A wonderful place to visit in spring

Cyril Fletcher

Cyril Fletcher was a famed comedian, television personality, entrepreneur and writer of ‘Odd Odes’ who later wrote many gardening books. Torbay Civic Society Chairman, Ian Handford tells us more.

Cyril would rst visit Devon at the age of eighteen but it was not until he and his wife Betty moved to Torquay for eighteen months in the early 80s that he turned up at my business premises, the Adding and Calculating Bureau in St Marychurch. Here, one of my sta , Mrs Mary Hutchison, helped him with his correspondence using our secretarial services.

Cyril Trevellian Fletcher was born at Watford Hertfordshire June 25th 1913 into a family who owned an early Morgan three wheeler. is would often convey his father a lawyer and the family around the Wiltshire Downs, to Bath, Bradford on Avon and even distant Dorset. His maternal grandfather was John Ginger who worked at the Berskins Brewery in Watford High Street. John owned land where Cyril had his rst taste of matters of the earth, spending hours watching his grandfather dig, manure, plant and harvest goodies to be eaten or displayed later. ese experiences red his imagination, which led to him writing extensively on gardening.

His paternal grandfather was George Fletcher owner of a grocery shop in the High Street, where Bottoms the butchers and Butchers the opticians traded; these names seemed most odd to Cyril - the idea of odd-odes perhaps in embryo.

At the age of seven Cyril attended Woodside School North Finchley until the family moved on to Trowbridge Wiltshire, where his father was appointed Town Clerk. While attending Trowbridge Dame School, Cyril could never have envisaged that when he was an adult he would portray a ‘Dame’ in panto. Now his father moved again becoming Clerk to Barnet Council; here in the midtwenties Cyril was installed at Friern Barnet Grammar School. Now he organised its concerts until at the age of seventeen he got his rst job as a clerk at Scottish Union and National Insurance Company on a salary of £50 a year. From 1930 he studied drama at Guildhall School year. From 1930 he studied drama at Guildhall School of Music & Drama every week while still a clerk by day. He organised the company’s annual dance and as an avid reader of poetry he discovered John Clare, John Mase eld and William Wordsworth, following which his earliest odes appeared in an uno cial company magazine.

We can never know why Cyril chose to come to the Ferry Hotel Dittisham to celebrate his 21st birthday but we do know that by the age of twenty-two he resigned his job to become a comedian. His initial break was in 1936 when BBC Radio hired him. is led to his rst opportunity to perform live on stage courtesy of Greatrex Newman owner of the Fol de Rols summer show. Newman booked his new personality with a funny voice, to play at White Rock Pavilion, Hastings.

His early success brought him two summer shows at Llandudno and, as radio was still his main medium, being ‘live-on-air’ was par for the course for Cyril. When attending interviews or rehearsals Cyril always turned out in a bowler hat, washed leather gloves and a rolled umbrella. Soon he was being recruited by theatres as distant as Plymouth in the south to Glasgow in Scotland.

Forever in demand but always short of new material in 1938 Cyril recited an Edgar Wallace poem live on air. ‘Dreaming of ee’ was an immediate hit and a newly discovered talent. Failing his medical in the Second World War (due to a mastoid operation) his stage career continued until eventually he met singer Betty Astell at a Charity Concert at Colston Hall Bristol. ere supporting his bandmaster friend Henry Hall, he con ded to Henry after the show that he was going to marry that beautiful singer Betty Astell - and later he did, on May 18th 1941. e newly-weds embarked on a six-month tour before moving to a new home at Welwyn Cottage, Hertfordshire. Now they spent four glorious years creating a garden of

shrubs, roses and herbaceous borders. With gardening Backing their judgement, they created another company, always a joy to Cyril he now wrote authoritative books which this to day is still managed by their only child Jill. like ‘Cyril Fletcher’s Gardening Book’, ‘Rose Book’ and Cyril and Betty changed home frequently and having ‘Planning the Small Garden’. purchased a holiday home in Torquay after leaving Sussex e Fletchers always owned dogs; a spaniel and a they intended to settle here permanently. However the Scottie accompanied them to a number of homes. lack of a garden at their new house hurt too much so Continually on the move their second home was East moved again. Betty calculated that their various moves Grinstead, where two gardeners created an exquisite saw her supply 265 sets of curtains before their nal move garden. ey stayed ve years, before moving to to Fort George St Peter’s Port in the Channel Islands. Newbridge Hill Cyril was part where Cyril played his rst Dame in panto. Recalling that “ Betty calculated that their various moves saw her supply 265 sets of curtains before their nal move to Fort George St Peter’s Port in the Channel Islands. of TV’s ‘What’s My Line’ for years although later in life it would be period, he tells a his after-dinner story about buying some extra-large, ladies’ court shoes in speaking skills that sustained him. He returned to the a local shop. One can imagine the scene when he entered small screen by re-inventing himself for ‘ at’s Life’ for a tting. e astounded assistant called the manager (1973-1994) until ten years later he died at his home on who, together with his large Alsatian, confronted this Guernsey at the age of 91 on January 2nd 2005.  “odd” customer. Cyril with a twinkling “odd” customer. Cyril with a twinkling  torbaycivicsociety.co.uk torbaycivicsociety.co.uk eye told him, “Sir - I am merely an actor eye told him, “Sir - I am merely an actor playing a woman”. e couple owned numerous residences e couple owned numerous residences plus holiday homes even at Dartmouth plus holiday homes even at Dartmouth and Torquay. Eventually they created a and Torquay. Eventually they created a touring production and came to Torquay touring production and came to Torquay in 1949 to stage ‘Magpie Masquerade’ in 1949 to stage ‘Magpie Masquerade’ at the Pavilion eatre. Written by at the Pavilion eatre. Written by Betty, this brought a three-year contract Betty, this brought a three-year contract for seasonal summer shows with Betty for seasonal summer shows with Betty performing as dancer and singer and performing as dancer and singer and Cyril as host of the shows.

While writing odes and publishing While writing odes and publishing books Cyril also partnered Betty in books Cyril also partnered Betty in a production company and even a production company and even established a theatrical agency established a theatrical agency business, e Associated Speakers business, e Associated Speakers Agency. ey provided every Agency. ey provided every size, type and topical speaker size, type and topical speaker imaginable and at an hour’s notice. With three hundred retained artists, which included retained artists, which included the late and great Sir Harry Secombe, they became true theatrical entrepreneurs. e Fletchers recognised the threat of TV, to both live variety and cinema, yet predicted that traditional seaside summer shows and pantos would survive. Cyril and Betty at their Torquay holiday home