Lenny Henry says his mum called him 'waste of space' before he found TV fame
When Sir Lenny Henry first burst on to TV screens across the nation in 1975, after winning a talent show called New Faces aged just 16, he had no idea that his career would span 50 years.
Embracing the world of TV and fame Sir Lenny, 65, found himself fronting his own show in 1984 called The Lenny Henry show. But now, ahead of an ITV documentary named Lenny Henry: One Of A Kind, the legendary comedian and actor has revealed his behind-scenes pain - as he struggled to gain his mother's acceptance. In clips that are yet to be aired, the funnyman says that his mum Winifred Henry classed him as a "waste of space" until he won New Faces.
Lenny Henry speaks of his mum in new ITV documentary to mark his 50th anniversary in TV (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Pri)
Lenny Henry recieved a special recognition award at this year's NTAsHe said: "I got my first ever standing ovation on New Faces and thought ‘oh I like this’. After my New Faces audition, I had my mum’s acceptance. Up until then, I was a waste of space. She thought I was useless, then suddenly I was this kid who could be on telly.” Lenny concentrated on doing impressions of Some Mother's Do 'Ave 'Em star Frank Skinner and newsreader and documentary film maker Trevor McDonald, which gained him a fan base among the British public.
Speaking of his early career the TV personality added: "I used to love doing impressions of Trevor McDonald because he was probably the most famous black guy on television. To me, Trevor was a god. And then one day, he just walked on. It blew my mind. It’s nice when something goes into the zeitgeist and people are talking about it. For a brief minute there, kids were doing characters from The Lenny Henry Show and Three Of A Kind in the playground. That's a thing to cherish."
The iconic star, who was married to Dawn French until their split in 2010, had no idea how famous he had become until the late global superstar Prince recognised him at an event, leaving him gobsmacked. Lenny goes on to say: "I met Prince. I was at an afterparty, standing by the speakers, having the best night of my life, when he walked over and went ‘you’re Lenny, right?’ I couldn’t speak to him. I didn’t know what to say. After he went away, I went ‘Waaaah, Prince just said hello!'"
Amanda Holden among stars fronting Comic Relief as Red Nose has 'makeover'
Lenny Henry and his mum Winifred Henry (Mirrorpix)Since that moment, Sir Lenny has gone on to achieve huge success within TV and he also became one of the co-founders of Comic Relief. But it wasn't that long ago that he revealed that he still faces some constraints as a black star in the TV world after it was suggested that he tone down the harsh reality that black people faced in fifties - while producing his ITV drama.
Speaking at the press screening for his historic drama series Three Little Birds, he said: "What happened to them (Jamaican immigrants) is not as hard as it could have been portrayed. We were advised sometimes 'it might be nice to not have that'. There is a riot in episode two but (he was told) 'perhaps it might be a nice riot, could they all be friends at the end?'"
Three Little Birds tells the story of two sisters and their friend who arrive in the UK for the first time during the fifties and the struggle they encountered. Outside of creating his own TV dramas, Lenny also recalls his joy at being given the chance to appear in Doctor Who as he "got to wield a gun. I got to be in a car chase. It was fantastic.” But he was left shocked at being asked to star in Broadchurch.
Lenny Henry: One Of A Kind airs Thursday 26th October at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
