'It's no surprise that he was an entertainer from the 1930s onwards. He had incredible warmth for other people and never upset a single soul'

TRIBUTES have been paid to “giant of Scottish entertainment” Stanley Baxter, who has died at the age of 99.

- BY NEWS REPORTERS

His friend and biographer Brian Beacom said the Glasgow-born TV star died on Thursday in a north London care home for entertainment figures.

Baxter was a multifaceted comic actor and impressionist who was bold enough to even mimic the Pope and the Queen.

Nor was he afraid to send up his native city with hilarious comedy routines based on Glaswegian patois.

A statement issued yesterday said: “It is with great sadness that the family and friends of legendary Scottish comedian and comedy actor Stanley Baxter announce that he died peacefully on the evening of the 11th December 2025, only a few months short of his 100th birthday.

“He was under the expert care of the actors’ care home Denville Hall, where he had been in residence since late 2023.”

'He was funny, he was mischievous'

Baxter’s TV shows, in which he often appeared grotesquely in drag, drew huge audiences and marked him out as one of the funniest, as well as occasionally one of the most controversial, comics of his generation.

Baxter was also a popular figure on the Scottish pantomime circuit, until his retirement in 1991.

Mr Beacom, who knew Baxter for around 35 years, described him as “one of the most entertaining people I’ve ever met”.

He said: “He was funny, he was mischievous, he was always incredibly clever and able to come up with comedy in a way that few people could even consider.