HISTORIAN and entertainer Dr Tony Liddington is to become one of only five recipients of a prestigious research award.

Tony, otherwise known as Uncle Tacko, has been chosen for the Bunnett-Muir Musical Theatre Awards from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The accolade is specifically for his current research project into two icons of 20th century drag performance: Douglas Byng and Rex Jameson (Mrs Shufflewick).

Dawlish man Tony, who has been a showman, researcher and teacher of British popular entertainment for more than 40 years, said: ‘This will fund me to go and spend some time in London looking at the Patrick Newley and Dougie Byng archives in the spanking new East Stratford V&A storehouse.

‘It will all give me plenty of food for thought.

‘From this research, I shall give a presentation at the V&A and then write a journal article, as well as uncovering more material for my play, or ‘intimate revue’, Shuff and Byng.’

Funded by the Bunnett-Muir Musical Theatre Archive Trust, the fellowships and grants provide the opportunity to undertake research in the field of the musical on stage and screen with the Bunnett-Muir Musical Theatre Archive and the V&A’s Theatre and Performance Collections.

Researchers and practitioners were invited to apply for the grants earlier this summer.

A spokesman for the V&A said: ‘We could not have anticipated the breadth of exciting proposals we would receive.

‘At a time when public perceptions of drag are often shaped by television formats like RuPaul’s Drag Race, Dr Lidington seeks to contextualise these earlier figures within a longer history of cross-dressing on stage.

'He is currently developing Shuff & Byng, an intimate revue, which will draw on archival materials in the V&A’s Theatre and Performance Collections and the Bunnett-Muir Musical Theatre Archive.

‘Through this work, he aims to explore questions of identity, gender, and performance heritage, which will be published in a paper, in addition to the performance.’