Actors - Michael Barrymore

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	Actors - Michael Barrymore

Michael Barrymore (born Michael Kieron Parker on May 4 1952) is a British comedian, actor, and entertainer. His lanky appearance and madcap, hyperactive personality made him one of the most popular presenters of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television.

Early history

Barrymore was born in Bermondsey, London. His father was an alcoholic and a gambler. His late mother, Margaret (Maggs) Reilly, was an Irish emigrant from County Mayo, and worked hard to bring up Michael and his two siblings, John and Anne, almost single-handedly. He spent his early career working as a RedCoat at Butlins holiday camps before getting a break in television.

At the height of his popularity Barrymore suffered increasing alcohol problems and in 1995 announced that he was homosexual, following which he split from his wife Cheryl, to whom he had been married since 1976 and who had been his manager for 20 years. They later divorced in 1997 and Cheryl went on to publish an autobiography which contained details of their acrimonious split. The couple subsequently had no contact. On April 1, 2005, Cheryl Barrymore died suddenly at the age of 54, having been diagnosed with lung cancer just six weeks earlier. Shortly before her death she asked that details of her condition be kept secret from her former husband and also left instructions that he should not be invited to attend her funeral.

Death of Stuart Lubbock

On March 31, 2001, meat factory worker Stuart Lubbock died after being found floating motionless in a swimming pool during a party at Barrymore's house. His body had high levels of narcotics and alcohol as well as anal injuries. 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 . Following a meeting between Barrymore and Lubbock's father in January 2006, a tabloid newspaper claimed that these injuries could have been sustained as a result of a nurse inserting a temperature probe into Mr. Lubbock fourteen times and not a sexual attack.

Following a police investigation, Barrymore 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. The inquest that took place in September 2002 reached an open verdict.

On Barrymore's high-profile return to the UK in January 2006 to take part in Celebrity Big Brother, Lubbock's father Terry teamed up with Essex lawyer and local activist Anthony Bennett to pursue a private prosecution comprising six charges relating to the incident. The hearing for their summons was adjourned until after February 10 to give time for Barrymore's response .

On the 28th of January Barrymore met Terry Lubbock in person for the first time at a London hotel where the gentlemen spent two hours together. It was widely reported in the UK media that both men ended the meeting on good terms with Lubbock stating "I don't hold you responsible for Stuart's death, I never have. I don't believe you had anything to do with what happened to him". It had also been reported in the days before the meeting that key medical evidence had not been presented in the original enquiry into Stuart Lubbock death and that new statements from medical experts backed up claims Barrymore had made about events at the time. At their private meeting, Michael Barrymore and Terry Lubbock were reported to have agreed to jointly demand the death of Stuart Lubbock be reinvestigated. Despite these reports, Lubbock's solicitor Anthony Bennett stated that he would still be pursuing legal action against Michael Barrymore unless Terry Lubbock instructed him otherwise, however on the 10th of February a district judge at Southend Magistrates' Court blocked the action on the grounds of insufficient evidence being available for the case to continue.

Post-Lubbock career

The Lubbock incident severely damaged Barrymore's image as a wholesome family entertainer. Following the revelations of Lubbock's death, ITV 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. It has also been 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 due to scathing critical notices. He subsequently emigrated to New Zealand to live with his partner, Shaun Davis. In May 2004 he filed for bankruptcy as a result of unpaid tax debts. He has since tried to rebuild his career with live stage shows in New Zealand and Australia with moderate success. In 2005, he appeared in the stage musical, Chicago, in Napier.

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