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'''Walter William "Max" Bygraves''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|OBE}} (16 October 1922 – 31 August 2012) was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, sometimes performing comedy sketches between songs.
He made twenty ''[[Royal Variety Performance]]'' appearances and presented numerous programmes, including ''[[Family Fortunes]]'' between 1983 and 1985. His catchphrase "I wanna tell you a story" became an integral part of his act, although it had originated with comedian [[Mike Yarwood]] impersonating Bygraves. ==Early life==
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In July 1950, he made his first appearance at the [[London Palladium]] supporting [[Abbott and Costello]],<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Stage |journal=The Stage |date=20 July 1950 |page=2}}</ref> and in 1951 he supported [[Judy Garland]] in her appearance there.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Stage |journal=The Stage |date=5 April 1951 |page=2}}</ref> Arising from this, she invited him to perform at the [[Palace Theatre (New York City)|Palace]] in [[New York City|New York]] in October 1951.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Daily News (New York) |journal=Daily News (New York) |date=18 September 1951 |page=57}}</ref>
Bygraves became a successful recording artist with seven top ten hits on the [[UK Singles Chart]] between 1952 and 1960.<ref name="betts"/> Many were [[novelty songs]]. One of his most popular recordings, "You Need Hands" in 1958, was written by Bygraves under the pseudonym Roy Irwin (or Erwin), a name picked at random from a telephone directory. He also wrote its follow-up, "Gotta Have Rain".<ref name=leigh>{{Cite news|date=2012-09-02|title=Max Bygraves: Entertainer who won the nation's hearts with his songs|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/max-bygraves-entertainer-who-won-the-nation-s-hearts-with-his-songs-tv-shows-and-patter-8101437.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/max-bygraves-entertainer-who-won-the-nation-s-hearts-with-his-songs-tv-shows-and-patter-8101437.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-30|newspaper=The Independent}}</ref> His producer Wally Ridley said of Bygraves:
{{blockquote He also occasionally worked as an actor, appearing in British films including ''[[Bless 'Em All (film)|Bless 'Em All]]'' (1948) and ''[[Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951 film)|Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' (1951). Bygraves appeared as himself in the 1954 British film musical ''Harmony Lane'' directed by Lewis Gilbert, and 'What Now, Davros!', with Helen Ball. He portrayed the title character in the 1956 film ''[[Charley Moon]]'' and starred in the 1961 drama ''[[Spare the Rod (1961 film)|Spare the Rod]]''.<ref name=leigh/> In 1959, Bygraves bought the past and future rights to the [[Lionel Bart]] musical ''[[Oliver!]]'' for £350 at a time when Bart was experiencing severe financial difficulties. Bygraves later sold them for £250,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/obituaries/feature.php/37286/max-bygraves |title=Max Bygraves – Obituaries |newspaper=The Stage |access-date=2013-02-15}}</ref>
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From 1972, Bygraves recorded a series of albums, ''Sing Along With Max'' (later ''Singalongamax''), in which he sang medleys of familiar songs aimed at an older audience. The albums, for [[Pye Records]], sold millions of copies and led to spinoff shows and more recordings.<ref name=leigh/> In 1977, UK publishing house [[W. H. Allen & Co.|W. H. Allen]] published Bygraves' comic novel ''The Milkman's on His Way''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bygraves |first=Max |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/3607418 |title=The milkman's on his way |date=1977 |publisher=Allen |isbn=0-491-02290-5 |location=London |oclc=3607418}}</ref>
Bygraves' catchphrase was said to be: "I wanna tell you a story".
==Honours==
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==Personal life==
Bygraves married [[Women's Auxiliary Air Force|WAAF]] sergeant Gladys "Blossom" Murray in 1942. The couple had three children.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barker |first=Dennis |date=2012-09-01 |title=Max Bygraves obituary |
On 9 August 1974, Bygraves became trapped on a cliff-face near his house in [[Westbourne, Dorset|Westbourne]], Bournemouth, while attempting to retrieve a kite flown by his grandson Michael which had become stuck beneath the edge of the cliff. Bygraves suffered friction burns on his hands and was in shock when police and firefighters helped him to safety.<ref>{{cite news|title=Max Bygraves rescued from cliffs|url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vpRAAAAAIBAJ&pg=2540,2404824&dq=max+bygraves&hl=en|newspaper=The Glasgow Herald|date=10 August 1974|page=7}}</ref> In 1999, Bygraves underwent treatment for an ear disorder, having cancelled a number of performances on his doctor's advice.<ref>{{cite news|title=Entertainment: Bygraves suffers ear problems|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/349671.stm|publisher=BBC News (BBC)|date=21 May 1999|access-date=25 October 2012}}</ref>
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