Where it happened: Stan and his family were on holiday at a Butlin's holiday camp, when his twin children persuaded him to enter the weekly talent competition; just for fun.
He reluctantly agreed and for the first time in his life he stood up on stage in front of a packed audience and entertained them with a hastily memorised list of jokes. Suprisingly he won first prize!
That talent contest however, was just one of the many heats in a much larger national competition. Stan, now gaining in confidence with every appearance, progressed through each stage to a place in the Grand Final at the London Palladium. It was here that his distinctive style of comedy and his original material helped him walk off with the £1,000 first prize, a summer season engagement and the title 'Star Act Of The Year'. One leading business trade newspaper in reviewing Stan's act, headlined: 'A Star is Born'.
Television Appearances:
Next followed an appearance on television's Opportunity Knocks where he made such an impact that he topped the poll with the studio audience. He was invited back to appear on the programme's Gala Show and for the Opportunity Knocks Variety Awards Shows. Such was his success on television that he was later asked to take over as host of Southern Television's popular children's series Runaround. He was in good company too, following the two previous hosts, Leslie Crowther and Mike Reid.
On television he completed a second series of The Comedians and starred in Granada's Video Entertainers, before headlining his own television special 'Success With Stan'. He also starred in the entire series of the BBC television celebrity game show The Railway Carriage Game and co-hosted Granada's talent series The Fame Game. He then presented a further Granada television show I Feel Fine.
Additional television appearances included Live At Her Majesty's, Knees Up, Entertainment Express, Russell Harty, Des O'Connor Tonight, The Grumbleweeds Radio Show, Mike Reid's Mates and Music, A Question of Sport, Give Us A Clue and A Question of Entertainment.
