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Larry Grayson (31 August 1923 – 7 January 1995), born William Sulley White, was an English comedian and television presenter. He hosted the BBC's Saturday-night peak-time TV game show ''
The Generation Game ''The Generation Game'' is a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two people from the same family, but different generations, compete to win prizes. The game There are eight competitors, hence the catchphrase "Let's me ...
'' in the late 1970s and early 1980s, employing his high-
camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...
, English
music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
humour. His camp stand-up act consisted mainly of
anecdote An anecdote is "a story with a point", such as to communicate an abstract idea about a person, place, or thing through the concrete details of a short narrative or to characterize by delineating a specific quirk or trait. Anecdotes may be real ...
s about a cast of imaginary friends including Everard, Apricot Lil and Slack Alice. A
museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
in his home town
Nuneaton Nuneaton ( ) is a market town in Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire to the north-east.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : Nuneaton's population at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...
documents his life and work, and a memorial has been established.


Biography

Grayson was born William Sulley White in
Banbury Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...
,
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...
, in 1923. His parents were unmarried and he never met his father. When Grayson was ten days old, his mother, Ethel White, arranged for him to be fostered by Alice and Jim Hammonds in
Nuneaton Nuneaton ( ) is a market town in Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire to the north-east.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : Nuneaton's population at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...
,
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
. He had two foster sisters, Flo and Mary. His
foster mother Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family member a ...
Alice died when he was six years old, and he was brought up by his elder foster sister, Flo, with whom he lived for much of his life. It has been reported that his birth mother stayed in touch with the family and was known to Grayson as "Aunt Ethel", until he discovered her true identity when he was eight years old. Larry was never formally adopted. Grayson's sexuality was the subject of much speculation, and while he never publicly came out as gay his unpublished memoirs do discuss his sexuality. He recounted how his "one true love" had been his best friend from school days, Tom Proctor, who was killed at the age of 21 at the
Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome, was a series of four military assaults by the Allies of World War II, Allies against Nazi Germany, German forces in Kingdom of Italy, Italy during the Italian Campaign (World War ...
during the Second World War. Grayson said that he never got over this loss, and he is not known to have had any other significant relationships (albeit one biographer recalls there was "a brief smokescreen" when he was said to be engaged to ''
Crossroads Crossroads is a junction where four roads meet. Crossroads, crossroad, cross road(s) or similar may also refer to: Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a ...
'' actress
Noele Gordon Joan Noele Gordon (25 December 1919 – 14 April 1985) was an English actress and television presenter, of Scottish descent. She played the role of Meg Mortimer (originally Richardson, later Ryder) in the long-running British soap opera ''Crossr ...
). Homosexual acts between men were illegal in England and Wales until the 1967 Sexual Offences Act (when Grayson was 44), and even after that, coming out as gay would have damaged his television career. During his life Grayson was targeted by gay rights campaigners – who picketed his shows calling for him to be open about his sexuality, while the
Gay Liberation Front Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of several gay liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. Similar organizations also formed in the UK, Australia and Canada. The GLF p ...
also protested against his stereotypical camp portrayals of gay men for comedic purposes. Grayson's biographer, Tony Nicholson, observes that "many gay people acknowledge how important his contribution to camp culture was, and how his mass popularity did perhaps help spearhead greater acceptance of the LGBT community."


Early career

Grayson left school at the age of 14 and began working professionally as a supporting
drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street a ...
act on the comedy club circuit. He initially used the stage name Billy Breen, but changed it to Larry Grayson in the 1950s on the advice of his agent. While the origin of the name Larry is unknown, his management at the time felt a two-syllable first name would be more memorable and go better with the surname Grayson. Over the next 30 years he toured the UK in male revues and drag shows, as well as in variety shows at venues including
working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education ...
s, regional theatres and the
Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...
in London. He also added stand-up comedy to his act and developed a gentle anecdotal style of comedy. It was usually based around his various imaginary friends such as Everard, Apricot Lil, Slack Alice, milkman Sterilised Stan, window cleaner Peek-a-boo Pete with his dirty
chamois The chamois (; ) (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope native to the mountains in Southern Europe, from the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra Mountains, Tatra to the Carpa ...
and the postman Pop-It-In Pete. A lot of his material was observational. In his early years, Grayson's family had the only telephone in the street, and his inspiration came from overhearing his neighbours using it. The "imaginary friends" were in fact based on local characters: for example, Apricot Lil worked at the local jam factory. While he performed as Billy Breen at the New Pavilion Theatre
Redcar Redcar is a seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority. It is in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England, and is located east of Middlesbrough. The Teesside built-up area's Redcar subdiv ...
(now the Regent Cinema) he first used what became his familiar catchphrase "shut that door" when a side door had been left open causing a cold breeze to blow across the stage straight from the sea. During this period, Grayson was briefly managed by
Eve Taylor Eve Taylor (born Evelyn Henshall, 28 February 1915 – 31 August 1983) was a British talent manager, notable as one of the early female music managers. She managed singers Adam Faith, Sandie Shaw and Val Doonican, and composer John Barry (compo ...
, who renamed him Larry Grayson and is credited with being the source of the phrase, as several of her clients revealed that whenever she wanted to discuss money or personal issues with her clients she would always tell them to "shut that door". Taylor struggled to find him the right opportunities and they parted, with Grayson becoming a client of
Michael Grade Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth (born 8 March 1943) is an English Media proprietor, television executive and businessman. He has held a number of senior roles in television, including controller of BBC1 (1984–1986), chief executive ...
.


Television career

An early TV appearance in the 1950s had led to complaints about his act being too outrageous, and Grayson had resigned himself to a career off television. Then in the early 1970s his club act was seen by
Michael Grade Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth (born 8 March 1943) is an English Media proprietor, television executive and businessman. He has held a number of senior roles in television, including controller of BBC1 (1984–1986), chief executive ...
, then an agent, who signed him. Following several successful appearances in
ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television broadcaster * Andorra Televisió * Anguilla Television * Ayna TV, Afghanistan * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourn ...
variety shows, Grade's uncle, impresario
Lew Grade Lew Grade, Baron Grade, (born Lev Winogradsky; 25 December 1906 – 13 December 1998) was a Ukrainian-born British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production ...
, gave Grayson a contract to front a show, '' Shut That Door!'' (1972), and slightly later, the ''Larry Grayson Show''. In 1974 he released the single ''Just Another Pretty Face'' on
Pye Records PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced ...
. Grayson also made two cameo appearances in the
Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefor ...
-based soap opera ''
Crossroads Crossroads is a junction where four roads meet. Crossroads, crossroad, cross road(s) or similar may also refer to: Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a ...
'', as a flouncing, difficult customer at the
Crossroads Motel ''Crossroads'' (later known as ''Crossroads Motel'' and ''Crossroads King's Oak'') is a British television soap opera that ran on ITV (TV network), ITV over two periods – the original 1964 to 1988 run, followed by a short revival from 2001 ...
and as the chauffeur at the wedding of Meg Richardson, played by his close friend
Noele Gordon Joan Noele Gordon (25 December 1919 – 14 April 1985) was an English actress and television presenter, of Scottish descent. She played the role of Meg Mortimer (originally Richardson, later Ryder) in the long-running British soap opera ''Crossr ...
. In real life Grayson could not drive. He also made a number of guest appearances in variety shows, chat shows and panel games.


''The Generation Game''

Grayson's popularity peaked when he was hired by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
to present the Saturday night show ''
The Generation Game ''The Generation Game'' is a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two people from the same family, but different generations, compete to win prizes. The game There are eight competitors, hence the catchphrase "Let's me ...
'' in 1978, as the replacement for
Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was an English entertainer and television presenter whose career spanned more than 75 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the Associated Te ...
. The show was successful, once attracting an audience of 25 million (due to a strike at ITV) at its peak. Grayson was assisted by his co-star
Isla St Clair Isla St Clair (born 2 May 1952 as Isabella Margaret Dyce) is a Scottish singer. Life Isla St Clair was born in Grangemouth, Central Scotland, on 2 May 1952. Her family came from North East Scotland and it was here that she spent her early year ...
, whom he frequently referred to as "my lovely Isla". Despite its popularity, by 1981 ''The Generation Game'' was being overtaken in the ratings by ITV's rival show ''
Game for a Laugh ''Game for a Laugh'' was a British light entertainment programme which ran for 56 editions and four specials between 26 September 1981 and 23 November 1985, made by LWT for the ITV network. Description The show revolved around a variety o ...
''. Grayson decided to leave ''The Generation Game'' in 1982 while it was still relatively successful, in the expectation that the BBC would offer him another high-profile Saturday night show; this did not materialise.


Later life

Grayson went into unintentional semi-retirement, living alone at his house in Nuneaton with his pet dogs, although he did return to television to present the game show ''Sweethearts'' for ITV in 1987. He made a number of other TV appearances and radio broadcasts, including the Tom O'Connor-hosted TV quiz show ''A Question of Entertainment'', where he was one of the team captains in 1988. Grayson moved with his adoptive older sister Flo to
Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...
,
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
, where they lived in separate neighbouring bungalows, during his semi-retirement, but moved back to Nuneaton after two years when he became bored and missed his close family and friends.


Death

Grayson's final public appearance was on 3 December 1994 at the ''
Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...
''. During this performance he referred to his hiatus from television by commenting to the audience, "They thought I was dead!". Appropriately, his last words to the audience were his catchphrase, "Shut that door". On New Year's Eve 1994, Grayson was rushed into hospital with a perforated
appendix Appendix (: appendices or appendixes) may refer to: __NOTOC__ In documents * Addendum, an addition made to a document by its author after its initial printing or publication * Bibliography, a systematic list of books and other works * Index (publis ...
. He was discharged from hospital, but died on 7 January 1995 in Nuneaton, at the age of 71. He was buried alongside other members of his family at Oaston Road Cemetery in his home town of Nuneaton.


Obituaries

Journalist Suzi Pritchard wrote in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'':
Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English stand-up comedy, comedian, actor and singer. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer" and was primarily known for his live stand-up comedy, stand-up pe ...
, a fellow comedian, said of Grayson:


In popular culture

In the 2023
ITVX ITVX is a British Over-the-top media services, over-the-top and ad-supported Streaming television, streaming service operated by ITV plc. The service offers original content from the broadcaster, livestreams of the ITV television channels, Free ...
miniseries '' Nolly'', which dramatised the life of his friend and former ''Crossroads'' colleague
Noele Gordon Joan Noele Gordon (25 December 1919 – 14 April 1985) was an English actress and television presenter, of Scottish descent. She played the role of Meg Mortimer (originally Richardson, later Ryder) in the long-running British soap opera ''Crossr ...
, Grayson was portrayed by
Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. Best known for his acting work on stage and screen as well as for co-creating television shows with Steven Moffat, he has received ...
.


Television appearances

*''Camera One'', 1956 – one of the acts in a televised variety show from the King's Theatre, Hammersmith. *''Saturday Variety'', 1971 – television show appearances. *''The Leslie Crowther Show'', 1971 – television show appearances. *'' This Is Your Life'' - subject. *''Saturday Variety'', 1972 – television show appearances. *''Shut That Door!'', 1972–1974 – television show host. *''Crossroads'', 1973 – guest appearance on the Boxing Day episode as an irate customer. *''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'', 1973 – television show appearances. *''The Larry Grayson Hour of Stars'', 1974 — television show host. *''Look Who's Talking'', 1974 – television show appearances. *''The Larry Grayson Show'', 1975–1977 television show host. *''Crossroads'', 1975 – guest appearance as the chauffeur of the wedding car in the episode when Meg married Hugh Mortimer. *''The Good Old Days'', 1976–1983 – various appearances in televised music-hall variety show. *''Larry Grayson's
Generation Game ''The Generation Game'' is a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two people from the same family, but different generations, compete to win prizes. The game There are eight competitors, hence the catchphrase "Let's me ...
'', 1978–1982 – television game show host (72 episodes). *''At Home with Larry Grayson'', 1983 – television show host. *''Late Night Larry'', 1983 – radio music show host. *''Sweethearts'', 1987 – television panel game host. *''A Question of Entertainment'', 1988 – Quiz show team leader *''
Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...
'' - performer. Final public appearance. In 2009, Network DVD released a three disc set ''Shut That Door – Larry Grayson At ITV'', which features material from his ITV days, including the one existing episode of his series ''Shut That Door'' and both series of ''The Larry Grayson Show''.


References


External links


Larry Grayson – h2g2, ''Look at the Muck on 'Ere!'' – Part OneLarry Grayson – h2g2, ''Look at the Muck on 'Ere!'' – Part TwoLarry Grayson – h2g2, ''Look at the Muck on 'Ere!'' – Part ThreeBBC Coventry article – ''Shut that door with Larry Grayson''Shut That Door! Larry Grayson at ITV
DVD review and biographical background * *Th
Larry Grayson Collection
is held by the
Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
Theatre and Performance Department. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grayson, Larry 1923 births 1995 deaths English male comedians English game show hosts English television presenters English drag queens Entertainers from Banbury People from Nuneaton 20th-century English comedians 20th-century English memoirists Pye Records artists Comedians from Oxfordshire Comedians from Warwickshire