Max Bygraves

Max Bygraves

Acting
1922-10-16
Rotherhithe, London, England, UK

Biography

Walter William "Max" Bygraves was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own TV shows, sometimes performing comedy sketches between songs.

Known For & Full Filmography23 Titles

#1Wogan

Drama Series - 1982, 16 episodes as Self

5.3 / 10
Talk

Chat show hosted by Terry Wogan, featuring live studio interviews with famous and notable personalities.

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#2The Ed Sullivan Show

Drama Series - 1948, 16 episodes as Self

6.8 / 10
ComedyTalk

The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

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#3The Jack Benny Program

Drama Series - 1950, 16 episodes as Max Bygraves

7.8 / 10
Comedy

Laugh along with funnyman Jack Benny as he brings his underplayed humor to TV along with regular performers from his radio show days.

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#4An Audience with...

Drama Series - 1978, 16 episodes as Self

5.3 / 10
Talk

An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.

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#5Family Fortunes

Drama Series - 1980, 16 episodes Main Cast Role

7.5 / 10
RealityFamily

Two families go head to head as they try to name the post popular answer to survey-based questions posed to 100 people for a chance to win a jackpot prize.

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#6The Frank Skinner Show

Drama Series - 1995, 16 episodes as Self

7.5 / 10
TalkComedy

The Frank Skinner Show was a television chat show hosted by comedian Frank Skinner, which lasted nine series on British television between 1995 and 2005. As well as celebrity interviews, the shows included an initial stand-up routine, various sketches throughout the episode and usually concluded with a comedic song featuring Frank and the guest stars. The Frank Skinner Show became notorious over the years for the unconventional nature of the interviews, including some shocking revelations from the guests. The programme ended in 2005 after nine series. It was screened on BBC One from its first episode on 10 September 1995 until 3 June 1999. In 2000, the show moved to ITV. The programme was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award in 2001.

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#7Roamin' Holiday

Drama Series - 1961, 16 episodes as Max Bygraves

8.8 / 10

The Englishman on holiday? That is the theme of Roamin' Holiday, ATV's series starring Max Bygraves as the Englishman. The scene is the Italian Riviera Resort of Alassio. Against this setting, a holiday tonic to relieve the gloom of winter for viewers at home, the series will feature comedy situations and musical numbers. With Max at large in the town mingling with their residence and thronging holiday makers. Max's 13-year-old son Anthony, who sang with his father at the London Palladium last September, will appear in four episodes of the Roamin' Holiday.

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#8Michael Barrymore's Saturday Night Out

Drama Series - 1988, 16 episodes as Self

9.0 / 10
ComedyFamily

A BBC variety entertainment summer series, for the first season presented from The Fort Regent Leisure Centre, Jersey and from The Dominion Theatre in London's Tottenham Court Road for the second.

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#9All Star Comedy Carnival

Drama Series - 1969, 16 episodes Main Cast Role

8.8 / 10
ComedyFamily

An annual Christmas special produced by ITV, containing new mini-episodes of popular British sitcoms and light entertainment programmes, with some musical interludes. It was hosted by Des O'Connor in 1969, Max Bygraves in 1970, Mike and Bernie Winters in 1971 and Jimmy Tarbuck in 1972 and 1973. Created as a direct competitor to the BBC's Christmas Night with the Stars, all had short five minute sketches devised and produced for transmission within the festive period, written by the original writers of each comedy series.

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#10The Mind of David Berglas

Drama Series - 1985, 16 episodes Main Cast Role

7.5 / 10

David Berglas is psychological illusionist and mentalist. In the UK he caused a sensation with his Channel 4 series The Mind of David Berglas, aired in 1986, where he interviewed and entertained celebrity guests including Omar Sharif, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Peter Cook and Max Bygraves.

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#11Tom Brown's Schooldays

Movie - 1951, 2h 15m as Coach Guard

7.0 / 10
Drama

In 1830s England, Tom Brown attends a rugby boys' school, where his moral and personal growth is formed through friendship, bullying–particularly from the cruel Flashman–and the influence of headmaster Dr Thomas Arnold.

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#12Bobbikins

Movie - 1959, 2h 15m as Benjamin Barnaby

6.0 / 10
Comedy

This adventure follows the story of a young navy man, his wife and their baby son, Bobby, also known as Bobbikins. To his surprise, Dad discovers his son talks, not baby-talk or gibberish but has adult conversations with his father only. Bobbikins learns stock market tips and passes them to his Dad. After making a killing on the stock market, problems really begin. The dad is presumed mad, the government is after him, and the breakdown of relations between the young couple ensues. But there is hope.

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#13Charley Moon

Movie - 1956, 2h 15m as Charley Moon

7.0 / 10
Music

A new career opens for Charley Moon when, during his army service, he is detailed to appear in a unit concert. In doing so, he becomes friendly with Harold Armytage, a peacetime actor of the old school. Hearing that Charley has no job to go to when demobilized, Armytage suggests they team up as stage comics. Things are not easy; jobs are few and far between, and when they can be found they are in the tattiest of theatres, but Charley gains the experience he needs. They then decide to try their luck in London.

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#14Bless 'em all

Movie - 1949, 2h 15m as Tommy Anderson

5.2 / 10
ComedyWar

AWOL for more than half a century, but now back on parade, this cheery army comedy is a showcase for variety star Hal Monty and a young Max Bygraves. Missing in action for many years, this raucous comedy of army life, which looks back on the latter days of WWII, is a slam-bang showcase for the boisterous variety antics of comedian Hal Monty, seen here in his heyday performing rough and ready slapstick sketches aplenty. He’s accompanied by regular foil Les Ritchie, as his uptight sergeant, and comical crooner Max Bygraves, in his screen debut.

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#15A Cry from the Streets

Movie - 1958, 2h 15m as William "Bill" David Lowther

7.1 / 10
Drama

Bittersweet story about London's unwanted children and the good people trying to help them. Ann is a social worker, while Bill is an electrician whose contract with the local care home introduces him to the children and Ann. Events start to escalate out of control when a child takes possession of a loaded gun.

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#16The Alf Garnett Saga

Movie - 1972, 2h 15m as Max Bygraves

5.0 / 10
Comedy

Alf and his family have been moved from their East End home into a high-rise council estate. Alf is not only having trouble coping with his new 'home', but also with the long commute to work, the long walk to the corner pub, his long-suffering wife Else, rebellious daughter Rita, and her philandering, constantly unemployed husband Mike.

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#17Spare the Rod

Movie - 1961, 2h 15m as John Saunders

6.2 / 10
Drama

It is London in the year 1960 and John Saunders enthusiastically begins his new teaching career at a tough slum-area school. His class are bored pupils in their last term before leaving. Will he handle the grave problems that lie ahead?

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#18Royal Variety Performance 1984

Movie - 1984, 2h 15m as Self - Compère

8.8 / 10
MusicComedyTV Movie

In the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales. From the stage of the Victoria Palace Theatre stars from the world of entertainment bring you comedy and music.

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#19Oooh Er Missus! The Frankie Howerd Story

Movie - 1990, 2h 15m as Self

10.0 / 10
DocumentaryComedy

Documentary about the life of Frankie Howerd, with help from friends and colleagues and including highlights from his TV and film career.

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#20Harmony Lane

Movie - 1954, 2h 15m as Comedian

8.8 / 10
Music

The first British 3D short, this delightful 27 minute short is like spending a night at the Palladium with several variety acts. They include dancing by the Jack Billings Trio; a song by the Beverley Sisters; "Swan Lake" by Svetlana Beriosova and David Paltenghi of the Sadler's Wells Ballet; precision dancing by The Television Toppers and a comedy routine with Dora Bryan and Max Bygraves.

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#21An Audience with Shirley Bassey

Movie - 1995, 2h 15m as Self

7.0 / 10
DocumentaryMusic

Showbiz legend Dame Shirley Bassey delights a celebrity audience by singing songs and answering light-hearted questions. Enjoy renditions including Born to Sing and George Harrison's Something from the sequin-gowned Welsh songstress.

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#22Max Miller: I Like The Girls Who Do

Movie - 1989, 2h 15m as Self

8.8 / 10
Documentary

A celebration of Max Miller , comedian and star. Presented by Gerald Scarfe with Max Bygraves Charlie Chester , Doris Hare Jean Kent , Alec McCowen, Tommy Trinder , Max Wall, Bernie Winters and Max Miller 'I'm ready for bed - anybody?' Max Miller , dazzling in chintz and gaudy plus-fours, one foot on the footlights, leering and howling with delight, confronted his audience. Sexual innuendo was his game. He trod a dangerous line, just this side of respectability, across the Music Halls of the 30s and 40s. On the stage of the Hackney Empire, with chorus girls and full supporting acts, Gerald Scarfe re-creates Max Miller 's rise from the back streets of Brighton to the top of the bill. The most outrageous comedian of his day, Max was banned by the BBC, in trouble over the Royal Command Performance, admired and hated by the comics of his age - and ours

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#23A Tribute to Tommy Cooper

Movie - 1986, 2h 15m as Self

8.8 / 10
Documentary

A retrospective of the comedy genius of Tommy Cooper, with tributes from the likes of Eamonn Andrews, Ronnie Barker, Max Bygraves, Cannon & Ball, Jim Davidson, Benny Hill, Eric Sykes and Mike Yarwood

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