Cynthia Diana Paine^[1] was born in Bognor Regis, Sussex, England on 24 December (Christmas Eve) 1932,^[2][3] as the elder child to Nelson Arthur Paine (1904–1979),^[4][5] a hairdresser, who worked on Union Castle liners, and his wife,^[6] Elizabeth (née Light; 1906–1945),^[7][8] a housewife, who died from throat cancer when her daughter was 12 years old.^[9] Her birth was registered in Westhampnett in January 1933.^[2] She had a younger sister, Wendy A Stokes^[10] (née Paine; born 1934).^[11]

Payne was expelled from her convent boarding school for being a "bad influence". She trained as a hairdresser, before working as a waitress,^[12] and later, as a shop assistant. As a teenager, she moved to London to work in a department store, Swan & Edgar.^[9]

Payne, known as "Madam Cyn",^[13][14] first came to national attention in December 1978,^[15][16] when police raided her home, 32 Ambleside Avenue,^[17] in Streatham, a suburb in South London,^[18] while a sex party was in progress. Men, using difficult-to-forge luncheon vouchers to provide "proof of services performed", paid to dress up in lingerie and be spanked by young women.^[19] Police found 53 men at her residence, in varying levels of undress, including "a peer of the realm, an MP, a number of solicitors and company directors and several vicars". A cartoon in the press at the time, according to Sarah Baxter in The Sunday Times, "showed a vicar in bed with a prostitute, confronted by a policeman. 'I demand to see my solicitor,' said the vicar, 'who is in the next bedroom.'"^[20] She slipped into prostitution to avoid eviction from her flat.^[9]

When the case came to trial in 1980,^[21] Payne was sentenced to 18 months in prison, reduced to a fine and six months on appeal.^[22] She served four months in HM Prison Holloway, a closed category prison for adult women and young offenders in Holloway, London.^[19] She was released from prison on 17 August 1980,^[23] where she was picked up by a former client in his Rolls-Royce. She gave the awaiting photographers a V-sign and the quote: "V for victory, V for voucher."^[9]

In 1986, the police raided Payne's home again, this time, during a "special party" she was hosting after shooting of the film of her life had been completed. Although she was acquitted on this occasion,^[22][24] the resulting court case in 1987^[25] made headlines for several weeks with lurid tales, some details of which she aired on the ITV comedy talk-show The Dame Edna Experience, broadcast on 17 October, co-guesting with Sir John Mills and Rudolf Nureyev,^[26] on which she launched her book, Entertaining at Home: 101 Party Hints from Britain's Most Popular Hostess (ISBN 978-0-14-010618-3), which was published by Penguin. The court case ended her career as a party giver.^[27][28]

Payne appeared on the BBC Two programme Joan Rivers: Can We Talk?, in the episode broadcast on 31 March 1986.^[29]

Payne appeared on the BBC Two documentary, Personal Services-The Making of a Celebrity, which was broadcast on 1 May 1987. She spoke to Joan Bakewell.^[30]

Payne appeared as a panellist on the BBC One comedy game show Blankety Blank, hosted by Les Dawson, in the episode broadcast on 20 November 1987.^[31]

While appearing on The Dame Edna Experience in 1987, Payne expressed an interest in becoming a Member of Parliament in order to change Britain's sex laws, which she followed through by standing for Parliament as a candidate for the 'Rainbow Alliance Payne and Pleasure Party' banner in the Kensington by-election in July 1988,^[32][33] followed by her standing in her own area, Streatham, for the Rainbow Dream Ticket in the 1992 General Election. She did not gain a parliamentary seat.^[34]

Payne appeared on BBC News with Robert Kilroy-Silk on 31 July 1990.^[35]

Payne appeared as a guest on the BBC One talk show Wogan, in the episode broadcast on 5 August 1991.^[36]

Payne appeared on three episodes of the BBC Radio 2 radio programme The Law Game, in the episodes broadcast on 24 September 1991,^[37] 1 October 1991^[38] and 4 March 1992.^[39]

Payne appeared on the BBC One programme Showbiz People, in the episode broadcast on 9 July 1992.^[40]

Payne was the subject of the BBC Two series Celebrity Mantelpiece. The episode, directed and produced by Nicholas Barker, was broadcast on 6 October 1993.^[41]

Payne appeared as a guest on the BBC Two mock talk show The Mrs Merton Show, in the episode broadcast on 24 February 1995.^[42][43] She made a second appearance in the episode broadcast on 18 May 1995.^[44]

Payne appeared as a guest on the BBC Two talk show Esther, in the episode broadcast on 19 April 1996.^[45] She made a second appearance in the episode broadcast on 10 February 1998.^[46] She made a third appearance in the episode broadcast on 17 August 1998.^[47]

Payne appeared the BBC Two magazine show Menzone, in the episode broadcast on 21 March 1998, where she spoke to Tim Grundy.^[48]

Payne made appearances as an after-dinner speaker, and launched a range of "adult" services and products in 2006.^[49]

Payne had two sons. She fell pregnant by a much older married man and gave birth to her elder child, who was eventually fostered. She financed his boarding school education and later attended his wedding. She gave her younger child up for adoption at a few weeks old. She had three abortions.^[9] Although she was always known as Mrs. Payne, she never married.^[50] She had five grandchildren.^[51]

Payne lived at 32 Ambleside Avenue,^[52] SW16 1QP,^[53][54] a detached Edwardian four-bed house, in Streatham, South London, which she bought for £16,000 in 1974, until her death. Her secretary and advisor, Gloria Walker, later moved in with her.^[18] At one time, the musician and perennial parliamentary candidate, Screaming Lord Sutch, lived with her.^[55] Land Registry records show her house was sold for £1.25M in October 2016.^[50]

Payne had once been a muse of the London-based Scottish fashion designer Christopher Kane at London Fashion Week.^[56]

Payne died at King's College Hospital^[1] in Camberwell on 15 November 2015. She was 82.^{[57][58][59][9]} Her family celebrated her life with a colourful humanist^[60] funeral service on 9 December 2015, in accordance with her wishes. She was buried at Streatham Park Cemetery in Greater London.^[61][62]

In November 2016, it was reported that Payne had left nearly £1.3M in her will, which was divided equally between her sons. The bulk of her estate was made up by the value of her house in Streatham.^[50]

Source(s): ^{[63][64][65][66]}

There are two verified biographies that are about Payne's life; An English Madam: The Life and Work of Cynthia Payne (ISBN 978-0-224-02037-4), written by Paul Bailey and published by Jonathan Cape in 1982,^[67][68][69] and Sexplicitly Yours: Trial of Cynthia Payne (ISBN 978-0-14-010543-8), written by Gloria Walker, her secretary and advisor, which was published by Penguin Books Ltd in 1987.^[70]

There are two comedy films that are loosely based on Payne's life, both released in 1987; Wish You Were Here,^[71] about her adolescence growing up on the Sussex coast,^[72] with Emily Lloyd in the lead role of Lynda Mansell,^[73] and Personal Services,^[74] about her adult life, starring Julie Walters in the lead role of Christine Painter,^[75] and directed by Terry Jones.^[76] Both were written by David Leland,^[77] who also directed Wish You Were Here,^[78] which was filmed in Brighton, Worthing and Bognor Regis^[79] over a period of six weeks; the first day of filming was on Lloyd's 16th birthday. Personal Services was banned in the Republic of Ireland on 13 March, upon theatrical release, although the ban was lifted two months later, after being overturned by the Film Appeals Board on 12 May.^[80]