Inside Michael Barrymore's pool party and tragic death that ended TV career
Michael Barrymore's whole career changed overnight.
He was once one of the most famous and loved TV presenters of the '90s, with the Strike It Lucky host reigning as the king of entertainment, raking in millions of views with his Saturday night shows. But one fateful night in 2001 ended his primetime career on television and the life of a young man, butcher Stuart Lubbock, 31.
A new Channel 5 documentary airing tonight - Michael Barrymore: Rise and Fall of Mr Saturday Night - reflects on how Michael's success was left in tatters following the event that went tragically wrong at his £2million luxury Essex mansion.
Michael Barrymore invited Stuart Lubbock and his friends back to his house after meeting at a nightclub (PA)
Stuart was found dead in the swimming pool later that night and a murder inquest was launched (PA)Now more than twenty years ago, Stuart's lifeless body was found floating in the pool, and a postmortem later discovered he had sustained severe anal injuries. The sordid details of the night were aired in the media and Stuart's steps were retraced. On the night of Friday, March 30, 2001, he had partied with his brother Kevin at Harlow's Millennium nightclub, where he was invited back to Michael's mansion with a group of clubbers. The group was seen on CCTV catching a taxi back to the sprawling property at 2.30am. Kevin decided not to join.
Stuart's dad Terry Lubbock previously told the Guardian his son would have jumped at the chance to party with the star. "Stuart was a show-off - that was his weakness. He'd have gone straight up there to the house just so he could tell everyone about it the next day," he said. Michael told a 2002 Epping inquest that despite not knowing Stuart, he "seemed a nice guy".
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He continued: "He was wandering in and out of various rooms [at my house] taking the place in. He seemed really happy." Meanwhile, Stuart's friend Justin Merritt said he relaxed in the hot tub with Michael's former boyfriend, Jonathan Kenney, and watched Stuart splashing around, having fun in the pool. "He was the happiest person there, playing around, dancing and just mucking about," he told the inquest.
But soon after at 5:46am, the alarm was raised when Stuart's body was spotted dead in the pool. Police did not treat the house as a crime scene, at first believing that the meat factory supervisor had drowned after drinking heavily and taking cocaine and ecstasy. But a murder probe was launched after an examination found he had suffered severe internal injuries and cardiac arrest.
The after-party took place at Michael's £2million mansion in Roydon, Essex, on March 30, 2001 (Daily Mirror)Rumours of group sex flew, but Stuart's father said his son identified as heterosexual and would not have entered into a same-sex experience. Justin also insisted he was with Stuart for all but a tiny fraction of the night. "When I look back now, he was really happy... He wasn't in any discomfort like anyone had messed with him or touched him," he continued.
"There was no time [it could have happened]. He was with us [in the hot tub], then in the pool. Then he went away. That was the only time he wasn't around. That was the only time we never really saw him or knew what he was doing. There wasn't a time when it could have happened."
By the time police arrived, Michael had left the property - a move he later admitted was the "worst thing I could have done." He previously told Radio 5 Live's Stephen Nolan Show he "freaked out" after seeing Stuart "floating in the pool" and ran back into the house to find a guest with life-saving experience.
"The girls were screaming when they saw that he was just laying there, he wasn't moving much - and then James said to me, 'Come away - there's nothing more you can do'," he said. "I didn't run away - first thing I did was go and get help. I was standing there and instead of going, 'I should stay here', I went with the lads down the bottom of their drive to their flat. As I went out, I rang my PA - I've never had a PR agent - and said, 'A guy's by the side of the pool - the ambulance has been called if the police need me, I'm in James' place at the bottom of the drive'."
Michael Barrymore, Jonathan Kenney and Justin Merritt were arrested on suspicion of murder and rape but were later released without charge (Press Association)Admitting his actions "absolutely" didn't look good, he maintained his innocence and insisted the injuries did not happen at the party. "No way did I do it. And if I did, then I'd have put my hands up 10 years ago. I haven't spoken about this like this probably really at all to be honest," he said. "I do find it difficult to talk about. Not because I'm guilty of anything but because I didn't do anything I did a stupid thing - I walked away from the scene but I'd already gone and got help to bring him out. Nothing happened to the guy there."
Michael was arrested on suspicion of murder and rape in 2007 - allegations he has always strenuously denied and the police investigation into Michael was dropped three months later. Police never charged anyone and an inquest recorded an open verdict. ITV axed his £1million-a-year contract in 2002 after the inquest into Stuart's death and he subsequently sued Essex Police for wrongful arrest but lost the case in the Court of Appeal.
In 2019, he apologised for the tragedy but said police were to blame for the mystery that surrounds it. "I could not be more sorry that this event took place," he told Piers Morgan. "I gave Stuart nothing. There were no E's at my house. I had a joint. If there was cocaine he didn't get it from me. Stuart's family deserve proper answers and the police have not completed their inquiries properly."
Showbiz comeback
Earlier this year, Michael began his showbiz comeback. The fallen presenter, 71, started making appearances on stage, directing West End show Laurel and Chaplin. Discussing his new career venture with the Daily Star, Michael credited getting sober and recovering from his alcohol addiction with helping him pursue his career passions. He said: "Despite all the sh**ty bits that have happened in my life, I still have never lost the desire and passion for what I do."
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Michael has always denied involvement in Stuart's death and blamed police for the mystery that surrounds it (REX)"I can't tell you how happy I am now. I'm the busiest I've ever been and I'm the happiest I've ever been. I am probably the fittest I've been, too. I walk a lot, I eat well and I do what I love. I'm 71 and I feel fitter than I was when I was 40 when I was drinking and all that," he continued.
Earlier this month, Stuart's brother Kevin spoke out urging people at the 2001 party to break their wall of silence. "With the people at the party, there is a wall of silence. I think many people do know what happened to Stuart but perhaps they are afraid to say," he told the Mirror. Asked if he had a message for the eight partygoers, Kevin said: "It's been 20 years now, tell the truth."
"The police should have done their job years ago," Kevin said. He recalled seeing his brother for the last time at the Millennium nightclub. "There were loads of people around the toilet area, I asked Stuart what was going on and he said Michael Barrymore was in the toilet. He [Barrymore] came out and was shaking people's hands," he said.
Kevin said he last saw his brother chatting to a female friend. He added: "That was it. That evening was very strange, I didn't feel myself. I didn't go to the party but perhaps I wish I did go, maybe it would have been different." In 2009, the police watchdog found officers missed crucial evidence and did not ensure forensic tests were done until six years later.
- Michael Barrymore: Rise and Fall of Mr Saturday Night airs on Channel 5 at 9pm tonight.
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