 CYNTHIA
PAYNE
 Cynthia
Payne was
born in Bognor
on Christmas
Eve 1932.
She first
hit the headlines
in 1978 when
the police
raided her
home in a
pleasant tree-lined
avenue in
suburban Streatham
to find a
sex party
in full swing.
Queues of
middle-aged
and elderly
men waited
to exchange
their 'luncheon
vouchers'
for food,
drink, friendly
chat, striptease
shows and
a trip upstairs
with the girl
of their choice.
Vicars, MPs
and lawyers
were among
those who
considered
her the best
hostess in
London. When
the case came
to court in
1980, she
was sent to
prison for
18 months
for running
the biggest
disorderly
house in history,
but on appeal,
this was reduced
to six months
and a hefty
fine for running
a brothel.
Convinced
she was doing
no wrong since
she no longer
ran a brothel,
she continued
to give an
occasional
swinging party,
and it was
an 'end of
filming' party
for "Personal
Services"
which the
police chose
to raid in
1986.
The resulting
court case
in January
1987 stole
the headlines
and kept the
nation amused
for three
weeks with
its stories
of sex, slaves,
transvestites
and undercover
policemen
in disguise.
Cynthia won
a resounding
victory and
was found
not guilty
on 10 charges
of controlling
prostitutes.
Two more
books followed,
"Entertaining
at Home"
by Cynthia
Payne, a coffee
table book
packed with
stories and
hints about
how to give
fun parties
and deal with
the police,
and "Sexplicitly
Yours - The
Trial of Cynthia
Payne"
, by Gloria
Walker with
Lynn Daly.
Incensed
by the second
trial, Cynthia
was determined
to try to
change Britain's
archaic sex
laws, and
stood for
Parliament
as a candidate
in the Kensington
by-election
in July 1988.
She was not
elected, but
the world's
media took
notice of
what she had
to say. She
is now an
accomplished
after-dinner
speaker, and
agony aunt,
and she has
completed
a three-week
season at
the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival
where she
played to
packed houses.
Cynthia is
also concerned
about the
quality of
life in Streatham,
where she
lives, and
hopes that
she can draw
attention
to the problems,
persuade local
people to
take a pride
in the area
and 'bring
back the pleasure
of living
in Streatham'.
Cynthia has
no connection
with any other
party, though
politicians
from both
Labour and
Conservative,
and others,
have taken
up some of
her ideas,
but she feels
that as an
individual
with personal
experience
of the law,
she can at
least get
sex reform
put on the
agenda.
Her life
has been depicted
in the film
Personal Services
starring Julie
Walters. Also,
her early
life was dramatised
in Wish You
Were Here,
starring Emily
Lloyd and
Tom Bell.
She had her
one-woman
show at the
Edinburgh
Fringe Festival
in 1992, which
lasted for
three weeks
and played
to packed
audiences
throughout.
She is a
very experienced
after-dinner
speaker, including
one hour and
a question
and answer
session.
Ladies
Nights are
a speciality
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