Tony Fayne
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Tony Fayne
OR:
Tony Fayne on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Fayne and Evans were an English
comedy duo A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases f ...
who were popular in the late 1940s and 1950s. They were Tony Fayne (born Anthony Terence Alfred Senington; 18 January 1924–30 November 2009) and David Evans (David Frank Evans; 10 March 1922–14 February 1980).


History

They were both born in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, and studied together at
Bristol Cathedral School Bristol Cathedral Choir School is a mixed gender non-selective musical Secondary Academy, located in the Cabot area of Bristol, England. Until 2008 it was known as Bristol Cathedral School. It is situated next to Bristol Cathedral, in the cent ...
. Together, they devised a routine of
impersonation An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone: *Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...
s, and won a talent contest in 1940, after which they appeared on Jack Payne's
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
radio show, ''Your Company is Requested''. They were called up for military service, and both served in the
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
, but did not meet up again until they were both working as insurance clerks in 1948, and decided to revive their act. They appeared on ''
Variety Bandbox ''Variety Bandbox'' is a BBC Radio variety show transmitted initially in the BBC General Forces Programme, General Forces Programme and then the BBC Light Programme, Light Programme. Featuring a mixture of comic performances and music, the show h ...
'' in 1949, and frequently on the BBC
Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...
from then on. As well as performing their own routines, they acted as comperes on other shows. According to entertainment historian Richard Anthony Baker, "They were fast, they were sophisticated and they were unique. At the start of their act, they asked their audience to imagine two radio sets side by side. They then performed a sports commentary in complete unison, mimicking well-known sportsmen and commentators with deadly accuracy." In another routine, "speaking in unison, they presented their view of how radio might have sounded in the sixteenth century..".Roy Hudd and Philip Hindin, ''Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts'', Robson Books, 1998, , p.55 They performed together in the 1951
Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...
and the film '' London Entertains'', and supported
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
at her shows at the
London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...
, also in 1951. The pair split up in 1958, perhaps as a result of Evans' problems with alcohol. Fayne continued his career in entertainment, joining up with another old school friend, Philip Evans, to make comedy records such as ''Brit. Inst. (British Institutions Explained)'' (1961) and ''Fayne Agayne'' (1963). He also succeeded
Nicholas Parsons Christopher Nicholas Parsons (10 October 1923 – 28 January 2020) was an English actor, straight man and radio and television presenter. He was the long-running presenter of the comedy radio show '' Just a Minute'' and hosted the game show '' ...
as
straight man The straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure. The direct contribution to the ...
to comedian Arthur Haynes, and then, for twenty years, worked as straight man to
Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless onscreen character often called Norman ...
in succession to
Jerry Desmonde Jerry Desmonde (born James Robert Sadler; 20 July 1908 – 11 February 1967) was an English actor and presenter. He is perhaps best known for his work as a comedic foil in duos with Norman Wisdom and Sid Field. Early life Jerry Desmonde wa ...
. Evans died in Bristol in 1980, aged 57, after some years of
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
. Fayne died in
New Milton New Milton is a market town in southwest Hampshire, England. To the north is in the New Forest and to the south the coast at Barton-on-Sea. The town is equidistant between Lymington and Christchurch, 6 miles (10 km) away. History Ne ...
,
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
, in 2009, aged 85."Tony Fayne: comic entertainer", ''The Times'', 25 January 2010
Retrieved 5 February 2021


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fayne and Evans English comedy duos English male comedians