Cynthia Payne (born December 24, 1932 in Bognor Regis, West Sussex) was a renowned English madam who made the headlines in the 1970s and 1980s for her brothel at 32 Ambleside Avenue, in Streatham, in the south-west of London, England. December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Statistics Population: 22,555 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SZ9399 Administration District: Arun Shire county: West Sussex Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: West Sussex Historic county: Sussex Services Police force: Sussex Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South East Coast Post... West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex (with Brighton and Hove), Hampshire and Surrey. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Madam or maam is a title for a woman. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... A brothel, also known as a bordello or whorehouse, is an establishment specifically dedicated to prostitution. ... Streatham is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and the largest city of England (strangely, England has no constitutional existence within the United Kingdom, and therefore cannot be said to have a capital). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ...

In 1978 she was convicted for running "the biggest disorderly house in history", for which she was sent to prison for 18 months. This was reduced to six months on appeal. 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Her parties were famous for, amongst other things, their Luncheon Vouchers which were given to guests, who exchanged them for services with prostitutes. The charge was £25, which included food, drink and sex. The Luncheon Voucher (LV) is a paper ticket used by some employees in the United Kingdom to pay for meals in private restaurants. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ...

In 1986, the police raided her home again, this time during a “special party” she was hosting. The resulting court case in 1987 made headlines for several weeks with lurid tales, some details of which she aired on The Dame Edna Experience in 1988, with co-guests Sir John Mills and Rudolf Nureyev, where she also launched her book, Entertaining at Home. Series One DVD cover (released 2004) The Dame Edna Experience was a British television comedy talk-show hosted by Dame Edna Everage (a character played by Australian satirist Barry Humphries). ... John Mills as Professor Bernard Quatermass in the Thames Television science-fiction serial Quatermass (1979). ... Rudolf Nureyev (Tatar form Rudolf Xämät ulı Nuriev, Russian Рудольф Хаметович Нуриев) (17 March 1938 – 6 January 1993), Tatar-born dancer, is regarded as one of the greatest male dancers of the 20th century, alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Mikhail Baryshnikov. ...

On this program, she expressed an interest in becoming an MP, in order to change Britain's sex laws, which she followed through with by standing for Parliament as a candidate for the Payne and Pleasure Party in the Kensington (UK) by-election in July 1988, followed by her standing in her own area of Streatham in the 1992 UK General Election. She did not achieve entry into Parliament. Kensington is an area to the west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. ...

There have been two films made that are loosely based on her life. Wish You Were Here, about her adolescence, and Personal Services about her adult life. Wish you were here is a 1987 British dramatic/comedy film starring Emily Lloyd and Tom Bell. ... Personal Services is a 1987 British comedy film directed by Terry Jones. ...

Cynthia Payne currently makes appearances as an after-dinner speaker and as of 2006 is also launching a new range of adult services and products.

Books

• Paul Bailey, An English Madam: Life and Work of Cynthia Payne, Jonathan Cape 1982, ISBN 0-224-02037-4
• Cynthia Payne, Entertaining at Home, Penguin Books Ltd, London, 1987.
• Gloria Walker, Sexplicitly Yours: Trial of Cynthia Payne, Penguin Books Ltd 1987, ISBN 0-14-010543-3

External links

• Cynthia Payne's own website
• Cynthia Payne's House of Cyn