George Logan, a legendary 80s comedian and entertainer, died at the age of 78.
George, best known for his role as drag artist Dr. Evadne Hinge in the classic BBC sitcom Hinge and Bracket, died earlier this week.
Cult Bobby Crush, a British entertainer and Benidorm actor, confirmed George’s death in a tribute posted on social media earlier today.
Bobby, who was a pal of George, wrote: “RIP George Logan, also known as “Dr. Evadne Hinge” of “Hinge and Bracket”. We appeared in panto together in this glorious production of at the Theatre Royal Plymouth in 1989… I’m saddened by news of his passing today.”
Dozens of other tribute posts have been shared to social media from George’s fans and friends.
George and his Hinge and Bracket co-star Patrick Fyffe were known to millions of TV viewers in the 70s and 80s.
From 1978 to 1981, they starred in the BBC series Hinge and Bracket. Dear Ladies was on the air from 1983 to 1984.
In addition to The Ronnie Corbett Show and BBC’s The Good Old Days, the pair played their characters in a number of other popular TV shows.
From 1982 to 1989, the duo hosted a Radio 2 show.
The double act, who always performed in drag, were widely regarded as drag pioneers in the late 1970s.
George documented his life and growing up gay in Scotland in the 1960’s in his book A Boy Called Audrey.
Writing how he ended up doing drag, he explained: “A gay pub near where I lived put on drag acts. One day, the pianist didn’t turn up. The landlady said, ‘You play the piano don’t you? I’ll give you two quid to play for the act?’ So I did, and became the regular pianist. “
“As I was watching all these acts I realised they were getting eight quid for doing gags I’d heard a hundred times. I thought, ‘I could do that and play the piano at the same time and keep the whole 10 quid to myself. That’s how I got into show business, although I didn’t get the 10 quid. As I was a beginner I got eight for doing both – but eight quid for half an hours work wasn’t bad.”
And he recalled how his most famous character was born, after meeting Patrick, who passed away in 2002.
He wrote: “We became friends and a couple of years later he asked if I’d ever thought about doing something different as an act? He said, ‘I’m tired of all the glamour, the wigs and everything. We could be something like an old retired operatic singer who still thinks she can sing and you could be her pianist’. As a man, of course. I thought, ‘If there is money in it, I’ll try it.’
“So we started rehearsing. Patrick asked me to sing a bit on the duets on Three Little Maids From School, from The Mikado. So I did. Then he said, ‘I’m just thinking, it might be funnier if you were a woman too…’ “And the rest is history.”
