Julian found out that she described herself as an artist, but that was not the only intriguing thing about her. On the 1881 census, he was were amazed to discover that Theresa had been born in Trier, Germany - yet more German blood! In 2007, he made a cameo appearance in the Australian soap opera, Neighbours, in scenes filmed in London with Natalie Bassingthwaighte. [27] The Dresser opens in August next year, so it “is not yet keeping me awake”, Clary said. “It is a play I love, and one that I thought maybe I could do – something I can get my teeth into. It is funny – and I do like making people laugh – but it is also very sad.” Ivy had almost no memory of her father - she was only three when he died - but she was able to tell Julian that Herman had been deemed too ill to be interned. He had died from consumption in 1917, leaving his wife Louisa to bring up their seven children on her own. The few details Julian Clary did know about his family history came from a sketchy family tree he drew when he was a child. But he knew little or nothing about most of the names on his list. Julian was keen to flesh out the stories of these mysterious relatives who existed only as a childish scrawl on a yellowing piece of card.

I spend all day with my dresser because if I am not on stage I am getting changed and so, yes, whether you want it or not, you have some sort of relationship going on. They have to make my dinner and say nice things to me, as well as change my shoes.” Society has moved forward. (In the 1970s, Jesus Christ Superstar was considered by some religious groups to be blasphemous.) Yet, he doesn’t deny that the LGBTQ+ movement doesn’t always operate as one. “I really enjoyed the diversity of the gay community, and the idea that everyone is in solidarity.” He adds, smiling: “Or ought to be.” From one of Britain's best-loved comedians comes this wonderfully funny, sharp and touching memoir and a celebration of the bond between man and dog - an autobi dog raphy, if you will. I don’t think I should,” he says when I ask him to talk about them in more detail. “Because they might recognise themselves. They’re very often very eccentric, let’s put it that way. Some are very well-balanced and businesslike people, and some have luggage. There’s a conflict between wanting to put all their energy into making someone perform as best they can, and jealousy and resentment.” It’s quite a process for me,” says Clary, who is better known for his camp, innuendo-stuffed stand-up routines and one particularly outrageous joke about former Chancellor Norman Lamont at a 1990s awards show. “I’m not used to it. You’re supposed to think and move and act and remember all these different things. My instinct as a comedian is to [stand] centre stage and look up, but of course it’s not that game at all.”Peter Pan is produced by Michael Harrison for Crossroads Pantomimes. As a producer in the West End his credits include The Drifters Girl, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Gypsy, The Bodyguard, Annie, Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, Crazy For You and The Wizard of Oz. The author’s passion for his pets shines through, and though the book doesn’t necessarily carry through on the promise of the introduction- there isn’t quite as much introspection and reflection as I was hoping for- anyone who has had a dog in their life can relate to the universality of joy and eventual loss they bring. What happened to them.This is the mundane details of their life like: where they were born, what their family was like, what school was like etc. To make matters worse, it appears that the young family received little help from Louisa's family. Ivy was convinced it was because they disapproved of Louisa having married a German. Clary played Leigh Bowery in the West End of London musical Taboo in 2002. He also took part in the touring production in 2004. [8]

Apparently, dear old 'Herman the German' was in good company. Julian and his sister, Frances, wondered if their grandmother knew this secret, but decided that this was unlikely, given that they remembered their grandmother being outraged when the family bought a German dog. Saunders and Clary will be joined by returning Palladium panto favourites Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers, Gary Wilmot and Rob Madge, with performances beginning on Saturday 9 December at the world-famous London Palladium for a strictly limited five-week run.

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In some ways you can view Clary – who faced calls that he should be banned from television – as an early victim of “cancel culture”, although it was the right wing that Clary had offended: “And I always felt that if you’d outraged the Daily Mail then it was job done, really.” So what does he think about today’s comedy climate, where offending liberal sensibilities can cause you to be persona non grata? In 1993, Julian made an infamous appearance at the British Comedy Awards, where he made a joke comparing the set to Hampstead Heath, and that he had just had a rather rude sexual encounter with former Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont, who had presented an award earlier on. Jennifer Saunders, who will be making her Palladium Panto debut in Peter Pan playing Captain Hook, said: “ I could not be more delighted to be doing my first panto ever at the Palladium. I am a huge fan of panto and The Palladium always delivers. I wouldn’t want to be in Peter Pan’s tiny soft shoes let me tell you, because I am going to give Hook my all!‘ Due to the audience reaction, the punchline ('Talk about a red box!') was lost. While the joke was met with huge laughter from the audience and Lamont himself did not complain, Julian was criticised in newspapers, with the Daily Mail and The Sun launching a campaign to have him banned from TV. In November 2006, he appeared on QI, [26] a panel game/comedy show hosted by Stephen Fry and also appeared on an episode of The New Paul O'Grady Show.