Henry Hall, TV personality

Henry Hall, who has died at 86, was a Doncaster pensioner who became an overnight sensation two years ago years after appearing on the TV show, Britain’s Got Talent.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th May 2019, 12:32 BST
Henry Hall (left) and his singing partner Malcolm White on Britain's Got Talent in 2017. Picture: ITVHenry Hall (left) and his singing partner Malcolm White on Britain's Got Talent in 2017. Picture: ITV
Henry Hall (left) and his singing partner Malcolm White on Britain's Got Talent in 2017. Picture: ITV

Appearing with his friend, Malcolm Sykes, as an old-time crooning duo called The Pensionalities, he reached the series final, finishing in fifth place.

The judges, David Walliams, Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden, gave the pair a standing ovation after they sang Frank Sinatra’s You Make Me Feel So Young, dressed in raincoats and flat caps. They went on to appear on numerous other shows.

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The two of them had grown up in pit towns not far from each other and met in retirement through Probus, a network of businessmen. They based their act on their shared love of club singing, and had been belting out the classics for five years around Doncaster before appearing on TV.

Henry, the son of a miner, had recalled that his first job was at Cusworth’s, a motor cycle firm, which paid him £1.50 a week. He eventually took over the company, and retired 44 years later.

Related topics:DoncasterDavid Walliams