Michael Barrymore
Encyclopedia
Michael Kieron Parker better known by his stage name
Michael Barrymore, is a British
comedian
who appeared as a presenter of game show
s and light entertainment
programmes on British television
in the 1980s and 1990s. These included Strike It Lucky
, My Kind of People
, My Kind of Music
and Kids Say the Funniest Things. He headlined the 1993 Royal Variety Performance
and was voted the UK's favourite TV star several times, becoming one of the highest-paid stars on TV.
His career went downhill following the death of Stuart Lubbock in Barrymore's swimming pool on 31 March 2001. Since then Barrymore has appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and other shows including The Friday Night Project
, The Bigger Picture with Graham Norton
, This Morning
, The Sharon Osbourne Show
, Celebrity Coach Trip and The Saturday Night Show
.
in 1952. He lived on the Dickens estate
, Bermondsey, for the first 18 years of his life. His parents, George and Margaret, had moved there in 1950 with Barrymore's brother John (born c. 1944) and sister Ann (born c. 1946). His father, a violent heavy drinker, left when Barrymore was 11; they never saw each other again.
holiday camps, and then in the West End theatre
shows of London
, where he met dancer and life long friend Cheryl St Claire
in 1974. They married in 1976, With Cheryl as manager and the mastermind behind Barrymore's meteoric rise, he first won a 1979 edition of New Faces
, and then became a regular panelist on Blankety Blank
and the warm-up man for Larry Grayson
on the Generation Game.
shows. He became the host of ITV
entertainment shows Strike It Lucky
(which later became Strike It Rich) from 1986, then it was his own light entertainment show entitled Barrymore
followed by a talent show My Kind of People
and gameshow My Kind of Music
together with Kids Say the Funniest Things
and Animals Do the Funniest Things. Barrymore was voted the UK's favourite TV star several times, and became one of the highest-paid stars on TV.
problems. Barrymore claims he wanted to seek help, but that Cheryl continually told him: "No, you're not (alcoholic). Don't be stupid."
In mid-1995, at the height of his fame, Barrymore went to the The White Swan gay pub
in London's East End, where he gave an impromptu stage performance to the largely local crowd singing the words: "Start spreading the news - I'm extra gay
today". Within 48 hours, every tabloid
newspaper had printed its own version of the evening's events, including an untrue claim that the star had thrown away his wedding ring.
After appearing as the headline act on the 1993 Royal Variety Performance
, where he sang a version of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" with the Queen's Guard
gun drill, in November 1995, Barrymore attended the National Television Awards
, where, clearly drunk, he made a rambling, incoherent speech. At an after-show party on a live late night radio show, he publicly declared he was gay and "no longer wanted to live a lie
", following which he split with Cheryl. She later claimed that Barrymore took the step and did not tell her because of his talks with Diana, Princess of Wales
. Barrymore, as of 2010, has said that he is no longer gay after setting up a relationship with a woman. However, he has acknowledged that he may be bisexual.
Catch a Falling Star which contained details of their acrimonious split. The couple subsequently had no contact, and Cheryl at her request ceased to be Barrymore's agent or manager.
Barrymore later suggested in his 2006 autobiography Awight Now: Setting the Record Straight that Cheryl was a control freak who controlled his every movement including his clothes, and she had created the character that was "Michael Barrymore", which consequently drove him to alcohol, drugs and gay affairs.
In an interview in 2002, Barrymore admitted that he is an alcoholic.
On 1 April 2005, Cheryl died of lung cancer
at the age of 55 at St John and St Elizabeth Hospital in St John's Wood
. Shortly before her death she asked that details of her condition be kept secret from her former husband, and left instructions that he should not be invited to attend her funeral.
injuries which some said were consistent with a sexual assault
.
Many tabloid newspapers accused Barrymore of holding drug-fuelled gay orgies
in his home and asserted that he must have had some responsibility for the death. It was claimed that Barrymore had been seen at the party forcing cocaine
onto Lubbock's gums, an allegation Barrymore denied.
Barrymore subsequently received a police caution
for possession and use of cannabis
, but no other charges were laid against him or anyone else in connection with the death, although two other party-goers, unemployed Justin Merritt and drag queen
Jonathan Kenney were arrested on suspicion of murder on 6 June 2001. The inquest that took place in September 2002 reached an open verdict
.
In light of the verdict, and the fact that she was approached by a friend of the Lubbock family, Cheryl provided the Lubbock family solicitor with both a sworn affidavit
and subsequent court testimony that her ex-husband had lied under oath, and could in fact swim. She also alleged the entertainer had rubbed cocaine
on to the gums of other people as well as himself.
In November 2002 Barrymore's lawyers successfully demanded that Essex Police
re-investigate matters surrounding Lubbock's death. Their focus was on Barrymore's allegations that the injuries inflicted upon Lubbock's body could have occurred while lying unguarded in the mortuary. A pathologist's report found that Lubbock's wounds were only four hours old at the time of the examination at 4pm, while Lubbock had been pronounced dead at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow
at 8.20am that morning. On his claims, Barrymore told Five Live: "We want to prove the fact that the anal injuries could not have happened at the house." He added: "If these injuries had happened then, why have the police not charged anyone with anything?"
On Barrymore's high-profile return to the UK in January 2006 to take part in Celebrity Big Brother, former solicitor, politician and local activist Anthony Bennett
initiated a private prosecution, comprising six charges regarding Barrymore's alleged misuse of drink and drugs on the night of Stuart Lubbock's death. The action commenced in Epping
Magistrates Court in January 2006 and, on 10 February 2006, a District Judge at Southend Magistrates' Court blocked the private prosecution against Barrymore on the grounds of insufficient evidence being available for the case to continue. As has been noted above, Anthony Bennett was no longer a solicitor and was acting independently of Terry Lubbock, Stuart's father.
In an interview with Piers Morgan
in the December 2006 edition of GQ magazine, Barrymore claimed there were other witnesses to the events who were hiding information.
On 2 December 2006, police announced they were re-opening the investigation into Lubbock's death. The re-investigation followed a lengthy dossier submitted by Anthony Bennett, who was now Terry Lubbock's solicitor, cataloguing a series of alleged failures by Essex Police in the original investigation and claiming that there had been an elaborate cover-up of the true circumstances of Lubbock's death.
On 22 December 2006, following a successful complaint to the Press Complaints Commission
by Bennett, The Sun
published a letter from Terry Lubbock replying to the newspaper's five-page feature on Barrymore earlier in the year which featured Terry's meeting with Barrymore.
On 1 March 2007, the Independent Police Complaints Commission
, following a complaint lodged the previous December by Terry Lubbock, announced an investigation into aspects of the police inquiry into Lubbock's death after receiving complaints from the Lubbock family. It was reported that complaints surrounded information Essex Police gave to a coroner and pathologist after Lubbock's death. In May the I.P.C.C. agreed with Terry Lubbock a schedule of no fewer than 36 separate complaints relating to the original investigation into Lubbock's death.
On 14 June 2007, Essex Police arrested Barrymore and two other men on suspicion of murder and serious sexual assault in the Lubbock case. The two other men arrested were Jonathan Kenney, Barrymore's lover and partner at the time of the death, and Justin Merritt, an unemployed former dustman at the time. The three men were held for questioning at South Woodham Ferrers
police station, Essex.
This followed reports in The Harlow Herald that police had seized tapes from the home of Barrymore's literary agent Tony Cowell allegedly containing conversations between Cowell and Barrymore.
On 15 June 2007, police were given permission to question Barrymore and one other man for a further 12 hours. Barrymore's solicitor Henri Brandman also confirmed his client was one of the men arrested.
Later that day Barrymore was released on police bail pending further enquiries. His solicitor stated that Barrymore "categorically denied" the allegations made and had not been charged with any offence.
On 31 July 2007, it was announced that Barrymore had been re-bailed to appear at an Essex Police station on 10 September. He answered bail on 10 September at a police station in Harlow, Essex. Police were then granted a further 12 hours to question him. On that date, Barrymore was told that he would not face charges for the events that occurred.
terminated his contract and his UK
TV career subsequently collapsed. A new series of Kids Say the Funniest Things recorded prior to the scandal was pulled from the ITV
schedule and never broadcast. The Guardian reported that the BBC
cancelled publication of Barrymore's life story.
In September 2003, Barrymore staged a one-man show at London's Wyndham's Theatre
, which closed after a few days. He subsequently emigrated to New Zealand
to live with his partner, Shaun Davis. He has since had live stage shows in New Zealand
and Australia
. In 2005, he appeared in the stage musical, Chicago
, in Napier, New Zealand
.
150,000 by Channel 4
to take part in the British
version of Celebrity Big Brother commencing 5 January 2006.
His time in the house will particularly be remembered for his visibly strong dislike of model Jodie Marsh
, and his difficult relationship with housemate George Galloway
, which culminated in a 20 minute slanging match between the two men. On 27 January 2006 he finished runner-up to Chantelle Houghton
.
's The Friday Night Project
for the edition broadcast on 3 February 2006.
It was announced that for Christmas 2006, Barrymore would play the title role in Bill Kenwright's
new production of Scrooge – The Musical
" Barrymore performed the lead role at the Empire Theatre, Sunderland, but the production's scheduled transfer to the West End
was cancelled.
In January 2008, Barrymore took the role of comedian and writer Spike Milligan
in the stage play 'Surviving Spike'.
In February 2010 he appeared on Irish television on The Saturday Night Show
, where he unexpectedly performed numerous bizarre and controversial antics, including pretending to be Jedward's
father.
In May 2010, Barrymore startled his co-contestants on a reality TV show by revealing that he had fallen in love with a woman. Barrymore was filming an episode of Channel 4 show Come Dine With Me
with former Generation Game host Anthea Redfern
and presenters Pat Sharp
and Jenny Powell
when he said he was going to have a party to celebrate that he was "coming back in
".
In March 2011, it was announced that Barrymore would be returning to the stage for a season at Blackpool's North Pier Theatre, for the summer of that year.
Barrymore is a contestant in a forthcoming series of Channel 4 reality television show Celebrity Coach Trip
.
In November 2011 he was arrested for cocaine possession. http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/11/27/michael-barrymore-arrested-for-cocaine-posession-at-scene-of-car-crash-115875-23590992/
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Michael Barrymore, is a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
who appeared as a presenter of game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
s and light entertainment
Light entertainment
Light entertainment is a term used to describe a broad range of usually televisual performances. These include comedies, variety shows, quiz/game shows, sketch shows and people/surprise shows.-Light entertainment in Britain:...
programmes on British television
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
in the 1980s and 1990s. These included Strike It Lucky
Strike It Lucky
Strike It Lucky was a popular British television game show from 1986 to 1999, originally produced by Thames Television for ITV, and presented by the British comedian Michael Barrymore...
, My Kind of People
My Kind of People
My Kind of People is an ITV television show presented by British entertainer Michael Barrymore broadcast in 1995. Barrymore travelled around the country in his customised sports car visiting shopping centres, amateurs performed on a stage for the programme unrehearsed.Some acts were simply shown...
, My Kind of Music
My Kind of Music
My Kind of Music is a game show in the United Kingdom, produced by LWT for ITV from 8 February 1998 to 29 March 2002.The show's main theme, "My Kind of People", where presenter Michael Barrymore sang some of the lyrics when appearing at the very start, was based on the same song by Robert Palmer...
and Kids Say the Funniest Things. He headlined the 1993 Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
and was voted the UK's favourite TV star several times, becoming one of the highest-paid stars on TV.
His career went downhill following the death of Stuart Lubbock in Barrymore's swimming pool on 31 March 2001. Since then Barrymore has appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and other shows including The Friday Night Project
The Friday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
, The Bigger Picture with Graham Norton
The Bigger Picture with Graham Norton
Graham Norton's Bigger Picture is a British comedy panel chat show launched on BBC One in 2005, in which presenter Graham Norton informally and satirically discusses the week's news with a panel of invited celebrity guests...
, This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
, The Sharon Osbourne Show
The Sharon Osbourne Show
The Sharon Osbourne Show refers to either of two TV chat shows hosted by Sharon Osbourne – the original US version, or the more recent UK version. These are described separately below.-US version :...
, Celebrity Coach Trip and The Saturday Night Show
The Saturday Night Show
The Saturday Night Show is an Irish chat show hosted by Brendan O'Connor that has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 2010. The show features guest interviews, audience participation and live music...
.
Early life
Barrymore was born Michael Kieron Parker in BermondseyBermondsey
Bermondsey is an area in London on the south bank of the river Thames, and is part of the London Borough of Southwark. To the west lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe, and to the south, Walworth and Peckham.-Toponomy:...
in 1952. He lived on the Dickens estate
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
, Bermondsey, for the first 18 years of his life. His parents, George and Margaret, had moved there in 1950 with Barrymore's brother John (born c. 1944) and sister Ann (born c. 1946). His father, a violent heavy drinker, left when Barrymore was 11; they never saw each other again.
Early career
Barrymore spent his early career working as a Redcoat at ButlinsButlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
holiday camps, and then in the West End theatre
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
shows of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he met dancer and life long friend Cheryl St Claire
Cheryl Barrymore
Cheryl Carlisa Barrymore was an English dancer and talent manager, most famous as the ex-wife of Michael Barrymore.-Biography:...
in 1974. They married in 1976, With Cheryl as manager and the mastermind behind Barrymore's meteoric rise, he first won a 1979 edition of New Faces
New Faces
New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson. It was produced by ATV Network Limited for the ITV Network. The first run of the show was from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham...
, and then became a regular panelist on Blankety Blank
Blankety Blank
Blankety Blank is a British comedy game show based on the 1977–1978 Australian game show Blankety Blanks ....
and the warm-up man for Larry Grayson
Larry Grayson
Larry Grayson , born William Sulley White, was an English stand-up comedian and television presenter of the 1970s and early 80s...
on the Generation Game.
Rise to fame
From there Barrymore rose to fame presenting his own show, The Michael Barrymore Show, and also appeared in a number of Royal Variety PerformanceRoyal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
shows. He became the host of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
entertainment shows Strike It Lucky
Strike It Lucky
Strike It Lucky was a popular British television game show from 1986 to 1999, originally produced by Thames Television for ITV, and presented by the British comedian Michael Barrymore...
(which later became Strike It Rich) from 1986, then it was his own light entertainment show entitled Barrymore
Barrymore (TV series)
Barrymore was a Light entertainment show in the United Kingdom, produced by LWT for ITV between 21 December 1991 and 29 December 2000.-Transmissions:-External links:* at BFI...
followed by a talent show My Kind of People
My Kind of People
My Kind of People is an ITV television show presented by British entertainer Michael Barrymore broadcast in 1995. Barrymore travelled around the country in his customised sports car visiting shopping centres, amateurs performed on a stage for the programme unrehearsed.Some acts were simply shown...
and gameshow My Kind of Music
My Kind of Music
My Kind of Music is a game show in the United Kingdom, produced by LWT for ITV from 8 February 1998 to 29 March 2002.The show's main theme, "My Kind of People", where presenter Michael Barrymore sang some of the lyrics when appearing at the very start, was based on the same song by Robert Palmer...
together with Kids Say the Funniest Things
Kids Say the Funniest Things
Kids Say the Funniest Things was a Comedy show in the United Kingdom based on the United States show Kids Say the Darndest Things, produced by LWT for ITV from 27 December 1998 to 1 October 2000. A third series was recorded in 2001, but never aired because of the revelations surrounding Stuart...
and Animals Do the Funniest Things. Barrymore was voted the UK's favourite TV star several times, and became one of the highest-paid stars on TV.
Coming out
At the height of his popularity, Barrymore suffered increasing alcoholAlcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
problems. Barrymore claims he wanted to seek help, but that Cheryl continually told him: "No, you're not (alcoholic). Don't be stupid."
In mid-1995, at the height of his fame, Barrymore went to the The White Swan gay pub
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
in London's East End, where he gave an impromptu stage performance to the largely local crowd singing the words: "Start spreading the news - I'm extra gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
today". Within 48 hours, every tabloid
Tabloid journalism
Tabloid journalism tends to emphasize topics such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news...
newspaper had printed its own version of the evening's events, including an untrue claim that the star had thrown away his wedding ring.
After appearing as the headline act on the 1993 Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
, where he sang a version of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" with the Queen's Guard
Queen's Guard
The Queen's Guard and Queen's Life Guard are the names given to contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official royal residences in London...
gun drill, in November 1995, Barrymore attended the National Television Awards
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
, where, clearly drunk, he made a rambling, incoherent speech. At an after-show party on a live late night radio show, he publicly declared he was gay and "no longer wanted to live a lie
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
", following which he split with Cheryl. She later claimed that Barrymore took the step and did not tell her because of his talks with Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. Barrymore, as of 2010, has said that he is no longer gay after setting up a relationship with a woman. However, he has acknowledged that he may be bisexual.
Divorce
After several aborted reunions, Cheryl and Michael divorced in 1997 and Cheryl went on to publish the autobiographyAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
Catch a Falling Star which contained details of their acrimonious split. The couple subsequently had no contact, and Cheryl at her request ceased to be Barrymore's agent or manager.
Barrymore later suggested in his 2006 autobiography Awight Now: Setting the Record Straight that Cheryl was a control freak who controlled his every movement including his clothes, and she had created the character that was "Michael Barrymore", which consequently drove him to alcohol, drugs and gay affairs.
In an interview in 2002, Barrymore admitted that he is an alcoholic.
On 1 April 2005, Cheryl died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at the age of 55 at St John and St Elizabeth Hospital in St John's Wood
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
. Shortly before her death she asked that details of her condition be kept secret from her former husband, and left instructions that he should not be invited to attend her funeral.
Death of Stuart Lubbock
Following a party in the early hours of 31 March 2001, a 31-year-old man, Stuart Lubbock, died after three witnesses - including Barrymore himself - claimed to have found him motionless in Barrymore's swimming pool. All charges were dropped when it later came to court, though witnesses could not agree on whether he was found floating on top of the pool or at the bottom of it. The cause of death was found to be drowning. Lubbock, described as a "bubbly partygoer", had traces of drugs and alcohol in his system. Pathologists discovered severe analAnus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
injuries which some said were consistent with a sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
.
Many tabloid newspapers accused Barrymore of holding drug-fuelled gay orgies
Orgy
In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party where guests engage in promiscuous or multifarious sexual activity or group sex. An orgy is similar to debauchery, which refers to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures....
in his home and asserted that he must have had some responsibility for the death. It was claimed that Barrymore had been seen at the party forcing cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
onto Lubbock's gums, an allegation Barrymore denied.
Barrymore subsequently received a police caution
Police caution
A police caution is a formal alternative to prosecution in minor cases, administered by the police and other law enforcement agencies in England and Wales, and in Hong Kong...
for possession and use of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
, but no other charges were laid against him or anyone else in connection with the death, although two other party-goers, unemployed Justin Merritt and drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
Jonathan Kenney were arrested on suspicion of murder on 6 June 2001. The inquest that took place in September 2002 reached an open verdict
Open verdict
The Open verdict is an option open to a Coroner's jury at an Inquest in the legal system of England and Wales. The verdict strictly means that the jury confirms that the death is suspicious but is unable to reach any of the other verdicts open to them...
.
In light of the verdict, and the fact that she was approached by a friend of the Lubbock family, Cheryl provided the Lubbock family solicitor with both a sworn affidavit
Affidavit
An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public...
and subsequent court testimony that her ex-husband had lied under oath, and could in fact swim. She also alleged the entertainer had rubbed cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
on to the gums of other people as well as himself.
In November 2002 Barrymore's lawyers successfully demanded that Essex Police
Essex Police
Essex Police is a territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Essex in the east of England.It is one of the largest non-metropolitan police forces in the United Kingdom, employing approximately 3,600 police officers and operating across an area of over and with a population of...
re-investigate matters surrounding Lubbock's death. Their focus was on Barrymore's allegations that the injuries inflicted upon Lubbock's body could have occurred while lying unguarded in the mortuary. A pathologist's report found that Lubbock's wounds were only four hours old at the time of the examination at 4pm, while Lubbock had been pronounced dead at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow
Harlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
at 8.20am that morning. On his claims, Barrymore told Five Live: "We want to prove the fact that the anal injuries could not have happened at the house." He added: "If these injuries had happened then, why have the police not charged anyone with anything?"
On Barrymore's high-profile return to the UK in January 2006 to take part in Celebrity Big Brother, former solicitor, politician and local activist Anthony Bennett
Anthony Bennett (English politician)
Anthony John Stuart Bennett is an English politician and campaigner. He was a member of the British political party Veritas and was listed on the database of the Electoral Commission as official leader for three days, before the real leader was revealed as Robert Kilroy-Silk.In 2006, he began a...
initiated a private prosecution, comprising six charges regarding Barrymore's alleged misuse of drink and drugs on the night of Stuart Lubbock's death. The action commenced in Epping
Epping
Epping is a small market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. It is located north-east of Loughton, south of Harlow and north-west of Brentwood....
Magistrates Court in January 2006 and, on 10 February 2006, a District Judge at Southend Magistrates' Court blocked the private prosecution against Barrymore on the grounds of insufficient evidence being available for the case to continue. As has been noted above, Anthony Bennett was no longer a solicitor and was acting independently of Terry Lubbock, Stuart's father.
In an interview with Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan
Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan , known professionally as Piers Morgan, is a British journalist and television presenter. He is editorial director of First News, a national newspaper for children....
in the December 2006 edition of GQ magazine, Barrymore claimed there were other witnesses to the events who were hiding information.
On 2 December 2006, police announced they were re-opening the investigation into Lubbock's death. The re-investigation followed a lengthy dossier submitted by Anthony Bennett, who was now Terry Lubbock's solicitor, cataloguing a series of alleged failures by Essex Police in the original investigation and claiming that there had been an elaborate cover-up of the true circumstances of Lubbock's death.
On 22 December 2006, following a successful complaint to the Press Complaints Commission
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
by Bennett, The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
published a letter from Terry Lubbock replying to the newspaper's five-page feature on Barrymore earlier in the year which featured Terry's meeting with Barrymore.
On 1 March 2007, the Independent Police Complaints Commission
Independent Police Complaints Commission
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.-Role:...
, following a complaint lodged the previous December by Terry Lubbock, announced an investigation into aspects of the police inquiry into Lubbock's death after receiving complaints from the Lubbock family. It was reported that complaints surrounded information Essex Police gave to a coroner and pathologist after Lubbock's death. In May the I.P.C.C. agreed with Terry Lubbock a schedule of no fewer than 36 separate complaints relating to the original investigation into Lubbock's death.
On 14 June 2007, Essex Police arrested Barrymore and two other men on suspicion of murder and serious sexual assault in the Lubbock case. The two other men arrested were Jonathan Kenney, Barrymore's lover and partner at the time of the death, and Justin Merritt, an unemployed former dustman at the time. The three men were held for questioning at South Woodham Ferrers
South Woodham Ferrers
South Woodham Ferrers is a town and civil parish in the borough of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It is approximately from London and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 16,629. The town is located east of Fenn Creek, and near where it meets the River Crouch...
police station, Essex.
This followed reports in The Harlow Herald that police had seized tapes from the home of Barrymore's literary agent Tony Cowell allegedly containing conversations between Cowell and Barrymore.
On 15 June 2007, police were given permission to question Barrymore and one other man for a further 12 hours. Barrymore's solicitor Henri Brandman also confirmed his client was one of the men arrested.
Later that day Barrymore was released on police bail pending further enquiries. His solicitor stated that Barrymore "categorically denied" the allegations made and had not been charged with any offence.
On 31 July 2007, it was announced that Barrymore had been re-bailed to appear at an Essex Police station on 10 September. He answered bail on 10 September at a police station in Harlow, Essex. Police were then granted a further 12 hours to question him. On that date, Barrymore was told that he would not face charges for the events that occurred.
Career revival
Following the revelations of Lubbock's death, ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
terminated his contract and his UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
TV career subsequently collapsed. A new series of Kids Say the Funniest Things recorded prior to the scandal was pulled from the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
schedule and never broadcast. The Guardian reported that the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
cancelled publication of Barrymore's life story.
In September 2003, Barrymore staged a one-man show at London's Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by the actor/manager Charles Wyndham . Located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, it was designed by W.G.R. Sprague about 1898, the architect of six other London theatres between then and 1916...
, which closed after a few days. He subsequently emigrated to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to live with his partner, Shaun Davis. He has since had live stage shows in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In 2005, he appeared in the stage musical, Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
, in Napier, New Zealand
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
.
Celebrity Big Brother
In December 2005, it was announced that Barrymore was being paid £Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
150,000 by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
to take part in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
version of Celebrity Big Brother commencing 5 January 2006.
His time in the house will particularly be remembered for his visibly strong dislike of model Jodie Marsh
Jodie Marsh
Jodie Marsh is an English media personality, former glamour model and bodybuilder. She has appeared topless in many tabloid newspapers and has appeared in her own reality show, Totally Jodie Marsh.-Early life:...
, and his difficult relationship with housemate George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
, which culminated in a 20 minute slanging match between the two men. On 27 January 2006 he finished runner-up to Chantelle Houghton
Chantelle Houghton
Chantelle Vivien Houghton is an English glamour model and television personality. She was the first 'non-celebrity' to feature in the Channel 4 reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother in 2006....
.
After Big Brother
Remaining in the UK, Barrymore was booked to be the guest host on Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's The Friday Night Project
The Friday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
for the edition broadcast on 3 February 2006.
It was announced that for Christmas 2006, Barrymore would play the title role in Bill Kenwright's
Bill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright CBE is a leading West End theatre producer and film producer.He is also the Chairman of Everton Football Club, an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool....
new production of Scrooge – The Musical
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
" Barrymore performed the lead role at the Empire Theatre, Sunderland, but the production's scheduled transfer to the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
was cancelled.
In January 2008, Barrymore took the role of comedian and writer Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
in the stage play 'Surviving Spike'.
In February 2010 he appeared on Irish television on The Saturday Night Show
The Saturday Night Show
The Saturday Night Show is an Irish chat show hosted by Brendan O'Connor that has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 2010. The show features guest interviews, audience participation and live music...
, where he unexpectedly performed numerous bizarre and controversial antics, including pretending to be Jedward's
Jedward
John Paul Henry Daniel Richard Grimes and Edward Peter Anthony Kevin Patrick Grimes are an Irish hip pop duo. They are identical twins and perform under the name Jedward...
father.
In May 2010, Barrymore startled his co-contestants on a reality TV show by revealing that he had fallen in love with a woman. Barrymore was filming an episode of Channel 4 show Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
with former Generation Game host Anthea Redfern
Anthea Redfern
Anthea Bernice Redfern is a former British television hostess, most notable as the assistant to her husband Bruce Forsyth on the BBC's The Generation Game....
and presenters Pat Sharp
Pat Sharp
Pat Sharp is a British radio and television presenter and disc jockey. In the UK, he is known mainly for his work on the children's television programme Fun House, his former mullet and his radio shows as well as his support of Arsenal...
and Jenny Powell
Jenny Powell
Jenny Powell , is a British television presenter.-Early life:Powell's parents are from South Africa, she attended Woodford County High School for Girls in Woodford Green and the Italia Conti school in London.-Career:...
when he said he was going to have a party to celebrate that he was "coming back in
Ex-gay
The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that seek to get people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires, to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relationship...
".
In March 2011, it was announced that Barrymore would be returning to the stage for a season at Blackpool's North Pier Theatre, for the summer of that year.
Barrymore is a contestant in a forthcoming series of Channel 4 reality television show Celebrity Coach Trip
Coach Trip
Coach Trip is a reality show that was broadcast on Channel 4 with More4 and Pick TV showing repeats since 7 March 2005. The programme returned on 25 May 2009. The show's format consists of 4 to 7 teams of 2 undertaking a coach tour principally of continental Europe...
.
In November 2011 he was arrested for cocaine possession. http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/11/27/michael-barrymore-arrested-for-cocaine-posession-at-scene-of-car-crash-115875-23590992/
Stand-up videos
| Title | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Unpredictable... Live | 19 September 1994 | Live at Blackpool Blackpool Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester... 's Opera House Manchester Opera House The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England is a 1,920 seater commercial touring theatre which plays host to touring musicals, ballet, concerts and a Christmas pantomime. It is the sister to the Palace Theatre which is a similar venue in nearby Oxford Street at its junction with Whitworth... |
| Live And Uplifting - Back In Business! - Live At The Hammersmith Apollo | 9 November 1998 | Live at London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... 's HMV Hammersmith Apollo |
Extra reading
- The New Zealand HeraldThe New Zealand Herald- External links :* * *...
Barrymore not to blame for son's death, said father http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/print.cfm?c_id=100&objectid=10366187