Edward Hugh McGinnis (25 June 1941 – 2 April 2020), better known by the stage name Eddie Large, was a British comedian. He was best known as one half of the double act

Little and Large ''Little and Large'' were a British comedy double act comprising straight man Syd Little (born Cyril John Mead; 19 December 1942) and comic Eddie Large (born Edward Hugh McGinnis; 25 June 1941 – 2 April 2020). Comedy duo They formed their p ...

, with

Syd Little Syd Little (born Cyril John Mead; 19 December 1942) is an English comedian who was the straight man in the double act Little and Large, with Eddie Large. Life and career Born in Blackpool, Little was raised in Manchester. After leaving Yew T ...

(the stage name of Cyril Mead).

Early life

Large was born Edward Hugh McGinnis in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

in 1941. His father Teddy served as a

Petty Officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotation OR-5 or OR-6. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be super ...

in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and after he returned from the war the family moved to a

tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, i ...

in Oatlands. When he was nine years old, the family moved again to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, where he attended Claremont Road Primary SchoolWythenshawe Famous locals Little and Large
Retrieved 11 February 2016 and a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

. He played football as a schoolboy, becoming a supporter of nearby Manchester City which had its ground opposite his home, and he maintained a lifelong devotion to the club. After he left school, he worked as an electrician and was a singer.

Little and Large

Large met singer and guitarist Cyril Mead in the Stonemason's Arms pub in

Timperley Timperley is a suburban village in the borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, it is approximately six miles southwest of central Manchester. The population at the 2011 census was 11,061. History The name Ti ...

and they formed a double act following the reaction to Eddie's comic heckling of Cyril, who switched to comedy. The duo then performed in northern clubs, turning professional in 1963. As Little and Large, the two men began their television career on the talent show '' Opportunity Knocks'' winning in 1971 and starred in many television comedy programmes, including their own series '' The Little and Large Show'' and the ITV series '' Who Do You Do?'' doing impressions and also performing as

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

stars. In an interview in 2010, Large said that he and Syd Little had not spoken to each other for several years. During the 2010–11 football season, football entertainment show ''

Soccer AM ''Soccer AM'' is a British football-based comedy/talk show, produced by Sky Sports. First broadcast in 1995, the programme currently airs on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football at 10.30am on Saturdays during the f ...

'' produced comedy sketches with Peterborough footballer Mark Little, and Eddie Large, as the newly reformed Little and Large.

Later career

Large worked on the after-dinner circuit and, in the latter years of his life, performed some cameo acting roles in dramas such as '' The Brief'' and '' Blackpool''. His autobiography, entitled ''Larger than Life'', was published in 2005. In 2013, Large released his first single without Little, a parody of " Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Serge Gainsbourg entitled "Gee Musky... Moi Non Plus".

Personal life and death

Large married his first wife, Sandra Baywood, in 1965. The marriage ended in divorce, with Large marrying his second wife, Patsy Scott, in 1983. Large lived in Portishead, near

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, with his wife Patsy and 26-year-old son. He also had two daughters and three grandchildren. After being admitted to hospital in March 2002 due to kidney problems, Large underwent a

heart transplant A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common procedu ...

Papworth Hospital Royal Papworth Hospital is a specialist heart and lung hospital, located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridgeshire, England. The Hospital is run by Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital is a world-leading cardiot ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

in 2003 at the age of 62, and recovered fully. Large was hospitalised for some weeks in late 2013 after tripping over a road sign near his Portishead home. Large died on 2 April 2020, aged 78 at

Southmead Hospital Southmead Hospital is a large public National Health Service hospital, situated in the area of Southmead, though in Horfield ward, in the northern suburbs of Bristol, England. It is part of the North Bristol NHS Trust. The 800-bed Brunel Buildi ...

after contracting coronavirus while receiving treatment for heart failure. Large had suffered from kidney and heart problems for a number of years. Large's funeral took place at South Bristol Crematorium on 24 April 2020, in Bristol, with Syd Little in attendance, who said that Large was his "best friend".

References

External links

Eddie Large
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Large, Eddie 1941 births 2020 deaths British male comedians Heart transplant recipients People from Gorbals People from Portishead, Somerset Comedians from Manchester Comedians from Glasgow British television personalities Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in England