Simon Dee, who died on August 30 aged 74, was arguably British television's first superstar; he invented the persona of the trendy talk show host and became a cultural icon in the 1960s, watched weekly by up to 18 million viewers before his precipitate fall from favour in 1970.
As Britain's best-known fallen star, Dee occupied an unenviable niche in the history of celebrity: "Simon Dee Syndrome" was said to describe those who were better known for losing their grip on fame than for what they did to earn it in the first place.
Yet during his three short years in the public glare, Dee lived the sex, drugs and rock-and-roll dream, hosting the most popular programme on television, having affairs with Hollywood actresses, befriending the Beatles, stepping out with Princess Margaret and making (and spending) prodigious amounts of money. As postwar television came of age, and the era of colour dawned, Dee was undoubtedly the medium's hottest ticket.
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3 comments:
Thanks for the clip! He seems much more incisive and smart than I'd have thought from his obit.
The Telegraph are the Gods of the obit world. I am honored that Andrew McKie there received my piddling little obits via e-mail.
I don't remember him here in Australia, but then, I guess he wasn't here for long. It's a bit late now, but a bio-pic starring a young Peter O'Toole would be fab.
Eve discovered him via the obit. I love that he had his own syndrome (and that he dated Joanna Lumley.)
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