0:00:02 > 0:00:04HOOTER HONKS
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Well...
0:00:06 > 0:00:11- Hello, butties! AUDIENCE:- Hello, butty!
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Actor, comedian, musician, impresario -
0:00:14 > 0:00:20Stan Stennett is one of the most original and talented performers ever to appear on a Welsh stage.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24# He heard them bawl
0:00:24 > 0:00:28# We want no small... #
0:00:28 > 0:00:32- ROY HUDD:- Stan Stennett loves the business and the business loves him.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36It's a drug, you can't get rid of it.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39He loves his audiences, and his audiences love him.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40Why should he pack it in?
0:00:40 > 0:00:44In a career spanning almost 70 years,
0:00:44 > 0:00:48he has performed for generations of audiences throughout the world
0:00:48 > 0:00:50and won the affection of millions.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54When I think of Stan, I think of someone who probably gave
0:00:54 > 0:00:56my father and Ernie the opportunity to become great.
0:00:56 > 0:01:02I think that that's not putting too big a spin on it, because Eric said that to me.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04When you think of all the skills -
0:01:04 > 0:01:08he does pantomime, songs, music, comedian.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11All those things - he's got all those strings to his bow.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13But on top of all that, he is a showman,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16and once a showman... always a showman.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Stan's lifetime as an entertainer has taken him all over the world,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31but he's always been a fiercely proud Welshman with firmly fixed roots.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Stan, how are you?
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Hello, butty. How are you? Come in. Enteronto!
0:01:38 > 0:01:40A bit of Welsh there.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Inside there, lovely. That's it.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45You must have just come from a funeral.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50'His wit and humour is as sharp as ever,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53'and the Cardiff home he shares with Betty,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55'his wife of over 60 years,
0:01:55 > 0:02:01'is crammed with souvenirs from an amazing life that began in Glamorgan in the mid-1920s.'
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Stan, can I ask you first of all about your early childhood?
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Tell me about, erm...
0:02:08 > 0:02:13the circumstances you were born in, where it was, how you were raised.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Yeah. Well, I was raised in Mid Glamorgan,
0:02:17 > 0:02:19down in a little place called Rhiwceiliog
0:02:19 > 0:02:25near Heol-y-Cyw and near Brynna, a little farm called Ty Robert.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28But I was born out of wedlock, you see?
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And my mother was, erm... a kennel maid.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34She worked on the farm, looking after the hounds.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38But then I immediately was adopted by my grandmother,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42because things like that were, in those days, a stigma.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46I didn't know who my father was, and I didn't want to know.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50And funnily enough, right up until this week, when my cousin went,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54bless her, she was about the last one alive who knew who he was.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56And I was going to...
0:02:56 > 0:02:59I was going to sort of relent and say,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02"Well, I think I'll try and find out who he was,"
0:03:02 > 0:03:06but I missed out on it, because this week she went as well, bless her.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10When did showbiz start for you, then? Was it very, very early?
0:03:10 > 0:03:14I was only about eight, eight and a half. I was able to buy a guitar.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17It was only about three quid or something like that.
0:03:17 > 0:03:23I learned enough to be part of a local band, sing a few comedy songs and bits and pieces.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28So the beginnings of the comedy were there, right, at a very early age.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33'By the time the war started, Stan and his grandmother had moved to Cardiff,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37'where he was already performing with various amateur musical groups.'
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Can you remember the war starting?
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Well, aye, it was in all the papers. I remember the war starting.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48I was a van boy for Pickfords when the war broke out, but I very quickly became a driver.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54I mean, I had my test in the morning, and in the afternoon I delivered five ton of peas. You see?
0:03:54 > 0:03:59'He combined his van-driving with a fierce ambition to perform -
0:03:59 > 0:04:02'an ambition that saw Stan, still only 17,
0:04:02 > 0:04:08'auditioning at Cardiff's New Theatre for the comedian Tommy Trinder.'
0:04:08 > 0:04:13He told me he liked it, but he said, "Trouble is, you look too much like me,"
0:04:13 > 0:04:15because I had a bit of a lantern jaw,
0:04:15 > 0:04:17like Forsyth and things like that.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21He said, "I'll tell you what, if you go in the business, I'll look out for you.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26"If I can help you out any time, come and see me, but I've got nothing at the moment."
0:04:26 > 0:04:32So I didn't really get anything. I just went back to work, driving and doing evening jobs and so on.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35But it was on the stage, and I sang this song.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38# Oh, what a wonderful party
0:04:38 > 0:04:40# Lots of joy and fun
0:04:40 > 0:04:42# But if I miss the last bus home
0:04:42 > 0:04:44I'll get absolutely done
0:04:44 > 0:04:47# Oh, I mustn't miss the last bus home... #
0:04:47 > 0:04:54Even being drafted into the army in 1943 couldn't keep Stan from performing.
0:04:54 > 0:05:01When I went into the army, I mean, I went in as a recruit, that was it.
0:05:01 > 0:05:08And right away, I mean, I was looking for ways and means of getting out of guard duty, like we all did.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13So I became an entertainer in the army, and they used to always advertise for anyone who could do
0:05:13 > 0:05:17any entertaining, you know, "Report to so-and-so."
0:05:17 > 0:05:19And you became a member of the concert party.
0:05:19 > 0:05:25And I came out of the army a couple of years later. Well, I was only 22, I think, when I came out.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29I was brought back for demob to Newport,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32and it was whilst I was in Newport in Gwent that I entered
0:05:32 > 0:05:38a talent competition called the Royal Gwent Talent Contest.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41And I was lucky enough to came first, and I got...
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Well, all the army stationed in Newport came along to support me.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46I couldn't well go wrong, really.
0:05:46 > 0:05:53Stan's prize for his success was a guest spot on the national radio comedy series Welsh Rarebit,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56alongside fellow comedian Harry Secombe.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Oh, Harry and I became the resident comics, right?
0:05:59 > 0:06:02He'd be on one week, I'd be on another week.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07I accept no further responsibility. Ladies and gentlemen, Stan Stennett!
0:06:08 > 0:06:12# An old coal worker riding out one dark and windy day
0:06:14 > 0:06:18# He rested as he went along his way
0:06:18 > 0:06:22# When coming from Treorchy some miners he did see
0:06:22 > 0:06:25# Digging at the seam of coal
0:06:25 > 0:06:29# Just for the NCB... #
0:06:29 > 0:06:33So you'd got a name, Stan, as a musician
0:06:33 > 0:06:37who could be picked up to play with touring bands and groups and so on.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Yeah, and I had a group called the Harmaniacs.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Well, like, it was three boys, and we all had three wives, right?
0:06:44 > 0:06:46One each.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51So when we went away, we went as six people.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56And Stan's new bride, Betty, wanted to be by his side on tour.
0:06:56 > 0:07:02Well, I had to make up my mind, really, whether I was just going to stay home here,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06which I'm sure is no good in show business.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09If one is there and one is there,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12and knowing showgirls, as I do,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15it wouldn't have lasted, you see.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20So I decided, well, to just travel with him, so we bought a caravan.
0:07:20 > 0:07:27During the time that we were on tour, my eldest son was born, Roger,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30and that was 61 years ago - gosh.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34I was a week old when I was in my very first theatre,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37and for virtually all of the '50s and well into the '60s,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40my life was lived in dressing rooms.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I was the original born-in-a-trunk kid,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and I would go from week to week with my mum and my dad
0:07:46 > 0:07:49from one provincial theatre to another to another.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51And it wasn't until I was...
0:07:51 > 0:07:53I think it's seven I was when the authorities caught up with me
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and said, "This boy must have an education."
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Now, a husband is...is what's left of a man...
0:08:04 > 0:08:08..after the nerve has been removed.
0:08:08 > 0:08:14Whilst the Harmaniacs were on the road, Stan was spotted as a potential star in his own right.
0:08:14 > 0:08:21He grasped the opportunity with both hands and soon became quite a hit on the variety circuit.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25I met Stan as everyone should meet a terrific comic, from the other side
0:08:25 > 0:08:26of the footlights, in the audience
0:08:26 > 0:08:29at the Croydon Empire.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33My gran used to take me along every Tuesday night.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38I immediately took to him as a kid, because he looked funny.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41He wore a funny hat, he crossed his eyes, he did funny noises.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45The gag I can remember him doing, the very first time I saw it,
0:08:45 > 0:08:51it was, "She was a beautiful redhead - no hair, just a red head!"
0:08:51 > 0:08:55And then he did his funny voices and his music.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Variety was a bit of everything,
0:08:57 > 0:08:58and the people that worked in it,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02they all had what they call "bill matter" underneath your name.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06And mine was, "Certified insanely funny."
0:09:06 > 0:09:09The variety really means a variety of skills.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12That's what it really means, a variety of skills.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13So on a variety bill,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17you'd get about 12 different acts, but they'd all be different.
0:09:17 > 0:09:24You'd have jugglers, ventriloquists, singers, dancers, oh, all sorts of acts, a variety of skills.
0:09:26 > 0:09:33By the late-1940s, Stan was making quite an impact on the variety scene, and the pace was relentless.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37You used to do a pantomime, then you had a couple of weeks off,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41then you'd do the spring show, which was about four weeks or something in Coventry at the Hippodrome,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44then you did a couple of weeks off, you had a quick holiday,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48then you did a summer show of about 12 to 14 weeks.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53Then you had a week or something off while you went away and got a bit of your breath back,
0:09:53 > 0:09:58then you did an autumn two weeks somewhere, and then you were into pantomime, you see?
0:09:58 > 0:10:01So that's how it went, you knew exactly where you were.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Pantomime, spring show, summer show, pantomime.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13# Dainty feet like plates of meat... #
0:10:13 > 0:10:18As the 1950s arrived, Stan, with Betty and his young family in tow,
0:10:18 > 0:10:25was amongst the legions of variety acts criss-crossing the country to perform seven days a week.
0:10:25 > 0:10:32# Railway strikes, weekend hikes Cups of tea at Crewe... #
0:10:33 > 0:10:39Crewe station, Crewe, which is sort of the centre of all the different
0:10:39 > 0:10:42railway companies' journeys,
0:10:42 > 0:10:49Sunday morning at Crewe was like a variety artists' clubrooms.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52People used to meet at Crewe, even if it was only out the window
0:10:52 > 0:10:55at a train going north. "Where are you going? Glasgow?
0:10:55 > 0:10:58"I'm off to the Palladium!" This used to happen regularly.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01# Memories of you... #
0:11:02 > 0:11:05This huge variety hall circuit,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09you must have been running into famous people constantly.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I mean, it was the '50s, early '50s
0:11:12 > 0:11:16that I met my great friends Eric and Ernie, Morecambe and Wise.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20And we met in pantomime, and we hit it off right away.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24We had something in common right from the start.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26From the very morning we met at rehearsal,
0:11:26 > 0:11:31there was some chemistry about it that made it work for us.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34At that time, Eric and Ernie were just a jobbing double-act,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37going around the country, doing anything they could.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41And they ended up in Sheffield, on Stan's bill,
0:11:41 > 0:11:46and they hadn't met when they got to rehearsals, that was the first time that they met,
0:11:46 > 0:11:51and apparently, according to Stan - and Eric and Ernie - they just hit it off immediately,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55they were gagging all the time together, so there was this great friendship immediately.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00And then what happened, which was amazing, is that then went into the production,
0:12:00 > 0:12:04so that then they were trying to outdo each other on the ad-libs
0:12:04 > 0:12:06all the way through the show.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And then, as it was reviewed at the time, they got fantastic reviews,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12this is why it was so good was because they were ad-libbing so much,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and where do the ad-libs stop and the script begin?
0:12:15 > 0:12:21And then that led to maybe three, four, five years further in the '50s of doing these shows.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26With reaching the next destination always providing a challenge,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Stan found a new and somewhat unusual mode of transport
0:12:29 > 0:12:32to get him from A to B.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34You did something that very, very few people did.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36You taught yourself to fly.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39That's right. Yeah, I got over 4,000 hours in.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42So you of all of the entertainers, Stan, in lots of ways,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- you were the most mobile, the most available.- I was, yeah.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49I wasn't the funniest, but I was the most available.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51I sort of collared the market in my time,
0:12:51 > 0:12:57because when I had the aircraft, I formed the Welsh Air Force.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01We called it the Berks Air Force, anyone who flew with me was a berk.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03They must have been. And I had Tommy Cooper,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07he was a berk, Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise, there was Shirley Bassey.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11You name them, all the people in show business around that time
0:13:11 > 0:13:14joined the Berks Air Force, and they were all in my gang.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17I remember flying over...
0:13:17 > 0:13:20I think we took off from Cardiff,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23looking down and seeing Cardiff, and Stan was saying, "Yes..."
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I said, "Just you keep your hand on the wheel."
0:13:26 > 0:13:31I put the wind up a few in my time, because they always felt...
0:13:31 > 0:13:35take them up, just do a few sharp turns, put a few Gs on.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37After that, I think it just...
0:13:37 > 0:13:42"No, no, no, no, Doddy, no, terra firma, terra firma.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43"More firmer, less terror."
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Stan still flies today and can look back over 50 years
0:13:49 > 0:13:51of unconventional commuting.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54We used to fly, when I was going away on a summer season,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57we used to fly with the whole family.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02And boy, what a family. I had a wife, right? I also had two sons.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06We used to take a dog, we had a lovely dog called Scamp.
0:14:06 > 0:14:12And then we used to take the budgie, we had a budgie, because he was like part of the family.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16And we also had a goldfish. I had one son at the front in the right-hand seat,
0:14:16 > 0:14:23and being a dual control, like this, you know, he was able to take over and I was able to steady anything.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26There was one classic journey where all the electrics
0:14:26 > 0:14:28on the plane failed,
0:14:28 > 0:14:34including all the electrics that were connected with direction-finding.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38So the only option we had was to drop very low.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43This is kind of echoes of Second World War hedge-hopping really.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46And follow railway tracks from A to B.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49But there was the classic problem at the other end there, which was
0:14:49 > 0:14:54that the button to put the wheels down was also electrically operated.
0:14:54 > 0:15:01So I clearly remember us cranking this big handle, which allegedly put the wheels down.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04So as we came into land, we were staring out to see
0:15:04 > 0:15:08if there was a shadow on the runway below us that showed we had our wheels down.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11It was like a prequel to the film Airplane, really,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13as we flew from A to B to C.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22In 1959, Stan was to get his biggest break to date as the compere
0:15:22 > 0:15:24of the top-rated show on BBC television.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Ladies and gentlemen, it's The Black And White Minstrel Show!
0:15:29 > 0:15:34Though its blacked-up performers and dance routines may seem strange to today,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37The Black And White Minstrel Show was a TV phenomenon in its day,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41regularly attracting over 18 million viewers.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47'I was working in Dublin in the Theatre Royal and George Inns, who was the producer,
0:15:47 > 0:15:52'he was a radio producer as well, actually flew in to Dublin'
0:15:52 > 0:15:55to watch the show and watch me work.
0:15:55 > 0:16:01He sort of booked me there and then after he had seen the show to appear in The Black And White Minstrel Show.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03'I was with the show for nine years.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08'When you see The Black And White Minstrel Show,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11'you see the regimentation which the girls danced in,
0:16:11 > 0:16:16'the movements and the pleasure that it brought to the people that listened,
0:16:16 > 0:16:22'because if you sat and watched people looking at the show, they were getting pleasure from the show.'
0:16:22 > 0:16:25'Black and White Minstrel Show did reflect variety at that time,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27'because you're back to singing, dancing and gagging'
0:16:27 > 0:16:32and people dressing up. OK, they're making up heavily
0:16:32 > 0:16:33with black paint and the rest,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37but that's not dissimilar to what was happening on the tours, on the stages,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39and in pantomime particularly.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43'The whole thing was a show, a proper show, and that required much, much dressing up.'
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Stan did have a terrific break with the Black and White Minstrels,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50which we were all delighted about.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53In effect it was almost like a permanent job.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58'All he did really was his act and he did some stuff
0:16:58 > 0:17:02'with the minstrels and being a musical sort of guy, that was fine.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06'He worked with people like George Chisholm and Leslie Crowther
0:17:06 > 0:17:10'and people like that, but basically Stan did his act.'
0:17:10 > 0:17:15Performing his own routines in between the Minstrels' medleys, Stan was soon a household name.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19- Hey, Ma?- Aha? - How about scratching my foot, Ma?
0:17:19 > 0:17:20Sure!
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Ha-ha-ha-ha!
0:17:26 > 0:17:29- Thank you kindly, Ma.- It's OK.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Now we're here, how about singing one or two love songs for the folks?
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- Sure.- Are you ready?- Aha.- Yeah.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37Fire on the mountain, wind's a-blowing,
0:17:37 > 0:17:39we're going nowhere, let's get going.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45# Shine on, shine on harvest moon... #
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Would you like to come in for a cup of tea and that?
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Well, I don't want any tea, but I'll come in.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52Woo-hoo!
0:17:56 > 0:17:59But Stan wasn't content with being a TV personality.
0:17:59 > 0:18:05He left the Minstrels to stake his future on his own business, Stennett Productions,
0:18:05 > 0:18:10returning to South Wales to take over the running of the Grand Pavilion Theatre, Porthcawl.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19I had been in the business long enough to realise that there is a market in South Wales,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22and especially a seaside resort, for a show of this kind.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25We're doing a big Minstrel feature in the show.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29We've got the Currie's Waterfall, which is a terrific spectacle in itself.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32We're doing quite a few different big scenes in the show
0:18:32 > 0:18:36and we've got all these gorgeous girls, so what more do you want?
0:18:36 > 0:18:38I don't care if I do lose.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39I think Stan was very clever
0:18:39 > 0:18:43getting involved in the production side and running everything,
0:18:43 > 0:18:44because it gives you control.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48That's been one of the hard things for comedians, particularly those who came out of
0:18:48 > 0:18:52'the music hall and variety eras, they had very little control.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55'So I think Stan was very clever from the beginning, taking over.'
0:18:55 > 0:18:58'I think he was his own man. He is very much his own man.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00'He knows what he wants'
0:19:00 > 0:19:04and he won't be...he won't be told that he's got to go a certain way.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10Once Stennett Productions service his passion for live performance,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13the attraction of television never disappeared.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Stan more than held his own with some serious straight acting roles,
0:19:17 > 0:19:23including a number of memorable performances in the BBC's peak-time drama series, Play For Today.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26So hold our heads up high with dignity.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27CROWD CHEERS
0:19:27 > 0:19:29And be treated as people,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32instead of units of production.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34'He was a very good actor, Stan.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39'He did Play For Today, he did all these various things and came up with the goods.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40'He was a good actor
0:19:40 > 0:19:45and people often say was variety a sort of inspiration or a help
0:19:45 > 0:19:48as far as straight acting is concerned.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Well, it is in a way, because it make you fire out the front,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54it makes you over the top, if you like.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56If you've got the right character it's terrific.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59You know as well as I do,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01politics is the art of the attainable.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11Throughout the 1970s, Stan continued to combine his theatre work
0:20:11 > 0:20:15with frequent appearances on camera as a jobbing actor.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19So in 1982, when the Crossroads producers
0:20:19 > 0:20:23were looking for a new lead character, Stan was happy to oblige.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27They were talking about a new character going into
0:20:27 > 0:20:31'the Crossroads Motel garage. My name was Sid Hooper.'
0:20:31 > 0:20:36What we don't want and what we're not going to have is people saying we're taking advantage.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39OK, so we may be using your money for starters,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42but I want it entered in here and now, right,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45that all the money it's going to cost to get this baby off the ground,
0:20:45 > 0:20:50we are going to have on paper split three ways and me and Mack are going to pay it back out of profits.
0:20:50 > 0:20:56Chancer Sid Hooper soon became one of the most popular characters in the show.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- People used to stop you in the street, didn't they?- They did.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02And say, you know, "Why are you so horrible to Benny?"
0:21:02 > 0:21:04'I used to try and borrow money off him, see,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08'and then the following week I'd be getting letters from people'
0:21:08 > 0:21:11saying, "Sid, you leave Benny's money alone, right?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13"We know where you park your car."
0:21:13 > 0:21:15And all this, threats, real.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19But it was Sid's relationship with screen wife Mavis
0:21:19 > 0:21:22that captured the viewers' imagination.
0:21:22 > 0:21:28And in 1986, millions tuned in to watch her dramatic exit from the much-loved soap.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Tell me about the famous scene with Mavis, when Mavis is dying.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Well, it was very sad, Kim, you know, we'd been married for many years,
0:21:36 > 0:21:42according to the script, and there was one time where we'd fallen out and we couldn't make up
0:21:42 > 0:21:47'and eventually on her death bed she sort of brought this up.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49'And I was so sorry that I'd been...
0:21:49 > 0:21:52'goading her, if you know what I'm saying.'
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Do you remember...
0:21:54 > 0:21:58how you walked out one day and left me?
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Remember?
0:22:01 > 0:22:07How you didn't come back for a long, long time.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Sid?
0:22:08 > 0:22:12'I had to try and get myself into the mood for that.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15'And I was just trying to think of someone'
0:22:15 > 0:22:19that I had lost, you know, and everything.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22So that's the way I would have felt at the time.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Do you know what, I...
0:22:24 > 0:22:27I nearly didn't have enough courage to ask you to marry me,
0:22:27 > 0:22:28do you know that?
0:22:30 > 0:22:32I had to pinch myself
0:22:32 > 0:22:34and bring myself to asking.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39What do you think of that, Mave?
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Mave. Mave...
0:22:46 > 0:22:52Stan spent the 1980s combining soap opera stardom with managing a string of theatres.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54And when it came to attracting talent to his stage,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58there were old friends that Stan could always rely upon.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01# Oh, you can't tell a waltz from a tango... #
0:23:01 > 0:23:02and go off.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08When Eric Morecambe joined Stan on stage in Tewkesbury in May 1984,
0:23:08 > 0:23:12it was going to be a memorable night for unexpected reasons.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15I remember at the beginning of 1984
0:23:15 > 0:23:19I think it was that Stan had contacted Eric
0:23:19 > 0:23:23to see if he would do like a Q and A to cover his life.
0:23:23 > 0:23:29It was about the time when Tommy Cooper actually had, he died on stage,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31as you know, in a show.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36We spent the second half of the show just doing a little bit of chat,
0:23:36 > 0:23:38like a Parkinson-type interview,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41you know, talking about the old days, about the gags we did and so on.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46We got talking about Tommy and Eric said, "Oh well, I wouldn't like to go,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49"I wouldn't like to die on stage", he said.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55I said, just as a quick retort, I said, "I've died on stage many times, Eric."
0:23:55 > 0:23:57'Anyway, it was flippant in its own way.'
0:23:57 > 0:24:02'And Stan took him over his life and my mother, she was in the audience,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06'and she said that Eric came out with things that she didn't even know about in his life.'
0:24:06 > 0:24:10It was like this final surge, this blurting everything out about his life.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Really developing his answers in full.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17'And we played the Entertainer and Eric went round all the instruments,
0:24:17 > 0:24:19'doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that.'
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Then he went off to his little Bring Me Sunshine dance and so on.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27And just, according to his chauffeur who was in the wings, Mike Fountain,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30he just sighed and said, "Oh, thank God that's over",
0:24:30 > 0:24:33which could have been a reference to his life in a spooky kind of way.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35And he collapsed and his head hit the floor
0:24:35 > 0:24:40and he never really woke up from that and that led to his death later on in the night.
0:24:43 > 0:24:49The last 30 years have seen Stennett Productions' pantomimes continue to bring joy to thousands.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52And Stan is still going strong in his 85th year.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55I'm here at the Dolman Theatre in Newport,
0:24:55 > 0:25:02where Stan is appearing incredibly in his 67th season of panto.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06He's inside lacing on his trademark hobnail boots
0:25:06 > 0:25:11in order to play the part of Billy in Red Riding Hood.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16- Good morning, Stan. - Good morning, butty. You all right?
0:25:16 > 0:25:22What's the attraction, what has been the attraction of panto for you?
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Well, it was, I felt it was a calling in a way.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Because you know, I like entertaining kids especially.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35And I feel it's a black and white situation with children, they like it or they don't like it.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40They laugh or they don't laugh. You can't say, "Laugh now and think of it later."
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Adults tend to be a little more discerning, but children are not.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Which was the first panto, can you remember it?
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Yes, at the Grand Swansea with Ossie Morris,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54one of the stalwarts in Welsh comedy many years ago.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57And it was, funny enough, it was Little Red Riding Hood.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Try it again, just try it once again.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04CHILDREN SHOUT OUT
0:26:04 > 0:26:08We have to defeat an evil wolf.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12And Stennett Productions remains very much a family business.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Youngest son, Ceri, has never known Christmas without pantomime.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19After completing his apprenticeship backstage as a child,
0:26:19 > 0:26:23he's performed alongside his father for over 40 years.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25..Super human powers.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30We must protect Little Red Riding Hood, thwart the plans of the evil wolf.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34I think pantomime means everything to my dad,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37because he very early on in his career
0:26:37 > 0:26:40started to learn the trade as a pantomime performer
0:26:40 > 0:26:44and he made that connection I think with the children as well then.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47CHILDREN SHOUT OUT
0:26:59 > 0:27:02I can't believe he's 85!
0:27:02 > 0:27:04I think he must be...
0:27:04 > 0:27:07eating something that is not available in the shops!
0:27:07 > 0:27:09It's amazing.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10Hello! Well...
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Hello, butties!
0:27:12 > 0:27:14- ALL:- Hello, Butty!
0:27:17 > 0:27:23My father loves the fact that people want to see him and, yes, he loves being in the limelight.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27He is a real ham. He is an old-school variety performer.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31I think my father's still performing at the age of 85,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33A, because he doesn't know what else to do,
0:27:33 > 0:27:41B, because he loves it and C, because he still thinks there's stuff left to do.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Have you been good boys and girls since I saw you last?
0:27:44 > 0:27:46- ALL:- Yes!
0:27:46 > 0:27:48And purely on the whole longevity of his career,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51he should be remembered as being a fantastic person
0:27:51 > 0:27:57who has come out of that ancient era of music halls and variety and kept it alive for us.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00# Bring me sunshine
0:28:00 > 0:28:03# In your smile
0:28:03 > 0:28:06# Bring me laughter
0:28:06 > 0:28:09# All the while... #
0:28:09 > 0:28:13How could I retire? I mean, retire to what? You know, um,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16all right, take it easy, but I'm taking it easy now, really.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19No, no, I don't think I will be retiring.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23I'd sooner finish in harness, if you like.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25I don't want to retire at all.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Every year he tells me, "I think I've had enough now."
0:28:29 > 0:28:32And within three months he's planning the next.
0:28:32 > 0:28:38# May your arms be as warm as the sun from up above
0:28:38 > 0:28:41# Bring me fun, bring me sunshine
0:28:41 > 0:28:44# Bring me love, bring me love
0:28:44 > 0:28:47# Bring me fun, bring me sunshine
0:28:47 > 0:28:52# Bring me love! #
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Eeeh! That's for you, Eric!