Joyce Grenfell entertains: a selection from the works of Joyce Grenfell

This is a compilation of Joyce Grenfell’s monologues and songs from her last television series in 1972. Born in London in 1910, and greatly influenced by her American mother, Joyce began performing at a young age singing and acting alongside her mother to entertain family and friends. Her talent for imitation brought her to the notice of Stephen Potter from the BBC. She went on to perform one of her monologues in “The Little Revue” and from there began to write her own sketches which were eventually recorded on a gramophone record. Joyce’s monologues were “light-hearted, shorthand sketches of character, suggested rather than detailed”. Her career spanned over several decades and crossed all forms of entertainment from the stage, radio broadcasting, recording, and motion pictures to television. During her lifetime she was admired and loved for her enthusiasm and her wonderful humour which although it made “fun” of certain human characteristics, was never unkind. She passed away on 30 November 1979.