Who is/was Icky Plush?

[Possumboy]

I am currently rehearsing a play called Celebration by Keith Waterhouse & Willis Hall. I believe it was written in the late 50's/early 60's and is meant to be set in northern England at around that time.

My question is in relation to one of my characters lines, in which he is naming a succession of people who are 'not' in attendance, in sacrcastic response to his mother asking a loaded question about some peoples notable absences.

Anyway, one of the people mentioned is Icky Plush. Prince Phillip is mentioned, that one's easy, as is Lester Piggott, Tommy Steele and Tony Hancock, but Icky is a problem.

We assume that is is a slang term, but we are far from sure as to what it meant. The only reference we can come up with is our directors vague recollection of his father refering to Icky Plush as "The man with the Velvet Ringpiece". What is was in relation to, we have no idea!
I have also tried to find reference on the internet, but have drawn a blank.

Any ideas on this would be greatly appriciated, as the show goes up in about three weeks, and we still are clueless as to the identity of Mr. Plush!

[Amz260104]

Can I make a bold suggestion. Depending on how desperate you are for an answer, according to Wikipedia, Keith Waterhouse is still writing for the Daily Mail, why not contact the paper and ask the man himself!?

[Possumboy]

Excellent suggestion, thanks for the heads up. I think I'll give that a go! =)