Ceri Dupree's decades of divas, frocks and cabaret

For the past 42 years Ceri Dupree has been making a living impersonating some of the world’s most iconic women, such as Cardiff's Dame Shirley Bassey

At the bottom of a back garden in south Wales lies something quite unexpected - a treasure trove of more than 600 dazzling stage costumes.

This is the home of Ceri Dupree, who for the past 42 years has been making a living impersonating some of the world’s most iconic women.

His repertoire features everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Tina Turner and Queen Camilla to Shirley Bassey, with some colourful costumes costing more than £6,000.

The flamboyant riot of colourful sequins and feathers are all part of creating a world of escapism for his audience: "For me show business is about taking people away from the real world… entertaining them, and making them laugh," said Dupree.

Ceri, now 60, has been performing for 42 years

Dupree has always styled himself as a female impersonator and not a drag queen.

So what’s the difference?

"I impersonate famous women, whether they are Elizabeth Taylor or Lady Gaga or I might create a character," he said.

"I’ve nothing against the RuPaul sort of thing but it’s not for me, it’s not what I do.

"They look fantastic, they’re like walking works of art but there’s not much substance there - I’d like to say 'go out there, there’s 600 people, you’ve got two hours, off you go'.

"They probably couldn't do that, couldn't hold an audience, it’s more like a catwalk show."

Dupree as BBC sitcom Hi-de-Hi!'s Gladys Pugh with Ruth Madoc, who played the holiday camp role, in 2015

The catalyst for Dupree’s career was rather unlikely.

Aged 17 and then known as Ceri Jones, he entered a fancy dress competition at Harpers nightclub in his hometown of Swansea.

He won first prize dressed as Gladys Pugh, the well-loved character played by the late Ruth Madoc in BBC television comedy Hi-de-Hi!

"The DJ who was a bit cocky called me up, I'd had a few to drink and he gave me the microphone - fatal!", laughed Dupree.

"I launched into 'Oooh, hello campers' and everyone was laughing so I carried on.

"[Afterwards] my friend Alison said 'Ceri, this is so funny, you should do this'."

Dupree's home in Penarth is full of photos of stars he has worked with or met - here, Gok Wan and Dame Joan Collins - through his career

He joined a local theatre group, before long he was performing the working men's club circuit, and Ceri Dupree was born.

Dupree cherishes a note Madoc sent him after seeing his impersonation of Gladys Pugh.

"It says 'Dear Ceri, thanks for keeping Miss Pugh alive'," he said.

Over the decades Dupree has performed in musical theatre productions, pantomimes, West End nightclubs, television and cabaret in the UK and abroad.

His home in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, is awash with framed pictures of the famous faces he has either met along the way or worked with - everyone from sisters Joan and Jackie Collins to Gok Wan.

Dupree as Dame Edna Everage - herself the comic creation of Barry Humphries

Dupree was following something of a family tradition when he entered the world of showbiz.

He grew up in Llansamlet and later Fforest Fach in a house full of performers. His mother was an opera singer, his father a cabaret singer and his sister is actress and singer Ria Jones.

He was brought up on a diet of glossy US series such as Dynasty and Dallas, and Hollywood musicals but his first glimpse of a female impersonator came when he was 10.

"The first person I ever saw on a colour television was Danny La Rue," said Dupree.

It was Christmas Eve 1974 and the family’s new colour TV had just arrived.

Just as it was being tuned in there was an advert for La Rue’s pantomime which was to be broadcast the following day.

"He was on this great big swing in this fabulous costume and I remember thinking oh my God," said Dupree.

"And my mother said, 'that’s a man that is'... I just thought it was amazing."

I Got You Babe... Dupree as American singer and actress Cher

La Rue became an icon to Dupree.

Many years later when Dupree was performing at Soho’s Madame JoJo’s he was told La Rue was in the audience and he met him for the first time.

Then in 1991 they got to know one another when they both did the summer season in Blackpool: Dupree was performing with the then little-known Bradley Walsh.

Later La Rue stayed in Dupree’s home for eight weeks when he was performing in pantomime in Cardiff.

Dupree has fond memories of the pair getting "very, very drunk" on Christmas Eve and consuming the contents of champagne and truffle hamper Carry On and EastEnders star Barbara Windsor had sent La Rue.

"I said to him 'not that I want you to die, I don’t, but when you do kick the bucket could you leave me a costume?'", recalled Dupree.

Ceri stores 600 stage costumes at the end of his garden

A few months after La Rue died in 2009 aged 81, his assistant got in touch and gave Dupree a yellow costume he had worn in 1969.

The costume, which recently featured in the BBC’s Repair Shop, is one of 27 of Dupree’s bespoke costumes currently on display at St David's Shopping Centre in Cardiff until Sunday, 25 August.

The exhibition is in aid of Sight Life, which helps blind and partially sighted people across south Wales.

Dupree was asked to become its patron following the death of previous incumbent, Ruth Madoc.

"I've always wanted to do an exhibition of some of my costumes - when you see them on a mannequin close up and you can touch them, you can really see the hours and hours and months and months of work that have gone into them and how heavy and flamboyant they are," he said.

Danny La Rue's dress on display at the exhibition in Cardiff

So what's next for Dupree?

He thinks next year he'll do a skit on Taylor Swift.

"The problem you have nowadays is there are not really the flamboyant female characters around to do, showbusiness has changed so much," he said.

"People often say ‘where is the next Cher? The next Shirley Bassey?’ They’re out there but most of them are on the cruise ships, that’s where light entertainment and variety has gone."

Dupree as Marilyn Monroe

Having spent decades lugging scores of costumes, wigs, make-up and jewellery around the country and overseas, is retirement on the horizon? He is unequivocal - never.

"I hate that word," he said. "I’m a big believer in you don’t give up showbusiness, showbusiness gives up you.

"It could happen next year or the year after where you go 'hang on a minute, the bookings aren’t coming in and you’re walking out to 20 people - Ceri, you’ve had it, call it a day mate'."

He referred to an answer he said the late Ken Dodd once gave when asked at 90 if he would retire.

"He said why would I stop doing something I love?" he said.

Is that how Dupree feels too?

"Definitely, yes definitely."