In the 1960s and 1970s, Dick Emery was a prominent figure in the world of comedy, his talents earning him the prestigious title of BBC TV Personality of the Year. His vast array of memorable characters, including the toothy vicar, sex-starved spinster Hettie, crusty old Lampwick, outrageously camp Clarence, and the iconic Mandy, a middle-aged woman whose repressed nature was often betrayed by a sudden affectionate slap and the declaration "Ooh, you are awful. But I like you!", left millions of viewers in stitches.
However, despite his on-stage bravado, Dick Emery struggled with a deep-seated fear of failure, often plagued by anxiety and stage fright. He would frequently become ill before performances and would even sleep to escape his nerves prior to a show. His friend and fellow comedian Bob Monkhouse once inadvertently woke him before a Royal Variety Performance, prompting Emery to unleash a torrent of anger and abuse, as Monkhouse recalled in his book "Over the Limit".
In an effort to overcome his anxiety, Emery turned to various treatments, including analysis, hypnosis, sedatives, and drugs. However, he was equally terrified of the pills as he was of the fear of failure. He once confided in his friend and co-star Roy Kinnear, "I don't just envy the confidence that other comics seem to have, I resent it. I hate them for it, just like my dad did. If there's such a thing as a chip off the old block, it's on my shoulder."
Throughout his life, Dick Emery was married five times and left his final wife to pursue a relationship with a showgirl 30 years his junior. His BBC show was eventually axed after 12 years in 1979, and he passed away four years later.
