Scottish actor and comedian Stanley Baxter has died aged 99, bringing to a close the life of one of British television’s most influential entertainers.
Born in Glasgow in 1926, Baxter reshaped British comedy from the 1960s through to the 1980s.
Baxter’s career began on Scottish stages in the 1940s, where he trained as an actor before gravitating towards comedy and variety theatre.
His breakthrough on television came with the sketch show On The Bright Side, where he introduced one of his most enduring creations: Parliamo Glasgow.
The spoof language programme, delivered with academic seriousness and affectionate satire, became a cultural touchstone.
In 1963, The Stanley Baxter Show launched on the BBC, quickly establishing itself as one of the most popular comedy programmes of the era.
A decade later, he moved to London Weekend Television with The Stanley Baxter Picture Show, a series of film and television parodies that made him an even bigger superstar.
Baxter frequently portrayed the majority of the characters himself, transforming seamlessly between genders, accents and personalities.
The show earned him multiple Bafta awards and is often cited as a high point of British sketch comedy.
Further success followed with The Stanley Baxter Series in 1981, before he later returned to the BBC.
He also appeared in the children’s programme Mr Majeika, introducing a younger audience to his work.
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