Radio 2 Remembers Barry Humphries

This special delves into the wonderful world of Barry Humphries celebrating his career with the multi-talented man behind-the-mask himself revealing the inspiration for his larger-than-life comedy characters, with Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson among those paying tribute.

Born in Australia in 1934, Barry's highly provocative comedy characters were grounded in the tradition of the music hall and also honoured the rebellious spirit of the Weimar Cabaret of Berlin. There really was no-one quite like him! With lifelong success, even at the age of 89 he had no plans to retire, with another radio series in the pipeline and having won renewed acclaim on stage for his one-man show, The Man Behind The Mask, which was due for a West End run prior to his death in April 2023.

A consummate performer to the end and looking back on an incredible career spanning many decades, expect to be treated to rarely-heard recordings from Barry's extensive back catalogue, including extracts from Dame Edna's first and critically acclaimed 1976 commercial recording of Housewife Superstar!, Barry's lesser-known character, Sandy Stone, and his musical classical extravaganzas with world-class orchestras such as The Song of Australia.

Contributors include Meow Meow who appeared with him in the acclaimed stage show Weimar Cabaret, Ben Dawson - the pianist who accompanied Barry's last stage tour in 2022, author Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason and radio critic Gillian Reynolds.