Well-known celebrity ventriloquist Roger De Courcey's health battle has inspired his son, Jamie, to take part in the London Marathon in support of the NHS staff who saved his dad. The 81-year-old voice actor, who was a regular performing with Nookie Bear on Saturday night entertainment TV programmes, suffered a stroke in 2022 and was rushed to a specialist hospital for emergency surgery.
His son, Jamie, recalled the incident and told the Watford Observer: "My mum and I thought he might be having either a stroke or a heart attack. The paramedics, who arrived mercifully quickly, were pretty sure it was a stroke. It wasn't until the next day in hospital that dad began to display the more classic symptom of slurred speech."
Since the recovery, Jamie wanted to "do something" for the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at Queen Square, so he decided to run the marathon. He participated to raise money for The National Brain Appeal, the hospital's charity.
The actor stopped at mile 25 to catch up with his wife Amara Karan, their son Alex and other family members who made signs to cheer him on. For the last mile, he grabbed Nookie the stuffed bear along in honour of his dad. The "bear" formed part of his dad's popular ventriloquism act in the late 1970s and early 80s after he won the ITV talent show, New Face.
Jamie, who is known for appearances in the likes of The Crown and Downton Abbey, added: "The Bear high-fived everyone along the way. It was a fantastic and uplifting experience."
Jamie and other 42 runners from The National Brain Appeal's team raised more than £130,000 to fund treatment and research at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the UCL Institute of Neurology in Queen Square.
Ventriloquism, the art form that is seen as '"an old thing" by many, is coming back in vogue as young generations are taking the voice act to social media platforms. Roger said last year in a Guardian interview: "You always feel there are two of you. You must believe in the bear. You've got to be able to think on your feet, just like a comic."
But the comedy legend said what drew him to ventriloquism was the licence it offered.
"As a 'vent', you have a freedom because you can say what you want. It’s not you, it’s that little fellow sitting on your knee," he added.
