Ray(mond) Alan, (Ray Whyberd), British ventriloquist and writer (born Sept. 18, 1930, London, Eng.—died May 24, 2010, Reigate, Surrey, Eng.), created numerous much-loved puppet characters, notably the drunken aristocrat Lord Charles and a boy and his pet duck named, respectively, Tich and Quackers. Introduced in 1959, the monocled Lord Charles was Alan’s longest-lasting and most well-known creation. Alan worked both on stage at variety theaters and on television, where he held the record for most performances (19) on the show The Good Old Days. He performed with Tich and Quackers on a variety of children’s shows, including Time for Tich (1963–64) and Tich and Quakers (1965–68). Alan also hosted a variety of TV programs, including Ice Cabaret (1968–69), It’s Your Word (1972–73), and Three Little Words (1980–86), and from 1980 to 1988 he was the host of the radio show The Impressionists. Alan also wrote scripts and segments for TV sitcoms (under the name Ray Whyberd), two documentaries, two nonfiction books, and three crime novels.
