Kenny Everett

Kenny Everett (25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was a British comedian and radio disc jockey known for his irreverent, offbeat comedic style and easy-going personality. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the mid 1960s, he was one of the first DJs to join BBC radio's newly-created Radio 1 in 1967. It was here he developed his trademark voices and surreal characters which he later adapted for TV. Everett was dismissed from the BBC in 1970 after making remarks about a government minister’s wife. He returned to commercial radio when it became licensed in the UK and joined Capital Radio. Starting in the late 1970s, he transitioned to television where he made numerous comedy series on ITV and BBC often appearing with Cleo Rocos, whose glamorous and curvaceous figure was often used to comic effect. Everett was a politically right-of-centre media star who openly supported the British Conservative Party and made publicity appearances at conferences and rallies. However, as a gay man, he faced criticism for supporting the UK Conservative government after it had enacted Section 28, a clause of the Local Government Act which allowed councils to opt-out of 'promoting' homosexual issues. Everett was a highly versatile performer, able to write his own scripts, compose jingles and operate advanced recording and mixing equipment. His personality also made him a regular guest on chat shows and panel programmes like Blankety Blank. He was diagnosed with HIV in 1989 and died in 1995.