Stan Boardman
Encyclopedia
Stan Boardman is an English
comedian.
during World War II
, and after the family returned to their Merseyside home mistakenly thinking the area had escaped the German bombs, his elder brother Tommy was killed in a bombing raid.
He had been a keen footballer in his youth and was an apprentice at Liverpool FC, and signed for Tranmere Rovers FC as a teenager.
Boardman ran a haulage
firm before winning a holiday camp
talent contest and breaking into television on Opportunity Knocks and The Comedians.
His later involvement in football includes being invited by Ron Atkinson
to entertain his Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa players before the Carling Cup finals in 1991 and 1994.
entertainment show, the Des O'Connor
Show in the 1980s. A joke—about the Second World War reminiscences of a Polish pilot who flew in the Royal Air Force
—made great play on the word Fokker, referring not only to the German
Focke-Wulf
aeroplanes.
Boardman's alleged racism has led to controversy several times; After telling racist jokes at a Leeds United FC Player of the Year Award dinner in 2002 (months after two Leeds players had been arrested for assaulting an Asian student), the club withheld his fee, describing his act as "inappropriate and unacceptable" and barred him from performing at the club in future. This led to a planned appearance at a Leicester City FC event being cancelled.
Boardman is also renowned for being used as a warm up on the Everton
team bus during the late 1980s and early 1990s, although he himself is a Liverpool
fan.
.
In June 2009, Stan appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap.
In October 2011, Stan and his daughter Andrea Boardman
appeared on the celebrity version of Coach Trip
is a television presenter; son Paul
played professional football for Plymouth Argyle
before becoming a presenter on Sky Sports News
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
comedian.
Early life
Boardman was evacuated with his family to WrexhamWrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and after the family returned to their Merseyside home mistakenly thinking the area had escaped the German bombs, his elder brother Tommy was killed in a bombing raid.
He had been a keen footballer in his youth and was an apprentice at Liverpool FC, and signed for Tranmere Rovers FC as a teenager.
Boardman ran a haulage
Haulage
Haulage may refer to:* The business of being a haulier or hauler , also called haulage contractor, common carrier, contract carrier, or private carrier, in other words of transporting goods by road or rail for other companies or one's own company.* The horizontal transport of ore, coal, supplies,...
firm before winning a holiday camp
Holiday camp
Holiday camp, in Britain, generally refers to a resort with a boundary that includes accommodation, entertainment and other facilities.As distinct from camping, accommodation typically consisted of chalets – small buildings arranged either individually or in blocks. Some had three or four storeys,...
talent contest and breaking into television on Opportunity Knocks and The Comedians.
Stand-up career
Boardman became known for his anti-German jokes, with his claim that "the Germans bombed our chippy" in the second world war.His later involvement in football includes being invited by Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
to entertain his Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa players before the Carling Cup finals in 1991 and 1994.
Controversy
He memorably courted controversy on a live edition of the Thames TelevisionThames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
entertainment show, the Des O'Connor
Des O'Connor
Des O'Connor, CBE is an English comedian and singer. A former talkshow host, he was the presenter of the long-running Channel 4 gameshow Countdown for two years...
Show in the 1980s. A joke—about the Second World War reminiscences of a Polish pilot who flew in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
—made great play on the word Fokker, referring not only to the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Focke-Wulf
Focke-Wulf
Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG was a German manufacturer of civil and military aircraft before and during World War II. Many of the company's successful fighter aircraft designs were slight modifications of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.-History:...
aeroplanes.
Boardman's alleged racism has led to controversy several times; After telling racist jokes at a Leeds United FC Player of the Year Award dinner in 2002 (months after two Leeds players had been arrested for assaulting an Asian student), the club withheld his fee, describing his act as "inappropriate and unacceptable" and barred him from performing at the club in future. This led to a planned appearance at a Leicester City FC event being cancelled.
Boardman is also renowned for being used as a warm up on the Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
team bus during the late 1980s and early 1990s, although he himself is a Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
fan.
Music
In June 2006 he had a hit with "Stan's World Cup Song" which reached No 15 in the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Other TV appearances
He was a contestant in Trust Me - I'm A Beauty Therapist on Channel 5 in October 2006.In June 2009, Stan appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap.
In October 2011, Stan and his daughter Andrea Boardman
Andrea Boardman
Andrea Boardman is an English television presenter.-Presenting career:She started out presenting when ITV's Disney Club launched in the UK in 1988. Andrea was given the role as female presenter after 2000 hopefuls applied for the job...
appeared on the celebrity version of Coach Trip
Coach Trip
Coach Trip is a reality show that was broadcast on Channel 4 with More4 and Pick TV showing repeats since 7 March 2005. The programme returned on 25 May 2009. The show's format consists of 4 to 7 teams of 2 undertaking a coach tour principally of continental Europe...
Family
Boardman has been married to Vivienne (née Brennan) since 1967. They have a son and a daughter, who are twins, and three grandchildren. Daughter AndreaAndrea Boardman
Andrea Boardman is an English television presenter.-Presenting career:She started out presenting when ITV's Disney Club launched in the UK in 1988. Andrea was given the role as female presenter after 2000 hopefuls applied for the job...
is a television presenter; son Paul
Paul Boardman
Paul Boardman is an English sports broadcaster currently working for Sky Sports News. He is the son of comedian Stan Boardman and twin brother of television presenter Andrea Boardman.-Football career:...
played professional football for Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
before becoming a presenter on Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News
Sky Sports News is a 24-hour sports news channel in the United Kingdom. It is run by BSkyB whose sports channels include Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as Sky Sports HD1, HD2, HD3 and HD4....
.