Editing Hubert Gregg (section)

==Biography==
Gregg was born in [[Islington]], north London. He attended [[St Dunstan's College]] and the [[Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art|Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art]].<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite news |title=Obituaries: Hubert Gregg |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1458121/Hubert-Gregg.html |access-date=28 April 2012 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |date=31 March 2004}}</ref><ref name=Guardian>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/apr/01/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries |title=Hubert Gregg |author=Tim McDonald |newspaper=The Guardian |location= London |date=1 April 2004}}</ref>

Gregg worked as an announcer for the [[BBC World Service|BBC Empire Service]] in 1934 and 1935,<ref name=BBC>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3582579.stm |title=Broadcaster Hubert Gregg mourned |date=30 March 2004 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref><ref name=Guardian/> while intermittently performing in [[repertory theatre]].<ref name=Telegraph/> He appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in [[Terence Rattigan]]'s comedy ''[[French Without Tears]]'' from 28 September 1937 to January 1938.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/hubert-gregg-42942 |title=Hubert Gregg |website=IBDB.com |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] }}</ref>

In the [[Second World War]], Gregg first served as a private with the [[Lincolnshire Regiment]] in 1939, before becoming an officer in the [[60th Rifles]] the following year.<ref name=Guardian/>  He spoke German fluently, and worked for the BBC German service, to such good effect that [[Joseph Goebbels|Goebbels]] assumed he must be a German traitor.<ref name=BBC/> He was invalided out in 1943.<ref name=Guardian/> Among the "more than 200 songs" he wrote was the wartime hit "I'm Going To Get Lit Up When The Lights Go up in London", written in 1940 and sung by his first wife, [[Zoe Gail]], in [[George Black (producer)|George Black]]'s 1943 production ''Strike a New Note''.<ref name=Guardian/> It was broadcast in 1944 to alert the Resistance that the [[Normandy landings|invasion of Europe]] was imminent.<ref name=Guardian/>

On seeing German [[V1 flying bomb|V1]]s flying over London, Gregg composed his best-known song, "[[Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner]]", in 20 minutes while on leave in 1944;<ref name="Telegraph" /><ref name="BBC" /> it became a hit and London folk anthem in 1947. He also composed numbers for the musicals ''[[The Love Racket (musical)|The Love Racket]]'' (1943), ''Sweet And Low'' (1944) and ''Strike It Again'' (1945).<ref name="Guardian" />

After the war, he co-starred with [[Anne Crawford]] in ''Western Wind'' (1949) at the [[Manchester Opera House]], and also directed [[Agatha Christie]] stage plays, including ''[[The Hollow (play)|The Hollow]]'' (1951) and  ''[[The Mousetrap]]'' (for seven years, beginning in 1953). The period was the subject of his 1980 memoir, ''Agatha Christie and All That Mousetrap''. He called Christie "a mean old bitch".<ref name=Telegraph/>

Gregg presented and performed in numerous radio programmes, including ''A Square Deal'' for seven years, and ''Thanks for the Memory'' for over 30 years.<ref name=BBC/> He also acted in films and on television, in addition to writing light comedies and two novels.