The Rise of Variety What a Performance! Pioneers of Popular Entertainment

This is the story of popular entertainment...

-From the music hall era of the 19th century...

-Do you know Mrs Kenny?

Through the golden age of variety...

-To the working men's clubs of the 1950s.

-I love it!

I'm Frank Skinner, a comedian.

And I'm Suzy Klein, a music presenter.

Together, we plan to celebrate our rich entertainment heritage

by finding out all we can about the great acts of the past

and, yes, by having a go ourselves.

It's harder than it looks.

So, join us now, as we go back to a time

when Britain really did have talent.

CHEERING

APPLAUSE

During the 19th century,

the growth in population of Britain's major cities

gave rise to a new form of popular entertainment.

Dominated by charismatic performers like the extraordinary Little Tich,

it was commonly known as music hall.

In the 1900s, music hall developed into something bigger and glitzier

that came to be known as variety.

In this programme, we'll discover how and why variety blossomed

during that first part of the 20th century,

to become one of the most vibrant forms

of mass entertainment Britain has ever seen.

And we are going to try and recreate the acts

of two of the big stars of that era

and discover the secret of their appeal.

We're going to trace the growth of variety

-from its origins in the 1900s...

-Right up to the 1930s...

To see what popular entertainment can tell us

about the social landscape of the time...

And decide which acts we'll recreate on stage.

One thing will strike us again and again.

The sheer, well, variety of variety.

I have, here, a playbill from 1905.

It begins with the overture from the orchestra, as you'd expect,

and then Canary and Company, the comedy jugglers,

will present Fun In The Kitchen. Look forward to that.

There's a few vocal groups, a bit of trapeze,

a grand musical spectacle, Port Arthur,

which includes a detachment of military experts, it says.

Oh, what a night out!

And also, I think, my own favourite,

The Stud of Cantankerous and Educated Ponies,

introduced by Mr Boswell.

And on top of all that, there was another group of performers

who knocked people's socks off as well.

Magicians!

The late 19th and early 20th centuries

is now known as the golden age of magic.

For example, perhaps the most famous magic trick of all time,

sawing a lady in half, was premiered in London in 1921.

It's a fantastic trick still today, as I am about to demonstrate.

-Can you fully extend your legs, Suzy?

-I have fully extended my legs.

You're kidding.

Oh, blimey, you have!

OK, ladies and gentlemen, a slight variation.

I'm going to saw a woman into two-thirds and a third.

SAWING

MUSIC: The Carnival Of The Animals, Aquarium by Saint-Saens

One performer from variety's golden age

who'd never have got involved with a saw-wielding maniac like Frank,

was the weird but wonderful La Loie Fuller.

Born in Chicago in 1862, she became a huge star in France

at the end of the 19th century

and took Britain by storm a few years later.

An immensely talented choreographer and dancer,

she created spectacular stage routines

that still inspire people today.

MUSIC: The Carnival Of The Animals, Swan by Saint-Saens

Cabaret artiste Vicky Butterfly,

a huge fan of La Loie Fuller's work, is developing her own version

of the performer's best-known piece, the extraordinary Serpentine Dance.

MUSIC: The Carnival Of The Animals, Swan by Saint-Saens

Vicky, the dance is sensational. What made Loie Fuller special?

What was it about her act that she did that nobody else was doing?

Basically, she was the first multimedia performance artist.

She would appear using choreographed lights she'd done from...

You have four or five different lighting guys,

one on a glass plate underneath her and a magic lantern,

maybe with moving slides or drops of water.

She wrote all this, she choreographed all this.

So, when she appeared,

it was like this, kind of, moving, undulating shape.

She could create these transformative, beautiful images.

It was like nature coming to life, magnified.

We might think it happened a long time ago,

but I think, even still, if you see it done

exactly how she would have done it, with the light,

it's still pretty jaw-dropping.

Coloured light and projected images

transformed Fuller's favourite costume -

a long, flowing robe - into a technicolour dreamcoat.

MUSIC: The Carnival Of The Animals, Aquarium by Saint-Saens

The robe Vicky has created, based on Fuller's designs,

contains 40 metres of fabric.

It is all about the movement of the fabric

and it is how the light is going to be able to act on that.

-So you've got wooden sticks in there?

-I do. I have straight ones.

-She also had curved ones.

-And what does that allow you to do then?

It allows you to almost extend your body, abstract it,

and it allows you to create more folds in the fabric

than if you were just holding it yourself.

-I would really love to have a go. Can I try it on?

-Yes, of course.

-Come on.

-Let's go.

La Loie Fuller was a technological innovator,

widely seen as an icon of modernity.

What I'll be seen as an icon of, if this next bit goes viral,

-is anyone's guess.

-Amazing.

It's a whole lot of dress, I'll tell you!

I can't even walk in it, let alone dance in it. It's amazing.

It's got quite a bit of span to it, so if you just turn

and move your arms up and down a little bit as you're going.

-That's right. Notice that the faster you turn... Yeah, you see?

-Ooh.

You can keep them on different planes. Yeah, perfect.

'Blimey, this is tough.'

Little ripples in the pond.

-Ripples in the pond.

-Bigger ripples.

So if you have both arms up and you're turning really fast,

-it's like being in a lily, yeah.

-Oh, it's really difficult! Argh!

'Who knew variety artists had to work so blooming hard?'

THEY LAUGH

That is so difficult.

MUSIC: Intro to Roamin' In The Gloamin' by Harry Lauder

While Loie Fuller was stunning British theatregoers

with her amazing stage routines,

a variety performer of a very different kind

was quietly establishing himself as one of the biggest stars of the age.

# But my heart is centred noo on bonnie... #

Edinburgh-born Harry Lauder portrayed himself onstage

as the archetypal Scotsman, complete with knobbly walking stick and kilt.

He rose to fame on the back of catchy self-penned songs,

like Roamin' In The Gloamin'.

# Oh, it's lovely roamin' in the gloamin'

# La la la, la la di di La la la... #

-Jimmy!

-Oh, Frank, how nice it is to meet you.

-It's lovely to meet you.

-I can hardly believe I'm meeting you.

-Yeah, and you blend in here beautifully. Let's ascend.

-Right.

-Are you all right doing the stairs in that kilt?

-Yes, yes.

'I've come to the Caledonian Club,

'a little bit of Scotland in the heart of Belgravia,

'to discuss Lauder's life and career with Jimmy McWilliams,

'a lifelong fan who tours the country,

'performing a scrupulously accurate recreation of the great Scot's act.'

How big a star was Harry Lauder?

He was a huge star, a megastar, really, really big.

He did 22 tours of America and took the place by storm.

I believe he was the first recording artist in Britain

-to sell a million records.

-Yeah.

-That's amazing.

I have to tell you, though, that when he came to London,

after the big success in the north of England,

he received rejection after rejection after rejection.

And these agents in London said,

"No, we've had some of you Scottish acts down before

"and we can't understand you."

But Lauder said, "Yes, but I'm going to be different from them.

"I am going to be singing Scottish songs, but with an English accent."

So, it seems to me, that one of the secrets of his success was degree,

because he spoke in a Scottish accent, but not too strongly.

-No, just a bit.

-He would sing about drinking, but not about drunkenness.

-Yes.

-He was clean, wasn't he?

-He could be cheeky but he was never one of the bawdier performers.

-No.

-So it was all quite measured.

-And he was a great family man.

-He was homely.

-But did that come over in his performance?

Yes, I think it did.

And I think the American audiences, particularly, thought,

"He's a good man, we like him."

-But he did jokes, didn't he, about not spending money?

-Being mean.

For example, where we're sitting now, pretend this is a hotel lobby

and we're sitting here having a chat, like we are,

and the newspaper boy comes in selling newspapers.

He would deliberately give him money,

where he would have to get a penny change or something,

and he would shout after the paperboy,

"Here, boy, it's Harry Lauder you're dealing with.

"Mind and bring me back that penny you owe me!"

-And everybody sitting around would think, "Ooh, what a mean man."

-Yeah.

But afterwards, he would go to that paper lad and say,

"I was only joking, it's part of my image to be a bit stingy,"

and he would maybe give him a few quid.

So, it wasn't just on stage.

-He felt he had to keep the image going.

-Oh, yes.

-That's a great excuse, Jimmy, for being tight.

-I know!

Well, there you go, canny Scotsman.

So, you have, with you, a sort of Harry Lauder walking stick.

Now, that was an absolutely essential part of the Harry Lauder look.

What's it all about?

For a start, when he went to London and became a big star,

there was no time for rehearsals.

They were working maybe four, five, six music halls a night.

So, Lauder used the stick to give the timing to the orchestra.

-Oh, OK. Let's see it, Jimmy.

-He would come on the stage and do this.

HE TAPS STICK ON FLOOR AND QUIETLY COUNTS MUSICAL BEAT

-OK, so that was instead of rehearsal.

-A good ploy, wasn't it?

-Very clever.

-Och aye.

-I see, OK.

-That type of thing.

I like the fact that it has a practical purpose,

as well as looking a bit funny.

-And for holding on to, if you're feeling a bit nervous.

-Oh, OK.

-So it was a sort of security stick.

-Yeah.

-OK.

MUSIC: Pomp And Circumstance March No. 4 by Elgar

Harry Lauder and La Loie Fuller both rose to fame

during the Edwardian era, a time when Britain was awash with cash.

King Edward VII reigned over an empire

that took in half the globe

and many Brits had grown hugely wealthy on the proceeds.

Toffed up like this, they flocked to see variety.

So you feel comfortable with the corset?

It's strangely wonderful for deportment. I like this!

It's designed to make you stand straight.

I've never walked quite so well.

-What do you think?

-You look gorgeous.

-Thank you.

I always thought people who were this smart would be going

to classical music concerts or a Shakespeare play or the opera.

Would you also wear this if you were going

somewhere like variety theatre,

which was, frankly, slumming it a bit more?

Every level of entertainment,

whether it was high opera or music hall,

the patrons would have considered this normal attire

and it's all about being seen.

It's quite a blingy outfit. I have a fake bottom.

Your corsets and your padding.

I've got extra padding there to give me a bit more shape,

I've got a corset so tight I feel like I need my lower ribs removed.

The idea of sitting down for a night at the theatre in this,

you'd pass out. It's hot and it's heavy and uncomfortable.

Yes, and as restrictive and contained

as you would have been dressed, so it would have been so for the man,

with a hard-boiled, stiff-fronted, starched shirt,

high collar, minimum two-inch height, under the neck,

and the constriction of a full, heavy, wool-ounceage jacket.

You'd just boil!

How did they all pack into somewhere and remotely enjoy themselves?

-There was a lot of sweat and a lot of smell.

-Yeah, no deodorant, pwor!

Dying for the art of fashion - that's what it was all about.

So, this charming fellow - he doesn't say much.

I'm going to call him Bertie. This is my date.

As a pair of toffs, would Bertie and I be sitting up,

looking down at the footman,

or would we be sitting in the stalls, in the thick of it?

You would have been sitting in the stalls

and the construction of the stalls would have been such

that you would have had the best viewpoint of the stage.

The masses, if you like,

were sort of pushed to the back of the theatre

and the upper classes were given prime place

because they could pay premium money for the tickets.

MUSIC: Pomp And Circumstance March No. 4 by Elgar

The existence of a well-heeled audience,

gagging for a chance to goggle at variety,

led to the construction of some spectacular theatres,

including the Coliseum near Trafalgar Square.

Hello, Frank. Welcome to the London Coliseum. Come this way.

'It's the headquarters of the English National Opera, these days,

'but it started life in 1904,

'as a purpose-built, state-of-the-art variety theatre,

'the brainchild of two eminent Edwardians - Frank Matcham,

'a renowned architect, who also designed the London Palladium

'and Oswald Stoll, the cofounder of the Stoll Moss theatre chain.

'Billed in its early days as the "people's palace of entertainment",

'the Colly was the jewel in the Stoll Moss crown.'

So, when you hear about Stoll Moss and all that,

these people were central figures in variety.

They are legendary figures today.

-And had theatres all over the country?

-Every big town,

there'd be a Stoll Moss Empire -

Bristol, Birmingham, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester.

Often you can forget about these guys but they are absolutely crucial

to the whole history of variety, aren't they?

They're absolutely crucial

and they're very crucial for performers, singers and comedians.

If they got a booking with Stoll Moss,

they could be working 52 weeks of the year.

-Don't need a house!

-No.

And what we're looking at now, which is incredible,

how different is that from what I would have seen if I'd come in 1904?

The only real difference would be all the modern technical apparatus.

All these lights over there, they wouldn't have existed,

but the actual structure, the architecture, the appearance,

is just about similar, I would say.

The Coliseum was, and it still is, the largest theatre in London.

2,359 seats, and every seat, from up here, where we are in the balcony

to the wings, everybody can see the show.

Brilliant!

MUSIC: Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1 by Elgar

Brilliant is right, Frank. I couldn't agree more.

But behind this glittering facade,

all was not well in the world of Edwardian variety.

Popular entertainment had come a long way

from those down-and-dirty days of the 1840s and '50s,

when music hall was edgy, rowdy and profoundly non-respectable.

Now, the middle classes were trying to elbow their way in

and not everyone approved.

Working-class variety fans were furious

they could no longer afford to see their favourite stars

and they weren't the only ones getting annoyed.

Artists and theatre professionals were cheesed off too.

In January, 1907, they showed the world just how angry they'd become.

Led by the legendary Marie Lloyd, the singer and comedian

who'd been the queen of the music hall for the previous 20 years,

they embarked on a strike which they called a Music Hall War.

Everyone knew who the enemy was -

the handful of powerful theatre bosses

who'd come to dominate the variety scene.

People like Oswald Stoll would try to control things

in a much more ruthless, businesslike manner,

so they came up with the idea, if we get twice the number of people in

and we do a tighter, shorter show,

so we only book, say, 12 acts,

and the show lasts two hours and you can do it twice a night,

and you do that six nights a week, so you're doing 12 shows a week,

but you didn't necessarily pay the acts twice the money

for doing twice the work.

And so the acts, particularly the lower-paid acts,

the acts at the bottom of the bill, were getting shafted.

And so what happens in 1907 then?

I know Marie Lloyd, a big music hall star, right at the forefront -

are they actually trying to stop shows going on?

Yeah, they picketed theatres like the Holborn Empire

and there are funny stories about Marie Lloyd shouting abuse

at Lockhart's elephants as they went into the theatre to perform.

-What did she say to the elephants?

-I don't know. "Call that a trunk?"

I don't know. But it was also quite funny

because you'd get acts refusing to appear

and sending some bogus excuse.

So Little Tich sent a message to say he couldn't appear that night

cos he was learning a new cornet solo and couldn't tear himself away

and Marie Lloyd said she couldn't appear

cos she was busy sewing flounces on her frock.

There was a certain amount of humour in this

but it was quite a bitter dispute.

The theatre owners took it seriously because suddenly,

if you can't get the biggest acts to appear in your theatres,

you can't attract audiences

because people went to see people like Marie Lloyd,

they didn't go because of the name of the theatre.

Realising they had their backs to the wall,

Oswald Stoll and his fellow impresarios agreed to introduce

better conditions of service for all variety performers.

It was a personal triumph for Marie Lloyd

but standing up to the bosses ultimately backfired on her.

Five years after the strike, in 1912,

the first ever Royal Command Performance was held

at London's Palace Theatre.

Some of Britain's top entertainers, including the great Harry Lauder,

had been booked to perform in front of the grandest people in the land -

the newly crowned King George V and his consort, Queen Mary.

Three million roses had been draped around the theatre,

in honour of the royal pair, but everything was far from rosy,

so far as one performer was concerned.

Britain's biggest star, Marie Lloyd,

was not asked to perform in front of the royals.

Some thought maybe her act was too risque

or it was her complicated private life,

others because she'd supported the earlier strike.

Either way, Marie was not happy.

She organised an alternative show at a nearby theatre.

It was being held, she said, by "command of the British public".

Ah, Marie - always the people's champion.

Later on that evening, a very public snub was handed out

to another leading performer, the very popular Vesta Tilley,

a female singer, whose act involved dressing up as a man.

It seems that Queen Mary was not happy

that a notorious cross-dresser was on the bill.

The papers said, the next morning, that during Tilley's act,

the Queen deliberately averted her eyes,

concentrating on her souvenir programme,

as did her ladies-in-waiting,

as did her special guest, Grand Duchess George of Russia.

You'd think, with a name like that, she'd have been more supportive.

Vesta Tilley might have horrified Queen Mary but she fascinates me.

The Worcester-born singer and actress achieved

huge wealth and fame by challenging some key social taboos.

# The set of boys I chum with are the best-known set down town... #

At a time when women were expected to look as feminine as possible

and act submissively at all times,

she sauntered onstage in full male drag

to belt out spiky little songs

like Algy, The Piccadilly Johnny With The Little Glass Eye.

# He's very well known is Algy

# As the Piccadilly Johnny with the little glass eye... #

It was a bold and risky thing to do

and it provoked an astonishing response.

She had legions of fans, Vesta Tilley,

but particularly women, who would just throng outside the stage door

-and she got hundreds of letters from them.

-Yes.

And they are the most extraordinary collection

of passionate pleas,

mostly by very young women,

some of them asserting, "I am a poor girl, I am not a rich girl,

"but I do so love you. I want... Can I be one of yours?"

One of your what, you think.

"Can I come and throw myself enslaved at your feet?"

Really extraordinary, over-the-top language they used.

How meticulous was she, in terms of the drag act?

What did she do with her voice, her gestures?

But that's the most interesting part of it.

She didn't have a masculine voice,

so onto the stage comes somebody

who's almost indistinguishable from a young man or a boy

and she opens her mouth and a light soprano comes out.

And it suggests that masculinity can be donned,

can be put on, and people find that really fascinating.

-So she's a mass of contradictions in lots of ways.

-Yeah.

What fascinates me about her is that she played a kind of boy figure -

not man, not woman, but boy.

She is the Peter Pan of musical stage.

I like the idea that Vesta Tilley might have risen to fame

by channelling Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up.

If she did though, one thing's for sure -

in 1914, like everyone else in Britain, she had to grow up fast.

CANON FIRE

The sudden outbreak of the First World War that August

sparked off a huge army recruitment drive.

Vesta Tilley and Harry Lauder were both closely involved.

Dressed as a soldier, Vesta sang patriotic songs,

like We Don't Want To Lose You (But We Think You Ought To Go),

and became known as Britain's best recruiting sergeant.

While Harry formed a pipe band

to pipe apparently willing volunteers

to the nearest army recruitment office.

He was knighted for his efforts,

but not before suffering a terrible loss...

..the death in action of his beloved son John.

It inspired him to write what could be his most personal song.

MUSIC: Intro to Keep Right On To The End Of The Road by Harry Lauder

# Keep right on to the end of the road

# Keep right on to the end

# Though the way be long

# Let your heart be strong

# Keep right on round the bend

# Though you're tired and weary Still journey on

# Till you come to your happy abode

# Where all you love you've been dreaming of

# Will be there

# At the end

# Of the road. #

-Whoa.

-You can see why people would have wanted to sing

that in the trenches. It was a jolly, keep-them-going song.

It depends what you think the "road" is.

Some people thought the road was like the war, the battle,

and that you carry on until victory.

For me, when you get to "the road",

"the one you love, you've been think...", I think that's heaven.

I think the "road" is life.

Interestingly, considering the inspiration for it,

the death of your only son on the Western Front,

the only time I ever hear this song now

is that Birmingham City Football Club supporters sing it

to sort of suggest the ups and downs of being a football fan.

So, that is what popular entertainment is all about.

You can have all the intentions you like,

but the people will make it what they want to make it.

Did Vesta Tilley write any well-known football chants?

-So many, you have no idea.

-Go on then.

Particularly, # Paolo Di Canio... # That was one of hers.

No, Vesta's an interesting character.

I've got a song here, A Bit Of A Blighty One.

A blighty one is... Obviously, Blighty is here.

A bit of a blighty one was the injury that was serious enough

to get you sent back from the battlefield, back to Blighty,

but not so serious that you'd be blown to smithereens.

So you sort of hankered after a bit of a blighty one,

cos you quite fancied getting back from the front. So here we go.

# I've a bit of a blighty one but nothing to flee from

# A bit of a blighty one That's all... # So far, so jolly.

# All through the splinter in the four-point-two

# I'm in two but I'm never feeling blue

# I married a cootchie She came from Nottingham people

# I'm treated like a long-lost son

# When the saucy little nursie tucks me up and calls me Percy

# Oh, I'm glad I've got a bit of a blighty one. #

So, it's this bloke. He's happily tucked up in bed.

He's got his naughty nursie. He's quite glad to be at home.

So, it's not, in any way, a critique of the war,

but I think it's that slightly more nuanced,

"Actually, life on the front is not that lovely.

-"I'm very glad to be home."

-Good old Percy.

When the First World War ended in 1918, most people thought

that variety would pick up where it had left off, but it didn't.

Dozens of variety theatres closed down over the next ten years,

put out of business by an economic slump

and the emergence of new forms of mass entertainment.

Many of those venues that had closed down

simply reopened a few months later, now as cinemas.

This was the age of the silver screen,

that shorthand for everything that was new and modern.

And going to the pictures wasn't the only alternative

to live performance.

People could now also be entertained in their own homes.

RADIO PLAYS MUSIC

Regular radio broadcasts began in Britain in 1922

and by the end of the 1920s, wireless sets, as they were known,

had found their way into most British homes.

With cinema taking off as well,

the outlook for live variety looked grim,

but then, something unexpected happened.

In the Autumn of 1928, distinctive black and yellow posters

started going up on walls across London.

They said, quite simply, "Variety is coming back",

but gave no further details.

A few days later, a whole new round of posters went up.

They said, "Variety is coming back to the Palladium".

MUSIC: The Horse Guards, Whitehall

The London palladium is, of course, Britain's most famous theatre.

The Variety Is Coming Back show, held there on 10th September, 1928,

was a hugely important event.

There were massive crowds outside the theatre that night

and the show was a great success.

No-one spoke about the decline in variety again for a very long time.

But what happened? Where did the magic come from?

What gave variety that boost, that shot in the arm?

Well, here's a theory.

On the bill that night was this young woman from Lancashire.

The woman in question was Gracie Fields.

Born above a fish and chip shop in Rochdale, in 1898,

Our Gracie, as she was known, became a megastar

in Britain during the 1930s,

selling millions of records and drawing huge crowds.

# I can wear a grin sticking out my chin

# Looking on the bright side of life. #

CHEERING

Her barnstorming performance at the Palladium, in 1928,

which helped to save British variety,

was just one staging post on her personal journey.

How did she grow up from being a talented girl

into a star of the stage?

She used to go singing in the pubs,

just to fetch her father home from the boozer, as she called it,

and then she got into musical revue, sometimes the amateur ones,

and then she was discovered by Archie Pitt,

who was the man who she married.

Gracie's well-connected husband smoothed her way into the West End

and onto the silver screen.

# Sally, Sally... #

Live variety shows had made Gracie popular.

Films like this made her seriously rich.

This is pretty much when she was at her height.

Yes, I mean, she'd just decided to move to Capri at that time.

She was getting a lot of money, very, very highly paid.

I don't know what the average wage was in those days,

but she was getting something like £100,000 a picture,

which was a lot of money then.

-And she was the highest paid star in Britain.

-Probably in the world.

She competed easily with the likes of Garbo and Dietrich in Hollywood.

# You're more than the whole world

# To me. #

APPLAUSE

What was it that made her stand out as an act?

She identified with the people and, mostly, with the north.

But also she was popular at, say, Buckingham Palace,

she was popular with the upstairs and the downstairs.

She could do it both ways.

I think it's because she wasn't just a comedian,

she could do the very serious singing.

And then make people cry

and then she would make people laugh by doing the buffoonery.

She appealed to people of all ages and all classes.

Gracie Fields was a showbiz sensation

but, in my opinion, there was a slightly bigger star around.

All right, I'm going to sing a song

called My Little Stick Of Blackpool Rock.

This being in Blackpool, we'll have it filmed as well. OK.

PIANIST PLAYS INTRO TO SONG

Wigan-born George Formby shot to fame during the 1920s

and retained a huge following right up until his death in 1961.

# See me dressed like all the sports

# In my blazer and a pair of shorts

# With my little stick of Blackpool rock

# Along the promenade I stroll

# It may be sticky but I never complain

# It's nice to have a nibble at it now and again... #

I love George. I've made programmes about him

and tried to play the ukelele like him too,

but I'm still not sure I fully understand

how he became the biggest star in the history of variety.

I've come to the City Variety theatre in Leeds

to talk the matter over with another man I greatly admire,

George Formby's greatest musical heir

and my first ukelele teacher, the brilliant Andy Eastwood.

Why did he become such a massive, massive star?

His father was a character comedian

of the Edwardian music hall

and he took this very successful formula that his father had,

playing a simpleton, an ordinary working-class guy, really,

who was loveable, a bit of an underdog

but always sort of happy and won through in the end.

He took the character and modernised it in every way.

So, instead of the baggy clothes, he started wearing sharp suits.

The comedy, instead of just being a little bit silly and nonsensical,

he made it risque and saucy.

And then, more than anything, the musical style,

he infused it with jazz rhythms. It was very, very modern.

-It was just this amazing formula.

-And this is George's?

This is one of his ukes, yeah.

He used this on his last TV show. About three months before he died,

they recorded, oddly enough, his life story.

-I've watched it many times.

-Of course.

-It's quite moving, isn't it?

It really is. To think that a few weeks later, he was gone.

It's just incredible that we've got it.

Well, good evening, everybody.

Turned out nice again, hasn't it?

Even talking about it, I'm getting tingly at the back of the neck.

There's a bit in it where he listens to his dad's voice on a gramophone,

you see the tears come in his eyes.

The great star and then the son of the great star is also a great star,

-it's a really special moment.

-It is, yeah.

# When Eckard Smith ran second in the Derby last July

# I was standing at the corner of the street... #

The lyrics to the songs often have quite a bit of sauciness.

Oh, yeah! It was wonderful, the risque lyrics, which were banned.

What's your favourite?

Things like "Little stick of Blackpool rock", obviously,

and the whole idea of When I'm Cleaning Windows,

you know, the guy peeping through to see what he can spot, you know.

-Yeah.

-It's so innocent on the surface.

It's a celebration of what we used to call Peeping Tommery, which is...

Yeah, but on the surface, he's just doing his job

and it's very, very clever.

# Now I go window cleaning to earn an honest bob

# For a nosy parker it's an interestin' job

# The blushin' bride She looks divine

# The bridegroom, he is doin' fine

# I'd rather have his job than mine

# When I'm cleanin' windows. #

There might be people watching this

who don't know how really, really good you are on the banjolele,

so I wouldn't like to let you go away

without a bit of a solo, so what about...?

I'm just going to hit nice, simple, man-in-the-street chords

-and I'm going to leave the clever stuff to you.

-OK, thanks.

ANDY STARTS PLAYING Hold on, hold on, hold on.

ANDY LAUGHS

Right, let's do it. One, two, three, four.

THEY PLAY FAST

-Pretty good!

-THEY LAUGH

Ah, love it!

We've looked at some giants of variety in this programme.

Now Frank and I want to pick one act each to bring back to life on stage.

For me, the choice is simple.

I've got to go with the fascinating androgynous Vesta Tilley.

And having taken my George Formby obsession

about as far as I possibly can, there's only one man for me -

the Scotch-tastic, Sir Harry Lauder.

The great entertainer's number one fan, singer Jimmy McWilliams,

has persuaded me to have a go at one of his lesser-known songs.

-So, Jimmy, this is The Waggle Of The Kilt.

-Yes.

-Written by Harry Lauder.

-Yes.

-Maybe we should start with you just singing a little bit of it.

-OK.

-Just keep it cas.

-Yes.

-OK.

# I'll never forget the day I went and joined the 93rd

# The chums I used to run with said they thought I looked absurd... #

'The song is about a young man who joins the army

'and distinguishes himself from day one

'by the sheer brilliance of his vigorous kilt-waggling.'

# He's a braw braw Hielan' laddie Private Jock McDade... #

'I love the song,

'but some of the words are causing me a certain amount of concern.'

# You can tell he's Scottish built

# By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle Waggle o' the kilt. #

-Right... I have a few questions.

-Oh, right.

For a start-off, what did you say? No, I'm joking. Um...

-"He's a braw, braw...?"

-Yes.

-"Braw braw..."

-Yes.

-"Braw braw Hielan' laddie..."

-Yeah.

-"Private Jack McDade." So he is Private Jack McDade.

-Yeah.

-"Braw braw" - that's like in Burns...

-I know that, yes.

-"Braw" simply means "good".

-OK.

-"Good".

-And "Hielan'"?

"Hielan'" is actually a slightly derogatory alternative for Highland.

-I prefer to say "Highland", myself.

-Well, I...

Most of my career, if there's been a choice, I've gone for derogatory.

-Right.

-I'm just thinking Harry put it in for a laugh.

-He did, yeah.

-And I don't want to remove a laugh that Harry wanted.

-Oh, no.

We have to be true to the man.

Obviously, I need to go through this and through this,

but there is another key element, isn't there?

And...

-And that is the waggle.

-Yes.

Now, I have a vague idea of what a wiggle might be,

but I've never even heard the word "waggle" before.

So, really, I need you to show me. Can you give me a waggle?

-You want a demonstration?

-Yeah, could you?

-Yes.

# He's a braw braw Hielan' laddie Private Jock McDade

# There's no one other soger like him in the Scotch Brigade

# Reared among the heather You can see he's Scottish built

# By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle Waggle o' the kilt. #

It was great. I didn't see that coming, I'll be honest with you.

Let's do this together. So...

-Never block me, dear.

-There you go.

Just show me, again, the actual waggling.

Wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle, waggle o' the kilt.

-I mean, back here, Jimmy...

-Yes.

-..it's an extravaganza.

-Is it?

I tell you, I've been in this business 30 years,

-I've never seen fabric move like that.

-Oh, really?

-Beautiful.

-There's a lot of material, isn't there?

-There is, yeah.

I wish some of it was mine!

-Just do that again.

-Heel on the floor.

-Yeah.

-Left, right, left, right. And move the bottom.

-Oh, yes.

-Or, as they call it in Scotland, the "bahookie".

-The bahookie?

-That's the Scottish word for bottom.

-I thought that was a Greek dance!

No, "bahookie" is a Scottish word for the bottom.

I tell you what,

what I'm enjoying more than anything is the circulation of air.

JIMMY LAUGHS

It's fabulous. It's like I've got bahookie-based air conditioning.

I think you've got it.

What I think I need to do...

In acting, they say you should go big to begin

and then you can always bring it down.

So, I thought if Paul plays the intro,

I could just let myself go a bit and then maybe you could tame me.

-What next? Hold on, I've just got a bit of lunch in my teeth.

-Aye.

OK, let's try it then.

PAUL PLAYS INTRO

JIMMY LAUGHS

# Well, I'll never forget the day I went and joined the 23rd. #

And off we go. Um...

It feels a bit like I've fallen.

But maybe I'll be all right.

The whole wiggle-waggle dancing, I feel like it's really in my system.

-In your...yeah.

-I'll just go and get a cup of tea.

-Yes, of course.

PAUL PLAYS INTRO Wa-ha-ha!

I have to say that I don't know if it should have been that enjoyable.

There was just something lovely about it.

I think I might have had a small insight

into why Lauder was so popular,

because he wrote these songs

and he seemed to have that supernatural gift

that some songwriters have. They just...

They can turn on happy like a tap.

And when you sing that song,

you really feel it happen to you.

I don't want to let Harry Lauder down and, after today,

I really don't want to let Jimmy down,

cos Jimmy was such a lovely bloke who really cares about this music

and I want to do him justice.

So, that's me, but what about Suzy?

She's got a pretty hard task, I reckon.

# After the ball is over

# After the break of morn

# After the dancers leaving

# After the stars are gone... #

'To recreate the act of variety's greatest male impersonator,

'I need to get inside her mind.

'I've been trying to do that by working my way

'through Vesta's songs, but it hasn't got me very far.'

# ..Vanished after the ball. #

Sweet little song.

That was one of Vesta Tilley's big hits - After The Ball.

It's a really gorgeous little sentimental number

and I love it, but it's one of those songs that makes me question,

even more, I suppose, who she was.

This woman had so many onstage personas.

She'd do these gorgeous tear-jerking numbers, like that song,

then she'd do the cheeky chappie, the Burlington Berties,

taking the mick out of the toffs.

Then she'd be the really tough recruiting sergeant.

I haven't quite got to the heart of who Vesta was onstage

and I'm going to have to really kind of work that out for myself

before I decide what I'm going to do in that final performance.

And I'm also really going to have to conquer

the big thing that's worrying me, which is how to go onstage

as a woman who's playing being a man

and I am going to need some help with that.

I've heard that the woman who's best qualified to help me

is a gender expert and part-time drag king called Lenna Cumberbatch.

I need your help, Lenna.

Cos much as I love Vesta -

and I think she's an amazing woman - I need some help to be a man.

-So, show me how.

-Absolutely. There's some really basic things

you can learn about first of all.

For instance, one of the ways is sitting.

We know how men like to take up space.

-Man-spreading.

-OK.

Take up space and take ownership of that space,

so you're throwing your shoulders back, slouching in your seat.

So, man-spreading.

I'm on the train, I'm taking up two seats rather than one.

Isn't that awful?! Terrible. What kind of lady are you?

No, but it's weirdly unnatural. You do want to shrink yourself.

You want to bring everything back together.

'I'm getting some useful insights into male behaviour here

'but reproducing Vesta Tilley's subtle blend

'of male and female characteristics

'is still going to be dauntingly hard.

'I don't only have to sing like her, remember.'

I've got to look, act, walk and talk like her too.

Time, methinks, for a change of clothes.

-Oh, nice!

-'Lenna's found me a suitable outfit

'and persuaded me to lodge a pair of my husband's football socks

'in, well, a rather private place.'

-I see you've got your bulge as well.

-I tell you one thing -

walking with trouser furniture is a new experience!

Makes a difference, doesn't it?

It changes your centre of gravity completely.

Bring your legs in.

'My fake appendage is proving to be rather a help,

'but Lenna reckons I still haven't captured what Vesta was all about.'

Vesta was cheeky,

so you want to be able to take on that sort of personality

and it's confidence - she's oozing it,

she knows what she's doing, she's good at what she's doing, so strut.

This is your stage. You own this stage.

Walk with purpose, chin up, head forwards.

-OK, I'm going to go with that.

-Yeah.

-OK.

There we go. Very nice.

-You got it!

-Hooray.

'Hooray, I've unleashed my inner man!

'But there's so much to remember.'

Own the stage, subtlety, buttocks down, tummy in,

shoulders back, got it. Bye!

-I never said it was easy!

-LENNA LAUGHS

To complete our voyage around the variety world,

Suzy and I are now going to pick out some costumes.

-Ooh, look at that!

-Oh! Check that out!

This is like the best dressing-up box ever!

-You can smell all those actors' armpits.

-Oh, don't!

Come on! I want to go and find my inner Vesta Tilley.

OK, well, I just want to find an inner vest!

Good luck with that. See you later.

Choosing the right stage clothes

and making sure they were ready for action at all times

was a top priority for all variety performers.

-Wowee!

-Everyone, from top-of-the-bill comics to lowly chorus girls,

wanted to come onstage looking box-fresh,

but some of the biggest stars of the era took their interest in clothes

a step further and became fashion icons as a result.

# Nellie's mother said "I somehow rather fancy you"... #

George Formby, for instance, helped to make

a smartly-tailored lounge suit with matching shirt and tie

the automatic choice of every would-be man about town.

APPLAUSE

While Gracie Fields mixed casual daywear

with immaculate evening gowns

in a way that influenced millions of women.

But the star who had the biggest impact on fashion

was, undoubtedly, Vesta Tilley.

Historians credit HER with changing the way

in which an entire generation of British MEN dressed.

Not right, not right, not right, Vesta would hate that, not right...

'If I'm going to stand any chance of bringing Vesta back to life,

'I'm going to have to choose my stage outfit

'with the same amount of care she lavished

'on every aspect of her wardrobe.'

Oh, I do love a hat!

'Whereas all I've got to do to summon the ghost of Harry Lauder

'is decide on my favourite type of plaid.'

Desperate for a shortbread.

We're bound to find the right kind of costumes in the end,

-there are so many to choose from.

-Ah, I want to try them all on.

If only I was wearing underwear.

But will our performances measure up

or will it be a case of all dressed up and nowhere to...hide?

This is where we find out.

PIANIST PLAYS PIANO

The performance is about to begin.

There's still time for a quick chat about the amazing entertainers

whose posthumous reputations we're either about enhance or destroy.

-So you're doing Harry Lauder.

-Mmm.

I think his big plus was that people knew what he was

from the moment he appeared onstage

and because he goes on absolutely covered in tartan

and with a big bent walking stick

and lots of "Hoo-hoo, ha-ha", and all that,

they immediately know this is a cod Scotsman.

So he does jokes about being mean and stuff, completely unashamedly,

and especially in England, they just love him.

See, he seems quite clear-cut to me.

Do you think you've got anywhere with why Vesta Tilley was so successful?

Honestly, she's been difficult.

It took me ages to choose a Vesta Tilley song

and the one I chose is sort of a bit of an odd one

because it's a sort of comic song about how the army's in a mess

until this officer - me - comes along.

But it's also quite serious

and meant to be encouraging the men to sign up

and think it's got all those weird layers of Vesta Tilley.

You never quite know

whether she's being straightforward with you or not.

And it's only now, like, we're knocking back all of the face,

-she obviously completely defeminised herself.

-Right.

And now that we're doing it,

it seems quite shocking that a woman would do that,

to completely defeminise herself.

Women weren't seen in public without the big crinolines

and the huge dress and the public face.

I imagine it was kind of shocking to see Vesta Tilley.

No wonder women thought she was such an empowering figure

cos she must have been amazing to look at.

It's not the grouse season, is it?

Grouse shooting time or not, it's time to hit that stage.

I would say, "Ladies first",

but I don't know who's the lady in this situation.

It's good that we've both got sticks.

You look amazing.

I have to say, you don't look so bad yourself in a skirt.

I quite like a pair of trousers and you in a skirt.

-We should go out like this.

-We are...

The whole thing, we've just confused it,

mixed it into one big gender mashup.

-I'm a bit nervous about this song. Properly nervous.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-You always say that and then you're brilliant.

-You're no help at all.

Thanks a lot.

If it's really bad, I'll just bring...

-You know, this was straight when I was 25.

-Oh, stop it!

OK, here we go.

PIANIST PLAYS INTRO TO THE ARMY OF TODAY'S ALL RIGHT

# When people tell you that the army's not complete

# It goes to show that they don't know

# I say the army's simply perfect Can't be beat

# I know it's true because I do

# Some time back it seemed to me

# Thing's weren't all they ought to be

# There was one thing that was wanted, only one

# And of course that thing was done

# So it's all right It's all right now

# There's no need to worry any more

# I joined the army yesterday

# So the army of today's all right. #

APPLAUSE

Phew, that was tough. I got away with it though, I reckon.

That was great!

Of course, I was going to do that but I've got flat feet.

-Sign up, sir!

-Honestly, that was top-notch. I loved it.

I enjoyed my beaty stick.

I think that's what got me through it, actually, was my swagger stick.

-What's yours? If mine's a swagger stick, what's yours?

-Mine is...

This is what Prince used to be called.

-Ah.

-There's a bloke you want to watch, Kit. Frank Skinner.

He's forgotten more about this business than most people know.

I know, he's grand!

There's only one note for this. Scottish.

Here goes.

PIANIST PLAYS INTRO TO WAGGLE O' THE KILT

APPLAUSE

# I'll never forget the day I went and joined the 93rd

# The chums I used to run with Well, they thought I looked absurd

# As they saluted me and gathered round me in a ring

# And as I wagged my tartan kilt they all began to sing

# He's a braw braw Hielan' laddie Private Jock McDade

# There's not anither soger like him in the Scotch Brigade

# Reared among the heather You can see he's Scottish built

# By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle Waggle o' the kilt. #

Ah-ha-ha, we're fine wee lads in our kilts.

LAUGHTER

But hark, I believe I can hear the band playing outside.

# Reared among the heather You can see he's Scottish built

# By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle Waggle o' the kilt

# By the wig, wig, wiggle, wiggle Waggle o' the kilt. #

APPLAUSE

Ha-ha-ha!

Neatly underplayed, I thought.

-I never knew you could waggle a kilt like that.

-I know. It's incredible.

-Oh, I'm all flushed.

-It's took all the skin off the back of my legs.

Ew, I wondered what that leg dandruff was.

-Oh!

-That was brilliant.

-It was um... It was Scottish.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Bringing these iconic performers back to life

for one night only has been a real thrill for us.

But our journey through the history

of Britain's greatest entertainers isn't over yet.

Next time, we'll be finding out

what happened to variety artists and audiences

during the Second World War...

The BBC set up a Dance Music Policy Committee to vet performers

to make sure that they were singing in a suitably virile style.

Tracing the effect that American performers had

on post-war British variety...

# I may be right and I may be wrong

# You're gonna miss me when I'm gone. #

And recreating two more much loved acts.

Fish and chips, bra straps, rock.