Inside 70s star Melvyn Hayes' family life – including 50 foster children

While It Ain't Half Hot Mum was incredibly popular in the 1970s, the show has been yanked from repeats due to criticisms over its material, which many believe to be racist and homophobic.

However, despite criticism of the show, it made household names out of its stars, including Melvyn Hayes, who played the effeminate Bombardier "Gloria" Beaumont during the show's seven-year run.

The star, now 91, has had an incredible life away from the show, having married three times and welcoming eight of his own children, including the actress Charlie Hayes. However, it was with his third wife, Jayne Male, that he showed off his true character, with the pair fostering 50 children during their time together.

Scroll down for all you need to know about Melvyn's life away from the screen...

Children

While Melvyn hasn't spoken much about his family, on his website, he revealed that he has eight children, with two of them being adopted. "Married three times, Melvyn is the proud father of eight children, thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren," it reads.

The star remains close with his family, as his website confirms that he is currently living with his youngest daughter and her husband.

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Melvyn's most famous child is his daughter Charlie, whom he welcomed with his second wife, the actress Wendy Padbury. Charlie followed in her parents' footsteps by becoming an actress, and she's appeared in the likes of Wycliffe, Crossroads and Looking for Victoria.

However, Charlie's biggest roles have been with Doctor Who audio dramas. The star has racked up appearances in six editions, even acting alongside her mother in some of the serials.

Fostering

While Melvyn welcomed children with his third wife, Jayne Male, the couple ended up fostering 50 children during their time together; Jayne sadly passed away in 2022.

On a previous appearance on Lorraine, Melvyn and Jayne explained how they both decided they wanted to foster, with Melvyn's wish stemming from an experience in the "far East" where he saw "terrible things".

© PA Images via Getty Images

Jayne continued: "It's not easy, it's not a walk in the park, but it's so rewarding for us, for the family, for the children themselves. The positives far outweigh the negatives, and anybody can do it."

Melvyn added: "The kids, when they come to us, I say, 'What do you want to be? You can be a victim, or you can say sausages to the world, I'm going to make something of my life', and they do. Our kids came to us when they were babies, some when they were five, six, or seven and they go away when they're 16 or 17, and the phone goes in the middle of the night, and someone asks, 'Can we bring a baby over?'"

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The pair never made any money from their fostering, with Melvyn telling This Is Money in 2024: "We fostered about 50 children over the years. Some would come for years, others just for a night. We didn't make any money out of it, but it was rewarding to give many of those kids a chance in life. Two boys we fostered, aged one and three, we legally adopted."