Sir Les Patterson
Encyclopedia
Dr Sir Leslie Colin Patterson is a fiction
al character portrayed by the Australia
n comedian
Barry Humphries
. Obese, lecherous and offensive, this farting, belching, nose-picking figure of Rabelaisian excess is an antipodean Falstaff
. He is Dame Edna Everage
's exact opposite: she is female, refined, Protestant
, and from Melbourne
; he is male, uncouth, Catholic
, and from Sydney
.
His humour abounds in such a wide range of racist and sexual stereotypes that it would offend almost anyone who takes it at face value.
During the Australian tour of Remember You're Out! (1999), it was stated that Patterson would not be appearing for fear of offending Humphries' more genteel fans; however, the character nevertheless made an appearance (as a scripted but seemingly unexpected gate-crash
) during the show's Second Act.
In an effort to specifically satisfy fans of Les Patterson's earthy humour, Humphries has also performed two one-man shows entirely in Patterson's guise: one in London, entitled Les Patterson Rampant in Whitehall (June/July 1996) and another in New York, entitled Les Patterson Unzipped (Zipper Theater, 2 May 2005). The London performance was recorded, and has since been released both as an audio tape and a video tape, under the title Live and Rampant: Les Patterson has a Stand-Up.
Barry Humphries has also been interviewed in Patterson's guise on numerous TV talk shows, including Parkinson
(1982), The Panel (2003) and Rove Live (2005).
In 1987, Sir Les Patterson was also the basis of an ambitious full-length feature film, Les Patterson Saves the World
, which was a critical and commercial failure.
In 1986, Humphries as Patterson was awarded the Douglas Wilkie Medal
for doing the least for football in the best and fairest manner, in 1986. His dislike for the game of Australian rules football
was illustrated when he coated a leather football in cream cake, and fed it to a camel
.
in 2000.
In 2000, a portrait of Humphries as Patterson by painter Bill Leak
won the Packing Room award at the Archibald Prize
.
, Southern Sydney. In later life, he claimed descent from a certain Ebenezer Patterson, who had been sent to Australia as a convict in the nineteenth century. Little is known of Patterson's present-day family beyond from the fact that he has a sister whose name is either Lois or Noreen (sources differ) and a brother named Gerard, who became a clergyman and later served as an Advisor on Religious Affairs to the Lord Howe Island Chamber of Commerce. In a brief memoir published in 2006, Father Gerard Patterson described his brother Les as “the archetypical Australian scallywag”, who had been their mother's favourite. Father Patterson further recalled that his brother had a “rough and ready education”. Through the influence of their Uncle Leo, both brothers were sent to Melbourne to attend the prestigious Xavier College
, although Les remained there for only 1½ terms. Returning to Sydney, he attended Our Lady of Dolours' Boys School and completed his Intermediate Certificate at Parramatta High School
.
Patterson commenced tertiary study at the Kogarah
TAFE. Prior to his appointment as Cultural Attache, he completed what he described as a “five-day crash court in World Culture” at the University of Sydney. Only a few years later, he would receive an honorary doctorate in Australian Studies.
. She was a film buff who enjoyed Disney movies and, by Sir Les' own account, they had met at a matinee screening of Fantasia
. They subsequently had two children, Karen and Craig. Members of the Patterson family have occasionally assisted Sir Les in his business ventures. When he founded the Thursday Island Film Commission in 1978, his wife Lady Gwenneth was appointed as director, his daughter Karen as secretary, and his sister Lois as creative liaison co-ordinator. According to Father Gerard Patterson, Karen later took a position at Our Lady of Dolours School for Ridiculously Slow Learners, in South Sydney, while her brother Craig was employed for the Australian Wheat Board, where, in 2008, his work had “recently attracted unfair publicity”.
In 1976, Les Patterson received a knighthood “for services to Australian culture” as part of the New Year's Honour List. Sources differ, however, in regard to its precise designation. The sleeve notes to Patterson's 1985 LP, 12 Inches of Les, identify him a KBE (Knight Commander of the British Empire
), while his own signature, as seen in the preface to his book The Traveller's Tool, identifies him as a KCB (Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
).
In various published sources, Les Patterson has listed his hobbies as 'pocket billiards and sauna construction in Thailand' (according to a 1995 programme bio) and 'wine tasting and infidelity' (according to a 2005 CV).
Solo singles
Other appearances on record
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al character portrayed by the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n comedian
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
. Obese, lecherous and offensive, this farting, belching, nose-picking figure of Rabelaisian excess is an antipodean Falstaff
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare. In the two Henry IV plays, he is a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. A fat, vain, boastful, and cowardly knight, Falstaff leads the apparently wayward Prince Hal into trouble, and is...
. He is Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna is a character created and played by Australian dadaist performer and comedian, Barry Humphries, famous for her lilac-coloured or "wisteria hue" hair and cat eye glasses or "face furniture," her favorite flower, the gladiola and her boisterous greeting: "Hello Possums!" As Dame Edna,...
's exact opposite: she is female, refined, Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, and from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
; he is male, uncouth, Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
, and from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
His humour abounds in such a wide range of racist and sexual stereotypes that it would offend almost anyone who takes it at face value.
- He boasts of his prowess with his "Girl Friday" and his trips to BangkokBangkokBangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
"rub and tug shops" - He jokes that "the best place to hide something from a Pom is under a bar of soap".
- He also resents Australians having died "stopping a bullet for the Pommy EmpireBritish EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
."
Character Origins
By Humphries' own account, the character of Les Patterson first appeared in a one-man show that he performed at the St George Leagues Club in Sydney in January 1974. Appearing in the guise of the boorish, loud-mouthed and uncultured Patterson, Humphries claimed to be that club's own entertainments officer as he introduced the next act, Dame Edna Everage. As Humphries recalled, “I understood later that many members of the audience thought Les was genuinely a club official, which says a lot for his charm and sincerity”. Later that same year, the character (by now identified as Australia's cultural attache to the Far East) was revived in a two-week cabaret appearance that Humphries performed at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong. In Humphries' words, “The English merchant bankers and commodity brokers and Australian accountants there all recognised Les as someone they knew in the Australian diplomatic corps, and took him to their hearts”. Patterson went on to play an even larger role in Humphries' next one-man show in London, Housewife Superstar! (1976), delivering a lengthy monologue that was included on the original cast album.On stage
For more than thirty years, the character of Sir Les Patterson has been a regular feature in Barry Humphries' solo theatrical appearances in Australia and Great Britain, during which he performs a monologue and, frequently, bursts into song. Some of Patterson's specific monologues (as documented in the theatre programmes for Humphries' various shows) include the following:- 'The Yartz', from Isn’t it Pathetic at his age? (Australian tour, 1978–79) and A Night with Dame Edna; (UK tour, 1978–79)
- 'Peter and the Shark', from The Last Night of the Poms (London, 1981) and Song of Australia (Melbourne and Sydney, 1983)
- 'Les looking good', from An Evening’s Intercourse with Barry Humphries (Australian tour, 1981; UK tour, 1982)
- 'Les Patterson presents his broad-based package', from Tears Before Bedtime (Australian tour, 1985–86) and Back with a Vengeance (UK tour, 1987–88)
- 'Les Patterson gets an Audience', from Look at me while I'm talking to you (Australian and UK tours, 1994–95)
- 'Address to the nation', from Back to my Roots and other Suckers (Australian tour, 2003)
- 'My Sacred Trust', from Back with a Vengeance: A New Effort (Australian tour, 2006–07)
During the Australian tour of Remember You're Out! (1999), it was stated that Patterson would not be appearing for fear of offending Humphries' more genteel fans; however, the character nevertheless made an appearance (as a scripted but seemingly unexpected gate-crash
Gate-crashing
Gate-crashing, gatecrashing or party crashing is the act of attending an invite-only event without invitationThe person doing the gate-crashing is known as a gate-crasher...
) during the show's Second Act.
In an effort to specifically satisfy fans of Les Patterson's earthy humour, Humphries has also performed two one-man shows entirely in Patterson's guise: one in London, entitled Les Patterson Rampant in Whitehall (June/July 1996) and another in New York, entitled Les Patterson Unzipped (Zipper Theater, 2 May 2005). The London performance was recorded, and has since been released both as an audio tape and a video tape, under the title Live and Rampant: Les Patterson has a Stand-Up.
Film and television
On television, the character of Sir Les Patterson has hosted a documentary about the transfer of Hong Kong's sovereignty, entitled Sir Les and the Great Chinese Takeaway (1997). He has also appeared as a special guest on the following:- Another Audience with Dame Edna Everage (1984)
- Dame Edna's Christmas ExperienceThe Dame Edna ExperienceThe Dame Edna Experience is a British television comedy talk-show hosted by Dame Edna Everage . It ran for twelve regular episodes on ITV, plus two Christmas specials. The first seven aired for the first time in 1987, the next seven in 1989...
(1987) - The Dame Edna Satellite Experience (1989)
- Barry Humphries' Flashbacks (1999)
- Aussies: Who gives a XXXX (2001)
- The Dame Edna TreatmentThe Dame Edna TreatmentThe Dame Edna Treatment was a British, ITV talk show created by Barry Humphries and starring his characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. It aired on ITV at various times. The theme tune was written and performed by Robin Gibb. It was based upon the 1997 British talk show Dr Dame Edna...
(five episodes, 2007).
Barry Humphries has also been interviewed in Patterson's guise on numerous TV talk shows, including Parkinson
Parkinson (TV series)
Parkinson is a British television talk show that was presented by Sir Michael Parkinson. It was first shown on the BBC from 1971 to 2004, and on ITV from 2004 to 2007.-Background:...
(1982), The Panel (2003) and Rove Live (2005).
In 1987, Sir Les Patterson was also the basis of an ambitious full-length feature film, Les Patterson Saves the World
Les Patterson Saves the World
Les Patterson Saves the World is a 1987 Australian comedy film. The plot involves the uncouth Sir Les Patterson, played by Barry Humphries, teaming up with Dame Edna Everage to save the world from a virulent bioterror attack ordered by Colonel Richard Godowni of the Gulf State of Abu Niveah.The...
, which was a critical and commercial failure.
Personal appearances
In 1983, the Cambridge Union Society held a spoof ceremony in which Barry Humphries, in the guise of Les Patterson, was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters. This caused great angst amongst Cambridge dons who were worried that the general public might mistakenly believe that Cambridge University had awarded the gong to Sir Les. Of course the Cambridge Union is not entitled to award honorary degrees in any case.In 1986, Humphries as Patterson was awarded the Douglas Wilkie Medal
Douglas Wilkie Medal
The Douglas Wilkie Medal is an award presented to those who do the least for Australian rules football, in the best and fairest manner. An accolade presented by the Anti-Football League, it is named after Douglas Wilkie, a Sun News-Pictorial columnist who wrote for the paper during the years...
for doing the least for football in the best and fairest manner, in 1986. His dislike for the game of Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
was illustrated when he coated a leather football in cream cake, and fed it to a camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
.
Depictions in art
In 1999, expatriate Australian photographer Polly Borland created a memorable image of Sir Les Patterson (seated on a toilet, waving an Australian flag) as part of a series entitled Australians, which was exhibited at the respective National Portrait Galleries in London (2000) and Canberra (2001). A photograph of Sir Les Patterson by Simon Leigh also formed part of Leigh's exhibition at the Royal Festival HallRoyal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
in 2000.
In 2000, a portrait of Humphries as Patterson by painter Bill Leak
Bill Leak
Bill Leak is a cartoonist and painter, primarily of portraits. He is the daily editorial cartoonist on The Australian newspaper. He has won the Walkley Awards nine times....
won the Packing Room award at the Archibald Prize
Archibald Prize
The Archibald Prize is regarded as the most important portraiture prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after a bequest from J. F. Archibald, the editor of The Bulletin who died in 1919...
.
Early life and education
Dr Sir Leslie Colin Patterson, AO, was born on 1 April 1942, in Taren PointTaren Point, New South Wales
Taren Point is a suburb, in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Taren Point is located 20 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....
, Southern Sydney. In later life, he claimed descent from a certain Ebenezer Patterson, who had been sent to Australia as a convict in the nineteenth century. Little is known of Patterson's present-day family beyond from the fact that he has a sister whose name is either Lois or Noreen (sources differ) and a brother named Gerard, who became a clergyman and later served as an Advisor on Religious Affairs to the Lord Howe Island Chamber of Commerce. In a brief memoir published in 2006, Father Gerard Patterson described his brother Les as “the archetypical Australian scallywag”, who had been their mother's favourite. Father Patterson further recalled that his brother had a “rough and ready education”. Through the influence of their Uncle Leo, both brothers were sent to Melbourne to attend the prestigious Xavier College
Xavier College
Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
, although Les remained there for only 1½ terms. Returning to Sydney, he attended Our Lady of Dolours' Boys School and completed his Intermediate Certificate at Parramatta High School
Parramatta High School
Parramatta High School is a public, co-educational high school located in Parramatta, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Established in 1913, Parramatta High School was the first co-educational school in the Sydney Metropolitan area...
.
Patterson commenced tertiary study at the Kogarah
Kogarah, New South Wales
Kogarah is a suburb of southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kogarah is located 14 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is considered to be the centre of the St George area...
TAFE. Prior to his appointment as Cultural Attache, he completed what he described as a “five-day crash court in World Culture” at the University of Sydney. Only a few years later, he would receive an honorary doctorate in Australian Studies.
Personal life
Although Father Gerard Patterson noted that he and Les had “drifted apart” after he had entered the priesthood, he would later officiate at his brother's wedding to Gwyneth Lorraine Dolan, a former hand modelHand model
A hand model is a person who models their hand or hands for the purposes of art, fashion or other products or advertising. Hand models are used in advertising where advertisers want close ups of the product being handled...
. She was a film buff who enjoyed Disney movies and, by Sir Les' own account, they had met at a matinee screening of Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
. They subsequently had two children, Karen and Craig. Members of the Patterson family have occasionally assisted Sir Les in his business ventures. When he founded the Thursday Island Film Commission in 1978, his wife Lady Gwenneth was appointed as director, his daughter Karen as secretary, and his sister Lois as creative liaison co-ordinator. According to Father Gerard Patterson, Karen later took a position at Our Lady of Dolours School for Ridiculously Slow Learners, in South Sydney, while her brother Craig was employed for the Australian Wheat Board, where, in 2008, his work had “recently attracted unfair publicity”.
In 1976, Les Patterson received a knighthood “for services to Australian culture” as part of the New Year's Honour List. Sources differ, however, in regard to its precise designation. The sleeve notes to Patterson's 1985 LP, 12 Inches of Les, identify him a KBE (Knight Commander of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
), while his own signature, as seen in the preface to his book The Traveller's Tool, identifies him as a KCB (Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
).
In various published sources, Les Patterson has listed his hobbies as 'pocket billiards and sauna construction in Thailand' (according to a 1995 programme bio) and 'wine tasting and infidelity' (according to a 2005 CV).
Professional life
Over a career of more than four decades, Sir Les Patterson has held numerous positions in the public and private sector, including the following:- Employee in the Office of Custom and Excise (Literature Division) (1960s),
- Minister for Shark Conservation (1960s)
- Minister for Drought under the Gough Whitlam administration (early 1970s)
- Cultural Attache to the Far East (1974)
- Cultural Attache to the Court of St James (1975–76)
- Chairman and Treasurer of the Thursday Island Film Commission (by 1978)
- Member of the Government Select Committee into the High Incidence of Transvestism in the Yartz(arts)(by 1978)
- Chairman of the Australian Cheese Board (by 1978)
- Chairman of the Australian Chapter of the International Cheese Board (by 1985)
- Chairman of the Australian Fillum Facility (by 1985)
- Emeritus Vice-Chancellor of the London School of Australian Studies (by 1985)
- Founder of the Sir Les Patterson School of Etiquette (by 1993)
- Food and Beverage consultant, Sydney Institute (by 2003)
- Etiquette and protocol advisor to the Australian Federal Government (by 2003)
- Member of Australian Peacekeeping Mission to Baghdad (by 2003)
- Cultural ambassador to the United States (by 2005)
- Minister for Sport with special responsibility to keep sports rampantly heterosexual and "blokey"
- Minister for the "Yartz" (arts)
Published works
Since the 1970s, Barry Humphries has released a number of books and recordings under the guise of Sir Les Patterson.Books
- Les Patterson's Australia, Melbourne: Sun Books, 1978.
- The Traveller's Tool, London: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd, 1985.
- The Enlarged and Extended Tool, (reported to be 'in preparation', 2005)
Recordings
Solo albums- Les is More: Diplomatic Ditties For The Dysfunctional Family, Tamarin Records TAM204 (2003)
- Live and Rampant: Les Patterson has a Standup (original London cast), The Comedy Club GAGSDMCO53 (1996)
- Twelve Inches of Les, Liberation Records LIB5064 (1985)
Solo singles
- 'G'Day' b/w 'G'Day (Club Version)', Powderworks POW0387 (1987)
- 'Give her one for Christmas' b/w 'My Old Lady', Towerbell Records TOW82 (1985)
Other appearances on record
- Song of Australia: An Educational Sonorama (original 1983 Australian cast); Bilarm Music BAC26 (2006)
- Barry Humphries: Dada Days (Moonee Ponds Muse Volume 2; Raven Records RVCD-34 (1993)
- The Dame Edna Party Experience; Epic Records 463235 1 (1988)
- World Expo 88: The Songs; EMI Records, EMP 8801 (1988)
- LP: The Les Patterson Long Player (music and dialogue from Les Patterson Saves The World); WEA Records 254779.1 (1987)
- Dame Edna Everage: The Last Night of the Poms; EMI Records EMC2742/3 (1981)
- Barry Humphries presents Housewife Superstar! (original London cast); Charisma Records 9124 004 (1976)
Filmography
- Live and Rampant: Les Patterson has a Stand Up (1996)
- Les Patterson Saves the WorldLes Patterson Saves the WorldLes Patterson Saves the World is a 1987 Australian comedy film. The plot involves the uncouth Sir Les Patterson, played by Barry Humphries, teaming up with Dame Edna Everage to save the world from a virulent bioterror attack ordered by Colonel Richard Godowni of the Gulf State of Abu Niveah.The...
(1987)