Profile of Julian Clary on Famous Like Me

Julian Clary (25 May 1959) is British comedian known for his camp style. He was born in Teddington, Middlesex and went to a strict catholic school in Ealing, London. He went on to study English and drama at Goldsmith's College.

Clary's comedy career started on the alternative comedy scene in the early 1980s as The Joan Collins Fanclub, complete with his sidekick, Fanny The Wonderdog. Clary dressed in outrageous fashions, usually involving leather and hinting at bondage. He wore shocking make-up, although he did not fall into the categories of cross dresser, transvestite or female impersonator.

Clary's comedy relied then, as now, on extremely near-the-knuckle innuendo and often explicit sexual references (compare with Paul O'Grady's alter-ego Lily Savage). More recently he has attempted to enter the mainstream, toning down his outfits and wearing sharp suits, but his style of comedy has always proved too much for some parts of the public. Clary was cast into the showbusiness wilderness after making a sexually explicit joke about politician Norman Lamont ("I've just been fisting Norman Lamont") during a live broadcast of the 1993 British Comedy Awards ceremony, but has since rehabilitated himself. In 1999 he became captain of a team on the quiz show It's Only TV... But I Like It along with Phill Jupitus and Jonathan Ross, and also makes regular appearances on the BBC Radio 4 panel game Just a Minute.

In 2004, Clary was one of the celebrities taking part in the BBC's popular Strictly Come Dancing series, a competition in which he finished third.

In 2005, Clary hosted Come and Have A Go for the National Lottery and published an autobiography A Young Man's Passage which covers his life and career up until the Norman Lamont incident.

Awards

On 7 September 2005, Goldsmith's College made Clary an honorary fellow.

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