Keith Harris

Keith Harris is an English ventriloquist who is known for his television show and club appearances with his puppets Orville the Duck and Cuddles the Monkey. In 2005, he and Orville won the Five TV reality show The Farm.

A well-known star in his time, Harris came close to bankruptcy in the years that followed the cancellation of his TV show. Although his show was axed, Harris remained a celebrity in the UK and is something of a minor legend. He has appeared as a guest star in a number of TV shows, including Harry Hill, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Trisha and The Weakest Link. This, combined with work entertaining in the clubs and holiday camps around the country, as well as starring in a commercial for Persil, enabled him to became solvent again.

Harris made 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.

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".

Stephen Merchant once saw Harris in the front of a limousine, complete with personal licence plate reading "ORV 1", asleep. Merchant speculated that Orville was in the back seat [1].

Harris is also the only person to turn down a part in Extras on the grounds that he didn't want to do it. He reportedly found the script offensive. The part was later handed to Keith Chegwin.