Angela Bishop pays tribute to Barry Humphries, revealing star’s jaw-dropping ‘party trick’
Lauded for his comic creations, Barry Humphries loved nothing more than playing outrageous practical jokes on his mates, Angela Bishop says.
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Loved by millions for his comic creations, legendary entertainer Barry Humphries loved nothing more than playing jaw-dropping pranks on his unsuspecting friends, entertainment reporter Angela Bishop has revealed.
The veteran journalist has paid a touching tribute to the comedy genius after his death at the age of 89, opening up about a stomach-turning “party trick” Humphries played when travelling on an aeroplane with her father in the 1970s.
Here, the Studio 10 hosts talks about the Barry Humphries she knew.
“Barry Humphries hated the word icon. His associate and client Dame Edna Everage once explained that the word came from the Ancient Greek and referred to religious paintings with cracks all over the face, something Dame Edna insisted she did not have.
“So we’ll have to settle for calling Mr Humphries AO CBE a legend.
“As an interview subject, Barry Humphries gave an entertainment reporter like me a lot of bang for my buck. You’d get three for the price of one: Barry, cultural attache Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna.
“And it was the Dame I got to know best over the years. Her powers were immense. But interviewing her was always a little bit terrifying because you never knew where the conversation would end up.
“She would often speak ill of Barry, once telling me ‘We don’t see eye to eye. He’s just jealous really, because I get the media attention and the love, and he gets pretty much nothing. We have separate dressing rooms, like Mick and Keith from the Rolling Stones’.
“Barry said he would sometimes be hanging around near Edna when she was on stage, and she would say something outrageously funny, and he would think ‘I wish I’d said that’. But Barry had blockbuster bits of his own.
“Legend has long had it that Barry had a party trick he’d do on aeroplanes, and it’s one my Dad told me he actually witnessed on a flight to London in the 70s.
“Catching Dad’s eye and making a hush signal, Barry proceeded to surreptitiously tip a small tin of pea and ham soup into an airsick bag before making loud vomiting noises.
“He made sure all the surrounding passengers noticed the commotion, before asking the flight attendant for a spoon, at which point he proceeded to eat the ‘vomit’ out of the bag. A technicolour yawn as Sir Les would say.
“Only a handful of Australians have found fame in the UK and the USA, and to have done it before the age of the internet is a miracle.
“There’s a Tony and an Olivier award on the mantelpiece at Barry’s place, the highest accolades for an actor, which after all is what he was. But one whose gift was to make millions laugh.
“The times I interviewed this trio are among the best days at the office I’ve had, and for that I say thank you and vale Barry Humphries.”
WORLD’S INCREDIBLE FRONT PAGES FOR HUMPHRIES
The world woke up to front pages on Sunday mourning the death and celebrating the life of legendary comic Barry Humphries,
Humphries, known for his adored alter egos including Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, died on Saturday in Sydney.
International superstars, royalty, politicians and everyday Australians were quick to offer their voices to the flood of tributes.
In Australia, every major newspaper was dedicated to Humphries, including The Sunday Telegraph and the Sunday Mail.
The Sunday Mail and the Sunday Herald Sun chose pictures of Humphries and his Dame Edna alter ego.
The front pages were also massive in the UK. In the Sunday Express the King led tributes to Dame Edna, and The Sunday Times said simply “Goodnight Possums!”
The Daily Star followed suit with a massive photo of Dame Edna in her trademark glasses, as did The Herald on Sunday.
And The Mail and The Observer in the UK had this to say.
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Originally published as Angela Bishop pays tribute to Barry Humphries, revealing star’s jaw-dropping ‘party trick’
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