Born in Banbury - the great entertainer Larry Grayson would have been 97 today (August 31)

One of the most popular all-round entertainers of his era, Grayson - born William Sulley White in Banbury in 1923 - became host of the BBC1 series The Generation Game and was best known for his catch phrase 'Shut That Door'. His last appearance in the Royal Variety Show was in 1994. He died a year later of a perforated appendix.

According to Wikipedia, Grayson was born William Sulley White in Banbury. His parents were unmarried and he never met his father. When he was ten days old, his mother, Ethel White, arranged for him to be adopted by Alice and Jim Hammonds in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

He had two adoptive sisters, Flo and May. His adoptive mother Alice died when he was six years old, and he was brought up by his elder adoptive sister, Flo, with whom he lived for much of his life. It has been reported that his birth mother stayed in touch with the family and was known to Grayson as Aunt Ethel, until he discovered her true identity when he was eight years old.

The Banbury Guardian published a review of his biography, Shut That Door which can be seen here.

His This is Your Life story can be seen here and his Wikipedia page is here.