You Dirty Old Man!

The first definitive biography of one of Britain's most complex actors, Wilfrid Brambell. A Dirty Old Man is the first definitive account of one of Britain's most loved and complex character actors, Wilfrid Brambell. It uncovers a life that was far from happy and content as perhaps it should have been. Despite being one of the stars of Steptoe and Son, which at its peak attracted 28 million viewers and made household names of him and his co-star, Harry H. Corbett, Brambell died a sad, lonely man. Having become a prisoner of his own success, and battling an inner turmoil that eventually drove him to drink, author David Clayton reveals how Brambell's homosexuality was little more than a badly kept secret - until he was arrested for importuning in a public toilet in 1962. Rumours followed him to the grave and even beyond, as he faced unfounded accusations that he abused two young boys at a theatre in Jersey in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. Featuring original interviews with some of his co-stars, family members and even his former agent, A Dirty Old Man seeks to restore the legacy of a man whose loyal fanbase remains undiminished sixty years on from his heyday.

About the Author

David Clayton is an acclaimed biographer, whose titles include The Richard Beckinsale Story and The Curse of Sherlock Holmes: The Basil Rathbone Story (both published by THP).

13 b/w illustrations