Billy Danvers

William Mikado Danvers (16 January 1886 – 20 March 1964) was an English comedian and variety show performer.

Life and career He was born in Liverpool, the son of James Danvers (1855-1915), a well-known singer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, and his wife Annie ( Dobbs). At the time of his birth, they were appearing in a touring show of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, with James in the title role, and gave their son the operetta's name. He also made many appearances on BBC Radio. In 1942, Pat Hillyard, Assistant Director of Variety at the BBC, instructed all programme producers to scrutinise Danvers' performances, to make sure that he did not "slip anything in on the night".

From 1948, described as "Always Merry and Bright", Danvers toured as part of Don Ross's successful show Thanks for the Memory, and appeared in that year's Royal Variety Performance. He made further appearances in the 1964 Thanks for the Memory tour, but died in Manchester shortly after the end of the tour, at the age of 78.