About Roy

Roy Castle was a man of many talents. He was a dancer, a singer, an actor, a television presenter and a musician.

A regular on television screens across the country, Roy’s TV and film career spanned five decades, starring in Dr. Who, Carry On Up The Khyber and Morecambe and Wise’s Two of a Kind.

But perhaps his most famous role was as the presenter of the children’s show, Record Breakers, which he hosted from 1972 until 1994.

During his 20+ years spell on the show, Roy broke nine world records himself, including:

• Fastest tap-dance 1,440 taps per minute – 24 taps per second, set on 14 January 1973. 
• Longest wing walk – 3 hours, 23 minutes.
• Playing the same tune on 43 different instruments in four minutes.
• A million taps in 24 hours, averaging nearly 12 steps a second during the sponsored feat in London in November 1985.

A shock diagnosis

In early 1992, Roy Castle was diagnosed with lung cancer. As someone who had never smoked, his diagnosis shocked the nation. It was believed his cancer was caused by passive smoking during his years of playing the trumpet in jazz clubs.

Roy was originally given just six months to live. However, after undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he went into remission.

Sadly, on 26 November 1993, Roy confirmed his lung cancer has returned, and it was terminal.

Around the same time, Professor Ray Donnelly MBE, founder of the Lung Cancer Fund had ambitions to build the first international research facility for lung cancer. He approached Roy Castle and asked for his help and Roy, despite his prognosis, happily obliged.

The Tour of Hope

On 20 July 1994, Roy embarked on a three-day tour around the UK – subsequently called the Tour of Hope – raising the profile of lung cancer and funds for the proposed research centre.

The tour started in Liverpool, heading north to Manchester, Huddersfield, Newcastle and Glasgow before descending the UK and visiting Carlisle, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol, Plymouth, Brighton and ending in London Waterloo.

At each station, Roy would disembark the train with his trademark beaming smile, greeting the crowds and doing interviews.

However, back on the train and away from the public eye, Roy was very poorly. He was so ill that, in Glasgow, his wife Fiona believed he would pass away.

“We had a nurse called Pauline Murphy accompany us for the whole trip,” recalls Fiona.  

“The night we were in Glasgow, she came to me and said, ‘He’s not going to survive the night’. We stayed up with him all night and he was so weak.

“But then, the alarm went off and he woke up and said ‘Right, let’s go then!’

“I think he knew he just had to do it. It was what he wanted to do. He wanted to make a difference even in the last moments of his life.”

Roy passed away on 2 September 1994 but his legacy lives on.

Roy’s legacy

After Roy’s death, Professor Donnelly wanted to find a way to commemorate Roy’s selfless dedication and proposed the charity’s name be changed to the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation in Roy’s memory.

Since then, the charity has achieved many accomplishments in Roy’s name.

The research centre was finished in 1997. The charity has since funded over £30million in lung cancer research and is now funding the next generation of lung cancer researchers through its clinical research fellowship.

Also in 1997, the Foundation opened its patient information and support office and remains one of the largest suppliers of information and literature on lung cancer to the NHS.