This man dominated the film popularity charts for longer than almost anyone else in Britain from the 30 s through into the mid forties. His films played to packed houses wherever the films were shown – and later when they came on Television they again attracted big audiences.

I remember Phyllis Calvert who appeared with him in one of his films saying that off-screen he seemed a quiet, almost dull man BUT when the cameras began to role, he became alive – she admired his style and recalls a complicated scene where George sings in front on a large audience and this took a number of ‘takes’ because one of the actors failed to come in with his line at the right time – but she says that George did the scene – singing the song – again and again and his timing was always perfect

After his last film ‘George in Civvy Street’ in 1946 he went back to ‘live’ theatre and in the early fifties he had a smash hit in London’s West End with ‘Zip Goes a Million’ at the Palace Theatre

What a happy face George has got.

I remember the duet he did with Sarah Gregory ‘ Ordinary People’ – quite an appealing song

After World War II, public tastes changed and George Formby stepped away from films and recording, instead touring the Commonwealth and continuing to entertain audiences worldwide.

In 1951, George took on the lead role of Percy Piggott in the West End musical Zip Goes A Million, based on Brewster’s Millions. Despite his worries that London audiences wouldn’t warm to his style, the show became a huge success, opening at the Palace Theatre and earning widespread praise for its humour, music and spectacle.

Although ill health forced George to leave the production after six months, the show went on to achieve an impressive 544 performances, cementing its place in British theatre history.