Sydney Devine hopes his final curtain call will be at the Pavilion

WHEN Sydney Devine’s time is up he knows how he wants to go out on stage at the Pavilion Theatre.

The 75-year-old is gearing up for an incredible 41st annual show at the famous Glasgow venue and he’s decided that’s where he wants to be when the final curtain comes down.

“I’ll maybe do a Tommy Cooper,” he smiled.

“Take a fall into the orchestra pit that would be quite fitting. And can you imagine the Press?”

Sydney’s gearing up for another three shows at the theatre this week and has no intention of stopping anytime soon, despite his battles with ill health over the years.

A heart attack led to triple bypass surgery in 1989 and, in 2007, he needed emergency surgery after two aneurisms were found in his aorta.

That op happened just weeks before the Tiny Bubbles singer’s Pavilion shows but he still

battled back in time to perform.

“It would need to be something very serious for me not to turn up,” he continued.

“Something as simple as a heart attack won’t stop me.

“Everyone says the show must go on and that’s what I did.

“In my 60 years I’ve only missed three shows I was in panto and com-pletely lost my voice.

“Age will obviously take its toll but my health is in good shape. As long as I can get the suit and make-up on, I’ll be out there.”

Sydney is a favourite at Glasgow’s Pavilion

Even though he limits himself to just a few shows a year nowadays, he says the planning is as intense as it would be for a long tour.

“I started my preparations in August and they continue every day until the shows.

“I need to start gradually with my voice when you’re singing every night it’s not a problem but when you’re only doing a handful of shows a year, it’s tougher.

“It’s like a footballer being out of the game and then coming straight back in for the cup final.

“You have to do the same preparation you would if you were playing for the year to get ready.

“When people pay their money, they expect the best from you.

“I’ve always tried to give that because you depend on those same people coming back again.”

Sydney, who lives in Ayr with his wife Shirley, says fans come from all over for his Pavilion shows and he’s on first-name terms with quite a few of them.

He’s played on the same bills as legends like Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison and Michael Jackson but says his biggest moment was receiving an MBE from the Queen.

He was also part of the Glasgow Green concert last year for the Commonwealth Games.

Sydney in his younger days