Torquay’s Other History: Larry Grayson

By Kevin Dixon, on Friday, August 19, 2011

Larry Grayson: TV star of the late 70s early 80s Larry Grayson was the face of Saturday evening

For several years in the mid-80s Torquay’s Ilsham Marine Drive was home to Larry Grayson.

Larry (1923-1995), born William White, was an English stand-up comedy and game show host of the late 1970s and 1980s. He is best remembered for hosting the BBC’s game show The Generation Game and for his high camp humour.

Born to unmarried parents, he was adopted by a working-class coal mining family in Nuneaton. When he was eight he discovered that his mysterious Aunt Ethel was in fact his natural mother.   He left school at the age of 14 and worked professionally under the name of Billy Breen as a drag act on the comedy club circuit. For 30 years he toured the UK in male revues, drag shows and variety shows.

Following a hit run of guest spots on ATV variety shows in the 1970s, he was given his own show Shut That Door! in 1975. He then moved to the BBC to present The Generation Game in 1978 supported by Isla St Clair. Attracting audiences of over 18 million each week, the show ran until 1981.

Larry was one of the first television comedians to suggest being openly gay. Indeed, his early TV appearances had led to many complaints about his act being too risqué and he feared that he would never make it on TV.

His style of comedy was based on anecdotes, often around his friends: Everard, Apricot Lil, Slack Alice and ‘Pop it in Pete’, the postman. Though, at the time, the innuendoes went over the heads of many younger members of his audience.

After the Generation Game ended, Larry moved with Flo (his adoptive mother, who also happened to be his older sister) to Torquay, as part of his semi-retirement, but moved back to Nuneaton after just a couple of years.

Here’s Larry in the Larry Grayson Show: