Welcome to our website which is dedicated to the thousands of variety performers who trod the boards during the 1930's and 1940's.   Some of them didn't have a proper home. They took their acts all around the British Isles, working from Monday to Saturday in one theatre and then moving on to the next, usually by train on a Sunday.  They lived out of suitcases, staying in theatrical boarding houses for the whole of their working lives.

There were generally between six and ten acts in a show, usually beginning with a dance routine followed by a comedian and ending with the most famous act.  A few became household names and made a fortune.  Some presented the same act, without change, for many years.  Sometimes the audience was with them, sometimes not, but they soldiered on regardless with a smile.   This hand bill lists the acts in a variety show at Accrington Hippodrome for the week commencing 19th February 1945.  The star act appears at the top, hence the expression "top of the bill".

We aim to provide information on some of the fantastic artists who provided all kinds of entertainment for the British public during the difficult years of depression and war but who, as yet, haven't been written about comprehensively anywhere else on the web.  If you've  researched a variety artist and would like him or her included on this site please contact us.

This is an ongoing project and performers will be added soon.