Michael Barrymore: the forgotten star

Today Michael Barrymore was awarded damages for his claims of wrongful arrest against Essex Police in charges they filed against him surrounding the death of Stuart Lubbock in 2001. It brings back into the spotlight a man who for many years the man who was without a doubt the biggest star on British TV. Born Michael Parker, Barrymore was always destined for a career in showbiz being a Butlins red coat, winning an edition of talent show New Faces and being the warm up act for Larry Grayson's Generation Game. His big break came in 1986 as the host for the game show Strike It Lucky where it was his interaction with the contestants than the actual game show element was the big draw to the audiences at home. At it's peak Strike It Lucky had viewing figures of over 20 million. In the 1990's Barrymore went from strength to strength. He had his own TV show bearing his (adopted) name which saw him interacting with members of the public and just like Strike It Lucky it was a massive success. Barrymore even made a sit-com, though Bob Martin was a far more introspective offering that any one would expect  from some one with such wide spread appeal as Barrymore but it had a sense of the autobiographical to it. Like many others who have brought joy and laughter to countless Michael Barrymore has had his share of personal demons. Like so many he had problems with the bottle and sometimes it came out in public, one particular incident being a speech he made at the National Television Awards. Barrymore also faced much tabloid speculation about his sexuality at a time when he was married. This came to a head when Barrymore took to the stage at a gay club and basically admitted he was gay. The death of Stuart Lubbock would become the biggest cloud to haunt Michael Barrymore's life. Lubbock's body was found in the swimming pool of Barrymore's home after a party. With only an Open verdict following Lubbock's death the case still hangs over Barrymore. In 2007 Barrymore and 2 other men were charged in connection with the death of Stuart Lubbock but were released without charge that led to the verdict today. Michael Barrymore has made the odd media appearance over the years but nothing like at the peak of his stardom.