Moira Anderson (born 5 June 1938) is a Scottish singer.

Life and career

Moira Anderson was born on 5 June 1938 in

Kirkintilloch Kirkintilloch (; sco, Kirkintulloch; gd, Cair Cheann Tulaich) is a town and former barony burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal and on the south side of Strathkelvin, about northeast of central Glasgow. ...

Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders P ...

, Scotland. She was educated at

Lenzie Academy Lenzie Academy is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school located in Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The catchment area covers Lenzie, Auchinloch and southern parts of Kirkintilloch. Senior management team The school is mana ...

, She then attended the

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...

in Glasgow, before getting her big break in the media after a successful audition at the BBC. She landed her first job in the media, presenting the

radio programme A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

'' Can't Help Singing'' where she sang with some prestigious names from the world of opera. She went on to make many appearances in the TV series '' The White Heather Club'' hosted by Andy Stewart. She subsequently hosted her own television show, the popular ''Moira Anderson Sings'' on BBC1 in 1968. By 1970 she had signed up with the

Decca Record Company Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. In ...

, performed at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

and was hosting another show '' Stars On Sunday'' which ran for a decade from 1969. She is renowned for her charity work. In her early career Anderson made frequent appearances alongside fellow Scottish music stars, Kenneth McKellar and other Scottish stars. The pairing was celebrated in the 1971 " Two Ronnies" spoof sketch (Programme 3, 1st Series) featuring "Kenneth Anderson" and "Moira McKellar", in which

Ronnie Corbett Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show '' The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promin ...

's Ken described

Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as '' Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', and ''Open All Hours''. ...

's (rather hefty) Moira as "that beautiful lump of Dundee cake". In the early 1980s she made a successful album of duets with Sir

Harry Secombe Sir Harold Donald Secombe (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh comedian, actor, singer and television presenter. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show'' (1951–1960), playing many characters, m ...

. She recorded " A Perfect Day" by

Carrie Jacobs-Bond Carrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond (August 11, 1862 – December 28, 1946) was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter who composed some 175 pieces of popular music from the 1890s through the early 1940s. She is perhaps best remembered for writing t ...

. Her musical directors over the years have included Peter Knight,

Peggy O'Keefe Peggy O'Keefe (7 April 1928 – 31 March 2019) was an Australian-Scottish pianist, bandleader, and television and radio presenter. Life Margaret Patricia O'Keefe was born in Fernlea Private Hospital, Preston (a suburb of Melbourne, Australi ...

Nick Ingman Nicholas Ingman (born 29 April 1948) is an English arranger, composer and conductor in the commercial music field. His collaborators include Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Björk, and the British X-factor. Born and educated in London, Ingman mov ...

and Gordon Cree. She has recorded many albums, including an

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

collection, conducted by Robin Stapleton, and made many appearances on the BBC TV's popular, long running series, '' The Good Old Days''. She received an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in July 1970. In 2010, she sang two songs at the funeral of Sir Norman Wisdom. Anderson lives, as of 2016, in retirement on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = " O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europ ...

with her husband of over 50 years, Stuart Macdonald.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Moira 1938 births Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire Musicians from Kirkintilloch Alumni of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Scottish radio presenters Scottish women radio presenters Scottish sopranos Scottish television presenters Scottish women television presenters Butlins Redcoats People educated at Lenzie Academy People educated at Ayr Academy 20th-century Scottish women singers Scottish humanitarians