stanley bxter in one of his many guises for his popular tv shows

Stanley Baxter On TV

The Stanley Baxter Show 1963

The Stanley Baxter Picture Show 1972

These lavish productions are almost forgotten these days, so we thought we’d dig out two of Baxter’s popular shows and remind people that comedy was huge even years ago.

Stanley Baxter’s self-titled series were enjoyed by enormous audiences and the later shows were memorable for the high quality of their production. He was known for his impressions of famous people, particularly the Queen.  The shows themselves were big budget affairs with lavish costumes, dancers and full support cast and would often attract audiences of up to twenty million viewers.  Stanley Baxter had a long and varied career before his retirement we are concentrating here on his two best known series.

In 1963 the BBC gave Stanley Baxter his own show of the same name.  This was shown fortnightly on BBC 1 on a Saturday night.  The show ran for four series between 1963 and 1971.

In 1972, he moved from the BBC to ITV where he appeared in the Stanley Baxter Picture Show, this ran for four thirty minute shows in 1972.  After this Baxter moved away from regular series to produce a series of one off specials for ITV, but that’s another story for another day.

Summary

The shows themselves were very lavish productions.  Baxter was more of an impressionist than a comedian and the shows took the form of a sketch show of the most lavish production values.

Clips

 

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The Stanley Baxter Picture Show

 

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Starring: Stanley Baxter

Details

The Stanley Baxter Show

Channel: BBC1
Written By:
Ken Hoare
Kelso Robertson
Stanley Baxter
Barry Cryer
Iain Macintyre
Jack Raymond
J.W. Risley
Dick Vosburgh
Richard Waring
Original Transmission Dates
18th May 1963
3rd September – 24th September 1967 (4 shows)
12th June 1968 – 7th August 1968 (9 shows)
8th January 1971 – 19th February 1971 (7 shows)

 

The Stanley Baxter Picture Show

Channel: ITV
Produced By: London Weekend Television for ITV
Written By:
Stanley Baxter
Ken Hoare
Eric Merriman
Neville Phillips
Original Transmission Dates: 2nd October 1972 – 23rd October 1972 (4 shows)