When Royal Variety Charity chairman Giles Cooper accepted his OBE, he was honoured. However, working in entertainment has never been about the reward, but about giving to others, especially at Christmas – the season of goodwill...
‘It was amazing to learn about the award,’ Giles says of his OBE from his home in Benenden.
‘It’s hard to explain the emotion of it, but to think that people took the time to nominate you is incredibly touching.
‘If your drive is to earn lots of money, then you won’t survive in entertainment and charity work is never done by expecting anything in return, so when you’re recognised in this way, it’s a special and humbling moment.
‘In this industry, it takes being driven by an absolute passion for the arts, and in my case that was music. There are times, especially in the beginning, when you have no idea how you’ll pay rent or even buy the next meal, but if you have an energy and ardour deep within, it propels you forward.’
Giles has worked with everyone from Boy George and Neil Diamond to Elton John and Robbie Williams, and even hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
‘We performed countless gigs in pubs and clubs including London’s 100 Club,’ he says. ‘Whilst we were fortunate enough to get a publishing deal, we never landed the recording contract, so I determined to make contacts in the industry by working in it.
‘I started at IPC Magazines selling classified advertising space and a few months later was running the live tour sections of NME and Melody Maker. I loved working there and setting up Glastonbury’s second stage. It was great fun and the ideal introduction to the logistics of working at a festival.
‘The music industry is smaller than people imagine. Within a short time, I met most record labels, tour promoters, agents and recording studios and though my band never got any further, my career did.’
Giles founded his first business, Media Junction in 1998, before launching Soho Media Group, and today is the managing director of Giles Cooper Entertainment. He’s produced PR campaigns for numerous tours and artists including Paul McCartney and Elton John. His organisation is also responsible for planning Heritage Live Concerts at some of the UK’s most beautiful and historically significant venues.
‘I like focusing on these venues as the UK is a busy landscape in music festivals and it’s important to have someplace unique and different where people can go that’s safe, civilised and enjoyable,’ Giles says. ‘To us there’s nothing better than savouring an ice-cold beer in a stunning location, relishing an afternoon of your favourite music.’
‘This summer we had Madness, Suede, Pete Tong and Elbow,’ Giles says. ‘In recent years I’ve also promoted The Jacksons and The Who, two life-long ambitions who didn’t disappoint.’
But Giles hasn’t always been so accustomed to sharing hall space with superstars.
‘The first time I met Prince I was starstruck,’ he admits. ‘It was in the London Astoria and a promoter pal had given me and some friends the best table in the venue. Not long after sitting though he asked if we’d mind moving back a row as Prince had turned out with his entourage and wanted the seats.
‘Being huge fans, we naturally didn’t mind and moved, but I’ll never forget how touched I was when Prince came over to say thanks and bought a round of drinks. The exchange had a lasting impression on me, demonstrating how even among the chaos, it’s possible to be a good, well-mannered person in the rock ‘n’ roll world.
‘I also love working alongside Robbie Williams as he’s always a pleasure to chat to. He’s appeared on the Royal Variety Show numerous times and we promoted and staged two sellout nights for him at Sandringham.’
‘It’s always fun to see artist riders,’ Giles admits. ‘This is a list of what artists want in their dressing rooms. We get a lot of demand for retro sweets like flying saucers, boiled rhubarb and custards, and Nobbly Bobbly ice lollies. Some requests are too bizarre to mention, but you can always guarantee an inspired combination of alcoholic beverages!’
Still one of the most fulfilling and worthwhile experiences Giles has had the pleasure to be involved with is his work for the Royal Variety Charity.
‘I got started with the charity when I did some free PR and advertising work for a fundraising show they were promoting,’ he explains. ‘We helped boost their ticket sales to the London Palladium in 2007, which led to the show selling out. Shortly after, they asked me to join their executive committee as a thank-you.
‘It’s been a great way to give back to an industry that’s been good to me, by helping those who find themselves in less fortunate positions through no fault of their own. Three years later I was voted chairman of the charity and executive producer of the Royal Variety Performance. It’s been a privilege to lead and produce this special British institution for the last 14 years.’
The show has been the financial bedrock of the charity since it began in 1912.
‘Without the annual fundraising the performance draws in the charity couldn’t exist,’ Giles says. ‘There are many worthwhile and important charities out there and unfortunately donating your hard-earned cash to help those in entertainment isn’t usually for most people.
Fortunately, it’s a predicament the Royal Family understands and has supported for over a century.
‘The late Queen attended the Royal Variety Performance 39 times and the King’s attended on 16 occasions,’ Giles shares. ‘In 1912 the Royal Variety Performance was staged in front of 1,200 people and last year it reached 152 million TV viewers across the globe, making it the longest-running and most successful entertainment show in the world.’
In that time many great entertainers and musicians graced the show’s stage but it’s the performance’s centenary year held at the Royal Albert Hall in 2012 that sticks in Giles’ mind.
‘I hosted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in the Royal Box and introduced them to all the artists and VIPs,’ Giles says. ‘It was the most nerve-racking, surreal experience. Neil Diamond was our headliner that year and having the entirety of the Albert Hall singing Sweet Caroline is something I’ll never forget.
One of the greatest challenges Giles faces as a producer, however, is to ensure each year the show is better than the last.
‘The trick,’ he reveals, ‘is mixing the legends of the past with the biggest stars of the day. When Lady Gaga appeared in 2009 and 2016, these were key moments in moving the show forward with the times. She’s such a supreme performer who’s constantly evolving as an artist.
‘We’re mindful of tailoring the show to not only our royal guests but also the varying generations of TV audiences. This is why we always make sure we have a good mix of comedy, music, dance and speciality acts.
‘This year’s variety performance will be no different. For the first time in a long while, there’ll be two hosts. Amanda Holden and Alan Carr have such great chemistry together, I’m sure they’ll do a sterling job.
‘It’s a true honour helping to create memories for people they’ll never forget. There’s nothing better than standing at the back of an audience watching them have the time of their lives, and knowing you played a part in bringing it to fruition. After all, Christmas is a time for giving, and for me, there are fewer gifts greater than sharing the joys of entertainment, arts and music with others.’
About the Royal Variety Performance
For more than 100 years the Royal Variety Performance has offered everything from James Bond to Lady Gaga, and even flashes of nudity.
The annual entertainment show, this year being held on Friday, November 22, is held in aid of the Entertainment Artistes’ Benevolent Fund.
The show dates to 1912 when King George V and Queen Mary agreed to attend a Royal Command Performance at the Palace Theatre in London, in aid of the fund and its proposed plans to build an extension to its Brinsworth House home for elderly entertainers.
A second royal show was performed in July 1919 and billed as a celebration of peace, after being postponed between 1914 and 1918 during the First World War.
It became an annual event at the suggestion of George V in 1921, when the King decreed that 'the monarch or a senior member of the royal family, would attend an annual performance, in aid of Brinsworth House and the Royal Variety Charity, once a year thereafter'.
BOX OUT
Giles Cooper on Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Variety Performance and her music taste.
'The Queen was very careful what she said because if you say something good about somebody then what about the others.
'She was very tactful, but it was great to always see the look of the face of every performer, whether it be legends from the past or new performers.
'I think she was very generational in terms of taste.
'Theatre was her great love, particularly musicals, so of that generation Show Boat, Annie Get Your Gun, Oklahoma!
'I think in terms of songs it is no secret that she loved Vera Lynn The White Cliffs Of Dover, Fred Astaire Cheek To Cheek but also in more recent times Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sing, with the Commonwealth Band and Military Wives Choir.
'She was also known in her younger years as a great dancer, she had great rhythm.'
