'You Dirty Old Man!': The Authorized Biography of Wilfrid Brambell

by David Clayton

You Dirty Old Man! is the first definitive account of one of Britain’s most loved and complex character actors, Wilfrid Brambell. It uncovers a life that was far from happy and content as perhaps it should have been. Despite being one of the stars of Steptoeand Son, which at its peak attracted 28 million viewers and made household names of him and his co-star, Harry H. Corbett, Brambell died a sad, lonely man. Having become a prisoner of his own success, and battling an inner turmoil that eventually drove him to drink, author David Clayton reveals how Brambell suffered unbelievable personal heartache as his marriage collapsed in the most painful, deceitful circumstances imaginable. His torment led to a secretive life off camera where he did everything he could to stay out of the public eye, while continuing his upward trajectory to become one of the country’s most loved character actors. Featuring original interviews with film directors Richard Lester, Terence Davies, Richard Curtis and Tony Palmer, as well recollections from his own family members, the family of Harry H. Corbett and as those who worked alongside him in his numerous roles on stage, TV and film, You Dirty Old Man! seeks to restore the legacy of a man whose loyal fanbase remains undiminished sixty years on from his heyday.

192 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing, book short on length detail and didn't learn a great deal about Wilfrid.

[Vanessa Hoyles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read , definitely an insite as to how views and attitudes to things have changed over the years. Parts of it are frustrating though as means it was so long ago there's gaps in the timeline of things the author can't tell us and doesn't know. There's even facts the author choses not to tell us there was a part in the book where the author chooses not to mention which actor got the part instead of Wilfred which was annoying. But was a good and insightful read about an amazing but troubled man

[Ibrahim Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

In life Wilfrid Brambell was deeply concerned with keeping his private life private. It is not my place to speculate on why this was, I take it on face value that he was simply a private person.

The reason I mention this is plain, this book, while an interesting read for anyone who loves the Actor, the mighty success that was Steptoe and Son or any characters he played, it is not a reveal all, or even full of unknowns that open your eyes. David Clayton has obviously put a lot of work into this book, over 10 years worth, but he regularly finds people who had brief encounters with with Wilfrid, yet were never able to break into a social circle of his, if indeed they existed.

The book is able to dispel the myths that Corbett and Brambell didn’t get on, they had a cordial but respectful and warm, professional relationship, that much is obvious, but they didn’t hate each other. The book acknowledges that there were times which were more fraught that others, and during which there might have been arguments, but ultimately the book explores the multiple opportunities they had never to work together again, but chose to jump back on the cart.

There are a few instances where a quote was added to the book that basically say “I didn’t know him”, this didn’t take anything away from the book, but it is noticeable and made me laugh to myself and are superfluous.

I did love this book though, it talked of Wilfrid's struggles, successes, near misses and failures and more importantly, it really lays out what an extraordinary actor he was, something most definitely effected by the trials of his life.

It isn’t a long book, and the detail just isn’t there to give a more comprehensive account of his life, but if this actor and his life interests you, I would recommend reading this.

[Andrew Foxley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A frustrating read, as although there's clearly a fascinating story to be told here about a man who became one of Britain's biggest and most beloved TV stars whilst personally being quite different from his public persona, this book doesn't get that close to it.

There's been an effort to obtain recollections from some of those who knew and worked with Brambell, but they rarely have much of substance to offer, and there are frequently occasions where one feels from the author's own comments that potentially fruitful lines of enquiry have been abandoned all too easily. I've read some excellent biographies of late where the authors have tenaciously dug into an underexplored subject and turned up genuinely new and revelatory discoveries by leaving no stone unturned, and one gets the sense that either that hasn't happened here, or less plausibly, there genuinely isn't much new to tell. In which case, it's possible the book wasn't worth pursuing in the first place.

[Mark Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author states that Wilfrid Brambell was a very private person and he was difficult to discover much about....This book certainly lives up to that!
I finished it not knowing much more about him than when I started. The author has got in touch with other celebs who worked with him and even those who didn't know him get quoted! Ian Ogilvy a case in point. His quote in the book states he didn't work with Brambell as they filmed on different days and he'd never met him! Really! What was the point of the quote?
Final chapters cover programmes made long after his death about the duo in Steptoe & Son. It tells you nothing about Wilfrid Brambell only some speculation about him. Ends on a very sour note as two people claim he abused them whilst in Jersey. Nothing substantive so why add it? 2 stars is generous.

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the problems of authorised biographies is a large co of objectivity.So much of Brambells activities and personality is airbrushed.The author takes the two last chapters to denounce documentaries about Corbett and Brambell,e which I felt was a tiresome and pointless.However he had little choice but to include the allegations of the child molestation in Jersey.Really no more than an average showbiz biography.40 years is a difficult gap to bridge.

[Jane Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting read.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big Steptoe fan, to the point that I know the films back to front and could recite them word for word! As soon as I saw this book I really wanted to read it. The book begins with a quick recount of Brambell's early life and his break into stardom which I found interesting, particularly about his marriage breakdown. Whilst he has done a lot more work than I realised, this book was always going to be mainly about his Steptoe years, and the book does focus on these a lot. It was, however a warm and entertaining read which once started I couldn't put down.

Any Steptoe fan would know the rumours that Brambell and his co-star Harry H Corbett didn't get on in real life, and this book tries to set the record straight, particularly over the BBC documentary The Curse of Steptoe which didn't show Brambell in a very good light. By the end of the book, what I gathered was they didn't dislike each other, but they were very different people with very different lives and were never going to be meeting each other outside of work. I did think this was quite sad as it would have been nice to have their career ending on a better note, particularly with Corbett's early death.

I really enjoyed this book however and it bought back some fun memories of watching Steptoe & Son. An interesting insight in Brambell's life.