his family moved to Lowestoft, then to Hemel Hempstead, then London, then back up north to Manchester just as Hay was finishing school. When he was 19, Hay left home, got married and worked for a printing company whilst building a reputation as a joke-teller and after-dinner speaker. He became a professional entertainer in 1909, when he introduced his embryonic school master. The early Hay was far from the character preserved in his films. One contemporary critic even described him as “the best straight man there ever was”. In the early twenties, Hay changed the name of his school master act from Bend Down to The Fourth Form at St Michael’s, and introduced some new characters. After some time with Fred Karno’s comedy troupe (famous for its connections with Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel et al) and as a standup comedian in the British music halls, Hay had perfected the comedy of reaction, becoming the main attraction at the Royal Variety Performance in 1925. Hay’s sketches were unusual for their time as they lacked punch lines and relied instead on a continuous flow of jokes, so that one was never sure exactly when to laugh! But people did! In 1927, Hay successfully took his act to America. However, he managed to avoid films until well into the thirties. He felt that appearing in films would use up his material too quickly. (A music hall comedian could typically perform the same act for months, even years, without fear of being found out!) In 1933, Hay applied his astronomical skills and discovered a white spot on Saturn. He published his findings in his 1935 book Through My Telescope. For this achievement, he was made a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. He even gets a mention in Patrick Moore's biography! In 1934 Hay appeared as the magistrate in Those Were the Days, as this gave him the opportunity to break away from his most famous character. Now popular on radio and determined to appear in films, as well as writing his book, he no longer had time for regular stage tours. Hay played a country vicar in Dandy Dick (1935) and the boss of radio station NBG in Radio Parade of 1935 (1934), in which he was almost lost amid the tide of stars of the day (all of whom perform very well in this splendid film). Towards the end of 1935, Hay was offered a rôle in a school picture, Boys Will Be Boys. However, as this was not based on his St Michael’s characters, but the characters of Narkover School created by J B Morton (known as Beachcomber, a journalist in the Daily Express), he accepted. So it was that cinema audiences first saw Will Hay in full swing, with pince-nez, mortar board, frustrated scowl, squinty eyes and pasted-over hair (Hay later wore a scratch wig). But the best was still to come. Where There’s a Will marked his first teaming with Graham Moffatt, and Windbag the Sailor with Moore Marriott. In Good Morning Boys, Hay appeared with Moffatt and Charles Hawtry (of Carryon fame), who also appeared in The Goose Steps Out. The former also united Hay with French-born director Marcel Varnel, who would go on to direct eight of Hay’s best comedies. Running second in popularity only to George Formby at the British box office, in 1940 Hay put his film-making on hold. During the war, his specialist knowledge was so good that he gave up acting to teach astronomy and navigation to the Royal Navy Reserve Special Branch. One wonders how he could be taken seriously after several years of portraying an exceptionally incompetent teacher! In common with many comedians, Hay worried about his stooges becoming too much a part of his act and stealing the limelight; since being united with them, he had made only one film with neither of them—Hey! Hey! USA. Hay dumped his stooges and moved from Gainsborough to Ealing Studios. His best films were behind him, though. His two best films from the Ealing period, The Ghost of St Michael’s and My Learned Friend, both teamed him with another comedian, Claude Hulbert. The former was directed by Marcel Varnel, and was the last appearance of the schoolmaster character. After completion of My Learned Friend in 1943, Hay underwent an operation for cancer and was too ill to resume filming. He thus returned to an old favourite, radio. There was also some theatre but Hay had to opt out of top billing because of ill health. By 1947, Hay was well enough to approach Varnel about making another film. Early in the year though, Varnel was killed in a car crash and Hay’s interest waned. A few months later Hay had a stroke that left him physically crippled, so he was forced to retire. A further stroke killed him in the spring of 1949. Hay once said “the character I play is really a very pathetic fellow” and that he “gloried in the idea of an inefficient man doggedly trying to do a job of which he is utterly incapable”. This character was the cornerstone of his career. Graham Rinaldi is currently working on a comprehensive biography of this remarkable man. Details will appear on this site when they are available, but publication is still a few years off. Adapted from Quinlan’s Illustrated Directory of Film Comedy Actors, B T Batsford Ltd, 1992, and others. Feel free to contact me if I have left out any salient points.