Reid's first work in entertainment was as a stand-up comedian in clubs and aboard cruise liners in the early 1960s. He then became an extra playing uncredited roles in television series such as
Doctor Who (in
The Myth Makers and
The War Machines),
The Saint and
Department S. He was fired from working as
Roger Moore's underwater stunt double in
The Saint after drawing attention to Moore's thinning hair. He also worked as a
stuntman for films such as
Casino Royale (1967) and
The Dirty Dozen (1967). He then became one of the original stars of
The Comedians, a popular TV series of the 1970s produced by
Johnnie Hamp for the
Manchester-based
Granada Television, which consisted entirely of short slots by mature comedians. Being the only obviously London comic in a line-up made up predominately of
Northern English and
Northern Irish comedians, Reid stood out. As a comedian, Reid's well-known catchphrases included 'Terrific' (pronounced with the emphasis on each syllable), 'Turn It In' and 'Move Yer Aris'. He capitalised on his initial success with a one-off hit record, a novelty version of "
The Ugly Duckling" recorded for
Pye. In 1975, it reached number 10 in the UK singles chart. In 1975, he also became the host of the
ITV children's TV quiz show
Runaround, until it ended in 1981. In 1987, he joined the cast of popular BBC television soap opera
EastEnders as
Frank Butcher, for which he gained much popularity over the years. He initially joined the series as a semi-regular character, first appearing in September of that year, but was so popular that during 1988 he became a full-time cast member as his character became landlord of the Queen Vic pub, buying it from
Den Watts (
Leslie Grantham) during 1988. The part of Butcher earned Reid the public persona of being pessimistic, which he enjoyed acting against, such as in television adverts for the soft drink
Oasis. His character was involved in many popular storylines over the years; perhaps the most famous of these storylines was his character's long turbulent relationship with
Pat Wicks (played by
Pam St. Clement), and later his short-lived marriage to
Peggy Mitchell (played by
Barbara Windsor). In April 1994, by which time the character of Frank Butcher was one of the most popular on British television, Reid took a long break from the show, due to stress from acting out a depression storyline for the show. Later that year, he starred alongside other fellow
EastEnders actors
Barbara Windsor and
John Altman in his classic adult
pantomime Pussy in Boots, a spin-off of
Puss in Boots. In May 2000, he announced that he would be leaving the soap for good due to exhaustion from the long filming schedules. He was persuaded to stay on the show for a further five months to give his character a dramatic exit. His departure was aired on 2 November 2000 when he famously departed after his affair with ex-wife
Pat Evans was discovered by his current wife
Peggy Mitchell. That year, he appeared in the popular British gangster film
Snatch playing crooked diamond trader Doug "The Head" Denovitz. He went on to appear in several low-budget British films over the next few years such as
Hey Mr DJ (2005) and
Moussakka and Chips (2005), as well as a Spanish film titled
Oh Marbella (2003). Reid made brief returns to
EastEnders in late January 2002 to appear in three episodes filmed in
Spain, followed by a
spin-off special episode titled "Perfectly Frank" in September 2003 and made his final comeback for a few episodes in December 2005. That month, Reid appeared on ''
The Paul O'Grady Show and made it clear that he had no interest in any possible future re-appearances in EastEnders''. The following year, he rejected another offer to return to the series. Reid was semi-retired from show business by this time, and lived in a villa in Spain. He returned to acting in early 2007, appearing in two episodes of the long-running
ITV police drama series
The Bill, in which he played the part of corrupt businessman Brian Stevens. This was his last broadcast television appearance at that time, though he had filmed a reality series for ITV entitled
The Baron before his death; the network was undecided as to whether it would be aired, but the programme started airing on 24 April 2008 on
ITV1. Reid was the eventual winner, facing off against
Suzanne Shaw after the departure of the other contestant,
Malcolm McLaren. Reid was thus bestowed with the title of Baron of Troup, a genuine and hereditary barony, though one conveying no privilege aside from the use of the title itself. Reid had also completed filming as a gangster in the independent British film
Jack Says four days before his death. The film was released on DVD on 22 September 2008. His character, The Guv'nor, also features in the graphic novel prequel
Jack Said.
Stand-up routines Throughout his career, Reid performed at many venues, but only a few shows were recorded for release on VHS and/or DVD. These titles are: •
Mike Reid Live & Uncensored (only available on VHS) (1992) •
Mike Reid Live & Uncensored 2 (only available on VHS) (1994) •
Live at the London Palladium (available on VHS & DVD) (1997) •
Some of That (only available on VHS) (1997) •
Pussy in Boots – An Uncensored Live Adult Show (with
Barbara Windsor) (only available on VHS) (1998) •
Alive & Kidding (only available on VHS) (1998) •
Seriously Funny (available on VHS & DVD) (2000) •
Live at the Queen Vic (only available on VHS) (2002) • ''Being Frank – The Guvnor's Last Stand'' (available on VHS and DVD) (2008) Reid recorded many cover versions of classic songs. In 2006, his version of
Adriano Celentano's nonsense song "Prisencolinensinainciusol" enjoyed a renaissance, spurred by a campaign group on social-networking website
Facebook in 2010. == Personal life ==