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While browsing old Radio Times issues and examining cast lists of classic television shows, certain names repeatedly appear. Among them are Peter Cushing and Donald Pleasence before their horror fame; Yvonne Mitchell, Andre Morell, Roger Delgado, Barry Letts, Patrick Troughton, John Robinson; and Paul Whitsun-Jones, another frequent presence. Stocky with thick black hair, often cast as solid authority figures—either pompously comic or slickly menacing—Whitsun-Jones bore a resemblance to a heavier, grumpier Peter Bowles. His roles in The Avengers typify his career: government official, corpulent villain, and quirky innocent bystander. Despite his robust, traditional image, he was born in Wales in 1923, specifically Monmouthshire near the English border.
Early TV work included the groundbreaking The Quatermass Experiment (1953, BBC), featuring Nigel Kneale’s scientist protagonist dealing with an alien-possessed astronaut (Duncan Lamont). Whitsun-Jones appeared in a trilby and trenchcoat as James Fullalove, a cynical newspaper columnist who complicates the situation. Only the first two episodes survive, as the BBC chose not to record the remaining four, possibly due to poor image quality or cost concerns. The series famously warned viewers with nervous dispositions or children to avoid watching. In contrast, The Gordon Honour (BBC, 1956) was a children’s drama-comedy about feuding families, the Gordons and Fitzwilliams, centered on a candlestick dispute. No episodes survive, but Whitsun-Jones played the family butler, with guest appearances by Roger Delgado and Arthur Lowe.
In Ivanhoe, “The Gentle Jester” (Screen Gems, 1958), Whitsun-Jones portrayed Sir Maverick, a supporter of King Richard seeking a new jester. He then took on an unusual role in Sydney Newman’s Armchair Theatre’s “Death of Satan” (ABC, 1958), set in Hell, playing Oscar Wilde alongside Lord Byron, both enjoying their afterlife.
On stage, Whitsun-Jones appeared in the original West End production of Oliver! (1960), starring Ron Moody as Fagin; Whitsun-Jones did not appear in the film adaptation. His next TV series was Bonehead (BBC, 1957), a children’s sitcom featuring Colin Douglas as a dim Cockney villain, with Whitsun-Jones as The Boss, their criminal plans invariably ending in slapstick failure. The show was produced by Shaun Sutton, who later became BBC Head of Drama and oversaw Shakespeare adaptations in the 1980s.
In ITC productions, Whitsun-Jones often played foreigners. He appeared in Man Of The World, “A Family Affair” (ATV/ITC, 1962) as “A Midwesterner.” He had three appearances alongside Roger Moore in early black-and-white episodes of The Saint: “The Golden Journey” (1962), as a stereotypical lumberjack who spanks the spoiled heroine; “Starring the Saint,” as a showbiz charlatan; and “Teresa,” portraying a character pretending to be Mexican. His film roles were generally minor, often as policemen, stuffy gentlemen, or pub patrons.
His film work includes The Moonraker (1958), a Royalist English Civil War swashbuckler; Room at the Top (1958) and its sequel Life at the Top (1965), featuring Laurence Harvey and Honor Blackman; Tunes of Glory (1960), a military drama set in Scotland with Alec Guinness and John Mills, where Whitsun-Jones played the Mess President; and several Edgar Wallace B-movies such as Candidate for Murder (1962) and The £20,000 Kiss (1963). He also appeared in Roger Corman’s The Masque of the Red Death (1964) with Vincent Price. In The Wild Affair (1965), a comedy-drama, he played a party guest; notably, it was the only film where Terry-Thomas appeared without his trademark mustache.
Whitsun-Jones also played a stooge to Norman Wisdom in There Was a Crooked Man (1960) and appeared in What’s Good for the Goose (1969), a film that hurt Wisdom’s career due to its risqué content, directed by Menahem Golan. On television, he guest-starred in Maigret, “The Crime At Lock 14” (BBC, 1963) with Rupert Davies, and in The Odd Man, “A Pattern Of Little Silver Devils” (Granada, 1963), a noirish crime drama featuring Donald Sutherland as a jazz drummer with a secret addiction. He was part of a repertory company in Paris 1900 (Granada, 1964), performing Georges Feydeau farces adapted by Philip Mackie.
Whitsun-Jones worked alongside Patrick Macnee’s wife Catherine Woodville and stuntman-director Ray Austin in G.S.5, “Scorpion Rock” (ATV, 1964), playing Mediterranean dictator Emilio Zafra, and in The Saint, “The Damsel in Distress” (ATV/ITC, 1964) as part of a shady Italian family. He also appeared in Miss Adventure, “Journey to Copenhagen” (ABC, 1964), a light comedy thriller starring Hattie Jacques, playing a Russian alongside Eric Flynn.
He occasionally appeared in The World of Wooster (1965, BBC) as Sir Roderick Glossop, causing trouble for Ian Carmichael’s Bertie Wooster. In Doctor Who, he appeared in “The Smugglers” (BBC, 1966) as a local squire secretly allied with ruffians, during William Hartnell’s penultimate story. Later, in “The Mutants” (1972), he played the Marshal, a character symbolizing British imperialism. On stage, he featured in the West End production of Fiddler On The Roof (1967) with Topol, missing out on the film. On TV, he guest-starred in Mr. Rose, “The Jolly Swagman” (Granada, 1967), alongside William Mervyn, John LeMesurier, and Derek Farr.
In 1969, Whitsun-Jones was a regular in Wild, Wild Women (BBC, 1968), a Barbara Windsor vehicle set in a 1902 clothing factory with a rebellious female workforce. He played her pompous, somewhat lecherous employer, with Ken Platt as his dim assistant. The pilot aired in 1968 as a Comedy Playhouse episode featuring Derek Francis and Penelope Keith, who did not continue with the series. He also appeared in two episodes of Department S (ATV/ITC, 1969): “A Cellar Full of Silence,” directed by John Gilling, and “Death on Reflection,” featuring Guy Rolfe as the villain. That year, he appeared in The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm (Thames), a children’s series starring Jack Woolgar as the eccentric professor, with Whitsun-Jones as his militaristic friend Colonel Dedshott.
Whitsun-Jones appeared in Up Pompeii!, “Exodus” (BBC, 1970), alongside Frankie Howerd and Jean Kent; this was the last episode of the series, though Frankie continued the franchise in films and specials. He also guest-starred in The Goodies, “Give Police A Chance” (BBC, 1970), as Commissioner Butcher, a loud and threatening police chief opposing the trio. He was a regular performer in Elephant’s Eggs In A Rhubarb Tree (Thames, 1971), a children’s show blending poetry, prose, and songs.
In film, he appeared in Simon Simon (1970), a short directed by Graham Stark featuring uncredited cameos from Michael Caine, Peter Sellers, and David Hemmings; Whitsun-Jones was among the credited cast. The Monthly Film Bulletin criticized Stark’s filmmaking approach. Whitsun-Jones also appeared in The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971) in the “Avarice” segment, and as a police sergeant in Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971), a Hammer production by Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell. He featured in the risqué Keep It Up, Jack (1974), alongside Frank Thornton, playing lawyers in a film criticized by Time Out as a low point in British comedy.
His final film was Assassin (1973), a spy thriller starring Ian Hendry and Frank Windsor, written by Michael Sloan, who later revived old shows on American TV often featuring Patrick Macnee. On television, Whitsun-Jones was a French police inspector in The Persuaders!, “Powerswitch” (ATV/ITC, 1971), with Roger Moore, Annette Andre, and a cameo by Lionel Blair. This episode was later combined with “The Gold Napoleon” for cinema and video release as Mission: Monte Carlo. He played a similar role in Jason King, “Chapter One: The Company I Keep” (ATV/ITC, 1972), as an Italian investigator questioning Ronald Radd, with Stephanie Beacham as a showgirl. He also appeared as an innkeeper in The Adventures Of Don Quixote (BBC/Universal, 1972), filmed in Spain and featuring Rex Harrison and Frank Finlay. Harrison’s biography describes it as one of his best performances, though it remains largely unseen.
One of Whitsun-Jones’ last appearances was in Bowler, “Members Only” (LWT, 1973), a forgotten sitcom about a Cockney gangster played by George Baker. Paul Whitsun-Jones died prematurely in early 1974, with a brief obituary published in The Times on January 18 of that year.
