Welcome to Season 13 of Eyes & Teeth – This Season is Titled The RATS. The rats have been around since 1889 and there are never more than 200 members in the order at one time.
I was member 883 and my proposer was Roy Hudd OBE and seconder was Roger De Courcey.
Can you imagine sitting in lodge listening to anecdotes and laughing at fellow comedians or actors, musicians, magicians, ventriloquists or members of the Royal household sharing one thing that is universal and that is laughter.
At one time Laurel & Hardy were sat there with Wee Georgie Wood, or Little Tich would have turned up on a night off to talk about his busy week at the music hall.
(With thanks to British Pathe for their incredible archive videos on you tube)
Just think of Tommy Cooper and Les Dawson adlibbing across the room when Max Bygraves trying to tell a story… The order is steeped in history of variety and humour, and we meet around 12 times a year on top of organising Charity Events as well as the highlight of each year when that years King Rat plans the biggest party in London in November at their very own Ball.
In recent times our last King Rat Duggie Brown was crowned in 2020, for obvious reasons his crown was rolled over to 2021 and 2022 where this year would have been his big event. Sadly, we lost Duggie to a sudden illness mid 2022 which still today saddens us.
Duggie was the most brilliant of Kings, we all were treated to the banter, he had the stories, and we were happy to hear them. He worked on stage as a brilliant comedian and as an actor in TV and commercials even towards the end he was turning work away.
We miss you Duggie.
Max Bygraves OBE loved being part of the GOWR and his story today is told by my first guest in this season. Anthony Bygraves grew up surrounded by the glamour and glitz of British showbusiness and he himself has created a wealth of Music & Comedy as well as kept his father's legacy alive
Anthony has Written Produced and Directed shows and records and toured worldwide in his own right. Listen to his story today as we chat about his father Max, The London Palladium, Judy Garland, Peter Brough and Archie Andrews, when James Mason saved his life, his final moments with Tony Hancock in Australia and so much more as he Tells us more than just one story.
Welcome to E&T The Rats Anthony Bygraves