Stanley Baxter. ng bi lc Thng Mt 19, 2023. It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse. The showbiz world is rife with tales of heartbreak, loneliness, wasted talent and regrets. Afterwards, I gasped, 'Have you done this before?' Kenneth asked Stanley what future he could expect if he married Moira Robertson. Now that personal publicists are de rigueur for everyone from ministers mistresses to rugby players wives, we may even catch ourselves feeling faintly disapproving at the thought that he might want to do without the oxygen of publicity. Again. That counts for a lot in this part of north London, where there are more antique shops than newsagents. 2. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. A life without stress you cannae whack it! I rang David White again the following morning. He probably knew the way I felt about him. Mary Brennan sees nothing surprising about Baxter being so jealous of his privacy. One diary entry, for March 1954, described Baxter as suspicious and ungenerous and said that being with him was like sitting on an oven. Stanley had to move out, he says, for the sake of his own sanity. London, England, United Kingdom. Millions were scandalised and breathless with laughter. Im not giving any interviews at the moment. An edge in his voice. Just a decade ago, his annual television spectaculars were as much a part of Christmas as turkey and hangovers: in December 1985, more than 14 million people tuned in to watch the monkey-faced Scotsman mimic the Queen, in a lavish show that included a full-scale orchestra and battalions of dancers. The most outrageously funny man on British television 50 years ago was Stanley Baxter. He felt guilty for the many affairs and the new partners. I was apprehensive about getting involved for all the obvious reasons. He saw Moira frequently, but the fractured marriage was always difficult. It was real weakness on my part.. Birth sign: Gemini. The BBC couldnt help, and neither could London Weekend Television, for whom Baxter had made many of his most successful shows in the Seventies. Stanley Baxter. And we never really discovered who he was, other than a brilliant character actor and impersonator; as the rules of celebrity changed, he simply refused to play by them. I really dont. Not Stanleys fee, particularly, but you have to pay the Musicians Union, youve got to pay all the dancers, Equity and so on. When he first came to fame in the Fifties, his identity was largely irrelevant: we were content to let stars glitter from afar. Look, do you mind? Wherever he is, I wish him well. But more than that, he feared his fiercely ambitious mother. where are we up to? No. Join Facebook to connect with Moira Robertson and others you may know. "Kenny thought I was making a terrible mistake," says Stanley. Her reaction was dramatic. By the age of 14 when he became radio star he knew where his destiny lay. For years, they have resisted the English trend towards pop and soap stars making fools of themselves in tights, in favour of veteran panto specialists like Baxter. I began to be scared someone else would do better than me on stage, and my mother would clatter me.'. There was some communication, through Andy Young, who had been authorised to tell me that Baxter was refusing all work except voice-overs and radio. He never appeared as himself. Well, it was worth a go. 'I'm not. She may have worshipped Stanley but she never got herself worked up if her husbands white shirts were dry in the morning or not. Stanley was freaked out at my turning up at his house. Used Buffer and WordPress to advertise programming. It was the future Carry On star Kenneth Williams, also barely out of his teens but playing an old man in a CSE production. A lot of people are interested in this. X En poursuivant votre navigation sur ce site, vous acceptez l'utilisation de Cookies pour vous proposer des publicits cibles adapts vos centres d'intrts et raliser des statistiques de visites. 'I didn't want to bring any child into the world who suffered what I suffered. His act was so daring that he was probably the first TV comedian to impersonate the Queen. But he didnt tackle the issue. His father was a branch manager of Commercial Union while his mother would have liked to have been an actress, When the family agreed that acting was respectable his mother took him round halls where he gave renderings of Harry Lauder and . He stood facing the audience for a moment and then said, in a vampish voice: I call this my hand grenade dress. . Sometimes that provides the extra spurt of energy or imagination needed to unearth a story. He was left with a terror of being held up to public shame. No, for the reason I just gave. This is no mean achievement. Free UK delivery on orders over 15. She was 69 years old. Changing tack, I asked if Baxter had a fan club. Should I have taken her to Cyprus? A Gannett Company. Managing a portfolio of SME clients across a range of sectors and complexities. 'Silly boy,' the actor noted pithily in his diary. Moira was dead on her bed from an overdose. But where? And as the years progressed, the medicated Moira and Stanley became close again. . However, Moira was very, very upset. Hes not there anyway. Baxter was a great talker among his close-knit circle of friends, said Mr Young, but was also wary of outsiders. The last panto was in 1991, wasnt it? Instead of gaining the confidence to join them, he shied away, repelled by the high camp 'all chiffon hankies and make-up and flouncing about. Moira's behaviour became more alarming. And then my impulse to pick up the trail again received further encouragement, when, out of the blue, one of the many former associates of Baxter with whom I had placed calls finally decided to ring me back. He was the lead in one play before going off to serve with the Royal Army Service Corps in the Far East, where he was recruited for the Combined Services Entertainment unit, a drag- and-greasepaint outfit straight out of It Aint Half Hot Mum. And after nearly a year of thinking about this man, after all the work I had done to find him, I had absolutely no idea what to say. Stanley Livingstone Baxter (born 24 May 1926) is a Scottish actor, comedian, impressionist and author. Many weeks later, I was browsing for biographical material on someone else when I came across an old copy of Whos Who In Television, with an entry on Baxter. Moira Robertson wrote: "There are so many people working hard to support the economic growth and development of Salford. Her co-accused Helen Wright, 67, was also caught with drugs while police raided the . ' Friends suddenly shunned him, fearful of guilt by association. for virtual children's programming. View more posts, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), It was 20 years ago todayish. Its Christmas, he said. Danh mc . I had felt the relationship simply had to stop, so I broke it off. He is completely woven into the Scottish psyche, says Mary Brennan, a critic for the Herald. Would it have happened anyway? Helen Wright, 67, and Moira Robertson, 65, were also snared with 51,000 in cash at a . He felt guilty when he moved out, unable to share a home with her any longer. He later recalled trying to use his scripts to hide hands encrusted with coal dust, an early indication of the self- consciousness that was to become as ingrained as the coal.Invalided out of the mines with an ear problem, Baxter joined the left- wing Unity Theatre in Glasgow. OK. Goodbye. Still smiling, though. What about? But unknown to the world, Granny and the eponymous hero had decided to marry. . His heart raced as he rushed towards her and pulled her back. Williams believed Stanley to be taking advantage of Moira and a traitor to the cause. He took her passport, to prevent her from trying to follow him. And wasnt marriage about compromise? But Baxter's anxieties were channelled into his work, and his perfectionist instincts became overwhelming. We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. It's that time of year again, when I choose to bore the bi-weekly pants off you all by relating my erstwhile greenhouse adventures and, more often than not, misadventures. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories. Add new skills with these courses Word: Mail Merge in Depth Cert Prep: Word Associate - Microsoft Office Specialist for Office 2019 . People who knew you knew the shorthand and the jargon. 21:19 EST 30 Oct 2020 And the decision may have played a part his wifes untimely death. They procrastinated for several weeks, then passed me on to Channel 4s press office. I thought, I really hate this. After a meal with Baxter in October 1969, Williams wrote: At one point when I said to S. I sometimes feel I am so useless I just want to die. It truly means nothing if our council is having to make decisions which . I couldve hugged him. Other entries in the diary recall Baxter speaking of a desperate clinging to privacy and the rejection of a potentially hostile world. With his telephone number and address in my notebook, I could have rung Stanley Baxter or paid him a visit months ago, instead of waiting for an answer to my letter. A tabloid, of course, would not be interested in the finer nuances of relationships, and one can understand why Baxter might have preferred to keep such matters to himself. He rang back the next day, but the news was bad. Moira Robertson, 65, was snared with 51,000 of cash and 24,000 of cocaine at her home on June 20, 2019. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Not to the Press. Then one night she invited me for my favourite spaghetti up to her little rented flat at 65 Clouston Street and I was seduced back into bed again., The appetite sated, Stanley reckoned the only way to break off the relationship once and for all was to be entirely honest with Moira. It was absolutely selfish. Pull out the pin, and its every man for himself. Just a couple of years later he landed a five-picture deal with Rank Films. . Stanley reckoned his wife's place was in the home. He left for a theatre tour of Australia in a Brian Rix farce, leaving his wife behind. Facebook gives people the power. Like his previous TV specials, it was a delirious collection of sketches and set-pieces featuring Baxter in character (his meticulously observed parodies of women like Shirley Bassey and Marlene Dietrich were a trademark), complete with spectacular sets and breathtaking changes of costume and make-up. Yes. Stanley and Moira worked on a range of productions at the Citz together but the spring of 1949 saw the company move down to Ayr for the summer season and Stanley and Moira had lots of fun together. But there was no chance of a reconciliation. In 1970, with The Stanley Baxter Show a huge BBC hit, he moved out of their house and took the apartment in Highgate Village that would be his refuge for the rest of his life. Baxter appeared alongside Jimmy Logan and Rikki Fulton in extravagantly-produced shows with Ziegfeld-scale sets and dancing girls, but also made his first BBC television appearance in 1951. A native of Fountain Inn, son of the late James Chesley and If he was only prepared to work on the radio these days, could he be a total wreck? Since then, he has been completely absent from stage or television, and rarely even mentioned in print. By that time, I had so many tender feelings for her, he explains. Robertson & Thompson was founded by Fife-born William Alexander Robertson as a wholesale whisky blender and agent in Glasgow in 1855. Club gossip suggested that he preferred the bigger and busier squash changing- rooms to those by the poolside, and was a bit of a loner.) . Moiras role, however, was reduced from Actress to Wife. When his friend Kenneth Williams's diaries were published posthumously in the early Nineties, he fought a legal battle to ensure nothing about his sex life was printed. I dont know if you got it? Its a dead loss, to be honest. There had been no mystery about the retirement, said Lennie, who talked about the physical demands of changing costumes so often. I still don't. He said lots of theatrical things about how marvellous it had been to work with Baxter, with whom he still corresponded from time to time. To order a copy for 17.60 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. Everythings being raked around in here ready for Christmas. He loved the applause 'a hundred people shouting 'Bravo' and I'm beating the adults to the prizes'. Fine, but not much help to me. Waiting around outside the entrance to the flats where he lived was making me feel like a burglar casing the joint. But immediately afterwards she was so sorry.'. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please She wandered, like Ophelia through Hamlet, but she would have moved to the ends of the earth for me.. His family remained in Glasgow during the Blitz at first, a teenage Stanley and his mother sheltering under a dining table during the bombing. The charges were dropped, on condition that Baxter promised not to sue the police for wrongful arrest. She was in love with him and Baxter believed he was falling in love with her. And I did love her deeply, in my own way.. Moira wasnt entirely unhappy with the situation. He couldnt say when Baxter was expected next, but took my number to pass on. Beaten with sticks.'. Stanley Baxter and Moira Robertson were married for more than 45 years. If I wanted a closer look at him it would have to be on my television on 4 January. What Williams didnt know, however, was the pressure Stanley had been under. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Instead, he withdrew from the showbiz world. I sat on the edge of the bed and sobbed my heart out, he admits. There was no answer. Doesnt he do interviews at all? I guess I had come to really like Moira. Moira Robertson could be forced to hand over 45,000 after being jailed . If it doesn't work out, you just get divorced and you move on. And my father replied with a very heavy voice, No, it's not as easy as that., The following Monday, the Scottish Daily Express wrote of the 'quiet' wedding. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. This was Angus Lennie, once the chef in Crossroads. For a nation still mourning the loss of Eric Morecambe, Baxter another survivor of the gentler, pre-television days of variety theatre seemed ready to succeed to the title of Britains Favourite Comedian. Early on she used to say, That woman's following you around like a wee dug! And she was right. Stanley asked . But it was a whole new experience. But he hadnt been in that afternoon. I don't want to be involved in this kind of world'. At the same time, Moira's mental health deteriorated. Yes I did, and I spoke to you through my agent. What would the neighbours think? The Real Stanley Baxter. A bit boring! Helen Wright, 67, and Moira Robertson, 65, were also snared with 51,000 in cash at a house in Baillieston. Thinking about that took me back to my first major feature for the IOS, commissioned as an act of reckless faith by the editor Ian Jack and Richard Askwith, who ran the Review magazine and remains one of the finest copy editors I have ever come across. He told Kenneth Williams as much. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. Moira Robertson Managing Director Alpha Events/Business Facilitator/Sales Coach London. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . What none but his closest friends realised was that Baxter was desperately unhappy, his personal life a battlefield. I contacted David White, who seemed to think that this might mean that his client would talk to me. In fact, Mum showed her disapproval of Moira right from the start., Stanley agrees. Did Bessie Baxter have any idea of Stanleys true sexuality? She kept calling for him and my mother wasnt too happy about this. But although the urgency had gone, the curiosity remained. There was also a tiny quote from Baxter in the Times of November 1992, about how the role of Principal Boy should only be played by a woman: All those frills. A Scottish national treasure. And your editor. How much had the big television specials cost to make? The origins of the company stretch back to the mid-nineteenth century, when William Robertson founded the Robertson & Baxter company in Glasgow. Moira died of an overdose, aged 69. We are doing this to improve the experience forour loyalreaders and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. And so, Robertson & Baxter was formed. But it was because I knew I'd made the biggest mistake of my life.. I think it was probably fashionable at the time to get married even if there were undercurrents of other things that people didnt realise about, said Mr Young. As a last shot I rang David White, who said I had been very naughty. But she ignored the signs. 32 others named Moira Robertson are on LinkedIn See others named Moira Robertson. In 1997, he decided to spend a month at the villa they owned in Cyprus. Actor Stanley Baxter, 94, has bravely come out as gay and opened up about how his sexuality impacted his relationship with his wife Moira Robertson, who died in 1997. Any camper attached to a vehicle registered in Washington must be licensed in Washington; the RV Disposal Fee applies. STANLEY Baxter has come out as gay, revealing for the first time that his marriage was a faade. But Stanley, and Moiras family, coaxed her to take medication. I wrote to Stanley Baxter at his home, requesting an interview. Er, or something like it. Stanley Baxter specials became vanishingly rare: one at Christmas 1976, the next at Easter 1979. Fellow Scottish comic legend Rikki Fulton, who has presented his own hugely popular Hogmanay TV show for the last 16 years, said that Baxter retired from playing dames because the energy and athleticism required was exhausting. Actors have agents, and Baxters was listed in various theatrical yearbooks as David White Associates. In this remarkable new authorised biography, which Stanley originally refused to have published before his death for fear of being judged journalist Brian Beacom reveals the secrecy and sadness that have haunted the entertainer all his life. But a fellow member of the club in Pall Mall, which costs up to 500 a year, confirmed that Baxter was frequently there. The honeymoon night predictably was a disaster. Its hard to know if the invigorating sea air or simply timing resulted in Moiras declaration, but she announced she wished to have a full-blown sexual relationship with her leading man. He's willing to let the world decide for itself. And that was that. I know it all sounds terribly old-fashioned but men had those expectations in those days., Now, Stanley admits another reason why he felt Moira should remain at home. .Baxter was born in Glasgow in 1928, and raised in the genteel suburb of Kelvinside. And he met Moira Robertson, a 22-year-old who had worked her way up from the wardrobe department to the stage. Who was this man, who inspired so much silence? . Stanley and Moira (born Moira Robertson) on their honeymoon in London in 1952. Their new home, a large ground-floor flat, at 73 Clouston Street, was just a few doors along from Moiras previous flat. It had been run over in the street. By 1999, he was fearful that an unauthorised biography might be commissioned against his wishes. He went on to star in a children's series called Mr Majeika, about a schoolteacher who is actually a wizard. He has a talismanic quality that makes people feel hes very much in touch with their lives, and then suddenly, out he zooshes looking really rather sexy. This is it, I thought, suddenly breathless. It was so long ago, the production team was disbanded straight after the last show, and theres nobody left here who worked on it. Also known as. Helen Wright, 67, and Moira Robertson, 65, were also snared with 51,000 in cash at a . I was just ringing for you. Course Outlines; Job Offers; ruth sheen chin Menu Toggle. As I approached the flats, a figure bundled up in odd layers of clothing and a heavy overcoat came towards me, and turned towards the gate. And when Stanley decided to marry Moira Robertson, Williams was the first person he told. bclc lotto app not working; signs your internship will turn into a job; mary suehr schmitz. Something was happening between us but I didn't wish to acknowledge the fact. What else did I expect? In a 1963 entry, Williams described Baxter as disarming, honest, charming and hilariously funny all at once. Lara Clark, who said she was terribly sorry, but she couldnt show me round: the RAC liked to keep a low profile. I dont deserve it, I know, but if anyone can help me at this dreadful period, it is him, Williams wrote before leaving home. . Auditions were in Singapore and, after arriving there in December 1946 by flying boat, he was taken under the wing of a stooped, grey-haired man with a dusty moustache and a strident, nasal voice. Edrington's success stems from a heritage of exceptional people dedicated to craftsmanship. For a journalist, it can be difficult to tell. My call was answered by Mr White himself, who seemed suspicious of my reasons for ringing. Yes. 'There are many gay people these days who are fairly comfortable with their sexuality,' he says. Award-winning interviewer, writer and broadcaster. In the front room of Moira Robertsons parents home in Dumbarton, Stanley slowly, cautiously, uttered the words I do. He failed to convince. 'And suddenly Kenny cut in, 'Yes! Baxter had done Shakespeare, and in 1969 he appeared alongside Sir Ralph Richardson in the original cast of Joe Ortons last play, What The Butler Saw. He had to get on with his life. Or just give her the only thing she had ever asked for to be with him. Brian Beacom For The Daily Mail, 'I don't find you funny either - but yet the whole world laughs at you': Sacha Baron Cohen responds to Trump's 'unfunny creep' jibe, Keeping them laughing until the end: Bobby Ball was still filming until weeks before his death aged 76 after positive Covid test, as co-star Lee Mack pays tribute to his 'hero' and devastated Tommy Cannon says: 'Rock on, my good friend'. There was to be no further co-operation. Alpha Events. She had thought about becoming an actress herself and was very supportive of her childrens aspirations for the stage: Baxter put aside thoughts of teaching to go into the theatre, while his sister went off to work as an actress in Australia, under the name of Alice Dale.Baxter had already begun broadcasting on the wireless at the age of 14, and continued doing so even after he was called up at 17 to help the war effort by going down the mines. They included women, from Shirley Bassey to, later, the Princess of Wales, each precisely observed. Moira Grant: m.grant@ssc.nsw.edu.au Director of Community Relations P-12 Yvette Graniero: y.graniero@ssc.nsw.edu.au: Director of People and Culture Ann McGovern: a.mcgovern@ssc.nsw.edu.au: Head of Primary P-4 Joanne Giannini j.giannini@ssc.nsw.edu.au: Director of Mary Bailey House Jackie Baxter j.baxter@ssc.nsw.edu.au Would he like to explain why? Since our merger with Granada theres nobody higher up who would have been involved either. His biographer Brian Beacom examines why the brilliant Scots entertainer with a thousand faces refused to show his real one to the world. It said, words to the effect of, 'I'll let you off if you don't want to marry me'. Whatever changes come into society, they have already learnt discretion. Stanley Baxter is one of my all-time favourites, he said. I called his office, who promised to ring back with a comment, but didnt. Anyway, here it is: a piece from a time before the internet or ubiquitous mobiles, when the celebrity age was just beginning but you still had to go to the library to look at the electoral register. Identifying clients needs and developing solutions for both existing and new to Bank clients. After all, she was with the man she adored. but hes never done one. Im going to cut you short. He kept phoning all the time, telling me there was something special between us. He first asked me to write his biography more than 20 years ago, but was emphatic that he did not want it to appear while he was alive. He found immense laughs as Formby and Liberace. / moira robertson baxter. Moira chased Stanley, says Stanleys sister, Alice. There was no reply from the intercom buzzer. But she did mention several times there was something wrong with Moira, that her emotional balance wasn't quite right. Well, if I do, perhaps yours will be the one. No mention of his wife, Moira, though. Finally, I realised that I would have to let Stanley Baxter rest in peace. So, no pantos either then? He took an immediate shine to Baxter. Baxter's wife Moira was troubled by mental illness. Developed and created Craft kits for children and teens. His relationship with Marcus deepened and continued until the younger man died of lung cancer four years ago, though the two never lived together. It was time, I decided, to find him myself, face-to-face, in the hope that he might talk. One last piece for the Independent on Sunday, The Invisible Man: Searching for the Reclusive Stanley Baxter. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. What could he do? Stanley asked the same question of himself but pushed the answer aside. There was no biography, and no memoir; just a few intriguing references to be found in the published diaries of his close friend Kenneth Williams. Moira meanwhile, had pushed aside question marks against Stanleys sexuality, partly because she adored her boyfriend and loved his talent. Nostrils flaring. If there was one place where he could still feel at home, it was the world of Scottish pantomime. Could they get me an interview? It looked right. 28th February 2023 0. Treating spinal conditions affecting teenagers and adults led Moira into the field of Scoliosis where she helps . Me, said David White. But what the Daily Express didnt know was that when Stanley arrived home, with the sound of Saturday evening theatre applause still ringing in his ears, he broke down in tears.