Dig the wig
Frankie Howerd's toupee exhumed
Frankie Howerd’s wig has been exhumed to go on show to the public.
The comic’s rug was buried with him in the grounds of his Somerset home, Wavering Down, when he died in 1992, aged 75.
But his nurse, Chris O’Byrne, has dug it up to put on show to the public along with almost 5,000 items of memorabilia.
They include school reports and props and souvenirs from his films.
Mr O’Byrne told the Daily Express: ‘The house hasn’t changed since Frankie died and everything is the way it was.
He was a great hoarder. There are some of Frankie’s toys he played with as a child, and gifts form stars such as Betty Davis, Joan Crawford and Grace Kelley.
‘He was given two swords used by Elizabeth Taylor during the movie Cleopatra.
“The school reports say he was excellent at rugby and brilliant at history, but needed to improve his acting and singing.
‘There are also three job references, including on while he was an insurance clerk earning £1 a week.’
The items go on show at Wavering Down, where Howerd’s partner Dennis Heymer, still lives, for the 28 days it is open to the public, from March.
A handful of items from the house were sold at auction last month.
Published: 13 Jan 2006
