Top

Alastair Sim CBE (1900-1976)

Alastair Sim CBE (1900-1976), arguably Britain’s finest comedy actor, was the Fulton Lecturer in Elocution at New College from 1925-1930.

Born and raised in Edinburgh, Sim held a series of labouring and administrative posts after serving in the first world war. His passion, though, had always been for the theatre. After winning a gold medal for speaking verse, he gave private elocution lessons and was appointed to teach elocution at a further education college in Dalry. More advanced training in elocution led to the Fulton lectureship at New College in 1925, where he taught trainee ministers how not to sound like parsons.

In 1930, Sim was cast in a small part in Othello at the Savoy Theatre in London and left New College to take up acting professionally. Disconcerted at first by the audience’s laughter at his cameo roles, he soon he turned it to his advantage. Sim went on to star in over 50 films and to create some of the most memorable roles in British comedy: Scrooge (1951), An Inspector Calls (1954), and The Belles of St Trinians (1954, where he memorably played both the Headmistress, Miss Millicent Fritton, and her twin brother Clarence).

Sim was rector of the University of Edinburgh from 1948-51, beating Harold Macmillan by 2,078 votes to 802. Hear part of one of his speeches in the above video.

Priests, teachers and other characters were all part of Sim’s repertoire (some doubtless modelled on the Edinburgh clergy he met at New College). In the above video, his wife Naomi remembers one or two former New College students who, having lost their faith, asked Sim to introduce them to the stage. Clearly their skills in elocution stayed with them.