Veteran comic insulted by audition offer

He was a familiar face on British TV in the 1960s and 1970s – but that didn’t stop Britain’s Got Talent producers trying to lure Freddie ‘Parrot Face’ Davies on to the show.

And the veteran comic, now 82, gave them short shrift.

He told the Daily Star that he was approached by a young researcher who asked him: ‘We believe you used to do comedy. Would you come on our show?’

‘What a cheek!’ he said. ‘Why would I go on this show? If I won where would I work? What’s the point? In the end, I told her I’d come on for £25,000.’

The comedian, known for his rasping delivery, said the show had approached him several times before, adding that he didn’t like the way the focus was on the judges, not the acts.

Not that the comic, who appeared in the 1995 Jerry Lewis comedy movie Funny Bones, has always been averse to talent shows. He got his big break by appearing on  Opportunity Knocks in 1964.

And not every entertainment stalwart shares his views about the new generation of talent shows. In 2016, Bernie Clifton wowed audiences on The Voice with his singing talent.

Published: 4 May 2020