Celebcity: Charmaine Davies

The Cheeky Chappie!

There’s a name of a person that I regularly see about the streets of Brighton. However this person isn’t doing a show or appearance, he is commemorated for being a famous resident of the city. 

I often see Max Miller’s statue in the Pavilion Gardens, or the blue plaques on the houses where he lived. There’s also the Max Miller walk. But I knew nothing about him, so I thought it was time to learn… 

Max Miller, who was a regarded as the greatest stand up comedian of his generation was born Thomas Henry Sargent, in Hereford Street, in Kemp Town in 1894. It wasn’t until he married his wife Katherine Marsh that he changed his name to Max Miller, which was Katherine’s idea. For a while they were a double act.

He never swore and disapproved of comedians who did

The Cheeky Chappie was another name Max was known by. He was renowned for telling risqué jokes and innuendos. Much of his material was too blue for broadcasting yet he never swore and didn’t approve of comedians who did.

Max Miller made films, toured in revues, music halls and sang. He was known for his flamboyant suits, plus- fours, kipper ties and trilby hat. He preferred to be booked in theatres in London or the South so that he could return to his beloved Brighton on the last train home. The last train to Brighton used to carry a number of theatricals on their way home, among them were Sir Laurence Olivier, Dora Bryan, Alan Melville and the Crazy Gang.

I often get the last train back to Brighton after doing shows, believe me there’s no such glamour on them now!