My father, Graham Binmore, who has died aged 75, had a long and varied career behind the scenes in theatre and television. Highlights of this included working with Jim Henson on the Muppet Show and in wardrobe and props for ATV on shows such as Crossroads and General Hospital.
In the early 1970s he formed a music-hall company with Jerry Nelson, one of the Muppet Show’s principal puppeteers, with a view to touring the US. Graham set off in 1977 with a production called Mr George Binmore’s Celebrated Music Hall, which was received with great critical acclaim. The success of that tour prompted an invitation to perform for the Carter administration at the US Department of State in Washington. On returning to Britain the show was staged at venues including Hackney Empire and the Clapham Grand. There were further US tours, the last in 1980, and a residency at Chats Palace in the East End.
Born in Paignton, Devon, to William Binmore, a plumber and army veteran, and his wife, Dorothy (nee Sanders), a veterinary nurse, Graham was the youngest of four children. The family moved to London when he was 15 and settled in Camden, where Graham lived until his death.
He began an apprenticeship in the print industry and took an interest in local politics, becoming an active member of the local Labour party and Unity Theatre. He took part in the organisation of the St Pancras Rent Strike of 1960 as well as attending anti-apartheid protests. He continued to seek a fairer society throughout his life.
Graham was working as a messenger at the BBC when in 1963 in the canteen he met Dawn Friston, a news researcher, who became his wife in 1968. She died in 2007. Graham is survived by their two daughters, my sister Angela and me; and three grandchildren, Jamie, Georgia and Scott.
