Reg Dixon (comedian)

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Reginald Arthur Dixon, known professionally as Reg Dixon, was a British comedian born on 24 February 1915 in Coventry, England. He came from a large family, appeared on stage from age ten, sang with local dance bands, and worked in factories before leaving home at 16 to join touring revues. He briefly performed as part of the double act Scott and Dixon with a pianist, then toured through the north of England and Scotland with his own show in the late 1930s. Dixon served in the Royal Air Force during World War II, seeing service in India, Burma and the Middle East, before joining Ralph Reader’s Gang Show. His comedy was known for its lugubrious, northern style, and he often used the line “I’m not well, I’m proper poorly.” One routine involved borrowing and breaking a supposedly valuable violin while joking about its age.

Dixon first appeared in London in 1946 and rose to national fame on BBC radio’s Variety Bandbox. He took part in the 1949 Royal Variety Performance and, in 1952, starred in the West End show Zip Goes a Million at the Palace Theatre, replacing George Formby. That year he also appeared in his second Royal Variety Performance. He wrote and recorded the song “Confidentially,” which became a hit sheet music song later recorded by several artists, and he adopted the song “I’m Shy, Mary Ellen” as his own. He acted in the films Love in Pawn (1953) and No Smoking (1955), and continued to work in clubs and pantomimes, especially in the north of England and the Midlands. Ill health later reduced his work, and he owned a farm at Fillongley, Warwickshire. Dixon made a final TV appearance in an episode of Are You Being Served? in 1976, and he retired to Bournemouth, where he died on 25 June 1984 at the age of 69.