The Life and Times of H.G. Pélissier
The Jean Scott Memorial Lecture
Anthony Binns
Thursday 27 April
7.30 at Stephens House
Harry Gabriel (“H. G.”) Pélissier was an Edwardian satirist and composer who transformed British entertainment in the early 20th Century. The Follies, his ground-breaking act, paved the way for the modern revue. Performer to King Edward VII, his risqué shows were banned by the Censor’s office, and his marriage to the teenage actress Fay Compton shocked London society. Pélissier was born and raised in Elm House on Ballards Lane and educated at the nearby Highgate School. Having become wealthy and successful, Pélissier bought back the Ballards Lane house (which his parents had sold), and lived there until his death in 1913. A true stalwart of Finchley, some of his earliest and most formative performances were presented in the borough, prior to his success on the West End stage.
Anthony Binns has written the first biography of Pélissier, published in November. It draws on an archive at the Victoria & Albert Museum that had lain unseen for over one hundred years. The biography has been selected as a Book of the Year by Quentin Letts in the Times newspaper. Binns is a historical researcher, with a degree in history from Kings College, London. The author of Rediscovering H. G. Pélissier (published in 2020), he also works as a playwright, performer and musician, and has written a dramatised history of the Victorian and Edwardian music hall, which has been touring the UK since 2016.
The evening included a slide show of rare, previously unpublished images of the Victorian/Edwardian era. Jaudy Pélissier, H.G.’s grandson, attended the meeting at Stephens House and signed copies of the biography.
This meeting was the Jean Scott Memorial Lecture, in remembrance of our Founder, who created the Finchley Society in 1971.