Plaque honour for Lenny the Lion man Terry

THE BLUE PLAQUE that marks Terry Hall's Chadderton birthplace

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POPULAR children’s entertainer Terry Hall who shot to fame with puppet Lenny the Lion has been honoured in his home town.

His wife, Dee, unveiled a blue plaque in Middelton Road, Chadderton, close to the spot where the ventriloquist and “real gentleman of showbusiness” was born.

Dee was among 25 family members who travelled from as far as Germany for the celebration, organised by Chadderton Historical Society.

Describing Friday’s event as emotional, Dee (65) said: “Terry would be astounded, delighted and very honoured. He was very proud of his roots and often mentioned Chadderton, the people he grew up with and his family here.

“He was the ultimate professional — a real gentleman of showbusiness.”

Terry, who went to St Patrick’s School, Oldham and played the accordion at Nimble Nook Working Men’s Club at the age of 12, left the borough in the 1950s to find fame and fortune .

The keen Latics fan was one of the first ventriloquists to use an animal puppet.

Lenny the Lion — whose catchphrase was “Aw don’t embawass me” — made his television debut on the variety show “Dress Rehearsal”, which also featured another famous Oldhamer, Eric Sykes.

Terry and Lenny then fronted “The Lenny the Lion Show”, “Lenny’s Den” and “Pops and Lenny”, appearing with The Beatles in 1963.

They also starred in the United States on the “Ed Sullivan Show” as their TV career continued into the 1980s. Terry died in 2007, at the age of 80.

Terry lived at 635 Middleton Road, which has since been demolished. The plaque (inset) was erected near by, at the corner of Middleton Road and Broadway.

Chadderton Historical Society worked closely with Terry’s sister, Kathleen Behan, and niece, Lesley Guilfoyle, on the project over the last 18 months.

Kathleen (86) still lives in Chadderton. She said: “Terry was a smashing bloke and an extremely good brother to me.

“Whenever he was in the North he used to come to Chadderton to stay with me. Children would queue outside the house to see Lenny the Lion.

“He would have been astounded by this. He was the most unassuming person you could ever imagine.”