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William Thomas Rouse (8 July 1877 – 22 December 1928), sometimes known as "Wireless Willie", was a British entertainer and pioneer radio broadcaster.

He was born in London. He worked as a music hall entertainer and pianist from the 1890s, and toured the country. He also worked as an agent, and as a radio announcer. He was one of the first comic entertainers to broadcast in Britain, appearing regularly from 1924 on BBC radio performing comic songs and patter and billed as "Alleged Humour at the Piano".

As "Wireless Willie", he also compered early radio programmes of music hall acts, including Veterans of Variety which featured Gus Elen, Vesta Victoria, Charles Coborn, and Vesta Tilley, among others.

Death

He died, aged 51, in Whitstable, Kent, in 1928.

References

1. Willie Rouse, "Secrets of Radio Humour", Radio Times, 10 December 1926, p.10
2. "Willie Rouse", Wireless World, January 1929, p.52
3. ^ "Willie Rouse", Radio Times, BBC Genome. Retrieved 8 April 2021
4. Andy Foster and Steve Furst, Radio Comedy 1938-1968: A Guide to 30 Years of Wonderful Wireless, Virgin, 1996, ISBN 0-86369-960-X, p.4
5. Denis Gifford, The Golden Age of Radio, B.T. Batsford Ltd, London, 1985, ISBN 0-7134-4235-2, p.315
6. "Rouse, William Thomas", DonaldFamily. Retrieved 8 April 2021

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