Lance Percival: Comedy performer whose topical calypsos helped make ‘That Was The Week That Was’ a satirical smash

In a week when satire has been the subject of the most anxious public debate for 50 years, this is a crucial time to remember the iconoclasm and the legacy of That Was The Week That Was (1962-63), the BBC’s Saturday night satirical show designed to “prick the pomposity of public figures” and to lampoon everything from the Beatles to the Royal Family; its brazen mix of current affairs and Vaudeville won its 12 million viewers and almost as many complaints.