The life of Mark Bunyan Chronological

  • 1949

    Mark Bunyan

    Born in Bristol and moved to Clevedon, Somerset to spend the first ten years of his life. At the age of four, he was taken to see his grandparents in London and realised that there’d been a terrible geographical mistake.

  • 1960

    Attended Nailsea Grammar School which, because of Mark’s comprehensive education, became Nailsea School in 1966. Amongst many other things, was taught that homosexuality was a phase and was thus tortured by keeping his homosexual feelings completely and utterly secret through his teens as the country discussed whether THEY should be made legal.

  • 1967 - 1971

    Attended St Andrews University where he wrote for the university newspaper,  wrote and performed in the revue, directed three plays very badly but wrote one short play about loneliness that moved audiences to tears. Agonising over his still totally closeted homosexuality led to two, fortunately, failed, suicide attempts. Had he succeeded he would not have had the astounding privilege of being the only student asked to join in a live Monty Python show with John Cleese, Michael Palin and Terry Jones when John Cleese was elected rector. Oh, he also got a degree. Somehow.

  • 1972

    Having moved to London and got a satisfying clerical job in the film industry, led to his accepting being gay and becoming determined to do everything he could to stop other people going through the crap that he had gone through. Told all his friends he was gay. The usual answer was “Oh I’m so sorry. If I’d known that you didn’t know I would have told you ages ago.“

  • 1974

    Andrew, a St Andrew’s friend, came to dinner in November, just after Mark moved into a basement flat under the roof of Betty Swanwick RA. Andrew stayed that night and ever since. We have moved a couple of times but we’re still under the same roof. In December 1974, he took me to the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh (he was secretary to the Edinburgh University Gay Society which had helped organise it). It was a crash course in gay rights and on the first evening, Mark was taken under the wing of Jackie Forster, a fabulous lesbian.

  • 1975

    Wrote a song for his landlady Betty’s birthday. Later, had minor operation which led to three weeks convalescence. This gave him time to write a series of songs for the fabulously inspiring landlady (one of the songs from this would be sung to around 1200 people at the Piccadilly Theatre some years later).

  • 1976

    Joined Icebreakers, a gay self-help telephone line which had come out of the Gay Liberation Front’s Counter-Psychiatry Group. Wrote a funny song for their fourth birthday party. Realised that not very many people were writing funny gay songs. Listen to the Icebreaker's Song on YouTube.

  • 1977

    First of three gigs singing his now burgeoning collection of songs, whilst two other friends, Carole Boyd and John Craig, read prose and poetry, in aid of the Gay News Fighting Fund (see Wikipedia or some other useful source of historical background for further details of that).

  • 1978

    Third gig leads to major rave article in Gay News which leads to first paid gig on a Sunday lunchtime at Country Cousin in the Kings Road. (Peter Allen is on in the evening).

  • 1979

    Appears at the Gay Times Festival, Britain’s first gay arts festival, at the Oval House in March. Made redundant from fourth film company job in six years and decides to settle down and become a star. It’s not as easy as it looks, despite a successful tour with Jan Hammarlund, Barbie Norden and Rosie Fisher in Sweden and Norway. And regular gigs at the Gay’s The Word bookshop.

  • 1980

    Gigs at Gaysocs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen lead to being taken to San Francisco for a six week run, eventually being offered the chance of staying in the early convent of the recently founded Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. And then played to completely packed houses in a small theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe and was named “Best Individual Performer On The Fringe” by the Sunday Telegraph. A Radio Four commission floods in. Returns to Edinburgh in 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1987. 

  • 1982

    Cabaret shows in in New York. Writes book, music and lyrics for Just Good Friends which wins the National Musical Theatre Competition run by the Cockpit Theatre and is produced to sell-out houses (the last night queue for returns started at 5.30) in September. Rave reviews in the Sunday Telegraph and Morning Star. Chosen “Best New Musical of the Year” by City Limits magazine. Includes stage debut of Lennie James. Homes and Gardens, a second youth musical, is commissioned two years later but Just Good Friends is never seen again. Solo shows and appearances continue all over the UK including the two Pretty Policeman's Balls (benefits for Gay Switchboard) at the Piccadilly Theatre in 1984 and 1985. Mark has occasional radio appearances, and in 1996, is invited to perform at Europride  in Copenhagen. Twenty-first century London appearances have included the Pheasantry, Crazy Coqs and The Loft at the Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec -- and a return to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019. 
    Includes the stage debut of Lennie James and early appearances by Cliff Parisi and John Dulieu.

  • 1983

    With the late Brian Kennedy, Mark co-founds the Pink Singers, now Europe’s oldest lesbian and gay community choir. View Mark's page on www.pinksingers.co.uk.

  • 1989

    Mark’s play, DINNER, wins the South London Playwriting Competition run by the Warehouse Theatre Croydon, where it was given a well-received four week production in March 1990. The cast of four, Sally Faulkner, Paul Gregory, Jonathan Hackett and Pamela Moiseiwitsch, play over sixteen roles between them directed by Ted Craig in a set by Michael Pavelka.  ”Recommended” by What’s On In London: “It takes an intelligent and sharp look at the social habits, attitudes and eccentricities which are dominant in English Society today. “Sharp and hilarious” The Times.    

  • 1990

    David Nickson, a very close friend, dies of AIDS leaving Mark and Andrew as his executors. David was a very staunch atheist and his will states that he wants a non-religious funeral. His mother, equally staunch in her religious views, refuses to hand over the necessary documentation for the funeral to go ahead. He is in a freezer for six months, the case eventually coming to trial in the High Court. The fact that the court gives justice to David leads Mark to apply to become a Justice of the Peace (voluntary lay magistrate in England). He sits as a JP for 25 years whilst continuing his career as a cabaret artist . 

  • 1994

    June 30th. Is sitting on exercycle on a balcony in the YMCA, reading “The Iliad” and minding his own business, when looks down and sees people doing stuff on a trampoline. Thinks that he’d love to try that. Realises he’s paying for it so why not give it a try? Due to the extraordinary patience of trampoline coaches from then till now, he’s still at it. (This written September 3rd 2024, the latest triumph having been to be the oldest person in competition at the British Gymnastics Association’s National Veterans event, and a bronze medallist in the men’s over-40s trampolining on August 3rd. Could add, 2011 silver medallist, 2012 and 2015 gold medallist, 2013 Over-40s bronze medallist and 2014 silver medallist. Why not take it up and do better???

  • 1995

    Canonised by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as “St Mark of the Musical Tendency” (St Mark Lark for short.) for his contribution to gay liberation in the UK.

  • 1999

    Auditions for and joins Mercury Musical Developments which lead to a whole mass of musical theatre writing being workshopped by the musical students at the Royal Academy of Music. This leads in turn to two productions of Achilles in Heels at the Landor Theatre and a run of Unburied Treasures at the Rosemary Branch Theatre.

  • 2011-2015

    British Gymnastics Association over-60s recreational trampolining silver medallist. 2012 and 2015 gold medallist, 2013 Over-40s bronze medallist and 2014 silver medallist.

  • 2012

    Is the subject of Looking At You documentary film Mark Bunyan: Very Nearly Almost Famous. Produced by Jaq Nunns and Angie West. The film was shown as an official selection for Frameline37, the San Francisco International Gay Film Festival, in June 2013.

  • 2021

    The Guardian did a “How We Met” feature on Andrew and me with some nice photos. 
    You can read the article right here...

    The article on The Guardian.

  • 2024

    still alive, singing, writing and bouncing.