Richard Stilgoe
Encyclopedia
Richard Henry Simpson Stilgoe OBE
(born 28 March 1943) is a British songwriter
, lyricist
and musician
. He is noted for clever wordplay as much as for his music.
Stilgoe was born in Camberley
, Surrey
but brought up in Liverpool
—where as lead singer of a group calling itself 'Tony Snow and the Blizzards' he performed at the Cavern Club. He was educated at Monkton Combe School
in Somerset
and at Clare College, Cambridge
where he was a member of the Cambridge University Footlights
.
In 1966 he played the role of Benjamin in the West End musical Jorrocks. He made his name on the BBC television
teatime programme Nationwide
, followed by Esther Rantzen
's That's Life!
, a light-hearted consumer affairs programme for which he wrote comic songs satirising various minor domestic misfortunes, often to the tune of Oh! Mr Porter. His ability to write a song from almost any source material and at prodigious speed is part of his cabaret act, which includes such diverse gems as singing the instructions from a Swedish payphone; a pastiche of the King's Singers
listing all the kings and queens of England in which he sings all four parts; and composing a song in the interval from a series of words and musical notes called out by the audience. He has also written and presented numerous BBC radio programmes, including Hamburger Weekend, Used Notes, Stilgoe's Around, Maestro and Richard Stilgoe's Traffic Jam Show, on BBC Radio 4
.
Well known for his wordplay, Stilgoe is a great fan of anagram
s and has appeared over two hundred times on the cult daytime TV quiz show Countdown
. He once proudly announced on TV that an anagram of his name is Giscard O'Hitler. Stilgoe also hosted quiz shows, including The Year in Question on Radio 4, Finders Keepers (1981–1985), and Scoop (1981–1982). Stilgoe also wrote a famous 45-minute poem, Who Pays the Piper?, which humorously outlines the history of music from Pan
to the modern day, interspersed with famous classical music with humorously re-written lyrics. He displayed his sense of wordplay fun during a choir rehearsal of the John Barnard/Paul Wigmore carol 'So Gentle the Donkey'. As the music was handed to him he glanced at the title. He turned to the choir. 'Funny name for a donkey!' he smiled.
He also wrote and presented a satirical BBC TV show of the 1980s entitled A Kick Up The Eighties, also featuring ditties of his own.
As well as being a comic, Stilgoe is a musician, writing lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber
's Starlight Express
and collaborating with Charles Hart
on the lyrics to The Phantom of the Opera
and writing two musicals for schools, Bodywork and Brilliant the Dinosaur. Stilgoe gave away all his royalties for his work as lyricist on Starlight Express to a village in India. Such was the musical's success that for some years these donations were exceeding 500 Pounds a day.
He has appeared on the Royal Variety Performance
and presented the Schools Proms for over 20 years, and has toured extensively both solo and with Peter Skellern
.
In a BBC
radio interview he revealed he was the current owner of the late Winifred Atwell
's "other" piano, the one which she used for her famous honky-tonk performances and recordings.
In 1980 he wrote two Christmas themed songs, Christmas Bells and Imitation Myrrh which he sang with Broom Leys Junior School Choir, from Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The songs were released as a single vinyl record at Christmas throughout the county of Leicestershire to raise money for Leicestershire Arts and Music Association (LAMA) and reached number 1 throughout the county of Leicestershire. These two, along with various other Christmas pieces of his composition, also appeared in 'The Truth about Christmas - or Gold, Frankenstein and Merv' - a one off television programme in 1984, performed again by both Stilgoe and children from the Broom Leys Junior School Choir.
He founded the Orpheus Trust
in 1998, based in a previous family home in Godstone
, Surrey, offering performing arts
experiences to young people with various disabilities; he also started the Stilgoe Family Concerts series at the Royal Festival Hall
, which feature young performers and regular commissions of new music.
He was High Sheriff of Surrey
in 1998–99, and has a great interest in the sport of cricket
, being appointed President of Surrey County Cricket Club
in 2005. He has also been President of the Lord's Taverners
.
Stilgoe has two Tony
nominations, three Monte Carlo Prize
s, a Prix Italia
, an honorary doctorate and an OBE
to his name. He is well-known for his love of architecture (both building it and demolishing it), having designed and built his own house more than once, and owns his own mechanical digger.
Richard Stilgoe and Peter Skellern's little-known LP Who Plays Wins made an unexpected entry in the midweek top five album charts in February 2011 after an online poll among Crystal Palace fans voted it best British album of all time.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 28 March 1943) is a British songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He is noted for clever wordplay as much as for his music.
Stilgoe was born in Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
but brought up in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
—where as lead singer of a group calling itself 'Tony Snow and the Blizzards' he performed at the Cavern Club. He was educated at Monkton Combe School
Monkton Combe School
Monkton Combe School is an independent boarding and day school of the British public school tradition, near Bath, England. The Senior School is located in the village of Monkton Combe, while the Prep School, Pre-Prep and Nursery are in Combe Down on the southern outskirts of Bath...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and at Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1326, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. Clare is famous for its chapel choir and for its gardens on "the Backs"...
where he was a member of the Cambridge University Footlights
Footlights
Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University....
.
In 1966 he played the role of Benjamin in the West End musical Jorrocks. He made his name on the BBC television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
teatime programme Nationwide
Nationwide (TV series)
Nationwide was a BBC News and Current affairs television programme broadcast on BBC One each weekday following the early evening news. It followed a magazine format, combining political analysis and discussion with consumer affairs, light entertainment and sports reporting...
, followed by Esther Rantzen
Esther Rantzen
Esther Louise Rantzen CBE is an English journalist and television presenter who is best known for presenting the BBC television series That's Life!, and for her work in various charitable causes. She is founder of the child protection charity ChildLine, and also advocates the work of the Burma...
's That's Life!
That's Life!
That's Life! was a magazine-style television series on BBC1 between 26 May 1973 and 19 June 1994, presented by Esther Rantzen throughout the entire run, with various changes of co-presenters. The show was generally recorded about an hour prior to transmission, which was originally on Saturday...
, a light-hearted consumer affairs programme for which he wrote comic songs satirising various minor domestic misfortunes, often to the tune of Oh! Mr Porter. His ability to write a song from almost any source material and at prodigious speed is part of his cabaret act, which includes such diverse gems as singing the instructions from a Swedish payphone; a pastiche of the King's Singers
King's Singers
The King's Singers is a British a cappella vocal ensemble who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s...
listing all the kings and queens of England in which he sings all four parts; and composing a song in the interval from a series of words and musical notes called out by the audience. He has also written and presented numerous BBC radio programmes, including Hamburger Weekend, Used Notes, Stilgoe's Around, Maestro and Richard Stilgoe's Traffic Jam Show, on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
.
Well known for his wordplay, Stilgoe is a great fan of anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
s and has appeared over two hundred times on the cult daytime TV quiz show Countdown
Countdown (game show)
Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
. He once proudly announced on TV that an anagram of his name is Giscard O'Hitler. Stilgoe also hosted quiz shows, including The Year in Question on Radio 4, Finders Keepers (1981–1985), and Scoop (1981–1982). Stilgoe also wrote a famous 45-minute poem, Who Pays the Piper?, which humorously outlines the history of music from Pan
Pan (mythology)
Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
to the modern day, interspersed with famous classical music with humorously re-written lyrics. He displayed his sense of wordplay fun during a choir rehearsal of the John Barnard/Paul Wigmore carol 'So Gentle the Donkey'. As the music was handed to him he glanced at the title. He turned to the choir. 'Funny name for a donkey!' he smiled.
He also wrote and presented a satirical BBC TV show of the 1980s entitled A Kick Up The Eighties, also featuring ditties of his own.
As well as being a comic, Stilgoe is a musician, writing lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's Starlight Express
Starlight Express
Starlight Express is a rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber , Richard Stilgoe and Arlene Phillips , with later revisions by Don Black and David Yazbek . The story follows a child's dream in which his toy train set comes to life; famously the actors perform wearing roller skates...
and collaborating with Charles Hart
Charles Hart (lyricist)
Charles Hart is a British lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for re-writing the lyrics to, and contributing to the book of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical The Phantom of the Opera. He also co-wrote the lyrics to Lloyd Webber's 1989 musical Aspects of Love...
on the lyrics to The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
and writing two musicals for schools, Bodywork and Brilliant the Dinosaur. Stilgoe gave away all his royalties for his work as lyricist on Starlight Express to a village in India. Such was the musical's success that for some years these donations were exceeding 500 Pounds a day.
He has appeared on the 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 presented the Schools Proms for over 20 years, and has toured extensively both solo and with Peter Skellern
Peter Skellern
Peter Skellern is an English singer-songwriter and pianist.-Career:Skellern attended Derby Grammar School and studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He later joined pop groups called 'Harlem' and 'March Hare'...
.
In a 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...
radio interview he revealed he was the current owner of the late Winifred Atwell
Winifred Atwell
Una Winifred Atwell Una Winifred Atwell Una Winifred Atwell (27 February or April 1910 or 1914There is some uncertainty over her date and year of birth. Many sources suggest 27 February 1914, but there is a strong suggestion that her birthday was 27 April. Most sources give her year of birth as...
's "other" piano, the one which she used for her famous honky-tonk performances and recordings.
In 1980 he wrote two Christmas themed songs, Christmas Bells and Imitation Myrrh which he sang with Broom Leys Junior School Choir, from Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The songs were released as a single vinyl record at Christmas throughout the county of Leicestershire to raise money for Leicestershire Arts and Music Association (LAMA) and reached number 1 throughout the county of Leicestershire. These two, along with various other Christmas pieces of his composition, also appeared in 'The Truth about Christmas - or Gold, Frankenstein and Merv' - a one off television programme in 1984, performed again by both Stilgoe and children from the Broom Leys Junior School Choir.
He founded the Orpheus Trust
Orpheus Trust
The Orpheus Trust Centre is an inclusive performing arts centre founded in 1998 by British entertainer and musician Richard Stilgoe in his former family home in Godstone, Surrey, in the United Kingdom.- Aims :...
in 1998, based in a previous family home in Godstone
Godstone
Godstone is a village in the county of Surrey, England. It is located approximately six miles east of Reigate at the junction of the A22 and A25 major roads, and near the M25 motorway.-History:...
, Surrey, offering performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
experiences to young people with various disabilities; he also started the Stilgoe Family Concerts series at the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
, which feature young performers and regular commissions of new music.
He was High Sheriff of Surrey
High Sheriff of Surrey
-List of High Sheriffs of Surrey:The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066 At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex -1066-1228:...
in 1998–99, and has a great interest in the sport of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, being appointed President of Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
in 2005. He has also been President of the Lord's Taverners
Lord's Taverners
The Lord’s Taverners is a thriving club, the official charity for recreational cricket and the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity whose objective is to 'give young people, particularly those with special needs, a sporting chance'.The Lord’s Taverners was founded in 1950 by a...
.
Stilgoe has two Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nominations, three Monte Carlo Prize
Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo
The Monte-Carlo Television Festival was created in 16-20 January 1961 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco, who wished to “encourage a new art form, in the service of peace and understanding between men”....
s, a Prix Italia
Prix Italia
The Prix Italia is an international Italian television, radio-broadcasting and Website award. It was established in 1948 by RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana in Capri...
, an honorary doctorate and an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
to his name. He is well-known for his love of architecture (both building it and demolishing it), having designed and built his own house more than once, and owns his own mechanical digger.
Richard Stilgoe and Peter Skellern's little-known LP Who Plays Wins made an unexpected entry in the midweek top five album charts in February 2011 after an online poll among Crystal Palace fans voted it best British album of all time.