Syd Little, born Cyril John Mead on 19 December 1942 in Blackpool and raised in Manchester, is a renowned British comedian, famed as the straight man in the comedy duo Little and Large alongside Eddie Large. Educated at Yew Tree Secondary Modern School in Wythenshawe, Little initially worked as an interior decorator while performing as a singer and guitarist in Manchester pubs. It was during these gigs that he teamed up with Eddie Large, forming a partnership that began as Cyril Mead and Friend and later became Mead and McGinnis. Their rebranding to Little and Large cemented their place in British comedy history. The duo achieved national recognition in 1971 after winning the talent show Opportunity Knocks, which launched a television career spanning two decades. Their first pilot for The Little and Large Show aired in 1976, and the series became a mainstay of British TV from 1977. Following a move to the BBC, the show continued until 1991. After its cancellation, Little’s TV appearances became more sporadic, but he featured on programmes like Shooting Stars, The Bob Monkhouse Show, and Comedy Map of Britain. In 2005, he ventured into reality TV on Trust Me I’m A Holiday Rep.
Little’s career remained vibrant into the 2010s. In 2015, he appeared on Celebrity MasterChef, advancing to the third round, and in 2018, he starred in the fly-on-the-wall documentary The Real Marigold Hotel, returning for its Vietnam-based sequel in 2019. He also celebrated British comedy through appearances on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and Britain’s Great Double Acts. Little and Large reunited for a Specsavers radio advert and headlined the 2019 Slapstick comedy festival in Bristol, reminiscing about their careers to a packed audience. In April 2020, Eddie Large’s death marked the end of their iconic partnership. Little shared his grief through his agent, Alan Hamilton, saying, “I am devastated to have lost not just my comedy partner of 60 years, but my friend of 60 years.”
In 2022, Little participated in Celebrity Auction House on Sky UK, raising over £1,000 for charity by auctioning personal items, including a signed electric guitar. He now lives in Fleetwood with his wife and son, where they run The Steamer Pub and Little Restaurant, remaining an active and cherished figure in the local community.
The image below was taken on 3 March 1986 and features the lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey pulling a punch on Eddie Large with the help of Syd Little. The featured image was taken on 21 March 2010 in London.
Images by © Alamy
