‘WYNGARDE! A CELEBRATION’ – Retrospective

By Thomas Bowington and Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins

Double-Bill: ‘Wyngarde! A celebration’ and ‘Queen Bette’. The G. Bod (formally Gay Body), Sydney, Australia – September 2018

Lot’s of laughs… but for all the wrong reasons!

Written with indecent haste by Peter Mountford, the Artistic Director of the G. Bod Theatre, alongside actor Garth Holcombe, the play ‘Wyngarde! A Celebration’ was staged in Sydney just weeks after Peter’s death.

Despite both writers claiming to be “great admirers” of Peter, they resorted to every sensational tabloid exaggeration to promote this production, leading one Australian Wyngarde enthusiast to declare that it had “made me ashamed to be Australian!”

In true fairy tale fashion, the play commenced with the line: “It’s lovely to see you – here’s to a pleasant evening and a few surprises. There we are. Are you comfortable? Now where shall we begin…?”

The promotional material states, “Peter Wyngarde was best known for portraying the character Jason King, a bestselling novelist turned sleuth, in two television series: Department S and Jason King, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but he was also a talented theatre actor until his fall from grace: two arrests and convictions for gross indecency in public toilets in 1975.” It is important to note that this controversial conviction was overturned by the UK Government in July 2023.

In reality, Peter was NOT arrested on two occasions. The myth of an earlier conviction (or caution, depending on which dubious news site, online forum, or piece of unfounded Internet gossip you choose to consult) has been traced back to a contributor to Wikipedia’s Peter Wyngarde ‘Biography’ in 2012 (see here for the complete story). However, in their eagerness to capitalize on the moment, the authors of the play opted to base their narrative on information from an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit—regardless of their qualifications—rather than consult those of us who genuinely knew the man.

However, the intention behind this play was not to provide a truthful and accurate portrayal of Peter’s life. Instead, the primary aim was to construct a character that would reinforce the image they had formed of Peter in their minds, influenced by decades-old tabloid narratives and years of trivial gossip. The result was a situation where the writers’ perception equated to 2 + 2 = 95, which was then presented to a gullible audience and critiqued by journalists unfamiliar with who Peter Wyngarde truly was.

The promotional material continued… ‘Much of Wyngarde’s life remains contentious: his name, his birth date, his sexuality. It is known that as a teenager he was a Japanese Prisoner of War (alongside JG Ballard) and that he attended RADA before ultimately dropping out. At the peak of his fame, the most popular boy’s name in the UK became Jason (inspired by his character). He was reportedly mobbed by countless female fans at Sydney Airport. Mike Myers has acknowledged him as the inspiration for Austin Powers. He may have been born Cyril Goldbert. He may have had a romantic involvement with Alan Bates. He may have been nicknamed Petunia Winegum.’ This information, once again, was sourced from the oracle itself, Wikipedia.

The adult-themed drama premiered at the G. Bod (formerly known as the Gay Body) in September 2018, where the audience witnessed former ‘Home and Away’ star, Garth Holbrook, strut onto the stage in a series of poorly fitting suits that made his character resemble Harold Steptoe more than Jason King!

In his review of the play, blogger Kevin Jackson, who appeared to be completely unaware of Peter’s extensive and celebrated theatre career, described him as a “moderate talent” and a “second-tier actor,” while simultaneously praising Holbrook’s performance without reservation.

In the meantime, Suzy Wong, another blogger covering ‘the Sydney main stage and independent scenes’, remarked that “Wyngarde! A Celebration” represented a “re-framing of the personality, an insistence that we examine old narratives through a contemporary lens, to construct a history that resonates with our current experiences. It is akin to having a private audience with Wyngarde himself, where his inhibitions are cast aside, allowing us to finally witness his authentic self.” Really?!

Ms. Wong, however, refrained from disclosing what these “inhibitions” were to her audience, yet she seemed undeniably pleased with her perception of an authentic portrayal of Peter’s private life, despite the authors lacking any privileged insight into their subject beyond the usual tabloid gossip and conjecture. It was certainly not a “private audience with Wyngarde!”

Following Peter’s death, Messrs Holcombe and Mountford appeared to write without restraint, convinced by misleading press reports that claimed Peter had no partner or family. Clearly, little thought was given to those of us who were left to witness our loved one being caricatured in such a manner. Likewise, the producers failed to make even a brief courtesy call to Peter’s agent, Thomas Bowington, before the opening night, so by the time we became aware of the situation, it was already too late.

Above: Garth Holcome as… a-hem… Peter Wyngarde (Photo by Richard Hedger)

Although we intended to contact both Garth Holbrook and Peter Mountford through the G.Bod Theatre, neither of them chose to respond, possibly because they were aware that they lacked a valid reason for presenting this production. Nevertheless, we did receive an email from an unidentified individual at the theatre:

Dear Tina and Thomas, I am sincerely sorry for any hurt that you have been caused by our show. This was certainly not our intention. We are huge fans of Peter’s work, and received really wonderful feedback from our Australian audience, many of whom have been fans of Peter for many years, some of whom even saw him on stage here in the 1970s. This was very much a celebration of Peter’s work as an accomplished actor, and tried to debunk the awful rumours about him along the way. I like to think we were truly respectful to his memory, and those of our audience who weren’t aware of him, or simply too young, were fascinated by his career and told us that they now wanted to look up his work and see the real Peter in action. Again, we are truly sorry for any offence caused. I hope that this response goes some way to making it quite clear that this is A Celebration of Peter the actor, and nothing else. Best regards to you and your family. G.bod Theatre

We responded as follows…

Dear Sir or Madam, Thank you for taking the time to contact us, which is greatly appreciated. With regard to the play: Firstly, the wording that accompanied your listing on the Fringe website (and others) appeared as if it’d been cut and pasted directly from a tabloid newspaper. There are a myriad of words that could’ve been used to describe Peter and his work without having to rely on the gutter press. As it turned out, several Sydney residents who are also members of his Official Appreciation Society (which we run), had been put off going to see the production based on that introduction alone – fearing that it would be just another piss-take. Indeed, one of our most devoted members said later that the play had made her feel ashamed to be Australian! Perhaps if you’d sought out either one or both of us first (we can be easily found online) and explained what the play was about, then we might have been able to work with you in some way. But what’s done is done. Hopefully when the absolute truth about the man is revealed with the publication of the biography, ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’, many of these vicious rumours will finally be scotched. With Regards, Thomas Bowington and Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins

Offending Publicity Blurb

‘G.bod Productions throws two icons onto the stage for this Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras season: the lesser known Peter Wyngarde (Garth Holcome) and the idolised Bette Davis (Jeanette Cronin) in monologues devised by the actors with the director Peter Mountford. The very different styles of the monologues rather cleverly showcase the acting styles of each: Wyngarde believed an actor should make the character fit the actor; Davis believed the actor should “rise up into the character”. Wyngarde did not believe in acting lessons, Davis was passionate about refining her craft. Both bear an uncanny resemblance to the their source material.

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What follows is Kate Stratford’s review – Theatre Now: 24th February, 2019

“One could not be part of Western Culture without knowing who Bette Davies was. Most of us have a favourite quote of hers (I’d love to kiss ya but I just washed my hair). But one might easily not know who Peter Wyngarde was. Mike Myers famously based his Austin Powers on him. An actor and style icon of the 70’s, he is best remembered as Jason King, a suave novelist turned sleuth. Holcombe gives us a Wyngarde whose brash, cool hipness is a façade for the lonely, traumatised man within(?!). Purporting to be a ladies man (he was hospitalised after a mob female fan attack in Australia) he hid his homosexuality as many were forced to do at the time; charges of gross indecency telling their own story. Holcombe gives us a Wyngarde whose brash, cool hipness is a façade for the lonely, traumatised man within(?!). Purporting to be a ladies man (he was hospitalised after a mob female fan attack in Australia) he hid his homosexuality as many were forced to do at the time; charges of gross indecency telling their own story.

“Here are two very different but equally compelling performances; insightful glimpses into “what made ‘em tick”. There is an intelligence in the material chosen (how do you encapsulate a life in an hour?) and the choices made reflect thoughtful, well-researched discussion between actor and director. Now, if we can just get the tech cues right ….”

(?): I knew Peter for a few months short of 30 years, and never felt for a single moment that he was in the least bit “traumatised.” In fact he was a very positive and forward-thinking man who exuded confidence. Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins

Above: The REAL Peter Wyngarde and what he’d have probably thought of this play

Theatre Review

‘Peter Wyngarde gained mainstream popularity in 1969 as Jason King, a novelist turned sleuth, in the UK television series Department S. A flamboyant actor, known for his horseshoe moustache and bronzed skin, he is one of innumerable twentieth century celebrities who had never come out of the closet, yet remains an integral part of British gay culture. His 1975 arrest for gross indecency in a public toilet forms part of his mystique, but as was typical of the times, his queerness was kept obscured, refused acknowledgement by wider society. The public would only allow a sex symbol who could not threaten their heteronormativity, and Wyngarde acquiesced.

Garth Holcombe and Peter Mountford’s Wyngarde! A Celebration is a re-framing of the personality, an insistence that we look at old narratives with new eyes, to form a history that makes sense in terms of how we experience the world today. As though a private audience with Wyngarde himself, in which his inhibitions are shed, and we witness him able to be his true self at last. Holcombe has the right charisma for the role, but is occasionally hesitant. The cocky debonair masculinity of a bygone era is portrayed alongside a camp sensibility, to make a statement about the evolution of gay identities, and to form a reminder of a community’s legacy of struggle.

Above: Garth Holcome – more Leonard Rossiter a la Rigsby than Peter Wyngarde (Photo by Richard Hedger)

For all the bravado that Wyngarde enjoys putting on display, there is a loneliness that pervades. There is an unmistakable pride in his long career in stage and film, but we sense something unfulfilled. Wyngarde! A Celebration can feel too gentle in its approach. We want a bawdy tell-all, but it gives us instead, something with more integrity than we are perhaps accustom to, in this age of ubiquitous intrusion and humiliation. It is our nature to seek authenticity, but it appears that revealing everything often serves to distract from the truth. Many things are left unsaid in Wyngarde’s story, and that is perhaps his very essence, and the most accurate representation of the man we have come looking for.’

Some Points

Peter was already an established, mainstream television star in the UK 15 years prior to accepting the role of Jason King in Department S. You have to be in the closet before you can come out of it! Peter remains an “integral part of British gay culture”. It’s the tabloids continue to repeat the same old blarney every time his name is mentioned, prompting indolent bloggers, online gossips and playwrights to produce this kind of rubbish. “…his queerness was kept obscured”. This is quite a grandiose statement, given that no one connected with this production had ever met Peter or come within a 1,000-mile radius of him – including the author of this ‘review’! Forming a “history”. Whose history? Garth Holcome and Peter Mountford’s? Certainly not Peter’s! A “…private audience with Wyngarde himself, in which his inhibitions are shed”, and, “…we witness him able to be his true self at last”. That would be the play’s author’s idea of his “true self”, certainly not the true self those who knew him saw. “…there is a loneliness that pervades”. Peter was never, ever lonely. “Integrity”? That’s hardly a word we would use to describe this nonsense!

Do you want to know if Peter Wyngarde had any genuine “inhibitions”, or how “traumatised” this supposed “second-tier actor” really was? Then look out for the biography, Peter Wyngarde – A Life Amongst Strangers.

Read about the REAL Peter Wyngarde in his own words…