Michael Barrymore
Michael Barrymore (born Michael Kieron Parker, May 4 1952) is a British comedian and entertainer. He began his career by hosting game shows, among them Get Set Go, Strike It Lucky, Marry The Midwife and My Kind of Music. He was once one of the most popular and highest paid entertainers in the UK as star of his eponymous Saturday night entertainment series Barrymore, produced by Maurice Leonard for LWT. He also took acting roles, for a short while taking the eponymous part in the drama series, Bob Martin which was penned by the comedian and quiz show emcee Bob Mills, and for which Barrymore won the 'Most Popular Comedy Performer' accolade at the 2000 National Television Awards.
In March 2001, during a party at Barrymore's house, one of the partygoers, Stuart Lubbock, died in the swimming pool. Barrymore's failure to clear up the mystery of the death resulted in severe damage to his career.
Early history
Barrymore was born in Bermondsey, London. His father was an alcoholic and a gambler. His late mother, Margaret (Maggs) Reilly, was an Irish emigrant from County Mayo, and worked hard to bring up Michael and his two siblings, John and Anne, almost single-handedly. He spent his early career working as a RedCoat at Butlins holiday camps before getting a break in television.
At the height of his popularity Barrymore suffered increasing alcohol problems and in 1995 announced that he was homosexual, following which he split from his wife Cheryl, to whom he had been married since 1976 and who had been his manager for 20 years. They later divorced in 1997 and Cheryl went on to publish an autobiography which contained details of their acrimonious split. The couple subsequently had no contact. On April 1, 2005, Cheryl Barrymore died suddenly at the age of 56, having been diagnosed with lung cancer just six weeks earlier. Shortly before her death she asked that details of her condition be kept secret from her former husband and also left instructions that he should not be invited to attend her funeral.
Death of partygoer
On March 31, 2001, Stuart Lubbock drowned in a swimming pool during a party at Barrymore's house. His body had high levels of narcotics and alcohol as well as anal injuries[1]. Many tabloid newspapers accused Barrymore of holding drug-fuelled gay orgies in his home and asserted that he must have had some responsibility for the death. It was specifically claimed that Barrymore had been seen at the party forcing cocaine onto Lubbock's gums [2], an allegation Barrymore denied.
Following a police investigation, Barrymore received a police caution for possession and use of cannabis, but no other charges were laid against him or anyone else in connection with the death. The inquest that took place in September 2002 reached an open verdict, which failed to satisfy Lubbock's family. Lubbock's father Terry has said that he would sue Barrymore for failing in his duty of care as host of the party. In her autobiography, Cheryl Barrymore alleged that Barrymore had perjured himself during the inquest when he stated that he had been unable to dive into the pool to save a drowning Lubbock because he could not swim, when in fact he was a good swimmer. In an interview with GMTV Barrymore denied that he can swim and claimed that two other partygoers dived in anyway to try to assist Lubbock. No action has been taken by the Crown Prosecution Service concerning this claim.
Controversy's effect on career
The Lubbock incident severely damaged Barrymore's image as a wholesome family entertainer. Following the revelations of Lubbock's death, ITV terminated his contract and his UK TV career subsequently collapsed. A new series of Kids Say the Funniest Things recorded prior to the scandal was pulled from the ITV schedule and never broadcast. It has also been reported that the BBC cancelled publication of Barrymore's life story. In September 2003 Barrymore staged a one-man show at London's Wyndham's Theatre, which closed after a few days due to scathing critical notices. He subsequently emigrated to New Zealand to live with his partner, Shaun Davis. In May 2004 he filed for bankruptcy as a result of unpaid tax debts. He has since tried to rebuild his career with live stage shows in New Zealand and Australia with moderate success. In 2005, he appeared in the stage musical, Chicago, in Napier.
Celebrity Big Brother
In December 2005 it was announced that Barrymore was being paid £150,000 by Channel 4 to take part in the British version of Celebrity Big Brother commencing January 5, 2006. On his entry into the house Barrymore received a generally highly positive reception from the crowd which brought him to tears. However, his participation has reawakened comment in the tabloid press about the death of Stuart Lubbock. The attitudes of the press to the present have been rather scathing and it remains to be seen whether this will have an effect on what seems to have been a better reception amongst the general public.
Catchphrase
His catchphrase is the cockney greeting "Aw-wight!" (a London pronunciation of "All right?"), which he usually follows up with "Aw-wight at the back?". Sayings from Strike It Lucky which have caught on include "Top, Middle or Bottom?" and "What is a hotspot not?" (the answer to which is "A good spot").
TV credits
- Now Who Do You Do? (1976)
- Seaside Special (1977)
- Cabaret Showtime (1978)
- Starburst (1981)
- Russ Abbot's Saturday Madhouse (1981)
- The Michael Barrymore Show (1983)
- Get Set Go (1984)
- Strike It Lucky (1987) (Name changed to Strike It Rich from the 1996 season onwards)
- Saturday Night Out (1988)
- Mick And Mac (1990)
- Barrymore (1992)
- My Kind Of People (1995)
- Richard Reeves' Mung Bean Salad Show (1997)
- My Kind Of Music (1998)
- Kids Say The Funniest Things (1998)
- Animals Do The Funniest Things (1999)
- Barrymore On Broadway (2000)
- My Favourite Hymms At Christmas (2000)
- Bob Martin (2001)
- GMTV (2002)
- The Salon (2003)
- The Late Late Show (2003)
- The Bad Mo Fo Show (2005)
- Celebrity Big Brother (2006)