Funeral of much-loved comedian Aynuk is held - with his flat cap pride of place
There were tears and laughter as respects were paid to Black Country comedy legend Alan ‘Aynuk’ Smith.
Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Anne Millward and celebrity chef Richard 'Grorty Dick' James were among those in attendance at the funeral of Mr Smith, who had been making people laugh across six decades.
Mr Smith, best known as one half of popular Black Country comedy duo Aynuk & Ayli, died at Russells Hall Hospital last month aged 84.
Mourners were told how Mr Smith had decided from an early age that he wanted to spend his life bringing joy and laughter to people.
The service at St Andrew’s Church in the Netherton area of Dudley was told how television comedian Jimmy Cricket and newsreader Nick Owen were among those who had sent messages of condolence to the family.
It ended with a comedy recording of Alan as his alter-ego Aynuk, and the Netherton branch of the Royal British Legion formed a guard of honour as his coffin was carried out with his trademark flat cap and scarf on top.
In a moving tribute, Mr Smith’s son Paul at one point reduced the congregation into fits of laughter when he described a prank his father played on a young garage apprentice who would later become his comedy partner.
He told how Mr Smith, who worked as an auto electrician at Fred Jennings garage in Netherton, was working on a hearse with 17-year-old trainee John Plant when he decided to play a joke.
“He told John Plant he had got to lie down in the back of the hearse to test the suspension, while he took it for a drive,” said Paul. “He kept saying he didn’t want to do it, but he insisted, and they drove around town with John lying down in the back of the hearse.
“When they got held up at the bus stop outside Ma Pardoe’s, John decided to sit up, he sat up in the back of the hearse with his arms folded. My dad said ‘that old lady at the bus stop nearly had a coronary’.”
Paul said his father was a devout Christian, who endured a bit of ribbing for his faith during his army days.
“One of those who teased him was his room-mate Mike, but years later he received a letter from the Reverend Mike Brear in Chicago, saying, ‘thank you for not giving up on me’.”
Paul told how his father initially created the Aynuk & Ayli double act – based loosely on mythical characters referred to by 19th-century music-hall comedian Ernie Garner – in April 1964 to raise funds for Cole Street Methodist Church. Initially Ayli was played by his friend Harry Felton, but Harry stepped down to make way for John Guest who would play the role for 25 years.
Paul said when his sister Jayne married John’s son Ian, the union was described as the “royal wedding of the Black Country”.
He also recalled playing Ayli for two shows as a fresh-faced 17-year-old after John Guest decided to retire in the late 1980s.
“He smeared Cherry Blossom boot polish on my chin to make me look older, I will never forget those two shows in Wolverhampton.”
John Plant, who worked with him at Jennings, eventually took on the role of Ayli up until his death in 2006 at the age of 54. It was also at the garage that he met his wife Mollie, leading to 63 years of marriage.
