 During the war Watson was resident compère of the BBC radio comedy "The Navy Mixture".After the war, his talent as an impersonator resulted in his becoming a regular on BBC radio programmes such as "Take it from Here", "Hancock's Half Hour" and "The Clitheroe Kid".He gradually made the transition to television, where his first major role was in "Coronation Street", in which he became Elsie Tanner's (Pat Phoenix) first lover.