Mr Turnip’s TV Audition

Published January 06, 2014 • Updated June 27, 2022

Mr Turnip was a puppet character that was very bossy. He was invented by Joy Laurey.

Above: extra card, reverse and box from Mr Turnip’s TV Audition Card Game published by Ariel Productions Ltd., 1954.

In 1950 the BBC’s Children’s TV Department introduced a magazine programme called “Whirligig”. The host was Humphrey Lestocq, the original “Flying Officer Kite” of comedy sketch fame, who was known as “HL” in the programme. His catch phrase was “goody, goody gum drops”. Mr Turnip was a puppet character that was very bossy and constantly getting the better of HL. He was invented by Joy Laurey and his voice was provided by Peter Hawkins. This man was the main provider of comic voices for children’s TV in the 1950’s and 1960’s. He was the voice of The Flowerpot Men, Captain Pugwash and an early Dalek among many others. Whirligig ran until 1956, so the card game was probably produced around 1953 or so.

Above: Mr Turnip’s TV Audition Card Game published by Ariel Productions Ltd., 1954.

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By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

United Kingdom • Member since January 30, 2009

Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many. His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.

Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service. Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.

His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.