On the 17th March 2018 I took part in a special backstage tour of The Sunderland Empire.  This was the final location that Sid performed at & where he sadly collapsed leading to his death on the opening night of the show 'The Mating Season' on 26th April 1976.

On the 16th March 2018 I arrived in Sunderland on a freezing and blustery afternoon. I had never been to Sunderland but had, for a few years, always wanted to pay a visit due to the strong connection and the infamous history with Sid and the Sunderland Empire theatre.

It wasn’t until a chance discussion with a fellow fan some weeks before that I discovered that the Empire did run behind the scenes tours from time to time. After a few enquiries I was excited to learn that these tours were currently operating. The date was secured and the ticket booked. My sole objective here of course was to seek out the final hours of Sid and see first-hand the place where he made his last performance. I also thought that such an opportunity may shed new light or new information on those final hours on 26th April 1976.

I had read a great deal about the theatre and the events of that evening on various websites. Although a lot of the basic facts were similar some versions of the story seemed a little lost in translation due to the passage of time.

Most of the information concerned ‘supernatural’ stories of ghosts and phantoms, including the well-known account by comedian Les Dawson after his experience there in 1989 when he was performing in panto at the theatre (see previous section).

So, I had arrived. After spending some time on the coast at nearby Roker I made my way to my hotel for the evening and tried to get my bearings. The Empire was I had seen from the road at that point but to my surprise my hotel was literally within spitting distance of the theatre. The tour was the following morning and the weather that evening was dire. Sleet and snow lashed down and even in several layers of clothing it was bitterly cold. However, after a brief rest and a couple of pints of Guinness to keep out the cold curiosity got the better of me and I ventured out into the elements to catch my first glimpse of the Sunderland Empire. A hope across the road and I was there. The theatre stood proud lit up in neon colours against the pitch black and bleak night (see picture above right). At each side of the theatre were new bars and pubs already busy with weekend revellers. The playbill display outside advertised the latest show that was currently running there, ‘The Rat Pack’. A twinge of sadness set in at that stage as this place wasn’t the Palladium or the Albert Hall and although a small jewel of a theatre it certainly wouldn’t have been most people’s idea as the perfect setting for a final performance. I remember that after Sid had died the press interviewed Barbara Windsor and she stated that Sid would ‘turn in his grave’ if he knew how he had died.

Sid hadn’t been well for some time. His doctor had warned him about his diet, smoking and drinking for a number of years and ahead of the Sid signing up for the tour friends and colleagues had tried to dissuade him from going to Sunderland for ‘The Mating Game’ tour as he looked so unwell. Perhaps he took some comfort from knowing that he would be reunited with his old friend, Olga Lowe, from his days in South Africa as Olga was to be his co-star in the farce. He had been teamed up again with Olga in ‘Carry On Abroad’ in 1972. Over the years there has been a lot said about Sid’s private life, particularly in regards to his affair with co-star Barbara Windsor. Although the affair was over by 1976 it is said that he never got over the end of the relationship and he had predicted that he wouldn’t be around the year after the affair ended. This is alluded to in the documentary drama ‘Cor, Blimey!’ (see separate section). However, the ‘gossip’ and ‘whispering’ about that part of Sid’s life is of little interest to me as the great man is no longer around to defend himself and it is, largely, nobody else’s business. It does however lend further speculation as to his health and wellbeing prior to him embarking on the tour.

Photographs weren’t permitted, but we would work on that! Starting in the stalls area we were taken through the history of the theatre from its inception in 1907. I won’t detail this here as this is not a local history feature but if you do get chance to go on the tour it is well worth it as it is quite interesting. We then made our way backstage towards the wings and the stage itself. Pictures weren’t permitted as the sets don’t actually belong to the theatre but the production company and so I respected that. The stage was a little smaller than I had imagined but looking up into Fly Loft it seemed to go on forever and was crammed with hundreds of pulleys and intricate rigging. Impressive but still no mention of Sid. I didn’t want to appear as some ‘master of the macabre’ or lunatic fan so actually got a little apprehensive as to how to approach the subject of Sid if it didn’t come up. It had to…surely?

We moved on further into the labyrinth behind the stage. It really is labyrinth too. I have been backstage at various theatres but the Sunderland Empire really does have that ‘tardis’ effect to it. It looked quite small from outside on the street but it wasn’t long before we had gone down the rabbit hole. After a few more stairs we arrived outside the first dressing room. It was occupied by a member of the production crew who was sat happily brushing wigs! Pleasantries were exchanged with the poor woman wondering who the hell we all were and we continued into the corridor. We had paused as we were now out of earshot of the woman in the room and it was then that our guide began to tell us how the room we had just seen was quite famous with the theatre. It had been Sid’s dressing room. The same dressing room that he had been using the on the evening he had passed away. The same dressing room that Les Dawson had occupied in 1989 and had ensured that, due to an experience there with Sid’s spirit, Les would refuse to ever set foot back at the theatre again.

At this stage I had to confess my reason for being on the tour as the guide was talking us through the events of that night. Naturally this was second, third or fourth hand as she was only young and did say that a lot of the account came from the old theatre manager who had not long since retired. Nevertheless she told the tale about how he hadn’t responded to a cue from Olga and the audience had thought it was all part of the act and was Sid ‘being Sid’.  A doctor in the audience was finally brought on stage where he attended to Sid the best he could whilst awaiting the ambulance. Sid had died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

The subject then turned to ‘ghosts and phantoms’ and of course this grabbed the group attention further. It seemed though that I was the only one there for the connection with Sid which was a bit sad really as most of the group seemed unaware of the connection. Grace our guide did reaffirm that despite stories and legend that she personally had not experienced anything ‘other worldly’ in that area of the theatre but admitted that as it was such an intricate layout and rabbit warren that it could be a little eerie down there and was quite easy to get lost. I expressed my surprise to our guide that nobody had ever erected or financed a memorial plaque for Sid or similar at the location. She agreed but as the theatre is now run/managed by ATG and not privately it is unlikely that this is a priority on anyone’s ‘to do list’.

I asked if there were any staff still at the theatre that had been working or around the evening Sid died. I have been offered a name and will try and make contact and if I am able to find out anything new or informative I will of course update this section.

I still hadn’t got a picture. After an extensive search online I hadn’t been able to find any picture of Sid’s dressing room and so I desperately wanted to grab a picture or two before I left. The ‘wig woman’ was still in residence but after some negotiation I did manage to grab a couple of pictures of the dressing room and include them here, it is possibly the first time the room has been photographed or included for any similar feature for many years, if ever. The fact that the room is so ‘normal’ is what makes it even more fascinating. I had expected a boudoir of lavish Edwardian furnishings, wardrobes, mirrors and bright lights. Maybe a few costumes and wigs (well, we had the wigs at least) but no. By all accounts the room is quite a clinical, plain looking room complete with dressing table, mirror, fridge and the basic furnishings. Still, I wouldn’t fancy being sat in there alone brushing wigs. Although the lady did look rather ‘matronly’ was I am sure she was made of sterner stuff than me. I had a little chuckle as I then recalled the scene between Sid and Hattie in ‘Carry On Again Doctor’ where he creeps up on here in the new ‘Nookie Clinic’ and slaps her bottom.

The dressing room I am sure would have looked very different in 1976. I would like to think it did seeing as it was the last place Sid spent his final hours. It really is true when they say that show business really isn’t as glamourous as people think. This part of the theatre screamed ‘council’ which makes sense of course as the theatre is still owned by the local authority. The dressing room is one of many at the theatre but it is the one closest to the stage, the rest being further back in the theatre. It makes sense that stars such as Sid and Les Dawson would be offered the one closest to the stage and the guide did confirm that there was a ‘pecking order’ when it came to dressing rooms.

Left Top: The Mezzanine Floor & entrance to Sid's dressing room; Left Bottom: The inside of Sid's dressing room. This is in fact the first dressing room you come to and is the one nearest to the stage area.

As with most stories associated with hauntings and the supernatural everyone has their own opinions, beliefs and versions of the story. Did this part of the theatre feel any different? Yes, it did. It felt quite depressing actually and cold. But then again this was in the old part of the theatre which is now 111 years old complete with draughts and poorly lit corridors. My only thought at this point was that if I had bowed out of this life at this location then I would have been pretty pissed off too and would certainly haunt the place given half the chance. This is by no means a reflection on this beautiful little theatre but there are certainly better places I can think of for a swansong. Further into the tour, in a corridor in the new part of the theatre, are more dressing rooms. Outside each of these are plaques detailing the famous stars who have appeared at the theatre such as Laurel & Hardy, Charlie Chaplin and of course Sid. It is a little confusing though as the plaques outside these rooms bear no connection with the people using those specific rooms!

I was curious if the theatre were still responsible for the archive of playbills and memorabilia from the history of the theatre so enquired about this. As the theatre is now operated by ATG they no longer have ownership or responsibility for the collection as confirmed by our guide. She seemed to believe that the collection is now with the V&A Museum in London but did promise to confirm this either way and provide me with any further information relating to the whereabouts of the archive. I will of course update this section further if any light can be shed on this. If anyone has any further information about the archive and its whereabouts today please do get in contact with me via the link on the website.