Sir Norman Wisdom exhibition opens in his hometown

A comedy legend is being celebrated in the Kent seaside town where he grew up.

Sir Norman Wisdom lived as a foster child with his brother in Deal from the age of nine and now a special exhibition about his life there is opening at The Kent Museum Of The Moving Image (MOMI).

A selection of photographs, newspaper clippings, play bills and a map of places of significance in the town are now on display at the site on Stanhope Road.

The majority of the collection comes from the private archive of his nephew, Peter Wisdom, who said: "I'm proud that our family history is being told and hope that many people get to see it."

Sir Norman Wisdom was an actor, comedian, and musician who appeared in many films and TV programmes from the 1950s through to the 1980s.

He was born in 1915, in Marylebone, London, and had a challenging childhood, growing up in poverty after his mother left the family when he was nine.

Wisdom and his brother were often left to fend for themselves, which shaped his later comedic persona as the underdog.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000 for his services to the entertainment industry and despite running away to find fame when he was 14, still regularly returned to visit his brother Fred's family who remained in Deal.

"He was just like his stage persona, always looking for a laugh," said Peter Wisdom.

"I remember one time when he was having dinner at our grandma Maud's home on Station Road and he put his elbow down on the table. It flipped his plate over and he had a fried egg stuck to his face!

"When my father was ill in hospital and Uncle Norman visited, the doctors had to tell him to stop messing about as people were bursting their stitches laughing!"

Natasha Poljakowa, assistant curator at Kent MOMI, is keen to show Sir Norman Wisdom's links to Deal.

"He wrote in his autobiography that the first time he became interested in entertainment was when, as a young teenager, a film crew were doing a night shoot for Lady From The Sea at Deal lifeboat station," she said.

"He stayed out all night watching what they were doing."

Alongside memorabilia from his entertainment career, there are also personal items such a letter he wrote to himself in which he practises his autograph multiple times and his army kit bag from when he signed up for the band.

"He couldn't play a note but was only found out after he'd been shipped out to India," recalled Peter Wisdom.

"At the audition he made a rasping sound on the trumpet and fell over a music stand."

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.