Then & now Richard Stilgoe

IT WAS AN auspicious start to a musical career – a talented young singer-songwriter makes his debut at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, and his band, Tony Snow and the Blizzards, comes second to The Quarrymen in a local talent contest. But while The Quarrymen went on to become The Fab Four, Richard Stilgoe had to settle for becoming the king of the topical comedy song. Few could match Stilgoe’s talent for turning a dry news item into a witty ditty – he could turn the shipping forecast into a hilarious comic opera, and he used this talent to build a successful radio and TV career through the 1960s and 1970s.

His most high-profile TV slot was as a regular tunesmith on That’s Life, presented by Esther Rantzen, in which he commented on current affairs with clever wordplay and deft piano flourishes.

Alas, since most of his topical songs were tied to the news stories of the day, few have survived the passage of time, but his lyrics can still be heard on two immortal productions, Starlight Express and Phantom of the Opera. His bearded visage may not pop up much on our TV screens these days, but he’s still performing and composing. He regularly hits the road on a two-man musical revue with his long-time friend, fellow pianist/singer/composer Peter Skellern (remember him), and he helps young people with disabilities to work in the performing arts through his Orpheus Trust. He is currently working on an opera called Roadkill.

Stilgoe was born in Camberwell, Surrey, 69 years ago, and his family moved to Liverpool when he was just a lad. As a youngster, his ambition was to be a great classical singer like Nikolai Ghiaurov or Bryn Terfel, but though he had a rich bass voice, he soon realised he wasn’t destined for opera stardom. When he went to study at Cambridge, however, Stilgoe found his feet as part of Footlights, where he discovered a whole new set of heroes to emulate, including John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Trevor Nunn.

Stilgoe’s adaptability meant he was able to find work doing musical theatre, comedy revues, radio slots and a one-man show called Take Me To Your Lieder. He got his big TV break on the BBC show Nationwide, with Valerie Singleton, then went on to become (almost) a household name as the topical tunesmith on That’s Life.

He’s been married twice – his second wife, Annabel, is a classical singer. He’s got five children and 10 grandchildren. This year Stilgoe was knighted, and his son, jazz singer Joe Stilgoe, released his debut album last month.

Sir Richard still indulges a hidden talent. He owns and drives Komatsu PC 120 digger, and will happily knock down your old house – and probably write a song about it as well.