Le Petomane

Leonard Rossiter - Monsieur Joseph Pujol
Michael Cronin - Prince of Wales
Michael Ripper
Graham Stark
Bob Todd - Joseph's Father

Le Petomane is a touching homage by screenwriting duo Ray Galton and Alan Simpson to a unique 19th century French cabaret artiste called Joseph Pujol whose claim to fame was the ability to control with great precision the expulsion of air from his elastic anus. Pujol, here portrayed by the late Leonard Rossiter, whilst in the army discovered he could entertain his barracks comrades by farting. When he left the army Pujol turned his back on the family bakery business and instead took to the stage with his inimitable act. He adopted the stage name "Le Petomane", roughly translated the fart maniac, and worked his way up the comedy ladder until he was performing in 1892 he was a performer at the famous Parisian music hall, the Moulin Rouge. Pujol had Parisians rolling in the aisles with his repertoire of cannon fire, frogs, and musical tunes of the day and his rousing encore of La Marsellaise. But with ensuing age and the outbreak of WWI; Pujol retired.