Stanley Baxter

Last updated

Stanley Baxter
Born
Stanley Livingstone Baxter

(1926-05-24) 24 May 1926 (age 97)
Glasgow, Scotland
Occupation(s) Actor, comedian, impressionist, author
Spouse
Moira Robertson
(m. 1951;died 1997)
[1]
Awards British Comedy Awards
1997 Lifetime Achievement Award
Oldie Camper of the Year, 2008
BAFTA for Light Entertainment Performance, (1960, 1975)

Stanley Livingstone Baxter (born 24 May 1926) is a Scottish actor, comedian, impressionist and author. Baxter began his career as a child actor on BBC Scotland and later became known for his British television comedy shows The Stanley Baxter Show , The Stanley Baxter Picture Show , The Stanley Baxter Series and Mr Majeika .

Contents

Baxter has also written a number of books based on Glasgow.

Early life

The son of an insurance manager, Baxter was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He was educated at Hillhead High School, Glasgow, and schooled for the stage by his mother. He began his career as a child actor in the Scottish edition of the BBC's Children's Hour . He developed his performing skills further during his national service with the British Army's Combined Services Entertainment unit, working alongside comedy actor Kenneth Williams, actor Peter Vaughan, film director John Schlesinger and dramatist Peter Nichols, who used the experience as the basis for his play Privates on Parade.

After the war, Baxter returned to Glasgow taking to the stage for three years at Glasgow's Citizens' Theatre. Following success on the radio with Jimmy Logan, Howard & Wyndham Ltd invited him to star in pantomime at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow followed by the Half Past Eight Shows, and their successors the Five Past Eight Shows at Glasgow's Alhambra Theatre. [2] [3] He moved to London to work in television in 1959.

In 1969, Baxter performed in the original production of Joe Orton's then controversial farce What the Butler Saw at the Queen's Theatre in the West End with Sir Ralph Richardson, Coral Browne and Hayward Morse. Baxter nurtured the stage careers of Alyson McInnes and John Ramage. Baxter remained a great favourite on the Scottish pantomime circuit, especially at the King's Theatre, Glasgow, up until his retirement in 1992. He starred, in pantomime, with popular Scottish stars, Jimmy Logan and Una McLean.

Radio

During the 1960s, Baxter had his own show on BBC Radio Scotland. [4] In 1994 he returned to radio, taking the role of Noël Coward in the BBC World Service Play of the Week, Marvellous Party [5] directed by Neil Cargill. Written by Jon Wynne-Tyson, it also starred Dorothy Tutin as Coward's lifelong friend, Esme Wynne-Tyson (Jon's mother). Also with Cargill, he read Whisky Galore [6] and Jimmy Swan – The Joy Traveller [7] for BBC Radio, providing the voices of all the characters.

After a lengthy spell in self-imposed retirement, Baxter appeared in 2004 in a series of four half-hour radio sitcoms for BBC Radio 4, entitled Stanley Baxter and Friends; [8] the success of this has led to further series entitled The Stanley Baxter Playhouse in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016, and Two Pipe Problems with Richard Briers in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Two further plays in this series were broadcast in 2013 with Geoffrey Palmer taking the Richard Briers role. In 2009 Eddie Izzard presented The Stanley Baxter Story on BBC Radio 2. [9] A further series of 'Playhouse' commenced airing on BBC Radio 4 in November 2018.

Television

Baxter was known for his impressions of famous people, particularly The Queen (referred to in the context of the shows as 'the Duchess of Brendagh'). The Stanley Baxter Show ran between 1963 and 1971 on BBC One, and The Stanley Baxter Picture Show from 1972 to 1975 on ITV; the six-part Stanley Baxter Series was made by LWT in 1981. Eight one-hour TV specials were made by LWT and the BBC between 1973 and 1986.

Baxter guest-starred in an episode of The Goodies and later appeared in the lead role in Mr Majeika , developed from the books by Humphrey Carpenter, a children's show about a magic teacher, expelled from Walpurgis (the wizard land) for failing his professional examinations. He later stated that he had wanted to retire after his spectacular hour-long shows had been cancelled and that the move to children's television was a "purely financial" arrangement.

In Bing Crosby's final Christmas special, taped for CBS in the UK just a few weeks before Crosby's death in 1977, Baxter played multiple roles, including a butler, cook and – in one skit opposite a cracking-up Crosby – the ghost of Bob Hope's court jester ancestor. Having retired in 1990, Baxter returned for a one-off Christmas 2008 special for ITV, containing a mix of archived and new material, with celebrity comedians commenting on Baxter's influence on their lives and careers. [10]

Film

Baxter appeared in a number of films, including Geordie (1955), Very Important Person (1961), The Fast Lady (1962), Crooks Anonymous (1962) and Father Came Too! (1963), the last four alongside James Robertson Justice, together with the animation The Thief and the Cobbler (1995).

Books

Baxter has written a number of books based on the language of Glasgow, as developed in his Parliamo Glasgow sketch, and on the humour of the city; [11]

Personal life

Baxter was brought up in the West End of Glasgow, in a tenement. [12] He lived there from the age of five until he married actress Moira Robertson at 26 years of age. He later lived in Highgate, North London. He was married for 46 years until his wife's death in 1997 of an overdose while he was overseas. [13]

In August 2014, Baxter was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue. [14]

In August 2020, Baxter came out as gay, following the release of his authorised biography. [13] His biography described how Baxter had told Moira that he was gay before they married, with Baxter having sought to end their relationship as a result, but that she had threatened suicide, causing him to relent. [13] Moira accepted that he was gay and allowed him to bring men home for sex, [13] despite homosexual acts being illegal in England and Wales until the passing of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 16 years after their marriage. Five years before then, Baxter had been arrested for cottaging and contemplated suicide for fear of scandal causing an end to his career. The soliciting charges were subsequently dropped. [13]

Baxter sought to maintain the secrecy around his sexual orientation, with his biography describing how he had taken legal action over the posthumous publication of Kenneth Williams' diaries after Williams, a long-time friend, died in 1988. [13] In his biography, Baxter describes his discomfort with his homosexuality: "Anybody would be insane to choose to live such a very difficult life. There are many gay people these days who are fairly comfortable with their sexuality, fairly happy with who they are. I’m not. I never wanted to be gay. I still don’t." [15]

Awards

Baxter was offered an OBE, but declined. [17]

DVD releases

All six of Baxter's hour-long ITV specials were released on a two-disc DVD set in 2005 as The Stanley Baxter Collection [18] with a further two-disc DVD set being released in 2006 under the title The Stanley Baxter Series & Picture Show featuring both of his series of half-hour shows for ITV. [19] In 2008 a five-disc DVD box set was released titled The Stanley Baxter Television Set. The set includes both half-hour ITV series that Baxter made for ITV and six of his ITV specials. It also includes two of the feature films he made with James Robertson Justice The Fast Lady and Father Came Too!. [20]

List of film and television appearances

Stanley Baxter TV series

Stanley Baxter TV specials

Other TV appearances

Films

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Goodies</span> Trio of British comedians known for the TV series of the same name

The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie. The trio created, wrote for and performed in their eponymous television comedy show from 1970 until 1982, combining sketches and situation comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Hill</span> English comedian (born 1964)

Matthew Keith Hall, known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an off-beat, energetic performance style that fused elements of surrealism, observational comedy, slapstick, satire and music. When performing, he usually wears browline glasses and a dress shirt with a distinctive oversized collar and cuffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Weekend Television</span> ITV weekend service for London

London Weekend Television (LWT) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm to Monday mornings at 6:00. From 1968 until 1992, when LWT's weekday counterpart was Thames Television, there was an on-screen handover to LWT on Friday nights. From 1993 to 2002, when LWT's weekday counterpart was Carlton Television, the transfer usually occurred invisibly during a commercial break, for Carlton and LWT shared studio and transmission facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armando Iannucci</span> Scottish comedian, film director and producer

Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer, performer and panellist. Born in Glasgow to Italian parents, Iannucci studied at the University of Glasgow followed by the University of Oxford. Starting on BBC Scotland and BBC Radio 4, his early work with Chris Morris on the radio series On the Hour transferred to television as The Day Today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vic and Bob</span> British comedy duo (founded mid 1980s)

Vic and Bob, also known as Reeves and Mortimer, are a British double act consisting of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. They have written and starred in several comedy programmes on British television since 1990, with Reeves having made his first TV appearance in 1986. They have often been referred to as the modern day Morecambe and Wise.

<i>On the Buses</i> British TV sitcom (1969–1973)

On the Buses is a British television sitcom that was broadcast on ITV from 1969 to 1973. It was created by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, who wrote most of the episodes. It spawned three spin-off feature films and a stage version. Despite the writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife with the BBC, the corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential in a bus depot as a setting. The comedy partnership turned to Frank Muir, Head of Entertainment at London Weekend Television (LWT), who loved the idea; the show was accepted, and despite a poor critical reception became a hit with viewers.

Humphrey Barclay BEM is a British comedy executive and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Jensen</span> Scottish actress (born 1969)

Ashley Jensen is a Scottish actress best known for her roles as Maggie Jacobs in Extras, Christina McKinney in Ugly Betty (2006–2010), Agatha Raisin in Agatha Raisin (2014–present), and DI Ruth Calder in Shetland (2023–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Coombs</span> English actress (1926–2002)

Patricia Doreen Coombs was an English actress. She specialised in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female, comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, film and television sitcoms and Children's ITV's Playbox and Ragdolly Anna.

<i>The Rag Trade</i> British TV sitcom (1961–1978)

The Rag Trade is a British television sitcom broadcast by the BBC between 1961 and 1963 and by ITV between 1977 and 1978. Although a comedy, it shed light on gender, politics and the "class war" on the factory floor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Byrne (comedian)</span> Irish comedian

Edward Cathal Byrne is an Irish actor and comedian. He has presented the British television shows Just for Laughs and Uncut! Best Unseen Ads, has been a guest on numerous television panel games and has appeared on a number of television cooking shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Carr</span> English comedian and television personality

Alan Graham Carr is an English comedian, broadcaster and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the City Life Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeoned on the Manchester comedy circuit before he became known for co-hosting The Friday Night Project (2006–2009) with Justin Lee Collins. This led to the release of a short-lived entertainment show Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong (2008), and he went on to star in the comedy chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man (2009–2016) which aired on Channel 4. Since 2017, Carr often stands in as a team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. In 2019, he became a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race UK. In 2021, he began hosting BBC One’s Interior Design Masters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Henshall</span> Scottish actor (born 1965)

Douglas “Dougie” James Henshall is a Scottish television, film and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Professor Nick Cutter in the science fiction series Primeval (2007–2011) and Detective Inspector Jimmy Pérez in the crime drama Shetland (2013–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Howard</span> British comedian and presenter

Russell Joseph Howard is an English comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor. He has hosted his own television shows, Russell Howard's Good News and The Russell Howard Hour, and appeared on the topical panel TV show Mock the Week. He won "Best Compère" at the 2006 Chortle Awards and was nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award for his 2006 Aberdeen Festival Fringe show. Howard has cited comedians Lee Evans, Richard Pryor, and Frank Skinner as influences.

Mr Majeika is the title of a series of children's books, written by Humphrey Carpenter and published between 1984 and 2006. It was adapted into a children's television series of the same title and produced for the ITV network by TVS. The show aired between 1988 and 1990 and starred Stanley Baxter as Mr. Majeika. The stories have also been broadcast on radio.

An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a lighthearted revue/tribute style.

Thomas Paul Allen is an English comedian, actor, writer and presenter. In 2005, he won the So You Think You're Funny contest at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Marilyn Elsie Imrie was a Scottish theatre and radio drama director and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Houston</span> Voiceover artist, former announcer and television newsreader

Robin Houston is a British voiceover artist and former announcer, radio and television newsreader and quiz show host. After starting his career as an announcer and stage manager, he became one of the pioneers of commercial radio in the United Kingdom. He went on to read the news on television for 15 years and to become one of the most well known announcers in television entertainment. For many years he was a host of television quiz shows, and is now a veteran voiceover artist with over 50 years' experience in the field.

The Stanley Baxter Show is a British comedy television show which was originally broadcast on the BBC. The original series aired in 1963, with three more between 1967 and 1971. The show used a variety format featuring a mixture of sketches and musical performances. Baxter had originally made his name in Scottish comedy, before becoming known to a wider audience through his appearances on television programme On the Bright Side as well as several films.

References

  1. "Stanley Baxter Net Worth | Weight, Height, Age, Bio". Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  2. The Kings Theatre, Glasgow: Entertaining a Nation by Graeme Smith published 2008 ISBN   978-0-9559420-0-6
  3. Alhambra Glasgow by Graeme Smith published 2011 ISBN   978-0-9559420-1-3
  4. "Teach Yourself To Speak Scottish – 4 – Parliamo Glasgow". 11 January 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2012 via YouTube.
  5. ^ Newley, Patrick. "Coward’s confidante – Esme Wynne", The Stage, 4 March 2005
  6. "Whisky Galore". Radiolistings.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  7. "Jimmy Swan – The Joy Traveller". Radiolistings.co.uk. 13 April 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  8. "Stanley Baxter and Friends". Radiolistings.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  9. "The Stanley Baxter Story". Radiolistings.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  10. Comedian Baxter to make TV return, BBCNews, Accessed 07/11/2008
  11. Stanley Baxter's bedside book of Glasgow humour (Book, 1986). [WorldCat.org]. 22 February 1999. OCLC   13795450.
  12. Beacom, Brian (7 November 2020). "Stanley Baxter: Actor's secret gay life – and the woman who paid the price". HeraldScotland.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ferguson, Brian (30 October 2020). "Actor Stanley Baxter comes out as gay in new authorised biography which lifts the lid on his troubled private life". The Scotsman . Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  14. "Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories". The Guardian . 7 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  15. Beacom, Brian (1 November 2020). The Real Stanley Baxter. Luath Press. ISBN   978-1910022054. Quoted in The Scotsman , 30 October 2020{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  16. "In This Issue". The Oldie . Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  17. Beacom, Brian (21 May 2016). "Showbusiness great Stanley Baxter on recording a new show for BBC". The Herald . Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  18. 1 2 "Stanley Baxter: The Specials". Network DVD. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  19. 1 2 "Stanley Baxter Series and Picture Show (The)". Network DVD. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  20. "Stanley Baxter Television Set (The)". Network DVD. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  21. Holmwood, Leigh (7 November 2008). "Stanley Baxter returns to ITV for Christmas | Media". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  22. "TV review: When Alan Cumming Met Stanley Baxter". The Scotsman. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2014.