Barry Evans

Early life and education Barry Evans was born in Guildford, Surrey,

He lived with his mother until the age of four, but was placed into a residential nursery, and later an orphanage, when Ruby became engaged and later married John Balch, who was not willing to become a father to another man's child. With his grandmother unable to take responsibility for raising Barry in Ruby's absence, he never saw his mother again.

Evans was educated at the primary and secondary orphanage boarding schools run by the Shaftesbury Homes, first at Fortescue House School in Twickenham, and then at Bisley Boys' School in Bisley, Surrey. His acting ability was recognised at an early age and he often played the leading roles in school plays. He briefly lived in Yalding in Kent before moving to London. Evans won a John Gielgud Scholarship to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama. One of his first film credits was the lead role in Clive Donner's film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968) where he was cast as Jamie McGregor, a teenager who finds it difficult to lose his virginity. Photoplay magazine called Evans a "bright and exciting new actor", and The Sunday Telegraph described his screen debut as "brilliant".

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush represented a breakthrough in a number of technical features: the script, the photography and the filming techniques. Jamie McGregor speaks his thoughts. The soundtrack mainly contained songs performed by The Spencer Davis Group and Traffic. The film was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the Festival was cancelled that year. The film saw the beginning of a long friendship between Barry Evans and the director, Clive Donner, whom Evans regarded as one of his best friends. He worked with Donner again in 1969 in the historical epic Alfred the Great.

In 1969, Evans appeared alongside Roddy McDowall in an episode of the series Journey to the Unknown entitled "The Killing Bottle", as the innocent accomplice of a man planning to murder his brother for an inheritance, but who survives both brothers.

His first significant television role was in the sitcom Doctor in the House (1969–1970), based on Richard Gordon's novels, which had already been turned into a feature film series.

In 1971, Evans played the character of Eli Frome in Pete Walker's low-budget thriller Die Screaming, Marianne, alongside Susan George. In 1976, he had the lead role in Stanley Long's sex comedy Adventures of a Taxi Driver. Unlike in Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, in which the viewer partakes of Jamie's thoughts, Evans's character breaks the fourth wall throughout the film. Although the film was successful, Evans decided not to appear in the sequels but he starred in the similarly themed Under the Doctor the same year.

Evans also did some theatre work, but this did not prove financially worthwhile, and he spent several spells claiming benefits. He wrote to London Weekend Television, "and told them ... I was still alive". This led to what became his best-known comedy role, as Jeremy Brown in the ITV sitcom Mind Your Language (1977–1979, 1986), The series was written by TV scriptwriter Vince Powell and was adapted for American TV as What a Country! in 1986. In the same year it was briefly revived in Britain for a further 13 episodes.

Later career In 1982–1983, Evans played Dick Emery's trusted assistant Robin Bright in the comedy thriller series Legacy of Murder.

By the latter half of the 1980s, Evans's youthful appearance was working against him and he found it difficult to obtain mature acting roles in keeping with his age. By the mid-1990s, Evans was working as a minicab driver in Leicestershire.

Personal life and death Evans was bisexual. He had brief relationships with the actress Judy Geeson and actor Jimmy Gardner, and remained on good terms with them after their separations.

He met Jain Galliford in Portugal in 1969, and they were in a serious relationship for a while. Galliford was his closest friend.

Evans told Galliford that he had a huge crush on actor Lionel Blair, which Blair did not reciprocate. The cause of his death has never been confirmed. The coroner found a blow to Evans's head, and high levels of alcohol in his system. Evans was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium.

Legacy A blue plaque commemorating Evans, erected by The Heritage Foundation, is situated at 8 Buckland Crescent in Belsize Park, north west London. He lived at this address from 1960 until the early 1980s. A memorial charity lunch in aid of Barnardo's was held in honour of Evans and Mind Your Language writer Vince Powell at the Marriott Hotel near Marble Arch in central London. His premature death and later career featured in a TV documentary, Saucy! Secrets of the British Sex Comedy, broadcast by Channel 4 in July 2024. Radio Times previewed "the sad tale of Barry Evans, who hid his true sexuality at a time when he was receiving on-screen advances from women in Adventures of a Taxi Driver."

A biography by Daniel Ward, Barry Evans: The Life and Death of a Sitcom Star, was published in 2025.

TV credits

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1967 The White Bus Boy Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush Jamie McGregor 1969 Alfred the Great Ingild 1971 Journey to Murder Jimmy Rintoul (The Killing Bottle)Die Screaming, Marianne Eli Frome 1976 Adventures of a Taxi Driver Joe North Under the Doctor Doctor Boyd, Psychiatrist/ Mr Johnson / Lt Cranshaw / Colin Foster 1993 The Mystery of Edwin Drood Bazzard (final film role)