Remembering my dad Glen Michael

Remembering my dad Glen Michael

For many across Scotland, the name Glen Michael brings back warm memories of laughter, childhood joy and a familiar face on television screens. He was part of growing up for many generations of Scottish children. But behind the entertainer was a father, husband, friend and ambassador. That is the man his daughter Yonnie remembers with honesty, affection and pride.

Growing up with a famous dad brought its own challenges. “People have a perception of you that is unrealistic,” Yonnie reflects. “But that’s to be expected.”

Family life often meant sharing their dad with everyone else. Trips out for meals or shopping regularly turned into moments where Glen would stop to speak with people who recognised him. He never turned anyone away.

He tried his best to never refuse a request for an autograph or a chat. He relished it. It was just part of life as a performer and something he enjoyed immensely.

That sense of connection was not something he switched on just for television. It was part of who he was.

The family behind the Cavalcade

During the early years of Cartoon Cavalcade, the show that made Glen a household name, family life and the programme were closely connected.

“Our family was very much part of the programme,” Yonnie explains. “My brother Chris and I helped dad sort out the children’s mail each week in the front room of our home in Prestwick, Ayrshire.”

As the programme grew in popularity, so did the number of letters arriving each week. Eventually, it became too much to manage at home and Glen was given support and space at STV to handle the volume.

Even then, those letters clearly meant a great deal to him. After his passing, Yonnie discovered a folder carefully filled with children’s drawings and messages that he had kept over the years.

“I found a huge folder of those cards and artwork that he had kept,” she says.

It was a simple but powerful reminder of the connection he shared with his audience. Yonnie has since ensured those memories live on by finding a home for them in a children’s museum, where they can continue to bring joy.

Seeing Dad on stage

Some memories, though, belong only to family life. One in particular has stayed with Yonnie from when she was just seven years old.

She was sitting in the audience at Ayr’s Gaiety Theatre, watching her father perform as the villain, Abanazer in the Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves pantomime. As part of the show, the crowd loudly booed him. For everyone else, it was fun. For Yonnie, it was something else entirely.

“I remember suddenly yelling at the top of my voice, ‘STOP BOOING MY DAD’,” she recalls.

Overcome with tears, she had to be taken backstage by her mother, where her father, still in costume, comforted her and gently explained that it was all part of the performance.

“He told me it was all pretend and that I should join in the fun. I can’t say I really got that one. I just didn’t like it.”

It is a moment that captures something deeply personal. To audiences, he was the performer. To Yonnie, he was simply her dad.

Love, loss and loneliness

As Glen grew older, his connection with people remained as strong as ever. But his perspective deepened, shaped by his own experiences of loss.

"He knew what it was like to gradually lose so many friends in the entertainment world. Jack Milroy, Rikki Fulton, Jimmy Logan to name just a few. Dad worked with them all and became friends with them during his lifetime. But of course, the worst loss, ten years before he passed away, was our mother and his wife Beryl.”

He often said you could be in a room full of people and still be lonely if you are depressed.”

It is this understanding that led him to support Age Scotland. He believed strongly in raising awareness of loneliness and encouraging people to take small but meaningful steps to connect with others.

As an ambassador, he helped shine a light on loneliness and the importance of connection, supporting loneliness campaigns and Age Scotland’s friendship services to help older people feel less alone.

“Loneliness to him was unthinkable and depressing,” Yonnie explains. “He lived for performing and communicating with people.”

Even with family and carers visiting him, there were still moments that felt difficult, particularly in the evenings when everything became quieter.

His openness about these feelings helped others feel less alone in their own experiences.

Yonnie at Christmas with her mum, Beryl and mad, Glen (photo by STV)

The realities of getting older

Through her dad’s later years, Yonnie also saw first-hand some of the challenges older people face today.

Families often live further apart than they once did, making it harder to provide immediate support. Technology can help people stay connected, but it can also leave them vulnerable.

“Dad had experienced scammers himself,” she explains, describing how she would regularly remind him to be cautious about unexpected messages or calls.

Alongside these practical concerns, there is also the emotional side of growing older. Glen understood that many people were facing the same fears and uncertainties.

“He was happy to talk openly about it because he knew others felt the same way. Talking about it helped him and if he could help someone else, that mattered.”

Still connected

Despite everything, Glen never lost his love of people. In his later years, simple routines became important anchors. Yonnie remembers visits to a local café, where people would come over to share their own memories of watching him as children.

“That was his social hub as he got older and a lifesaver for him mentally,” she says.

Shortly before he passed away, Glen reflected on the connection he still had with people.

“I feel I’m more well known now at 99 than I was during the Cavalcade years,” he told her.

After his death, the outpouring of messages from the public showed just how many lives he had touched.

“It surprised us, but it was lovely to think that our dad gave so many people such happy memories,” Yonnie says.

A legacy that continues

In keeping with his values, when Glen passed away in July 2025, Yonnie and her family chose Age Scotland as one of the charities receiving donations at his funeral.

“He cared about older people and wanted to make a difference, even in a small way,” she explains.

As an ambassador, he helped shine a light on loneliness and the importance of connection, supporting awareness campaigns and the charity’s friendship services that help older people feel less alone. In 2024, he also played a special role in celebrating others, hosting Age Scotland’s national awards and recognising the individuals making a difference in communities across the country.

It is a legacy rooted in kindness, connection and understanding.