Scene Saints: Mary Millington ~ Counter-Cultural Icon

I’m writing a series of articles spotlighting influential figures, whom I’ve dubbed “Scene Saints,” to honor and recognise their vital contributions in laying the foundational building blocks of the kink community.

Mary Millington ~ Counter-Cultural Icon
Saint Mary Millington 30 November, 1945 – 19 August, 1979

Come Play with Me
Mary Millington’s breakthrough came with the 1977 British sex comedy Come Play with Me, directed by George Harrison Marks and produced by David Sullivan. This risqué, Benny Hill-style romp, light on plot but heavy on full nudity, daring for its era and X-rated, became a cultural hit. Mary’s charisma shone, making her the film’s star. Its 201 week run at Soho’s Moulin Cinema earned a Guinness World Record for Britain’s longest continuous theatrical run, cementing her enduring allure. (Think 50 Shades of Grey, not terribly good but it exploded into a massive, era-defining phenomenon.)

Mary Millington’s International Sex Centre
In May 1978, Mary Millington opened her own sex shop, Mary Millington’s International Sex Centre, in Tooting, South London.  The store, which included a 50-seat basement cinema, sold adult magazines, sex toys, and illegal hardcore pornography, drawing significant attention from both customers and authorities. Mary relentlessly promoted her shop in adult magazines beaming “Meet me there!”  Her Admirers and customers sought autographed magazines, rubber toys, polite pecks on the cheek, and the hardest-core Continental pornography she boldly stocked.  Her vocal criticism of censorship and willingness to stock explicit material led to frequent police raids, which she claimed involved harassment and demands for protection money. Relentless raids and her defiant act of publishing police and government contacts in her magazines escalated her legal battles and fueled her paranoia, hastening her tragic decline.

No Happy Ending… But A Legacy
Mary Millington’s fame came at a heavy cost. Legal battles, including a 1977 obscenity trial at the Old Bailey, compounded by depression, addiction issues, and financial woes, overwhelmed her. On August 19, 1979, at age 33, she died by overdose at her Surrey home, a tragic end to a vibrant but brief life.

Her films, though seen as lowbrow by some, delivered unpretentious fun, resonating with audiences weary of Hollywood gloss. Mary Millington, one of the wealthiest and most prolific women working in the 1970s sex industry, left an enduring legacy as a British Counterculture icon and sex symbol. Her prominent campaign to relax Britain’s strict anti-pornography laws, despite triggering police harassment and multiple trials, cemented her as a fearless trailblazer and advocate for sexual freedom.

A Very “Blue” Plaque
Mary Millington was honored with a blue plaque at the former Moulin Cinema (now a cocktail bar) at 42–44 Great Windmill Street, Soho, London, where her iconic soft-porn film Come Play With Me ran for a record-breaking four years. Unveiled in April 2016, the plaque celebrates her impact on the British sex industry. David Sullivan, her former partner and West Ham United co-chairman, told The Mirror newspaper in 2016,
 “She would be very proud. It’s probably the first recognition for any woman from the British sex industry. To set up a record that stands 40 years later, we’re all very proud of it. She was a liberal and as long as the act was legal and between consenting adults she felt people should be able to see whatever they wanted.”

(Though styled like an English Heritage plaque, the organization clarified it was not involved. Here at TEM, we say kudos to those who honored her legacy!)

Counter-Cultural Icon

Mary Millington’s legacy endures, as detailed in Simon Sheridan’s biography Come Play with Me: The Life and Films of Mary Millington and his documentary Respectable: The Mary Millington Story. These portray a sensitive, nonjudgmental woman beyond her glamorous image. (Her final role was in the Sex Pistols’ mockumentary The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle, 1980.)