BIOGRAPHY
Billy Pearce 798
Billy Pearce was born on the 1st of February 1951 in Leeds to a piano playing father and a dance teaching mother.
After taking up ballet as a child, Billy discovered he was a natural at entertaining people although as much as he enjoyed performing, his real ambition lay in the world of engineering.
A major motorbike accident saw a change in Billy’s outlook on life and after a stay in his surgeon’s apartment on an Adriatic Island he said,
‘…those things changed my life and I couldn't settle after that. I just drifted.’
And drift he did. First to Iceland for a spell on the docks before returning to the UK to work as a dresser at Yorkshire Television. He followed that with shifts as a stage hand at the Leeds Grand before finally donning that famous Red Coat. In 1970 Billy started his career in earnest at Butlins, a position that afforded him the chance to nurture his talent, firstly as part of the double act The Stewart Brothers.
After a few years he was spotted by Leeds Varieties’ Stanley Joseph who offered him alternate nights in clubs in Barnsley and Sheffield. Now Billy had a new ambition and he turned solo determined to become a club filler.
His big break came in 1986 as a finalist on the television talent show New Faces. His success led to shows with the likes of Danny Le Rue and Cannon & Ball before stints headlining his own show at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre: The Billy Pearce Laughter Show. Performing more than 1000 shows at the venue.
His star was shinning and soon television came calling and the Beeb asked him to host their new show You Gotta Be Joking. He has made 3 appearances on the Royal Variety show and 5 on the children’s version.
A pantomime legend you can find Billy leading the cast and constantly breaking box office records at his beloved Alhambra Theatre in Bradford.
This British Comedy Award winner has a likability that is difficult to match delighting audiences with laughs and his catch phrases. ‘Chuffin’ became a household word because of Billy as did him warning any audience who dared laugh too early - ‘I’ll tell you when!’
Billy Pearce is our ‘Chuffin’ lovable Water Rat 798
Biography by Brother Rat Paul Adams
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