He created The Men From The Ministry and gave Paul Merton his break

A 95-year-old blind veteran who wrote for Morecambe and Wise and The Two Ronnies, helped launch Paul Merton’s broadcasting career and created the hit BBC comedy The Men From The Ministry has published his memoir.

Edward ‘Ted’ Taylor’s autobiography, 90 Years In A Quandary, recounts an extraordinary life that took him from National Service in the RAF, through Cambridge University and into a distinguished career at the BBC. 

During more than four decades in broadcasting, Taylor worked on more than 2,000 BBC productions and wrote for or worked alongside some of Britain's best-loved entertainers, including Arthur Askey, Kenneth Horne and Bob Monkhouse.

Among Taylor’s many credits are classic programmes including Round the Horne, Just a Minute, I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, Whack-O! and Dr Finlay’s Casebook.

As producer on Just A Minute, he gave Paul Merton one of his first broadcasting jobs as a panellist on the long-running show in 1989, which he has now appeared on more than 450 times.

Merton, above, has written the foreword to Taylor’s memoir, which was created with the support of Blind Veterans UK – and  volunteer Sian Deakin, who met regularly with Ted over more than two years and helped him turn decades of memories into a published autobiography.

Taylor said: ‘Writing this book would simply not have been possible without the help of Sian and Blind Veterans UK.

‘I would spend the week making notes and when Sian came to visit, I would dictate the text to her. It was a wonderful thing. I'm very grateful to Sian, who remains a friend, and very grateful to Blind Veterans UK for making it possible."

Sian said: 'It was a real privilege to help Ted bring his memoir to life and to hear his remarkable story directly from him. Over the two years we worked on the book together, we developed a friendship that continues today and we still keep in touch regularly.

‘When I started volunteering with Blind Veterans UK in 2019, I was looking for a way to use my time to help others and the opportunity to support someone writing their memoir really appealed to me. Seeing the book published has been fantastic, but the best part has been knowing I was able to help Ted achieve something so important to him.

‘He has lived such an interesting life and I'm delighted that his story can now be shared with others.’

Born in 1931, Taylor joined the Royal Air Force as part of his National Service in 1950. After initially training for aircrew duties, he was posted to a radar station on the east coast, where he monitored for approaching Soviet aircraft during the early years of the Cold War.

Following military service, he went to Cambridge to study English a when he joining the famous Footlights comedy revue club. It was there that he caught the attention of a BBC talent scout who offered him a trainee writing contract. What began as a one-year opportunity became a career spanning more than four decades.

There he created, wrote and produced  The Men From The Ministry, the long-running BBC radio comedy often described as a forerunner to Yes Minister. The series ran for 15 years from 1962, was broadcast internationally and was adapted for audiences in several countries around the world.

Taylor said: ‘Arthur Askey was my hero and became a great friend. I was very lucky to spend my life doing work that I loved."

Taylor began losing his sight in the mid-1980s and, despite extensive investigations, doctors were never able to determine the cause. Over time his vision deteriorated significantly and today he has only limited perception of light and shade.

He said: ‘The first thing I realised when something was really wrong was when I looked over my balcony and couldn't make out the things in the garden.’

Since joining Blind Veterans UK, Ted has received regular welfare support, a talking watch and access to talking books. He has also enjoyed stayed the charity’s rehabilitation and training centre.

He said: ‘At 95 years old, it's very satisfying to see the book finally published. I'm grateful to everyone who helped make it happen."

• 90 Years In A Quandary: The Memoirs of Edward (Ted) Taylor is from Amazon, priced £14.99 in paperback and £19.99 in hardback.

Published: 5 Sep 2026