Kenny Everett

Kenny Everett born Maurice James Christopher Cole 25 December 1944 4 April 1995 was an English radio DJ and television comedian known for his zany comedic style After spells working on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the mid1960s Everett was one of the first DJs to join newly created BBC Radio 1 in 1967 where he developed the comedic voices and characters which he later adapted for television He was dismissed from the BBC in 1970 after making a flippant comment on air after a news item concerning a government ministers wife He was later reinstated at the BBC working both on local and national radio In 1973 when commercial radio became licensed in the UK he joined Capital Radio In the late 1970s transitioning to television he made numerous comedy series notably The Kenny Everett Video Show on ITV from 1978 to 1981 and The Kenny Everett Television Show on the BBC from 1981 to 1988 often appearing with Cleo Rocos whose glamour and curvaceous figure were often used to comic effect He was a highly versatile performer able to write his own scripts and compose jingles in addition to operating advanced recording and mixing equipment His personality made him a regular guest on chat shows and game shows such as Blankety Blank In 2006 the British public ranked him number 45 in ITVs poll of TVs 50 Greatest Stars Everett supported the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher and made a public appearance at the Young Conservatives conference in 1983 As a gay man he was criticised for supporting a Conservative government which enacted Section 28 a clause of the Local Government Act which made it illegal for councils to promote gay rights He was diagnosed with HIV in 1989 developed AIDS in 1993 and died in 1995 Description above from the Wikipedia article Kenny Everett licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia