How Dorothy Lamour saved Ken Russell

Ken Russell (pictured), the 80-year-old film director, writes in today's Times about the difficulties he experienced while a pupil at Pangbourne Naval College during the Second World War, where public thrashings with a frayed end of rope were commonplace. Russell himself was on the receiving end of a few beatings himself, principally for trying to run away from the school, but his main gripe was the all-pervasive snobbery.

"Most of the cadets were from aristocratic or snobby families, with posh accents, whereas I was Sotonian (from Southhampton) born and bred, with a dad who sold boots and shoes down by the docks. Dad had never heard of Gieves of Bond Street with their fine uniforms, so we shopped at a local chandler's, where there was a sale of serge uniforms in a nice shade of purple."

Russell eventually won his tormentors round. "I was inspired to invent the Nautical College's first drag show. I was Mr Popularity. Everyone queued up to get into a bra and high heels. There they were, all the film stars of the day, with me as Dorothy Lamour, trilling The Fleet's In from the musical of the same name. The goggle-eyed staff were blown away."