Alan Taylor (television presenter)

Alan Taylor (1924 – January 1997)[1] was a television presenter, popular in Wales and the West Country during the 1960s and 1970s.[2]

Taylor was originally from Cardiff, where his family had an electrical business. He served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He began his television career as a continuity announcer with TWW in 1959. He also appeared in early episodes of "Paint Along With Nancy on HTV where he assisted the host.

After presenting a birthday slot with a glove puppet called "Tinker", he went on to host a regular children's magazine programme called Tinker and Taylor on which he would often play the Melodica with the puppet. In the early 1970s he presented a Saturday morning children's programme on HTV called Orbit, which featured an alien puppet called "Chester".[3] He later hosted several quiz and game shows on ITV, including Three Little Words and Mr. & Mrs., noted for his distinctive monocle. He retired in 1982, ran an antique shop in Bath for a time, and then moved to Spain, where he died.[4]