This Is Your Life: Max Bygraves

Max BYGRAVES (1922-2012)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Max Bygraves, entertainer, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews while rehearsing his new show, Do Re Mi, at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London.

Max, who was born in Rotherhithe in London, first began performing in camp concerts while serving in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, winning a serviceman's competition as best act in fighter command. After the war, he worked as a carpenter on building sites while entertaining in pubs in the evenings.

After writing and performing with Eric Sykes, touring the country in variety, he appeared on the BBC radio show Educating Archie. By the start of the 1950s, he was a regular performer at the London Palladium, and throughout that decade, he became more widely known through pantomime, film, television and radio appearances and as a recording artist.

programme details...

Edition No: 164
Subject No: 165
Broadcast date: Mon 2 Oct 1961
Broadcast time: 7.55-8.30pm
Recorded: Mon 4 Sep 1961 7.30pm
Repeated: Sun 13 Oct 1991 6.05pm
Venue: BBC Television Theatre
Series: 7
Edition: 1

on the guest list...

Bessie Braddock
Lillian - mother
Henry - father
four unnamed relatives
Blossom - wife
Christine - daughter
Maxine - daughter
Anthony - son
Cecil Landau
Joe Loss
Peter Brough
Edith Sykes
Val Parnell
Harry Cranley
Piccola Pupa
pupils from Dr Barnardo's Naval Training School, Parkstone, Dorset
pupils from St Vincent's Catholic Primary School, Mill Hill, London
Max Miller
Eric Sykes
George Elliott
WO Laurence
George Cooper
Rev Mother Genevieve

production team...

Researcher: Nickola Sterne
Writer: Nickola Sterne
Director: Yvonne Littlewood
Producer: T Leslie Jackson

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

That's Entertainment

there's no business like it

The Night of 1000 Lives

a celebration of a thousand editions

Joe Loss

Eric Sykes

Photographs and screenshots of Max Bygraves This Is Your Life

Max Bygraves recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in his autobiography, I Wanna Tell You A Story...

When the BBC were doing This Is Your Life, I was the subject for one of the programmes.

Max Miller came on, he talked about how he admired me, which you really have to do on that sort of programme, but made his exit with one of the biggest laughs in the programme when he said: "Don't forget, son – always work hard – change your material – and never – never – tell blue jokes."

Max Bygraves recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in his autobiography, After Thoughts...

I got to know Max fairly well; I worked on several variety bills with him and we did a season together at the Palladium. When Eamonn Andrews surprised me with his red book for This Is Your Life, Max came on and when Eamonn asked him if he had any advice to pass on to this young fellow (me) with the same name, Max said, 'Yes – always be on time – always work hard on your material and never – never – tell a blue joke!' Coming from the most ribald performer of the day, he walked off to the loudest applause of the night.

That was in 1961, when Eamonn Andrews presented This Is Your Life for the BBC. When he passed away recently, I was reminded of the time when he, Tommy Cooper and I were having a drink after one of the shows, Eamonn said to Tommy and me, 'Do you know – we three are the most impersonated men in Great Britain today – if anything happens to us, half the impressionists in the country won't have an act.'

Series 7 subjects