Bruce Forsyth facts
With over 60 years of showbusiness under his belt (and still going strong), Bruce Forsyth is a national treasure and an entertainment legend. Did you know…
By Paul Barfoot
Cabaret beginnings
Bruce made his TV debut as an 11-year-old contestant on a BBC talent show, declaring: “I want to be famous and buy my mum a fur coat." He left school at the age of 14 with nothing but dreams of showmanship, and launched himself on the music hall circuit as ‘Boy Bruce the Mighty Atom’ (a singing, dancing and accordion-playing act). He spent the next two decades travelling the country performing in church halls, bagging an odd pantomime cameo, sleeping in luggage racks and waiting for fame to strike.
Big break
In 1958, an offer to compere ‘Sunday Night at the Palladium’, a popular TV variety show, stopped Bruce from turning his back on his dwindling hopes of stardom. He was booked for two weeks but stayed for five years, by which time he was Britain's highest-paid entertainer, earning £1,000 a week. In honour of his formative years on the Palladium stage, and to celebrate his six decades in the entertainment spotlight, the theatre unveiled a bronze bust of Bruce in its Cinderella bar in 2005.
Love, not money
In July 2009, Bruce graciously accepted a £160,000 pay cut to host the seventh series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. Rumours were rife that he would hang up his tap shoes when the news hit that he was to become a casualty of the BBC’s credit-crunch cutback on celebrity salaries, but Bruce proved that he was more passionate about a good foxtrot than the size of his bank balance.
Green roots
Bruce’s great-great-great-great grandfather, William Forsyth, was a founder of the Royal Horticultural Society and the namesake of the Forsythia plant. Despite his family name leaving its mark on the botanical world, the closest Bruce gets to bonding with greenery is when he takes to lawns of Wentworth Club’s golf courses near his Virginia Water home in Surrey. Golf is Bruce’s favourite pastime, and he boasts an impressive handicap of 27. "I take my golf very seriously and have been playing for a good 60 years," announced Forsyth as he prepared to tee off at a Goodwood golfing charity event in July 2009.
Catchphrase king
Throughout his career, Bruce has developed an impressive catalogue of catchphrases. “You're my favourites!” and "What a lovely audience! You're so much better than last week's" are just a few of his legendary Brucisms. But according to a poll conducted by ace4entertainment in 2007, the British public’s favourite Brucie catchphrase is “Nice to see you, to see you, nice”, which was crowned ‘The Greatest Gameshow Catchphrase of All Time’. Bruce first used the catchphrase as the frontman of the BBC’s 70s flagship show, ‘The Generation Game’, before making it a staple of his many TV hosting roles thereafter.
Pet hates
With a reputation for being cordial, placid and charming, very little irks Bruce. However, in 2004, on ‘Room 101’ (a show that invites celebrities to reveal and banish their top hates to oblivion) he revealed that even the most affable of entertainers have a few bugbears that they want to see the back of. Bruce declared his loathing for presenters (mainly female) that shout at the end of sentences, and rather surprisingly, the rules of golf. One can only assume that golf-crazy Bruce likes to play his rounds in the style of the catchphrase he coined for ‘Beat the Clock’ (a game featured on ‘Sunday Night at the Palladium’) – “I’m in charge!”
Sir Forsyth
Bruce’s contribution to the world of entertainment secured him an OBE in 1998 and a CBE in 2005, but ardent admirers think he is long overdue for a knighthood. So much so, that in 2007 fans started a 10 Downing Street petition (signed by 4,664 supporters) calling for him to become a Sir. His ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ co-star, Tess Daly, backed the campaign, stating: "I cannot understand how a man who has been in showbiz for 60 years is not a Sir. It's about time." Despite admirable efforts, Bruce did not make the cut, but the entertainment industry is convinced that Bruce’s relentless popularity on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ will have him kneeling before the Queen in 2010.
Immortalised in song
In 1993, the uber-cool British music collective, St Etienne, added a dash of Brucie to its signature blend of indie dance beats and swinging 60s grooves. “Get your kicks watching Bruce on the old ‘Generation Game’” read the lyrics of the band’s ‘You're in a Bad Way’ hit, which reached number 12 on the British charts.
Secret of youth
“Even though I'm 81, when I walk on to a studio floor, I feel 30. People have been asking if I'm going to retire for the last ten or 15 years,” announced Bruce, who credits exercise and his spouse for his boundless energy. “I do a work-out every morning, half-an-hour, yoga and stretches, always before breakfast otherwise I don't feel like it… She [Wilnelia Merced, Bruce’s third wife who is 32 years his junior and a former Miss World champion] keeps me young. She is the most wonderful lady," disclosed the effervescent Forsyth.
Bruce versus Terry
As an old-school comic, Bruce loves to engage in light-hearted banter with his professional peers – particularly with fellow BBC veteran, Terry Wogan. The couple’s public put-downs of each other have become quite a feature of their comic repertoire. "‘Children in Need’ had to have the biggest studio as Terry Wogan is too fat to get through the doors of the smaller studio," jested Bruce to a packed studio audience during the filming of the fifth series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. Sharp-witted Wogan retaliated by announcing to the press that ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ is must-see telly because it allows him to check if his aged showbiz pal is still alive.
