Julian Clary

British homosexual comedian who started out on the alternative comedy scene in the early Eighties as The Joan Collins Fanclub, complete with his sidekick, Fanny The Wonderdog. Clary dressed in outrageous fashions, usually involving leather and hinting at bondage. He wore shocking make-up, although didn't fall into the camp of cross dresser, transvestite or female impersonator.

Clary's comedy relied then as now on extremely near the knuckle innuendo and often explicit sexual references (compare with Paul O'Grady aka Lily Savage). More recently he has attempted to enter the mainstream, toning down his outfits and wearing sharp suits, but his style of comedy has always proved too much for the public. Clary was cast into the showbusiness wilderness in the 1990s after making a sexually explicit joke about politician Norman Lamont during a live awards ceremony.