Frances Watt, BEM (16 March 1922 – 14 October 2003) and Anna May Watt, BEM (4 January 1924 – 19 February 2009) were two Scottish sisters from

Coatbridge Coatbridge ( sco, Cotbrig or Coatbrig, gd, Drochaid a' Chòta) is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. Along with neighbouring town Airdrie, Coatbridge forms the area known as ...

North Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire ( sco, North Lanrikshire; gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also ...

, who formed a singing duo. They came from a showbusiness family, and were child performers, touring

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

clubs from an early age. They initially joined their father David and sister Lily, a pianist, on stage as

puppeteers A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from ...

. They remained in show-business for almost seven decades. Lily became their manager, and continued until her death in 1998. Their father David was a

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is v ...

and children's entertainer who went by the stage name Valentine Prince; he came from a family of musicians. He was married to Margaret Lacey (née Tobin). Fran and Anna came from a family of five siblings who never married and who shared a house in Coatbridge. They performed as "The Prince Sisters" internationally and on cruise ships in the 1950s and 1960s. In the early 1970s, they changed their name to "Fran and Anna", and started to appear regularly on the

Scottish Television Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is the ...

programme '' Thingummyjig''. They also appeared with

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...

his show His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, in ...

in the 1980s. They were both awarded the

British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...

in 1989 for services to light entertainment. Fran and Anna were known for their

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

miniskirts, rouged cheeks and fishnet stockings. They were known for jabot-fronted tartan mini dresses, with matching tartan hats, each decorated with a large feather. Their style is often referred to as "

kitsch Kitsch ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as naïve imitation, overly-eccentric, gratuitous, or of banal taste. The avant-garde opposed kitsch as melodramatic and superficial affiliation with ...

". They are reported to have worn their trademark style daily. Their friend and fellow performer

Johnny Beattie John Gerard Beattie MBE (9 November 1926 – 9 July 2020) was a Scottish actor and stand-up comedian whose career spanned over six decades. He appeared on shows including the sketch show '' Scotch & Wry'' and the sitcom ''Rab C. Nesbitt'', and ...

said that he never saw them without full make-up and costume, even when not working, commenting, "I think they even went to bed like that". Fran and Anna performed many times at the Pavilion Theatre in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, giving their last performance there in 2002 alongside

Jack Milroy Jack Milroy, MBE (born James Cruden; 28 December 1915 – 1 February 2001), was a Scottish comedian. Born in Govanhill, Glasgow and educated at Shawlands Academy, Milroy is noted for his partnership with comedy actor Rikki Fulton as Francie ...

and Johnny Beattie and with

Gordon Cree Gordon Charles Cree BMus Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the major ...

at the piano. Fran died of pneumonia in 2003. Terry Wogan praised Fran and Anna in his condolences on Fran's death. Anna died of natural causes at St Andrews Hospice in Airdrie six years later. The sisters are buried alongside one another in Old Monkland Cemetery, Coatbridge.

References

External links

BBC reports Anna's death''The Herald'' reports Anna's deatharticle from the ''Sunday Mail''
{{authority control Sibling musical duos Scottish musical theatre actresses People from Coatbridge Recipients of the British Empire Medal Deaths from pneumonia in Scotland 20th-century Scottish women singers