Gus Honeybun... Your Boys Took One Hell of a Beating: A Love Affair in the Lower Leagues

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Plymouth is steeped with rich history, with long-forgotten moments hiding in streets and buildings, lost in time. Gus Honeybun was so identified with regional television in the south-west that when TSW's managing director Harry Turner presented the station's ITV franchise renewal in 1991 he took Gus with him. [1] However, Gus's Magic Birthdays series and his career at the station were ended at the start of 1993, when Westcountry Television took over from TSW after winning the franchise. Ian and I began to put a lot more fun in it, and it was around about the time which the Muppets came into existence. They would all be acting, and then something would fly across the screen, and they would carry on, so I thought it would be a great idea that Gus would fly through the screen. He would appear with a presenter who read out a series of birthday cards sent in by the public on behalf of their children. Gus would give a bunny hop for each year of the child’s life. His repertoire was also expanded to include winks, head stands, ear waggles and hitting a ‘magic button’ which changed the image on the screen behind him. Stirling, a stage actor originally from Fife, joined the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1974. He also appeared on television in many acting roles, including parts in A Family at War, Budgie, Pathfinders (TV series, one episode) and Crown Court. [1] Stirling freelanced at Westward before becoming a full-time staff announcer in 1975. Alongside announcing duties, he read regional news bulletins and presented the hugely popular children's birthdays spot alongside station mascot rabbit puppet Gus Honeybun.

Gus Honeybun reveals all about his South West television

She had an old one of my father’s, and she cut it up and made him a dinner suit. We were on over Christmas, and it was Boxing Day. I said, ‘you know why we call it Boxing Day, don’t you? Well, it was traditional for this…’” There are all sorts of rumours of him being with other people at all sorts of places, but they were either just relatives or not the original Gus.” The man who first put Lenny Henry and Victoria Wood on the television has died in Plymouth at the age of 83. Paul Stewart Laing directed New Faces, the show which launched the careers of many household names including Marti Caine, Les Dennis and Showaddywaddy as well as the iconic comedians Lenny Henry and Victoria Wood. He also influenced the network by rescheduling or removing programmes from the schedule and replacing them with local output. He kept his station’s continuity puppet Gus Honeybun, who was Ruth Langsford’s first co-presenter before later joining Phillip Schofield on the This Morning sofa, instead of opting for Children’s ITV network continuity.Through the interpretation of his long term friend and companion Judi Spiers, I was told – “I can’t tell him to mind his own business, it’s rude. Typical young people I know, but he’s old enough to know better than to ask that question, young man.” In 1961, Westward Television opened and Roger (his name shortened to Roger Shaw) was amongst the first announcers and news readers as well as reading out children’s birthdays on occasion with studio mascot Gus Honeybun. The Gender Recognition Act 2004, which came into effect in 2005, gave trans people full legal recognition of their gender, allowing them to acquire a new birth certificate (although gender options are limited to ‘male’ or ‘female’). Ian Stirling was part of the community and would read out birthday cards from Auntie Stella, and that was actually him.

Gus Honeybun – Plymouth History Festival Gus Honeybun – Plymouth History Festival

It wasn't just bars on Union Street, there was also a venue called Mambo Cafe, which Dr Butler says was owned by a gay man named Reggie. What this meant was we were treated to a litany of different programmes which, aside from the one or two that made it to the network, were exclusively for us. We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. Female homosexuality was never explicitly targeted by any legislation. Although discussed for the first time in Parliament in 1921, this ultimately failed when both the House of Commons and House of Lords rejected it due to the fear a law would draw attention and encourage women to explore homosexuality. The last ever Gus Honeybun programme, aired on 31 December 1992, at the tail end of the final TSW Today, which paid tribute to the station's 11 years of service, saw Gus returned to the moor and reunited with his rabbit family with the help of continuity announcers Ruth Langsford and David Fitzgerald. The successor ITV franchise Westcountry did provide a programme called Birthday People, but this was cancelled in 2004.When Westcountry Television took over from TSW on 1 January 1993, Stirling went freelance but did present a thrice-weekly Soap Review for the station's evening news magazine Westcountry Live and was involved in a number of regional programmes for the station. He presented a four-part series entitled 40 Years of ITV in 2001, celebrating 40 years of ITV regional broadcasting in the South-West of England. Whilst freelance, he also worked for Gemini Radio in Exeter during the mid-1990s. [4] He retired in 2003 and moved to northern France. Before we travel through some of Plymouth's own past, it's important to highlight the persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals throughout history. If you won't allow people to define themselves and use the words they'd use, you're denying them their own identity and opportunity for the LGBT community in Plymouth to start feeling like a community," Dr Butler said. As we skip ahead to 1861, the death penalty was subsequently abolished for acts of sodomy, and instead 'offenders' were given a minimum of 10 years imprisonment. Paul moved to Plymouth from London in the late 1980s to become the Head of Features at Television South West (TSW) before becoming their Director of Programmes, the most senior commissioning position in the old ITV franchise system.

Gus Honeybun - Do You Remember?

Paul had also directed The Eamonn Andrews Show and What’s My Line, so, having established a connection to Andrews, he was invited to join the production team on This is Your Life.And it's important to highlight our city's LGBTQ+ heritage and history - the people and places that have made Plymouth what it is, as well as the darker moments.

Gus Honeybun on TV Tributes to legendary man who helped keep Gus Honeybun on TV

Many were repaying him for the years of pleasure he gave to children of all ages whilst presenting his own regional TV programme, Gus Honeybun's Magic Birthdays.was the official age limit for having your birthday read out on air, although adults would also send in cards for themselves with a false age on them, such was Gus’ cult following.