Born:
March 14, 1947
in
Stanford in the Vale, Berkshire
Best Known For:
Her hugely successful poetry books.
Early-life:
Pam Ayres was born in Stanford in the Vale, Berkshire on March 14, 1947. After leaving Faringdon Secondary School at the age of 15, she joined the Civil Service as a clerical assistant then signed up for the Women's Royal Air Force, where she worked in a drawing office dealing with operational maps, and it was there that she chose her career as an entertainer. She began reading her verses at a local folk club in Oxfordshire.
Career:
In 1975, Pam appeared on the TV talent show Opportunity Knocks. This led to a wide variety of guest appearances on TV and radio shows. Since then she has published several books of poems, toured in a one woman stage show, briefly hosted her own TV show and performed her stage show for the Queen. Her poem Oh, I Wish I'd Looked After Me Teeth, was voted into the Top 10 of a BBC poll to find the Nation's 100 Favourite Comic Poems. In the UK Arts Council's report on poetry, Pam was identified as the fifth best-selling poet in Britain during 1998 and 1999. She is a regular on Radio 4.
Quote:
'There was no poetry in our house apart from 'The boy stood on the burning deck'. Poetry was scoffed at - it was twaddle. Everyone was out earning a living.'
Trivia:
Her biography, The Necessary Aptitude: A Memoir, was published in 2011.