Charlie Williams

Charles Adolphus Williams MBE (23 December 1927-2 September 2006) was a mixed-race English professional footballer who played for Doncaster Rovers (one of the first black players in British football after the Second World War), and later became Britain's first well-known black stand-up comedian.

Williams was the first black comedian to make the big time on British TV. He became famous from his appearances on Granada Television's The Comedians and ATV's The Golden Shot, delivering his catchphrase, "me old flower" in his broad Yorkshire accent.

Other black entertainers such as Lenny Henry and Gary Wilmot later cited him as an inspiration.

In 1999, Williams was made an MBE for his charity work. He was also voted Doncaster Rovers' all-time cult hero by viewers of the BBC's Football Focus programme.