Faith Brown

Faith Brown (born Irene Monica Carroll; 28 May 1944, Liverpool, Lancashire) is an English actress, singer, comedienne and impressionist.

Background and early career

Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, Faith Brown began her career as a singer in Bootle at the age of fifteen, backed by a local group which consisted of her three brothers, Lee, Ron and Mike, known as the Carrolls. She later became the resident cabaret singer in Liverpool's Rialto Ballroom. With her brothers in the Carrolls she released several records in the 1960s. Brown has also released several solo recordings.

Television career

Brown's television career was launched with appearances on Who Do You Do (1975–76) (ATV/ITV) - a showcase for a generation of impressionists and comics, and Ken Dodd's World of Laughter (1976). She then became the resident singer on the magic showcase show For My Next Trick on BBC1, alongside Paul Daniels.

Brown was a regular guest celebrity participant on several British TV games shows, between 1975 and 1979 on Celebrity Squares (ATV/ITV), 1979 and 1990 on Blankety Blank (BBC) and between 1979 and 1992 she was a regular 'girls' team member on the TV charades game show Give Us a Clue (Thames/ITV).

In 1980 she presented The Faith Brown Chat Show (Thames/ITV). Here, using split screen special effects, Brown interviewed herself in a succession of celebrity personas. Her "conversations" with Kate Bush are especially fondly remembered; the singer was delighted by Brown's impression, and wrote a four-page letter of thanks to the comedienne. Other "guests" included Pam Ayres, Mary Whitehouse, Margaret Thatcher, newsreader Angela Rippon and singers Barbra Streisand, Lene Lovich, Eartha Kitt, Diana Ross and Donna Summer. Brown was never fully happy with her depiction of Mrs Thatcher and stated in a televised interview with Michael Parkinson that her fellow impersonator Janet Brown (no relation) did a more believable representation.

Other television appearances at that time include Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show (Central/ITV) in 1984, and as Flast in the Doctor Who serial Attack of the Cybermen, (BBC) 1985. Brown was also featured on This Is Your Life (Thames/ITV) in 1982.

From 1993 to 1999, Brown was one of two celebrity team members on the daily BBC2 quiz show Today's the Day hosted by Martyn Lewis.

In 1996, Brown appeared as the social climbing Anne Bradley in the soap Brookside (Mersey Television/Channel Four), and toured the United Kingdom in a production of Summer Holiday, starring alongside Darren Day.

Later career

In 2001, Brown starred as faded icon Norma Desmond in a touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Sunset Boulevard. The production toured until the end of 2002 and a CD single was released featuring the tracks "Sunset Boulevard" (performed by her co-star Earl Carpenter), "With One Look" and "The Perfect Year" (a duet with Carpenter).

In 2004, Brown appeared on the Living TV reality show I'm Famous and Frightened!, and in 2006, took part in the sixth series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. She was the third person voted off, having spent fourteen days in the jungle.

In 2007, Brown toured Britain in Faith Brown: Up Front, a one-woman show of song, comedy and impressions. Also that year, Brown appeared at the Edinburgh Festival in Boys in the Buff, a musical revue celebrating the male form. On 10 August 2007, she collapsed on stage, and was replaced by her understudy Anna Stolli for the following performance, leading to fears about her health. Brown subsequently released a statement dismissing these rumours, commenting that she had only fainted due to the temperature of the room.

In 2008, she starred as the main character, The Voice (previously taking over Eve Karpf), alongside Simon Greenall and Olly Pike, in the CBBC show Trapped! (from 2010 Trapped: Ever After!).

References

External links

• Faith Brown at the Internet Movie Database