Askey was born at 29 Moses Street, Dingle, Liverpool, the eldest child and only son of Betsy (née Bowden, d. 1949), originally from Knutsford, Cheshire and Samuel Askey (d. 1958), company secretary of Sugar Products of Liverpool. Six months after his birth, the family moved to 90 Rosslyn Street, Liverpool. It was here that a sister, Irene Dorothy, was born. Askey was educated at St. Michael's Council School (1905–11) and the Liverpool Institute for Boys (1911–16).Arthur Askey, Before Your Very Eyes (London: The Woburn Press, 1975), p. 22.
