‘I think we’ve forgotten what really matters isn’t money or flashy lifestyles. People need people. It’s as simple as that’: TV icon Glen Michael joins our campaign to tackle loneliness

His show was watched by millions and generations of families across Scotland for almost three decades.

Weeks away from his 98th birthday, beloved icon Glen Michael is cheerily looking forward to driving on his newly renewed licence until he is 101.

He said: “Well, the government have faith I’ll still be here and driving around for the next three years, so I jolly well will!

“I’m forever the optimist.

“It’s what keeps me going, that and the wonderful people of all ages who still come up to tell me how Glen Michael’s Cavalcade played a huge role in their childhood.

“Sometimes I even get several generations of the same family telling me how much it meant to them to be able to sit together in front of the television to watch cartoons, along with all the daft characters I created, Paladin the magical lamp, Totty the robot and our two sausage dogs, Rusty and Rudi.

“I created happy memories for them and in turn they create happy new memories for me.

“I consider myself one of the luckiest men alive because of that show, I never feel alone but I know not everyone has that privilege and far too many can go weeks without ever speaking to another soul.”

Glen backs our loneliness campaign

That is why Glen is adding his voice to our campaign to eradicate the loneliness that leaves millions of Scots at increased risk of developing dementia, stroke or heart problems.

The World Health Organisation describe loneliness as a public health crisis, and The Sunday Post and our partners Age Scotland are calling for communities and government to come together to wipe it out.

© Andrew Cawley

Glen, who lives in a cottage on the Ayrshire coast, said: “We have forgotten that what matters in life is people, not money, not new technology, big houses or flashy lifestyles.

“People need people, it’s as simple as that.

“I want to tell all the bank managers who want to do away with branches and tellers as well as all the supermarket bosses who want to remove checkout staff – stop and listen to what your customers want!

“We don’t want machines taking the place of real people.

“I look forward to going to my bank or supermarket so I can access my money to buy groceries, but just as important is the opportunity to chat with the staff who are invariably wonderful, helpful and welcoming.

“I know I’m luckier than most because of my show, people speak to me all the time.

“Even when I’m maybe not feeling my best, just getting a cheery chat makes my day because I know when I lock my front door and turn off the lights, I have a long, lonely night ahead where the silence can be deafening.

“I can only imagine how unbearable it must be for others who don’t have the luxury of people coming up to speak to them, for those who cannot get out and about.

“Loneliness is a killer and we must all do what we can to stamp it out.”

Glen’s career

At its height Glen Michael’s Cartoon Cavalcade was watched by millions.

It was rarely out of the top 10 most-watched shows and received more than 700 fan letters every week, and regularly engaged 98% of STV’s audience numbers.

The show reigned supreme for 26 years from 1966 until 1992 when Glen was abruptly told that it was all over.

He said: “The show was never really aimed solely at children. It was always a family show, somewhere a whole family could gather to watch Bugs Bunny, Spider-Man or Mr Magoo, often for their first time in their lives.

“I started off as an actor and never lost my love of playing characters, and that was why I invented Paladin and Totti. I loved playing them all.

“The show was huge, and became so successful I had England looking to see if we could take it national. I laughed when word came back that it was ‘too Scottish’ despite me being born not in Glasgow, but in Devon.”

© Andrew Cawley

Glen was just 12 years old when he caught the acting bug.

Called up for national service, he ended up in the RAF’s concerto party, officially known as the Entertainment National Service Association.

That was where he first met the love of his life, wife Beryl, an actress and dancer, as well as striking up a lifelong friendship with comic Peter Sellers.

One of his first ever movie roles was in The Blue Lamp alongside Jack Warner who went on to play Dixon Of Dock Green, which whetted our appetites for police drama and paved the way for all the shows we enjoy today from Midsomer Murders to Line Of Duty.

After marrying, Beryl and Glen decided to move to Scotland.

Glen said: “Peter Sellers begged and begged me not to go. He urged me to stay in London where all the best opportunities were for everyone in our business.

“But we had made our mind up to go to Scotland.

“I never forgot Sellers telling me as I left that he was on his way to the London Palladium. Of course, the rest is history.

“I never regretted our decision to come to Scotland where we made so many wonderful friends and brought up our son and daughter.”

© Andrew Cawley

While all his London chums such as Sellers, Dirk Bogarde, and Cardew Robinson flourished in film, stage and television, Glen forged a successful career in Scotland working alongside Stanley Baxter, Jimmy Logan, Rikki Fulton and Jack Milroy in the Five Past Eight Show, the biggest variety show in the country.

And of course, he worked alongside some of the biggest names in Scottish variety, both he and Beryl striking up great friendships with Dorothy Paul, Jack Milroy and his wife Mary Lee as well as Dean Park.

Always busy, Glen had successful stints on radio and enjoyed writing his book, aptly named Life Is A Cavalcade.

He said: “It was a magical time and we had magical people all around us.

“I sit today and look around the walls of the cottage and they are filled with photographs of family and friends. Happy times and wonderful memories.”

Life changes

Experts say major life changes can spark loneliness, and for Glen this was true on two occasions, when Scottish Television suddenly dropped Cavalcade in 1992 and later in 2015 when he lost his beloved Beryl at the age of 94.

Glen said: “Cavalcade took up so much of our lives, it was a total shock when the head of programming called me into his office one day and said it was time for a change.

“At the time we were still bringing in huge audiences. We had higher viewing numbers than the European Cup. I remember him telling me he feared he would never find another show that could be so successful – and he never did.

“Afterwards, it was such a change to our lives to suddenly go from being so busy to facing not having that, I can see how people can easily become isolated and withdrawn.

“I found it very hard to handle, but Beryl said people still love the show why not take it to the children. So, we did. We took the show round schools for years and it was great fun.”

© Andrew Cawley

Towards the end of her life, Beryl’s health failed.

Glen said: “Losing her was utterly devastating.

“I was lost without her.

“As well as the deepest love, we had the closest companionship imaginable.

“It’s the silence that gets you. The silence is interminable.”

Glen wants politicians to put loneliness at the top of their agenda.

He said: “They must! Loneliness is something we can all do something about.

“Scotland has always been a friendly place where even people standing at a bus stop will chat way to you as if they’ve known you all their lives.

“But I think with the smart phones killing conversations and the busy lives everyone leads, we’ve started to lose the ability to reach out and speak to each other like we used to.

“We need to get back to that place.

“I think The Sunday Post’s campaign is a truly wonderful thing, and I’m urging everyone to be a part of it.

“It doesn’t take a great deal to reach out to a neighbour or someone who lives on their own.

“I came home the other day to find a homemade jar of marmalade left on my doorstep.

“It’s not any old jar of marmalade… that’s a jar of love someone had left for me.

“Now that’s what this campaign is all about, sharing the love.”