Scotsman Obituaries: Fay Lenore, English variety performer who became a huge star in Scotland

She regularly appeared at the London Palladium, the Alhambra, Glasgow and the King’s, Edinburgh, among others and was synonymous with the successful Five Past 8 Show alongside well known names like Kenneth McKellar, Rikki Fulton, Jackie Milroy and Stanley Baxter. Her many pantomimes included Cinderella, Sinbad the Sailor, Mother Goose, and her favourite, A Wish for Jamie. The latter was so popular that its initial 11-week run in Glasgow in 1960/61 attracted total crowds of 180,000, with attendances at her subsequent Five Past 8 Show in the same theatre increasing the total to 500,000 over the year.

A gifted actress, singer, dancer and comedienne, Fay’s glamorous appearance enhanced her persona, her range of talents enabling her make a mark also in drama and television programmes such as Crossroads and Take the High Road. In the course of her 70 year-plus career she appeared the length and breadth of Britain, from Brighton in the south to Inverness in the north and most points in between. Her career also took her to America, India, Kenya, Aden, Cyprus and Germany and elsewhere.

She enjoyed many highlights, topping the bill several times at the London Palladium being one, but pride of place went to her three appearances in the Royal Command Performances in London and Glasgow in front of the late Queen Elizabeth II, to whom she was presented each time.

A tribute lunch in her honour in 2007, hosted by the Scottish Music Hall and Theatre Variety Society, was another highlight. There, Fay’s opening remarks in her speech underlined her sense of humour and humility: “I was astounded, nae gobsmacked, to learn the Society had decided to honour me with this lunch and when you have a gob as big as mine...”

Off stage her life presented certain challenges with which strength of personality and resilience enabled her to cope.

Fay was born Mary Leonora Faith Dodwell in Newcastle in 1928. Her parents were Leonard Dodwell, stage name Leon Dodd, and Bunty, nee Gordon. Through her mother’s first marriage, she had a half brother James Forbes, a wartime RAF Wing Commander. Her parents were well-known variety artistes who toured England appearing in pantomimes and revue shows, often staged in their home base of Whitley Bay. As a youngster Fay was introduced to the “Religion of the Theatre”, making her stage debut aged 18 months in one of her parents’ “concert parties”. As their touring commitments made conventional upbringing difficult, Fay became a boarder at La Sagesse Convent School in Newcastle.

She was the third generation of artistes in the family, her grandmother and great aunts performing as members of The Six English Rosebuds. A great aunt, Beattie Evans, whose make-up box became one of Fay’s prized possessions, was notably successful, while her mother and aunt Lena performed a comic double act as Bunty and Bijou.

By chance, “Bijou” was responsible for Fay’s professional debut during a holiday she spent in Glasgow aged 15. Bunty’s partner at the Empress Theatre show, where she was performing, unexpectedly fell ill so Fay replaced her at short notice, preceded by the call “Fay, You’re On!” The audience reacted well, she pocketed £5 a week and her career was launched.

Aged 16 she was one of the youngest artistes to entertain wartime troops when in 1945 she and her mother sailed on the SS Otrano to Bombay with 5,000 soldiers, a trip punctuated by regular deck musters for torpedo and depth charge drills. They spent six months performing almost daily to great acclaim, were awarded “Honorary Chindits” badges by General Wingate’s padre, and also visited Afghanistan.

On her return she established herself as a household name in the entertainment world near and far. Fay appeared as the lead in Waltzes from Vienna, starred at the London Palladiumand appeared in cabaret in New York – where she met Frank Sinatra. She “stood in” for Dame Vera Lynn, toured Kenya during the Mau Mau unrest, Cyprus during the EOKA crisis, Aden, Malta and the Middle East with Stanley Baxter.

On 17 March 1958 at Kilmaronock Church near Drymen, Fay married charismatic Highland Games champion Jay Scott in what was described as “Scotland’s Wedding of the Year”.

After living on his family island of Inchmurrin, Loch Lomond, they moved to a lochside house, later destroyed by fire as Jay completed his Civic Trust award-winning Duck Bay Marina development. Misfortune struck again when they were running a farm at Aberfoyle as Jay was involved in a serious tractor accident causing life changing injuries, then Fay sustained significant facial injuries in a car accident. The couple then moved to Portobello where they ran a guest house as Fay taught drama at Queen Margaret’s College while continuing her stage career.

Jay died in 1997 after nearly 40 years of happy marriage, during which they had children Shona and Robert.

Fay moved to Peebles, where she became involved with the Eastgate Theatre and gave classes in elocution, deportment, singing and piano, continuing her lifelong love of theatre. She delighted in entertaining visitors with concerts on her piano, “Roland”, later moving to a care home near her daughter.

Despite misfortunes Fay led an active, purposeful life, always outgoing and engaging, enriched by memories of a multi-faceted stage career fuelled by her consummate professionalism and delight in the limelight.

Fay Lenore is survived by her children, three grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

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