Leslie Dawson Jr. (2 February 1931 – 10 June 1993) was an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter, who is best remembered for his
deadpan
Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant to be blun ...
style, curmudgeonly persona and
jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.
Early life
Les Dawson was born at
Collyhurst
Collyhurst is an inner city area of Manchester, England, northeast of the Manchester city centre, city centre on Rochdale Road (A664) and A62 road, Oldham Road (A62), bounded by Smedley, Manchester, Smedley, Harpurhey and Monsall tram stop, Mons ...
, Manchester, on 2 February 1931, the only child of bricklayer Leslie Dawson, Sr. (2 August 1905 - 10 April 1970) and Julia Nolan (14 January 1908 - 29 September 1957) who was of Irish descent.
His first job was in the parcels department of the Manchester
Co-op
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
.
He worked briefly as a journalist on the ''
Bury Times
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832†...
''.
[
]
Career
Early in life, Dawson wrote poetry and kept it secret. It was not expected that someone of his working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
background would have literary ambitions. In a BBC Television documentary, he spoke of his love for canonical figures in English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...
, in particular the 19th-century essayist Charles Lamb
Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his ''Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book ''Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764–18 ...
, whose florid style influenced Dawson's. He did, moreover, appear with The Nelson Players in Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 29,135 in 2011. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Burnley and 2.5 miles southwest of Colne.
It developed as a ...
as Mr. Justice Wainwright and Carter, chief clerk to Sir Wilfrid Robarts Q.C. in Agatha Christie's play ''Witness for the Prosecution
In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
'' in December 1956.
Dawson claimed in his autobiography that he began entertaining as a pianist in a Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
ian brothel. Making a living as a pianist evolved into comedy when he got laughs by playing wrong notes and complaining to the audience. He made his television debut on the talent show '' Opportunity Knocks'' in 1967 and worked as a comic on British television for the rest of his life.
Television series in which he appeared included the panel game
A panel show or panel game is a radio broadcasting, radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on ''The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity conte ...
'' Jokers Wild'' (1969–73) hosted by Barry Cryer
Barry Charles Cryer (23 March 1935 – 25 January 2022) was an English writer, comedian, and actor. As well as performing on stage, radio and television, Cryer wrote for many performers including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory B ...
, ''Sez Les
''Sez Les'' is a British sketch comedy show that starred Les Dawson. It was produced by Yorkshire Television, and aired on ITV from 1969 to 1976. Les Dawson and Roy Barraclough (who was a cast member from series four onward) regularly performe ...
'' (1969–76) and ''Dawson's Weekly'' (1975), all for Yorkshire Television
ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
. After joining the BBC, his TV projects were ''The Dawson Watch'' (1979–80), written by Andy Hamilton
Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 28 May 1954) is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter, radio dramatist, novelist and actor.
Early life and education
Hamilton was born in Fulham, southwest London. He ...
and Terry Ravenscroft, ''The Les Dawson Show
''The Les Dawson Show'' was a variety show that aired on BBC1 intermittently from 1978 through 1989. The show starred comedian Les Dawson (1931–1993), who had previously starred in the ITV sketch comedy programme ''Sez Les'' (1969–76), foll ...
'' (1978–87), written by Terry Ravenscroft, and the quiz show ''Blankety Blank
''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps.
The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...
'', which he presented from 1984 until its cancellation in 1990. Dawson starred in ''Listen to Les
''Listen to Les'' was a long-running comedy sketch show on BBC Radio 2 starring Les Dawson.
Dawson performed various deadpan monologues and played in a number of recurring character sketches including'' "At Home with the Desponds"'', ''"The ...
'' on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
in the 1970s and 1980s.
He made many appearances on BBC Television's variety show, '' The Good Old Days'' in the 1970s and 1980s. Dawson co-hosted Prince Edward's charity television special ''The Grand Knockout Tournament
''The Grand Knockout Tournament'' (also known as ''It's a Royal Knockout'') was a one-off charity event which took place on 15 June 1987, and was shown on British television on 19 June 1987 (BBC1, repeated on 27 December 1987), in addition to a ...
'' in 1987. When Richard Wilson turned down the part of Victor Meldrew
Victor Meldrew is a fictional character in the BBC One Situation comedy, sitcom ''One Foot in the Grave'', created by David Renwick and portrayed by Richard Wilson (Scottish actor), Richard Wilson. The character epitomised the archetypal grumpy o ...
in the BBC sitcom ''One Foot In The Grave
''One Foot in the Grave'' is a British television sitcom written by David Renwick. There were six series (each consisting of six half-hour shows) and seven Christmas specials over a period of ten years from early 1990 to late 2000. The first fi ...
'', writer David Renwick
David Peter Renwick (; born 4 September 1951) is an English author, television writer, actor, director and executive producer, best known for creation of the sitcom ''One Foot in the Grave'' and the mystery series ''Jonathan Creek''. He was awar ...
considered Dawson for the role, but Wilson changed his mind before it was offered.
In 1991, Dawson starred in the BBC television production of ''Nona'', an adaptation of the 1977 play ''La Nona'' ("Grandma") by Roberto Cossa
Roberto Cossa (born November 30, 1934) is a prominent Argentinian playwright and theatre director.
Life and work
Roberto Cossa was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in the quiet residential borough of Villa del Parque. He first acted i ...
for the ''Performance
A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function.
Management science
In the work place ...
'' series. Performing in drag, he was cast as a 100-year old, compulsive eater in a Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the RÃo de la Plata, on South ...
household.
Dawson was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' on two occasions, in December 1971 when Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...
surprised him on ''Opportunity Knocks'', and again 21 years later, in what would be one of his last television appearances, when he was surprised by Michael Aspel
Michael Terence Aspel (born 12 January 1933) is an English retired television newsreader and host of programmes such as '' Crackerjack'', ''Aspel & Company'', ''Give Us a Clue'', '' This is Your Life'', '' Strange but True?'' and ''Antiques Ro ...
on stage at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
, at the curtain call of the pantomime ''Dick Whittington'' in December 1992. His final TV appearance was on the LWT series '' Surprise, Surprise'' hosted by Cilla Black
Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter.
Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her ...
, in which he sang a comic rendition of "I Got You Babe" with a woman from the audience who wanted to sing with him. The episode was aired shortly after his death.
Dawson was a heavy smoker and drinker. When not working he would often drink a bottle of whisky and smoke 50 cigarettes a day. Dawson was initiated into the famous show business fraternity, the Grand Order of Water Rats
The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membership a ...
and served as that order's "King Rat" in 1985.
Dawson also wrote novels. He told his second wife, Tracey, "Always remind them – I was a writer too."
Routines and image
His characteristic routines featured Roy Barraclough
Roy Senior Barraclough (12 July 1935 – 1 June 2017) was an English comic actor. He was best known for his role as Alec Gilroy, the devious, mournful landlord of the Rovers Return in the long-running British TV soap '' Coronation Street'', a ...
and Dawson as elderly women, Cissie Braithwaite and Ada Shufflebotham. Barraclough's character Cissie had pretensions of refinement and corrected Ada's malapropism
A malapropism (also called a malaprop, acyrologia, or Dogberryism) is the mistaken use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, sometimes humorous utterance. An example is the statement attributed to ...
s or vulgar expressions. As authentic characters of their day, they spoke some words aloud but mouthed others, particularly those pertaining to bodily functions and sex. The characters were based on those Les Dawson knew in real life. He explained that this mouthing of words (or "mee-mawing") was a habit of Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
millworkers communicating over the loud noise of loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...
s, then resorted to in daily life for indelicate subjects. To further portray the reality of northern, working-class women, Cissie and Ada would sit with folded arms, occasionally adjusting their bosoms by a hoist of the forearms. Many Cissie and Ada sketches were written by Terry Ravenscroft. This was also typical of pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
dame style, an act copied from his hero, Norman Evans
Norman Evans (11 June 1901 – 25 November 1962) was an English stage and radio comedian, best remembered for his sketches and programmes entitled "Over the Garden Wall".
Biography
He was born in Rochdale, Lancashire, and started his working li ...
and his act ''Over the Garden Wall''. Les Dawson was portly and often dressed in John Bull
John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter- ...
costume. He introduced to his BBC television shows a dancing group of fat ladies called the Roly Polys. Dawson's style as a comic was world-weary, lugubrious and earthy.
He was a talented pianist but developed a gag in which he played a familiar piece such as Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
's ''Moonlight Sonata
The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, marked ''Quasi una fantasia'', Op. 27, No. 2, is a piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. It was completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. The popular name ''Mo ...
'' and then introduced hideously wrong notes (yet not destroying the tune) without appearing to realise, smiling unctuously and relishing the accuracy and soul of his own performance.
Having broken his jaw in a boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
match, he could pull grotesque faces by pulling his jaw over his upper lip. This is described in the first volume of Dawson's autobiography ''A Clown Too Many''.
Personal life and death
Dawson was married to his first wife, Margaret, from 25 June 1960 until her death on 15 April 1986 from cancer. They had three children: Julie, Pamela and Stuart.
Dawson nearly died in February 1985 from a failing prostate gland
The prostate is both an accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found only in some mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemically, and physio ...
, complicated by blood poisoning
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
. On 3 September 1988, he suffered a heart attack in Blackpool and spent nine days in hospital.
He married his second wife, Tracy Roper, on 6 May 1989; she was 17 years younger. They had a daughter, Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
, who was born on 3 October 1992.
He died suddenly, aged 62, in June 1993 from a heart attack during treatment for a heart complaint at St Joseph's Hospital in Manchester.
Legacy
On 23 October 2008, 15 years after his death, a bronze statue by Graham Ibbeson was unveiled by his widow Tracy and daughter Charlotte in the ornamental gardens next to the pier in St Anne's-on-Sea, Lancashire, where Dawson lived for many years.
In the ''Comedians' Comedian'', a three-hour programme on UK's Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
on 1 January 2005, Dawson was 37th in the top 50 comedians of all time, voted by fellow comedians and business insiders.
The BBC broadcast, on BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
, ''The Many Faces of Les Dawson'', a retrospective, on Christmas Eve 2011.
On 1 June 2013 ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
broadcast ''Les Dawson: An Audience with That Never Was''. The programme featured a Pepper's ghost
Pepper's ghost is an illusion technique used in the theatre, cinema, amusement parks, museums, television, and concerts.
It is named after the English scientist John Henry Pepper (1821–1900) who began popularising the effect with a theatre ...
projection of Dawson, presenting content for a 1993 edition of '' An Audience with...'' to be hosted by Dawson but unused due to his death two weeks before recording. The show served as a tribute and featured celebrities including Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series ''Sunday Night ...
, Cilla Black, 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 ...
and Ken Dodd
Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances.
A life ...
. Also among the audience were Dawson's widow Tracy and daughter Charlotte.
On 10 February 2014, the BBC reported that Dawson's daughter Charlotte had found a 110-page "unpublished story of love and mystery, titled ''An Echo of Shadows'', hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
was written under the name Maria Brett-Cooper...".
In 2020, Les Dawson's early years in Paris were portrayed in Sky Arts' series ''Urban Myths
''Urban Myths'' is a British biographical comedy drama television series first aired on 19 January 2017 on the Sky Arts. Each episode featured a story surrounding popular culture which may or may not be true, ranging from Muhammad Ali talking ...
'' in the episode ''Les Dawson's Parisienne Adventure'', with Mark Addy
Mark Ian Addy (born 14 January 1964) is an English actor. His roles in British television include Detective Constable Gary Boyle in the sitcom '' The Thin Blue Line'' (1995–1996) and Hercules in the fantasy drama series ''Atlantis'' (2013–2 ...
as the older Les and John Bradley as young Les.
In 2022, Jon Culshaw
Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born 2 June 1968) is an English actor, comedian and impressionist. He is best known for his work on the radio comedy '' Dead Ringers'' since 2000.
Culshaw has voiced a number of characters for ITV shows including ''2DT ...
will be portraying Dawson as part of The Edinburgh Assembly’s Fringe programme.
Books
Fiction:
* ''Card for the Clubs'' (1974)
* ''The Spy Who Came...'' (1976)
* ''Cosmo Smallpiece Guide to Male Liberation'' (1979)
* ''The Amy Pluckett Letters'' (1982) / ''Hitler Was My Mother-in-Law'' (1984)*
* ''A Time Before Genesis'' (1986)
* ''Come Back with the Wind'' (1990)
* ''Well Fared, My Lovely'' (1991)
* ''The Blade and the Passion'' (1994)
Non-Fiction:
* ''Les Dawson's Lancashire'' (1983)
* ''A Clown Too Many'' (autobiography, 1986)
* ''No Tears for the Clown'' (autobiography, 1992)
* ''Malady Lingers on and Other Great Groaners''
* ''Les Dawson Gives Up''
* ''The Les Dawson Joke Book''
* ''Les Dawson's Secret Notebooks''
* Title changed for paperback release.
Television
* '' Opportunity Knocks'' (1967) and (1990)
* '' Fast Friends'' (1991)
* ''Blankety Blank
''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps.
The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...
'' (1984–90; 124 episodes)
* ''Sez Les
''Sez Les'' is a British sketch comedy show that starred Les Dawson. It was produced by Yorkshire Television, and aired on ITV from 1969 to 1976. Les Dawson and Roy Barraclough (who was a cast member from series four onward) regularly performe ...
'' (1969–76)
* '' Jokers Wild'' (1969–73)
* ''The Loner'' (1975)
* ''The Dawson Watch'' (1979–80)
* ''The Les Dawson Show
''The Les Dawson Show'' was a variety show that aired on BBC1 intermittently from 1978 through 1989. The show starred comedian Les Dawson (1931–1993), who had previously starred in the ITV sketch comedy programme ''Sez Les'' (1969–76), foll ...
'' (1978–89)
* ''The Grand Knockout Tournament
''The Grand Knockout Tournament'' (also known as ''It's a Royal Knockout'') was a one-off charity event which took place on 15 June 1987, and was shown on British television on 19 June 1987 (BBC1, repeated on 27 December 1987), in addition to a ...
''
* ''Nona'' in '' Performance (British TV series)'' (1991)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Les
1931 births
1993 deaths
20th-century English writers
20th-century English male actors
Comedians from Manchester
Actors from Manchester
English game show hosts
English stand-up comedians
English male comedians
English comedy writers
English male television actors
English people of Irish descent
English satirists
English humorists
Pantomime dames
People from Collyhurst
People from Lytham St Annes
20th-century English comedians
20th-century English male writers