0:00:02 > 0:00:05This is the story of popular entertainment...
0:00:05 > 0:00:10- From the music hall era of the 19th century...- Do you know Mrs Kenny?
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Through the golden age of variety...
0:00:13 > 0:00:17- To the working men's clubs of the 1950s.- I love it!
0:00:17 > 0:00:20I'm Frank Skinner, a comedian.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23And I'm Suzy Klein, a music presenter.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27Together, we plan to celebrate our rich entertainment heritage
0:00:27 > 0:00:31by finding out all we can about the great acts of the past
0:00:31 > 0:00:34and, yes, by having a go ourselves.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35It's harder than it looks.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38So, join us now, as we go back to a time
0:00:38 > 0:00:40when Britain really did have talent.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43CHEERING
0:00:45 > 0:00:47APPLAUSE
0:00:57 > 0:00:59During the 19th century,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02the growth in population of Britain's major cities
0:01:02 > 0:01:05gave rise to a new form of popular entertainment.
0:01:05 > 0:01:11Dominated by charismatic performers like the extraordinary Little Tich,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13it was commonly known as music hall.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19In the 1900s, music hall developed into something bigger and glitzier
0:01:19 > 0:01:22that came to be known as variety.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26In this programme, we'll discover how and why variety blossomed
0:01:26 > 0:01:29during that first part of the 20th century,
0:01:29 > 0:01:31to become one of the most vibrant forms
0:01:31 > 0:01:34of mass entertainment Britain has ever seen.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37And we are going to try and recreate the acts
0:01:37 > 0:01:39of two of the big stars of that era
0:01:39 > 0:01:42and discover the secret of their appeal.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46We're going to trace the growth of variety
0:01:46 > 0:01:51- from its origins in the 1900s... - Right up to the 1930s...
0:01:51 > 0:01:54To see what popular entertainment can tell us
0:01:54 > 0:01:56about the social landscape of the time...
0:01:56 > 0:01:59And decide which acts we'll recreate on stage.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02One thing will strike us again and again.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07The sheer, well, variety of variety.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11I have, here, a playbill from 1905.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14It begins with the overture from the orchestra, as you'd expect,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17and then Canary and Company, the comedy jugglers,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21will present Fun In The Kitchen. Look forward to that.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26There's a few vocal groups, a bit of trapeze,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29a grand musical spectacle, Port Arthur,
0:02:29 > 0:02:35which includes a detachment of military experts, it says.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Oh, what a night out!
0:02:37 > 0:02:39And also, I think, my own favourite,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42The Stud of Cantankerous and Educated Ponies,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45introduced by Mr Boswell.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49And on top of all that, there was another group of performers
0:02:49 > 0:02:52who knocked people's socks off as well.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Magicians!
0:02:57 > 0:02:59The late 19th and early 20th centuries
0:02:59 > 0:03:02is now known as the golden age of magic.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06For example, perhaps the most famous magic trick of all time,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11sawing a lady in half, was premiered in London in 1921.
0:03:11 > 0:03:17It's a fantastic trick still today, as I am about to demonstrate.
0:03:17 > 0:03:23- Can you fully extend your legs, Suzy? - I have fully extended my legs.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26You're kidding.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Oh, blimey, you have!
0:03:30 > 0:03:32OK, ladies and gentlemen, a slight variation.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36I'm going to saw a woman into two-thirds and a third.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39SAWING
0:03:41 > 0:03:44MUSIC: The Carnival Of The Animals, Aquarium by Saint-Saens
0:03:47 > 0:03:50One performer from variety's golden age
0:03:50 > 0:03:54who'd never have got involved with a saw-wielding maniac like Frank,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57was the weird but wonderful La Loie Fuller.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03Born in Chicago in 1862, she became a huge star in France
0:04:03 > 0:04:05at the end of the 19th century
0:04:05 > 0:04:08and took Britain by storm a few years later.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12An immensely talented choreographer and dancer,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14she created spectacular stage routines
0:04:14 > 0:04:17that still inspire people today.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22MUSIC: The Carnival Of The Animals, Swan by Saint-Saens
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Cabaret artiste Vicky Butterfly,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29a huge fan of La Loie Fuller's work, is developing her own version
0:04:29 > 0:04:35of the performer's best-known piece, the extraordinary Serpentine Dance.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38MUSIC: The Carnival Of The Animals, Swan by Saint-Saens
0:05:05 > 0:05:10Vicky, the dance is sensational. What made Loie Fuller special?
0:05:10 > 0:05:13What was it about her act that she did that nobody else was doing?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Basically, she was the first multimedia performance artist.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20She would appear using choreographed lights she'd done from...
0:05:20 > 0:05:23You have four or five different lighting guys,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27one on a glass plate underneath her and a magic lantern,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30maybe with moving slides or drops of water.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33She wrote all this, she choreographed all this.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35So, when she appeared,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38it was like this, kind of, moving, undulating shape.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42She could create these transformative, beautiful images.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45It was like nature coming to life, magnified.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49We might think it happened a long time ago,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51but I think, even still, if you see it done
0:05:51 > 0:05:53exactly how she would have done it, with the light,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55it's still pretty jaw-dropping.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Coloured light and projected images
0:05:58 > 0:06:01transformed Fuller's favourite costume -
0:06:01 > 0:06:06a long, flowing robe - into a technicolour dreamcoat.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09MUSIC: The Carnival Of The Animals, Aquarium by Saint-Saens
0:06:13 > 0:06:16The robe Vicky has created, based on Fuller's designs,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19contains 40 metres of fabric.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23It is all about the movement of the fabric
0:06:23 > 0:06:25and it is how the light is going to be able to act on that.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28- So you've got wooden sticks in there?- I do. I have straight ones.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- She also had curved ones.- And what does that allow you to do then?
0:06:32 > 0:06:36It allows you to almost extend your body, abstract it,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39and it allows you to create more folds in the fabric
0:06:39 > 0:06:43than if you were just holding it yourself.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47- I would really love to have a go. Can I try it on?- Yes, of course.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49- Come on.- Let's go.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54La Loie Fuller was a technological innovator,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58widely seen as an icon of modernity.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01What I'll be seen as an icon of, if this next bit goes viral,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- is anyone's guess.- Amazing.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09It's a whole lot of dress, I'll tell you!
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I can't even walk in it, let alone dance in it. It's amazing.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15It's got quite a bit of span to it, so if you just turn
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and move your arms up and down a little bit as you're going.
0:07:18 > 0:07:24- That's right. Notice that the faster you turn... Yeah, you see?- Ooh.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28You can keep them on different planes. Yeah, perfect.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30'Blimey, this is tough.'
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Little ripples in the pond.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- Ripples in the pond.- Bigger ripples.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41So if you have both arms up and you're turning really fast,
0:07:41 > 0:07:46- it's like being in a lily, yeah. - Oh, it's really difficult! Argh!
0:07:46 > 0:07:50'Who knew variety artists had to work so blooming hard?'
0:07:50 > 0:07:53THEY LAUGH
0:07:53 > 0:07:55That is so difficult.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03MUSIC: Intro to Roamin' In The Gloamin' by Harry Lauder
0:08:03 > 0:08:06While Loie Fuller was stunning British theatregoers
0:08:06 > 0:08:08with her amazing stage routines,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11a variety performer of a very different kind
0:08:11 > 0:08:16was quietly establishing himself as one of the biggest stars of the age.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19# But my heart is centred noo on bonnie... #
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Edinburgh-born Harry Lauder portrayed himself onstage
0:08:23 > 0:08:28as the archetypal Scotsman, complete with knobbly walking stick and kilt.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32He rose to fame on the back of catchy self-penned songs,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34like Roamin' In The Gloamin'.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39# Oh, it's lovely roamin' in the gloamin'
0:08:41 > 0:08:45# La la la, la la di di La la la... #
0:08:47 > 0:08:51- Jimmy!- Oh, Frank, how nice it is to meet you.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54- It's lovely to meet you.- I can hardly believe I'm meeting you.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57- Yeah, and you blend in here beautifully. Let's ascend.- Right.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01- Are you all right doing the stairs in that kilt?- Yes, yes.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03'I've come to the Caledonian Club,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06'a little bit of Scotland in the heart of Belgravia,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10'to discuss Lauder's life and career with Jimmy McWilliams,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12'a lifelong fan who tours the country,
0:09:12 > 0:09:18'performing a scrupulously accurate recreation of the great Scot's act.'
0:09:18 > 0:09:20How big a star was Harry Lauder?
0:09:20 > 0:09:25He was a huge star, a megastar, really, really big.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31He did 22 tours of America and took the place by storm.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35I believe he was the first recording artist in Britain
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- to sell a million records.- Yeah. - That's amazing.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42I have to tell you, though, that when he came to London,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44after the big success in the north of England,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48he received rejection after rejection after rejection.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51And these agents in London said,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55"No, we've had some of you Scottish acts down before
0:09:55 > 0:09:57"and we can't understand you."
0:09:57 > 0:10:01But Lauder said, "Yes, but I'm going to be different from them.
0:10:01 > 0:10:07"I am going to be singing Scottish songs, but with an English accent."
0:10:07 > 0:10:11So, it seems to me, that one of the secrets of his success was degree,
0:10:11 > 0:10:16because he spoke in a Scottish accent, but not too strongly.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- No, just a bit.- He would sing about drinking, but not about drunkenness.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22- Yes.- He was clean, wasn't he?
0:10:22 > 0:10:28- He could be cheeky but he was never one of the bawdier performers.- No.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32- So it was all quite measured. - And he was a great family man.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- He was homely.- But did that come over in his performance?
0:10:35 > 0:10:36Yes, I think it did.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39And I think the American audiences, particularly, thought,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43"He's a good man, we like him."
0:10:43 > 0:10:48- But he did jokes, didn't he, about not spending money?- Being mean.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53For example, where we're sitting now, pretend this is a hotel lobby
0:10:53 > 0:10:56and we're sitting here having a chat, like we are,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00and the newspaper boy comes in selling newspapers.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03He would deliberately give him money,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06where he would have to get a penny change or something,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09and he would shout after the paperboy,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13"Here, boy, it's Harry Lauder you're dealing with.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17"Mind and bring me back that penny you owe me!"
0:11:17 > 0:11:22- And everybody sitting around would think, "Ooh, what a mean man."- Yeah.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26But afterwards, he would go to that paper lad and say,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30"I was only joking, it's part of my image to be a bit stingy,"
0:11:30 > 0:11:34and he would maybe give him a few quid.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35So, it wasn't just on stage.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39- He felt he had to keep the image going.- Oh, yes.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- That's a great excuse, Jimmy, for being tight.- I know!
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Well, there you go, canny Scotsman.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50So, you have, with you, a sort of Harry Lauder walking stick.
0:11:50 > 0:11:56Now, that was an absolutely essential part of the Harry Lauder look.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58What's it all about?
0:11:58 > 0:12:03For a start, when he went to London and became a big star,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05there was no time for rehearsals.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08They were working maybe four, five, six music halls a night.
0:12:08 > 0:12:14So, Lauder used the stick to give the timing to the orchestra.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19- Oh, OK. Let's see it, Jimmy.- He would come on the stage and do this.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24HE TAPS STICK ON FLOOR AND QUIETLY COUNTS MUSICAL BEAT
0:12:24 > 0:12:29- OK, so that was instead of rehearsal. - A good ploy, wasn't it?- Very clever.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34- Och aye.- I see, OK. - That type of thing.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36I like the fact that it has a practical purpose,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39as well as looking a bit funny.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44- And for holding on to, if you're feeling a bit nervous.- Oh, OK.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48- So it was a sort of security stick. - Yeah.- OK.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50MUSIC: Pomp And Circumstance March No. 4 by Elgar
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Harry Lauder and La Loie Fuller both rose to fame
0:12:54 > 0:12:58during the Edwardian era, a time when Britain was awash with cash.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02King Edward VII reigned over an empire
0:13:02 > 0:13:04that took in half the globe
0:13:04 > 0:13:07and many Brits had grown hugely wealthy on the proceeds.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Toffed up like this, they flocked to see variety.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19So you feel comfortable with the corset?
0:13:19 > 0:13:23It's strangely wonderful for deportment. I like this!
0:13:23 > 0:13:26It's designed to make you stand straight.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28I've never walked quite so well.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30- What do you think? - You look gorgeous.- Thank you.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34I always thought people who were this smart would be going
0:13:34 > 0:13:38to classical music concerts or a Shakespeare play or the opera.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Would you also wear this if you were going
0:13:40 > 0:13:42somewhere like variety theatre,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44which was, frankly, slumming it a bit more?
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Every level of entertainment,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51whether it was high opera or music hall,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55the patrons would have considered this normal attire
0:13:55 > 0:13:58and it's all about being seen.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01It's quite a blingy outfit. I have a fake bottom.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Your corsets and your padding.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07I've got extra padding there to give me a bit more shape,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I've got a corset so tight I feel like I need my lower ribs removed.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14The idea of sitting down for a night at the theatre in this,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18you'd pass out. It's hot and it's heavy and uncomfortable.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Yes, and as restrictive and contained
0:14:21 > 0:14:26as you would have been dressed, so it would have been so for the man,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30with a hard-boiled, stiff-fronted, starched shirt,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34high collar, minimum two-inch height, under the neck,
0:14:34 > 0:14:39and the constriction of a full, heavy, wool-ounceage jacket.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41You'd just boil!
0:14:41 > 0:14:44How did they all pack into somewhere and remotely enjoy themselves?
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- There was a lot of sweat and a lot of smell.- Yeah, no deodorant, pwor!
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Dying for the art of fashion - that's what it was all about.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54So, this charming fellow - he doesn't say much.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57I'm going to call him Bertie. This is my date.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01As a pair of toffs, would Bertie and I be sitting up,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03looking down at the footman,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06or would we be sitting in the stalls, in the thick of it?
0:15:06 > 0:15:09You would have been sitting in the stalls
0:15:09 > 0:15:11and the construction of the stalls would have been such
0:15:11 > 0:15:14that you would have had the best viewpoint of the stage.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17The masses, if you like,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21were sort of pushed to the back of the theatre
0:15:21 > 0:15:24and the upper classes were given prime place
0:15:24 > 0:15:28because they could pay premium money for the tickets.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31MUSIC: Pomp And Circumstance March No. 4 by Elgar
0:15:31 > 0:15:33The existence of a well-heeled audience,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36gagging for a chance to goggle at variety,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39led to the construction of some spectacular theatres,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42including the Coliseum near Trafalgar Square.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Hello, Frank. Welcome to the London Coliseum. Come this way.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52'It's the headquarters of the English National Opera, these days,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55'but it started life in 1904,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58'as a purpose-built, state-of-the-art variety theatre,
0:15:58 > 0:16:03'the brainchild of two eminent Edwardians - Frank Matcham,
0:16:03 > 0:16:07'a renowned architect, who also designed the London Palladium
0:16:07 > 0:16:12'and Oswald Stoll, the cofounder of the Stoll Moss theatre chain.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18'Billed in its early days as the "people's palace of entertainment",
0:16:18 > 0:16:21'the Colly was the jewel in the Stoll Moss crown.'
0:16:21 > 0:16:24So, when you hear about Stoll Moss and all that,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27these people were central figures in variety.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29They are legendary figures today.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- And had theatres all over the country?- Every big town,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34there'd be a Stoll Moss Empire -
0:16:34 > 0:16:37Bristol, Birmingham, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Often you can forget about these guys but they are absolutely crucial
0:16:41 > 0:16:44to the whole history of variety, aren't they?
0:16:44 > 0:16:46They're absolutely crucial
0:16:46 > 0:16:49and they're very crucial for performers, singers and comedians.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51If they got a booking with Stoll Moss,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53they could be working 52 weeks of the year.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- Don't need a house!- No.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59And what we're looking at now, which is incredible,
0:16:59 > 0:17:04how different is that from what I would have seen if I'd come in 1904?
0:17:04 > 0:17:08The only real difference would be all the modern technical apparatus.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11All these lights over there, they wouldn't have existed,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15but the actual structure, the architecture, the appearance,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18is just about similar, I would say.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The Coliseum was, and it still is, the largest theatre in London.
0:17:21 > 0:17:272,359 seats, and every seat, from up here, where we are in the balcony
0:17:27 > 0:17:31to the wings, everybody can see the show.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Brilliant!
0:17:33 > 0:17:35MUSIC: Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1 by Elgar
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Brilliant is right, Frank. I couldn't agree more.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42But behind this glittering facade,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46all was not well in the world of Edwardian variety.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Popular entertainment had come a long way
0:17:49 > 0:17:53from those down-and-dirty days of the 1840s and '50s,
0:17:53 > 0:17:58when music hall was edgy, rowdy and profoundly non-respectable.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Now, the middle classes were trying to elbow their way in
0:18:01 > 0:18:03and not everyone approved.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Working-class variety fans were furious
0:18:07 > 0:18:10they could no longer afford to see their favourite stars
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and they weren't the only ones getting annoyed.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17Artists and theatre professionals were cheesed off too.
0:18:17 > 0:18:23In January, 1907, they showed the world just how angry they'd become.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Led by the legendary Marie Lloyd, the singer and comedian
0:18:27 > 0:18:30who'd been the queen of the music hall for the previous 20 years,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34they embarked on a strike which they called a Music Hall War.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Everyone knew who the enemy was -
0:18:41 > 0:18:44the handful of powerful theatre bosses
0:18:44 > 0:18:46who'd come to dominate the variety scene.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50People like Oswald Stoll would try to control things
0:18:50 > 0:18:53in a much more ruthless, businesslike manner,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56so they came up with the idea, if we get twice the number of people in
0:18:56 > 0:19:00and we do a tighter, shorter show,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02so we only book, say, 12 acts,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05and the show lasts two hours and you can do it twice a night,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08and you do that six nights a week, so you're doing 12 shows a week,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10but you didn't necessarily pay the acts twice the money
0:19:10 > 0:19:12for doing twice the work.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14And so the acts, particularly the lower-paid acts,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17the acts at the bottom of the bill, were getting shafted.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20And so what happens in 1907 then?
0:19:20 > 0:19:23I know Marie Lloyd, a big music hall star, right at the forefront -
0:19:23 > 0:19:26are they actually trying to stop shows going on?
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Yeah, they picketed theatres like the Holborn Empire
0:19:28 > 0:19:32and there are funny stories about Marie Lloyd shouting abuse
0:19:32 > 0:19:36at Lockhart's elephants as they went into the theatre to perform.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40- What did she say to the elephants? - I don't know. "Call that a trunk?"
0:19:40 > 0:19:43I don't know. But it was also quite funny
0:19:43 > 0:19:46because you'd get acts refusing to appear
0:19:46 > 0:19:49and sending some bogus excuse.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53So Little Tich sent a message to say he couldn't appear that night
0:19:53 > 0:19:57cos he was learning a new cornet solo and couldn't tear himself away
0:19:57 > 0:19:59and Marie Lloyd said she couldn't appear
0:19:59 > 0:20:02cos she was busy sewing flounces on her frock.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04There was a certain amount of humour in this
0:20:04 > 0:20:06but it was quite a bitter dispute.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09The theatre owners took it seriously because suddenly,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12if you can't get the biggest acts to appear in your theatres,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14you can't attract audiences
0:20:14 > 0:20:17because people went to see people like Marie Lloyd,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19they didn't go because of the name of the theatre.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Realising they had their backs to the wall,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Oswald Stoll and his fellow impresarios agreed to introduce
0:20:27 > 0:20:31better conditions of service for all variety performers.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35It was a personal triumph for Marie Lloyd
0:20:35 > 0:20:39but standing up to the bosses ultimately backfired on her.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Five years after the strike, in 1912,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46the first ever Royal Command Performance was held
0:20:46 > 0:20:48at London's Palace Theatre.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Some of Britain's top entertainers, including the great Harry Lauder,
0:20:55 > 0:21:00had been booked to perform in front of the grandest people in the land -
0:21:00 > 0:21:04the newly crowned King George V and his consort, Queen Mary.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Three million roses had been draped around the theatre,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13in honour of the royal pair, but everything was far from rosy,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15so far as one performer was concerned.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Britain's biggest star, Marie Lloyd,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21was not asked to perform in front of the royals.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Some thought maybe her act was too risque
0:21:23 > 0:21:26or it was her complicated private life,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29others because she'd supported the earlier strike.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Either way, Marie was not happy.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34She organised an alternative show at a nearby theatre.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39It was being held, she said, by "command of the British public".
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Ah, Marie - always the people's champion.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Later on that evening, a very public snub was handed out
0:21:49 > 0:21:53to another leading performer, the very popular Vesta Tilley,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56a female singer, whose act involved dressing up as a man.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02It seems that Queen Mary was not happy
0:22:02 > 0:22:05that a notorious cross-dresser was on the bill.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11The papers said, the next morning, that during Tilley's act,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14the Queen deliberately averted her eyes,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16concentrating on her souvenir programme,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18as did her ladies-in-waiting,
0:22:18 > 0:22:23as did her special guest, Grand Duchess George of Russia.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27You'd think, with a name like that, she'd have been more supportive.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35Vesta Tilley might have horrified Queen Mary but she fascinates me.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38The Worcester-born singer and actress achieved
0:22:38 > 0:22:42huge wealth and fame by challenging some key social taboos.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50# The set of boys I chum with are the best-known set down town... #
0:22:50 > 0:22:54At a time when women were expected to look as feminine as possible
0:22:54 > 0:22:56and act submissively at all times,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00she sauntered onstage in full male drag
0:23:00 > 0:23:02to belt out spiky little songs
0:23:02 > 0:23:06like Algy, The Piccadilly Johnny With The Little Glass Eye.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09# He's very well known is Algy
0:23:09 > 0:23:13# As the Piccadilly Johnny with the little glass eye... #
0:23:13 > 0:23:16It was a bold and risky thing to do
0:23:16 > 0:23:19and it provoked an astonishing response.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22She had legions of fans, Vesta Tilley,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26but particularly women, who would just throng outside the stage door
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- and she got hundreds of letters from them.- Yes.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33And they are the most extraordinary collection
0:23:33 > 0:23:36of passionate pleas,
0:23:36 > 0:23:38mostly by very young women,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42some of them asserting, "I am a poor girl, I am not a rich girl,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46"but I do so love you. I want... Can I be one of yours?"
0:23:46 > 0:23:48One of your what, you think.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52"Can I come and throw myself enslaved at your feet?"
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Really extraordinary, over-the-top language they used.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58How meticulous was she, in terms of the drag act?
0:23:58 > 0:24:00What did she do with her voice, her gestures?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03But that's the most interesting part of it.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05She didn't have a masculine voice,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08so onto the stage comes somebody
0:24:08 > 0:24:11who's almost indistinguishable from a young man or a boy
0:24:11 > 0:24:16and she opens her mouth and a light soprano comes out.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21And it suggests that masculinity can be donned,
0:24:21 > 0:24:26can be put on, and people find that really fascinating.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- So she's a mass of contradictions in lots of ways.- Yeah.
0:24:29 > 0:24:36What fascinates me about her is that she played a kind of boy figure -
0:24:36 > 0:24:39not man, not woman, but boy.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42She is the Peter Pan of musical stage.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46I like the idea that Vesta Tilley might have risen to fame
0:24:46 > 0:24:50by channelling Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54If she did though, one thing's for sure -
0:24:54 > 0:24:59in 1914, like everyone else in Britain, she had to grow up fast.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03CANON FIRE
0:25:03 > 0:25:06The sudden outbreak of the First World War that August
0:25:06 > 0:25:09sparked off a huge army recruitment drive.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Vesta Tilley and Harry Lauder were both closely involved.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Dressed as a soldier, Vesta sang patriotic songs,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23like We Don't Want To Lose You (But We Think You Ought To Go),
0:25:23 > 0:25:28and became known as Britain's best recruiting sergeant.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30While Harry formed a pipe band
0:25:30 > 0:25:33to pipe apparently willing volunteers
0:25:33 > 0:25:35to the nearest army recruitment office.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39He was knighted for his efforts,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42but not before suffering a terrible loss...
0:25:44 > 0:25:47..the death in action of his beloved son John.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52It inspired him to write what could be his most personal song.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56MUSIC: Intro to Keep Right On To The End Of The Road by Harry Lauder
0:25:56 > 0:26:01# Keep right on to the end of the road
0:26:01 > 0:26:04# Keep right on to the end
0:26:04 > 0:26:07# Though the way be long
0:26:07 > 0:26:09# Let your heart be strong
0:26:09 > 0:26:13# Keep right on round the bend
0:26:13 > 0:26:18# Though you're tired and weary Still journey on
0:26:18 > 0:26:22# Till you come to your happy abode
0:26:22 > 0:26:29# Where all you love you've been dreaming of
0:26:29 > 0:26:31# Will be there
0:26:31 > 0:26:34# At the end
0:26:34 > 0:26:36# Of the road. #
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- Whoa.- You can see why people would have wanted to sing
0:26:41 > 0:26:44that in the trenches. It was a jolly, keep-them-going song.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46It depends what you think the "road" is.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Some people thought the road was like the war, the battle,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52and that you carry on until victory.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54For me, when you get to "the road",
0:26:54 > 0:26:58"the one you love, you've been think...", I think that's heaven.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01I think the "road" is life.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Interestingly, considering the inspiration for it,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07the death of your only son on the Western Front,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10the only time I ever hear this song now
0:27:10 > 0:27:14is that Birmingham City Football Club supporters sing it
0:27:14 > 0:27:18to sort of suggest the ups and downs of being a football fan.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22So, that is what popular entertainment is all about.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24You can have all the intentions you like,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27but the people will make it what they want to make it.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31Did Vesta Tilley write any well-known football chants?
0:27:31 > 0:27:33- So many, you have no idea. - Go on then.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Particularly, # Paolo Di Canio... # That was one of hers.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40No, Vesta's an interesting character.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I've got a song here, A Bit Of A Blighty One.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46A blighty one is... Obviously, Blighty is here.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50A bit of a blighty one was the injury that was serious enough
0:27:50 > 0:27:52to get you sent back from the battlefield, back to Blighty,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55but not so serious that you'd be blown to smithereens.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58So you sort of hankered after a bit of a blighty one,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01cos you quite fancied getting back from the front. So here we go.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06# I've a bit of a blighty one but nothing to flee from
0:28:06 > 0:28:11# A bit of a blighty one That's all... # So far, so jolly.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15# All through the splinter in the four-point-two
0:28:15 > 0:28:19# I'm in two but I'm never feeling blue
0:28:19 > 0:28:22# I married a cootchie She came from Nottingham people
0:28:22 > 0:28:26# I'm treated like a long-lost son
0:28:26 > 0:28:31# When the saucy little nursie tucks me up and calls me Percy
0:28:31 > 0:28:35# Oh, I'm glad I've got a bit of a blighty one. #
0:28:35 > 0:28:39So, it's this bloke. He's happily tucked up in bed.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42He's got his naughty nursie. He's quite glad to be at home.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45So, it's not, in any way, a critique of the war,
0:28:45 > 0:28:47but I think it's that slightly more nuanced,
0:28:47 > 0:28:50"Actually, life on the front is not that lovely.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53- "I'm very glad to be home." - Good old Percy.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01When the First World War ended in 1918, most people thought
0:29:01 > 0:29:05that variety would pick up where it had left off, but it didn't.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12Dozens of variety theatres closed down over the next ten years,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14put out of business by an economic slump
0:29:14 > 0:29:18and the emergence of new forms of mass entertainment.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21Many of those venues that had closed down
0:29:21 > 0:29:24simply reopened a few months later, now as cinemas.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26This was the age of the silver screen,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30that shorthand for everything that was new and modern.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33And going to the pictures wasn't the only alternative
0:29:33 > 0:29:34to live performance.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38People could now also be entertained in their own homes.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44RADIO PLAYS MUSIC
0:29:44 > 0:29:48Regular radio broadcasts began in Britain in 1922
0:29:48 > 0:29:52and by the end of the 1920s, wireless sets, as they were known,
0:29:52 > 0:29:56had found their way into most British homes.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58With cinema taking off as well,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01the outlook for live variety looked grim,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04but then, something unexpected happened.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10In the Autumn of 1928, distinctive black and yellow posters
0:30:10 > 0:30:12started going up on walls across London.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16They said, quite simply, "Variety is coming back",
0:30:16 > 0:30:18but gave no further details.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22A few days later, a whole new round of posters went up.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26They said, "Variety is coming back to the Palladium".
0:30:26 > 0:30:29MUSIC: The Horse Guards, Whitehall
0:30:29 > 0:30:32The London palladium is, of course, Britain's most famous theatre.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37The Variety Is Coming Back show, held there on 10th September, 1928,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40was a hugely important event.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45There were massive crowds outside the theatre that night
0:30:45 > 0:30:48and the show was a great success.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52No-one spoke about the decline in variety again for a very long time.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55But what happened? Where did the magic come from?
0:30:55 > 0:30:58What gave variety that boost, that shot in the arm?
0:30:58 > 0:31:00Well, here's a theory.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04On the bill that night was this young woman from Lancashire.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08The woman in question was Gracie Fields.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12Born above a fish and chip shop in Rochdale, in 1898,
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Our Gracie, as she was known, became a megastar
0:31:16 > 0:31:18in Britain during the 1930s,
0:31:18 > 0:31:22selling millions of records and drawing huge crowds.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26# I can wear a grin sticking out my chin
0:31:26 > 0:31:29# Looking on the bright side of life. #
0:31:29 > 0:31:33CHEERING
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Her barnstorming performance at the Palladium, in 1928,
0:31:37 > 0:31:39which helped to save British variety,
0:31:39 > 0:31:42was just one staging post on her personal journey.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46How did she grow up from being a talented girl
0:31:46 > 0:31:48into a star of the stage?
0:31:48 > 0:31:50She used to go singing in the pubs,
0:31:50 > 0:31:53just to fetch her father home from the boozer, as she called it,
0:31:53 > 0:31:57and then she got into musical revue, sometimes the amateur ones,
0:31:57 > 0:32:00and then she was discovered by Archie Pitt,
0:32:00 > 0:32:02who was the man who she married.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Gracie's well-connected husband smoothed her way into the West End
0:32:05 > 0:32:07and onto the silver screen.
0:32:09 > 0:32:14# Sally, Sally... #
0:32:14 > 0:32:18Live variety shows had made Gracie popular.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22Films like this made her seriously rich.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25This is pretty much when she was at her height.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29Yes, I mean, she'd just decided to move to Capri at that time.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32She was getting a lot of money, very, very highly paid.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35I don't know what the average wage was in those days,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37but she was getting something like £100,000 a picture,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39which was a lot of money then.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43- And she was the highest paid star in Britain.- Probably in the world.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47She competed easily with the likes of Garbo and Dietrich in Hollywood.
0:32:47 > 0:32:53# You're more than the whole world
0:32:53 > 0:32:59# To me. #
0:32:59 > 0:33:00APPLAUSE
0:33:00 > 0:33:03What was it that made her stand out as an act?
0:33:03 > 0:33:07She identified with the people and, mostly, with the north.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10But also she was popular at, say, Buckingham Palace,
0:33:10 > 0:33:12she was popular with the upstairs and the downstairs.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14She could do it both ways.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16I think it's because she wasn't just a comedian,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18she could do the very serious singing.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20And then make people cry
0:33:20 > 0:33:23and then she would make people laugh by doing the buffoonery.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27She appealed to people of all ages and all classes.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Gracie Fields was a showbiz sensation
0:33:30 > 0:33:34but, in my opinion, there was a slightly bigger star around.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36All right, I'm going to sing a song
0:33:36 > 0:33:38called My Little Stick Of Blackpool Rock.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41This being in Blackpool, we'll have it filmed as well. OK.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44PIANIST PLAYS INTRO TO SONG
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Wigan-born George Formby shot to fame during the 1920s
0:33:50 > 0:33:55and retained a huge following right up until his death in 1961.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58# See me dressed like all the sports
0:33:58 > 0:34:01# In my blazer and a pair of shorts
0:34:01 > 0:34:04# With my little stick of Blackpool rock
0:34:05 > 0:34:08# Along the promenade I stroll
0:34:08 > 0:34:12# It may be sticky but I never complain
0:34:12 > 0:34:16# It's nice to have a nibble at it now and again... #
0:34:17 > 0:34:21I love George. I've made programmes about him
0:34:21 > 0:34:23and tried to play the ukelele like him too,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26but I'm still not sure I fully understand
0:34:26 > 0:34:29how he became the biggest star in the history of variety.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34I've come to the City Variety theatre in Leeds
0:34:34 > 0:34:37to talk the matter over with another man I greatly admire,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40George Formby's greatest musical heir
0:34:40 > 0:34:44and my first ukelele teacher, the brilliant Andy Eastwood.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Why did he become such a massive, massive star?
0:34:47 > 0:34:49His father was a character comedian
0:34:49 > 0:34:51of the Edwardian music hall
0:34:51 > 0:34:54and he took this very successful formula that his father had,
0:34:54 > 0:34:58playing a simpleton, an ordinary working-class guy, really,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01who was loveable, a bit of an underdog
0:35:01 > 0:35:04but always sort of happy and won through in the end.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08He took the character and modernised it in every way.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12So, instead of the baggy clothes, he started wearing sharp suits.
0:35:12 > 0:35:18The comedy, instead of just being a little bit silly and nonsensical,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21he made it risque and saucy.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25And then, more than anything, the musical style,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28he infused it with jazz rhythms. It was very, very modern.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32- It was just this amazing formula. - And this is George's?
0:35:32 > 0:35:34This is one of his ukes, yeah.
0:35:34 > 0:35:39He used this on his last TV show. About three months before he died,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43they recorded, oddly enough, his life story.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- I've watched it many times.- Of course.- It's quite moving, isn't it?
0:35:46 > 0:35:50It really is. To think that a few weeks later, he was gone.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53It's just incredible that we've got it.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Well, good evening, everybody.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Turned out nice again, hasn't it?
0:36:00 > 0:36:03Even talking about it, I'm getting tingly at the back of the neck.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07There's a bit in it where he listens to his dad's voice on a gramophone,
0:36:07 > 0:36:09you see the tears come in his eyes.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13The great star and then the son of the great star is also a great star,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16- it's a really special moment. - It is, yeah.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20# When Eckard Smith ran second in the Derby last July
0:36:20 > 0:36:24# I was standing at the corner of the street... #
0:36:26 > 0:36:31The lyrics to the songs often have quite a bit of sauciness.
0:36:31 > 0:36:37Oh, yeah! It was wonderful, the risque lyrics, which were banned.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39What's your favourite?
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Things like "Little stick of Blackpool rock", obviously,
0:36:42 > 0:36:44and the whole idea of When I'm Cleaning Windows,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47you know, the guy peeping through to see what he can spot, you know.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50- Yeah.- It's so innocent on the surface.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54It's a celebration of what we used to call Peeping Tommery, which is...
0:36:54 > 0:36:57Yeah, but on the surface, he's just doing his job
0:36:57 > 0:36:59and it's very, very clever.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03# Now I go window cleaning to earn an honest bob
0:37:03 > 0:37:08# For a nosy parker it's an interestin' job
0:37:08 > 0:37:10# The blushin' bride She looks divine
0:37:10 > 0:37:13# The bridegroom, he is doin' fine
0:37:13 > 0:37:15# I'd rather have his job than mine
0:37:15 > 0:37:17# When I'm cleanin' windows. #
0:37:17 > 0:37:19There might be people watching this
0:37:19 > 0:37:25who don't know how really, really good you are on the banjolele,
0:37:25 > 0:37:27so I wouldn't like to let you go away
0:37:27 > 0:37:30without a bit of a solo, so what about...?
0:37:30 > 0:37:34I'm just going to hit nice, simple, man-in-the-street chords
0:37:34 > 0:37:38- and I'm going to leave the clever stuff to you.- OK, thanks.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41ANDY STARTS PLAYING Hold on, hold on, hold on.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43ANDY LAUGHS
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Right, let's do it. One, two, three, four.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49THEY PLAY FAST
0:38:16 > 0:38:19- Pretty good! - THEY LAUGH
0:38:19 > 0:38:21Ah, love it!
0:38:23 > 0:38:27We've looked at some giants of variety in this programme.
0:38:27 > 0:38:32Now Frank and I want to pick one act each to bring back to life on stage.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38For me, the choice is simple.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43I've got to go with the fascinating androgynous Vesta Tilley.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45And having taken my George Formby obsession
0:38:45 > 0:38:49about as far as I possibly can, there's only one man for me -
0:38:49 > 0:38:52the Scotch-tastic, Sir Harry Lauder.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57The great entertainer's number one fan, singer Jimmy McWilliams,
0:38:57 > 0:39:01has persuaded me to have a go at one of his lesser-known songs.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04- So, Jimmy, this is The Waggle Of The Kilt.- Yes.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07- Written by Harry Lauder.- Yes.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12- Maybe we should start with you just singing a little bit of it.- OK.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15- Just keep it cas.- Yes.- OK.
0:39:17 > 0:39:22# I'll never forget the day I went and joined the 93rd
0:39:22 > 0:39:26# The chums I used to run with said they thought I looked absurd... #
0:39:26 > 0:39:29'The song is about a young man who joins the army
0:39:29 > 0:39:31'and distinguishes himself from day one
0:39:31 > 0:39:35'by the sheer brilliance of his vigorous kilt-waggling.'
0:39:35 > 0:39:39# He's a braw braw Hielan' laddie Private Jock McDade... #
0:39:39 > 0:39:41'I love the song,
0:39:41 > 0:39:45'but some of the words are causing me a certain amount of concern.'
0:39:45 > 0:39:47# You can tell he's Scottish built
0:39:47 > 0:39:51# By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle Waggle o' the kilt. #
0:39:52 > 0:39:57- Right... I have a few questions.- Oh, right.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02For a start-off, what did you say? No, I'm joking. Um...
0:40:02 > 0:40:06- "He's a braw, braw...?"- Yes.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10- "Braw braw..."- Yes. - "Braw braw Hielan' laddie..."- Yeah.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- "Private Jack McDade." So he is Private Jack McDade.- Yeah.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18- "Braw braw" - that's like in Burns...- I know that, yes.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22- "Braw" simply means "good". - OK.- "Good".- And "Hielan'"?
0:40:22 > 0:40:29"Hielan'" is actually a slightly derogatory alternative for Highland.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33- I prefer to say "Highland", myself. - Well, I...
0:40:33 > 0:40:37Most of my career, if there's been a choice, I've gone for derogatory.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42- Right.- I'm just thinking Harry put it in for a laugh.- He did, yeah.
0:40:42 > 0:40:47- And I don't want to remove a laugh that Harry wanted.- Oh, no.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49We have to be true to the man.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52Obviously, I need to go through this and through this,
0:40:52 > 0:40:56but there is another key element, isn't there?
0:40:58 > 0:40:59And...
0:40:59 > 0:41:03- And that is the waggle.- Yes.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06Now, I have a vague idea of what a wiggle might be,
0:41:06 > 0:41:10but I've never even heard the word "waggle" before.
0:41:10 > 0:41:15So, really, I need you to show me. Can you give me a waggle?
0:41:15 > 0:41:19- You want a demonstration? - Yeah, could you?- Yes.
0:41:19 > 0:41:25# He's a braw braw Hielan' laddie Private Jock McDade
0:41:25 > 0:41:29# There's no one other soger like him in the Scotch Brigade
0:41:29 > 0:41:33# Reared among the heather You can see he's Scottish built
0:41:33 > 0:41:38# By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle Waggle o' the kilt. #
0:41:38 > 0:41:42It was great. I didn't see that coming, I'll be honest with you.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Let's do this together. So...
0:41:44 > 0:41:47- Never block me, dear.- There you go.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51Just show me, again, the actual waggling.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55Wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle, waggle o' the kilt.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59- I mean, back here, Jimmy... - Yes.- ..it's an extravaganza.- Is it?
0:41:59 > 0:42:02I tell you, I've been in this business 30 years,
0:42:02 > 0:42:06- I've never seen fabric move like that.- Oh, really?- Beautiful.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09- There's a lot of material, isn't there?- There is, yeah.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11I wish some of it was mine!
0:42:11 > 0:42:15- Just do that again. - Heel on the floor.- Yeah.
0:42:15 > 0:42:20- Left, right, left, right. And move the bottom.- Oh, yes.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24- Or, as they call it in Scotland, the "bahookie".- The bahookie?
0:42:24 > 0:42:27- That's the Scottish word for bottom. - I thought that was a Greek dance!
0:42:27 > 0:42:31No, "bahookie" is a Scottish word for the bottom.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33I tell you what,
0:42:33 > 0:42:37what I'm enjoying more than anything is the circulation of air.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39JIMMY LAUGHS
0:42:39 > 0:42:44It's fabulous. It's like I've got bahookie-based air conditioning.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46I think you've got it.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48What I think I need to do...
0:42:48 > 0:42:50In acting, they say you should go big to begin
0:42:50 > 0:42:52and then you can always bring it down.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55So, I thought if Paul plays the intro,
0:42:55 > 0:42:59I could just let myself go a bit and then maybe you could tame me.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03- What next? Hold on, I've just got a bit of lunch in my teeth.- Aye.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06OK, let's try it then.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09PAUL PLAYS INTRO
0:43:09 > 0:43:13JIMMY LAUGHS
0:43:13 > 0:43:17# Well, I'll never forget the day I went and joined the 23rd. #
0:43:17 > 0:43:19And off we go. Um...
0:43:19 > 0:43:21It feels a bit like I've fallen.
0:43:23 > 0:43:24But maybe I'll be all right.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29The whole wiggle-waggle dancing, I feel like it's really in my system.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33- In your...yeah.- I'll just go and get a cup of tea.- Yes, of course.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36PAUL PLAYS INTRO Wa-ha-ha!
0:43:45 > 0:43:49I have to say that I don't know if it should have been that enjoyable.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52There was just something lovely about it.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56I think I might have had a small insight
0:43:56 > 0:43:59into why Lauder was so popular,
0:43:59 > 0:44:02because he wrote these songs
0:44:02 > 0:44:05and he seemed to have that supernatural gift
0:44:05 > 0:44:07that some songwriters have. They just...
0:44:07 > 0:44:10They can turn on happy like a tap.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14And when you sing that song,
0:44:14 > 0:44:17you really feel it happen to you.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20I don't want to let Harry Lauder down and, after today,
0:44:20 > 0:44:23I really don't want to let Jimmy down,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26cos Jimmy was such a lovely bloke who really cares about this music
0:44:26 > 0:44:28and I want to do him justice.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34So, that's me, but what about Suzy?
0:44:34 > 0:44:37She's got a pretty hard task, I reckon.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42# After the ball is over
0:44:42 > 0:44:47# After the break of morn
0:44:47 > 0:44:51# After the dancers leaving
0:44:51 > 0:44:55# After the stars are gone... #
0:44:55 > 0:44:59'To recreate the act of variety's greatest male impersonator,
0:44:59 > 0:45:01'I need to get inside her mind.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04'I've been trying to do that by working my way
0:45:04 > 0:45:07'through Vesta's songs, but it hasn't got me very far.'
0:45:07 > 0:45:13# ..Vanished after the ball. #
0:45:15 > 0:45:17Sweet little song.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20That was one of Vesta Tilley's big hits - After The Ball.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23It's a really gorgeous little sentimental number
0:45:23 > 0:45:27and I love it, but it's one of those songs that makes me question,
0:45:27 > 0:45:29even more, I suppose, who she was.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32This woman had so many onstage personas.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36She'd do these gorgeous tear-jerking numbers, like that song,
0:45:36 > 0:45:39then she'd do the cheeky chappie, the Burlington Berties,
0:45:39 > 0:45:41taking the mick out of the toffs.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44Then she'd be the really tough recruiting sergeant.
0:45:44 > 0:45:49I haven't quite got to the heart of who Vesta was onstage
0:45:49 > 0:45:53and I'm going to have to really kind of work that out for myself
0:45:53 > 0:45:56before I decide what I'm going to do in that final performance.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58And I'm also really going to have to conquer
0:45:58 > 0:46:01the big thing that's worrying me, which is how to go onstage
0:46:01 > 0:46:04as a woman who's playing being a man
0:46:04 > 0:46:06and I am going to need some help with that.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17I've heard that the woman who's best qualified to help me
0:46:17 > 0:46:22is a gender expert and part-time drag king called Lenna Cumberbatch.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25I need your help, Lenna.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28Cos much as I love Vesta -
0:46:28 > 0:46:32and I think she's an amazing woman - I need some help to be a man.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35- So, show me how.- Absolutely. There's some really basic things
0:46:35 > 0:46:37you can learn about first of all.
0:46:37 > 0:46:39For instance, one of the ways is sitting.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41We know how men like to take up space.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45- Man-spreading.- OK.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Take up space and take ownership of that space,
0:46:48 > 0:46:52so you're throwing your shoulders back, slouching in your seat.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54So, man-spreading.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57I'm on the train, I'm taking up two seats rather than one.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00Isn't that awful?! Terrible. What kind of lady are you?
0:47:00 > 0:47:03No, but it's weirdly unnatural. You do want to shrink yourself.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05You want to bring everything back together.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08'I'm getting some useful insights into male behaviour here
0:47:08 > 0:47:11'but reproducing Vesta Tilley's subtle blend
0:47:11 > 0:47:13'of male and female characteristics
0:47:13 > 0:47:16'is still going to be dauntingly hard.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20'I don't only have to sing like her, remember.'
0:47:20 > 0:47:24I've got to look, act, walk and talk like her too.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27Time, methinks, for a change of clothes.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33- Oh, nice! - 'Lenna's found me a suitable outfit
0:47:33 > 0:47:36'and persuaded me to lodge a pair of my husband's football socks
0:47:36 > 0:47:39'in, well, a rather private place.'
0:47:39 > 0:47:42- I see you've got your bulge as well. - I tell you one thing -
0:47:42 > 0:47:45walking with trouser furniture is a new experience!
0:47:45 > 0:47:47Makes a difference, doesn't it?
0:47:47 > 0:47:50It changes your centre of gravity completely.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53Bring your legs in.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55'My fake appendage is proving to be rather a help,
0:47:55 > 0:48:00'but Lenna reckons I still haven't captured what Vesta was all about.'
0:48:00 > 0:48:02Vesta was cheeky,
0:48:02 > 0:48:05so you want to be able to take on that sort of personality
0:48:05 > 0:48:07and it's confidence - she's oozing it,
0:48:07 > 0:48:11she knows what she's doing, she's good at what she's doing, so strut.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15This is your stage. You own this stage.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17Walk with purpose, chin up, head forwards.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20- OK, I'm going to go with that.- Yeah.- OK.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25There we go. Very nice.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29- You got it!- Hooray.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31'Hooray, I've unleashed my inner man!
0:48:31 > 0:48:33'But there's so much to remember.'
0:48:33 > 0:48:36Own the stage, subtlety, buttocks down, tummy in,
0:48:36 > 0:48:39shoulders back, got it. Bye!
0:48:40 > 0:48:44- I never said it was easy! - LENNA LAUGHS
0:48:47 > 0:48:50To complete our voyage around the variety world,
0:48:50 > 0:48:53Suzy and I are now going to pick out some costumes.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00- Ooh, look at that!- Oh! Check that out!
0:49:00 > 0:49:04This is like the best dressing-up box ever!
0:49:04 > 0:49:08- You can smell all those actors' armpits.- Oh, don't!
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Come on! I want to go and find my inner Vesta Tilley.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13OK, well, I just want to find an inner vest!
0:49:13 > 0:49:15Good luck with that. See you later.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17Choosing the right stage clothes
0:49:17 > 0:49:20and making sure they were ready for action at all times
0:49:20 > 0:49:24was a top priority for all variety performers.
0:49:25 > 0:49:30- Wowee!- Everyone, from top-of-the-bill comics to lowly chorus girls,
0:49:30 > 0:49:33wanted to come onstage looking box-fresh,
0:49:33 > 0:49:37but some of the biggest stars of the era took their interest in clothes
0:49:37 > 0:49:41a step further and became fashion icons as a result.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45# Nellie's mother said "I somehow rather fancy you"... #
0:49:45 > 0:49:47George Formby, for instance, helped to make
0:49:47 > 0:49:51a smartly-tailored lounge suit with matching shirt and tie
0:49:51 > 0:49:54the automatic choice of every would-be man about town.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57APPLAUSE
0:49:57 > 0:50:00While Gracie Fields mixed casual daywear
0:50:00 > 0:50:02with immaculate evening gowns
0:50:02 > 0:50:05in a way that influenced millions of women.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09But the star who had the biggest impact on fashion
0:50:09 > 0:50:12was, undoubtedly, Vesta Tilley.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14Historians credit HER with changing the way
0:50:14 > 0:50:19in which an entire generation of British MEN dressed.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23Not right, not right, not right, Vesta would hate that, not right...
0:50:23 > 0:50:26'If I'm going to stand any chance of bringing Vesta back to life,
0:50:26 > 0:50:28'I'm going to have to choose my stage outfit
0:50:28 > 0:50:31'with the same amount of care she lavished
0:50:31 > 0:50:33'on every aspect of her wardrobe.'
0:50:33 > 0:50:36Oh, I do love a hat!
0:50:36 > 0:50:40'Whereas all I've got to do to summon the ghost of Harry Lauder
0:50:40 > 0:50:42'is decide on my favourite type of plaid.'
0:50:42 > 0:50:44Desperate for a shortbread.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48We're bound to find the right kind of costumes in the end,
0:50:48 > 0:50:53- there are so many to choose from. - Ah, I want to try them all on.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55If only I was wearing underwear.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00But will our performances measure up
0:51:00 > 0:51:04or will it be a case of all dressed up and nowhere to...hide?
0:51:07 > 0:51:10This is where we find out.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12PIANIST PLAYS PIANO
0:51:12 > 0:51:15The performance is about to begin.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21There's still time for a quick chat about the amazing entertainers
0:51:21 > 0:51:25whose posthumous reputations we're either about enhance or destroy.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29- So you're doing Harry Lauder.- Mmm.
0:51:29 > 0:51:35I think his big plus was that people knew what he was
0:51:35 > 0:51:37from the moment he appeared onstage
0:51:37 > 0:51:41and because he goes on absolutely covered in tartan
0:51:41 > 0:51:43and with a big bent walking stick
0:51:43 > 0:51:46and lots of "Hoo-hoo, ha-ha", and all that,
0:51:46 > 0:51:49they immediately know this is a cod Scotsman.
0:51:49 > 0:51:54So he does jokes about being mean and stuff, completely unashamedly,
0:51:54 > 0:51:58and especially in England, they just love him.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01See, he seems quite clear-cut to me.
0:52:01 > 0:52:07Do you think you've got anywhere with why Vesta Tilley was so successful?
0:52:07 > 0:52:09Honestly, she's been difficult.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12It took me ages to choose a Vesta Tilley song
0:52:12 > 0:52:15and the one I chose is sort of a bit of an odd one
0:52:15 > 0:52:18because it's a sort of comic song about how the army's in a mess
0:52:18 > 0:52:21until this officer - me - comes along.
0:52:21 > 0:52:22But it's also quite serious
0:52:22 > 0:52:25and meant to be encouraging the men to sign up
0:52:25 > 0:52:28and think it's got all those weird layers of Vesta Tilley.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30You never quite know
0:52:30 > 0:52:33whether she's being straightforward with you or not.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36And it's only now, like, we're knocking back all of the face,
0:52:36 > 0:52:40- she obviously completely defeminised herself.- Right.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42And now that we're doing it,
0:52:42 > 0:52:44it seems quite shocking that a woman would do that,
0:52:44 > 0:52:46to completely defeminise herself.
0:52:46 > 0:52:50Women weren't seen in public without the big crinolines
0:52:50 > 0:52:52and the huge dress and the public face.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55I imagine it was kind of shocking to see Vesta Tilley.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59No wonder women thought she was such an empowering figure
0:52:59 > 0:53:01cos she must have been amazing to look at.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04It's not the grouse season, is it?
0:53:08 > 0:53:12Grouse shooting time or not, it's time to hit that stage.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15I would say, "Ladies first",
0:53:15 > 0:53:18but I don't know who's the lady in this situation.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22It's good that we've both got sticks.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32You look amazing.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34I have to say, you don't look so bad yourself in a skirt.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36I quite like a pair of trousers and you in a skirt.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38- We should go out like this. - We are...
0:53:38 > 0:53:40The whole thing, we've just confused it,
0:53:40 > 0:53:42mixed it into one big gender mashup.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46- I'm a bit nervous about this song. Properly nervous.- Really?- Yeah.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50- You always say that and then you're brilliant.- You're no help at all.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Thanks a lot.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56If it's really bad, I'll just bring...
0:53:58 > 0:54:01- You know, this was straight when I was 25.- Oh, stop it!
0:54:02 > 0:54:05OK, here we go.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08PIANIST PLAYS INTRO TO THE ARMY OF TODAY'S ALL RIGHT
0:54:11 > 0:54:14# When people tell you that the army's not complete
0:54:14 > 0:54:18# It goes to show that they don't know
0:54:19 > 0:54:22# I say the army's simply perfect Can't be beat
0:54:22 > 0:54:25# I know it's true because I do
0:54:26 > 0:54:30# Some time back it seemed to me
0:54:30 > 0:54:33# Thing's weren't all they ought to be
0:54:35 > 0:54:38# There was one thing that was wanted, only one
0:54:38 > 0:54:43# And of course that thing was done
0:54:43 > 0:54:48# So it's all right It's all right now
0:54:48 > 0:54:51# There's no need to worry any more
0:54:53 > 0:54:56# I joined the army yesterday
0:54:56 > 0:54:59# So the army of today's all right. #
0:55:01 > 0:55:03APPLAUSE
0:55:05 > 0:55:08Phew, that was tough. I got away with it though, I reckon.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13That was great!
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Of course, I was going to do that but I've got flat feet.
0:55:18 > 0:55:23- Sign up, sir!- Honestly, that was top-notch. I loved it.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25I enjoyed my beaty stick.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28I think that's what got me through it, actually, was my swagger stick.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32- What's yours? If mine's a swagger stick, what's yours?- Mine is...
0:55:32 > 0:55:35This is what Prince used to be called.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41- Ah.- There's a bloke you want to watch, Kit. Frank Skinner.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44He's forgotten more about this business than most people know.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46I know, he's grand!
0:55:48 > 0:55:51There's only one note for this. Scottish.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54Here goes.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57PIANIST PLAYS INTRO TO WAGGLE O' THE KILT
0:55:57 > 0:55:59APPLAUSE
0:55:59 > 0:56:03# I'll never forget the day I went and joined the 93rd
0:56:03 > 0:56:07# The chums I used to run with Well, they thought I looked absurd
0:56:07 > 0:56:11# As they saluted me and gathered round me in a ring
0:56:11 > 0:56:15# And as I wagged my tartan kilt they all began to sing
0:56:15 > 0:56:19# He's a braw braw Hielan' laddie Private Jock McDade
0:56:19 > 0:56:23# There's not anither soger like him in the Scotch Brigade
0:56:23 > 0:56:26# Reared among the heather You can see he's Scottish built
0:56:26 > 0:56:30# By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle Waggle o' the kilt. #
0:56:30 > 0:56:35Ah-ha-ha, we're fine wee lads in our kilts.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37LAUGHTER
0:56:37 > 0:56:41But hark, I believe I can hear the band playing outside.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44# Reared among the heather You can see he's Scottish built
0:56:44 > 0:56:48# By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle Waggle o' the kilt
0:56:48 > 0:56:55# By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle Waggle o' the kilt. #
0:56:55 > 0:56:58APPLAUSE
0:57:00 > 0:57:02Ha-ha-ha!
0:57:05 > 0:57:06Neatly underplayed, I thought.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11- I never knew you could waggle a kilt like that.- I know. It's incredible.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15- Oh, I'm all flushed.- It's took all the skin off the back of my legs.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18Ew, I wondered what that leg dandruff was.
0:57:18 > 0:57:21- Oh!- That was brilliant. - It was um... It was Scottish.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:57:30 > 0:57:33Bringing these iconic performers back to life
0:57:33 > 0:57:37for one night only has been a real thrill for us.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39But our journey through the history
0:57:39 > 0:57:42of Britain's greatest entertainers isn't over yet.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48Next time, we'll be finding out
0:57:48 > 0:57:51what happened to variety artists and audiences
0:57:51 > 0:57:53during the Second World War...
0:57:53 > 0:57:57The BBC set up a Dance Music Policy Committee to vet performers
0:57:57 > 0:58:00to make sure that they were singing in a suitably virile style.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Tracing the effect that American performers had
0:58:04 > 0:58:06on post-war British variety...
0:58:06 > 0:58:09# I may be right and I may be wrong
0:58:09 > 0:58:12# You're gonna miss me when I'm gone. #
0:58:12 > 0:58:15And recreating two more much loved acts.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20Fish and chips, bra straps, rock.