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Good Fun
Good Fun is a play by Victoria Wood, first performed in 1980. It is set in an Arts Centre in North West England. Origins Wood, keen to trade on her previous stage success '' Talent'', was commissioned to write another play by impresario Michael Codron. "I wrote one called ''Pals'', which he said was 'very enjoyable'. This is a euphemism for wincing, so it went in the bin. I then wrote another called ''Good Fun''." Performance The play was first performed in April 1980 at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre. It was directed by David Leland. It starred Annabel Leventon as Liz, Charles McKeown as Frank, Gregory Floy as Mike, Victoria Wood as Lynne, Joe Figg as Kev, Julie Walters as Betty, Noreen Kershaw as Gail and Christopher Hancock as Maurice. The show was then performed at The Crucible Theatre again in June that year with some cast changes. Polly James played Liz, Sam Kelly played Frank and Meg Johnson played Betty. After The Crucible's second version, the plan was to transfer t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Hancock
Christopher Anthony Arthur Hancock (5 June 1928 – 29 September 2004) was a British television and theatre actor. He was born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England. His brother was actor Stephen Hancock. He and his brother trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He was married to Ann Walford; the couple had two daughters before divorcing. Hancock began acting in the theatre in the 1960s and he had roles in plays such as ''Richard II'' and ''Measure for Measure'' (both 1965) and the musical ''Billy'' (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1974). He was then best known for playing conman Charlie Cotton in the popular BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1986 until 1990. His character was killed off in July 1991 but his death was not shown on-screen. He also appeared in other television series such as ''Z-Cars'', '' Softly, Softly'', '' The Gaffer'', ''The Upper Hand'' and ''The Bill''. He reprised his ''EastEnders'' role as Charlie Cotton briefly in a special spin-off episod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Dodd
Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances. A lifelong resident of Knotty Ash in Liverpool, Dodd's career as an entertainer started in the mid-1950s. His performances included rapid and incessant delivery of often surreal jokes, and would run for several hours, frequently past midnight. His verbal and physical comedy was supplemented by his red, white and blue "tickling stick" prop, and often introduced by his characteristic upbeat greeting of "How tickled I am!" He interspersed the comedy with songs, both serious and humorous, and with his original speciality, ventriloquism. He also had several hit singles primarily as a ballad singer in the 1960s, and occasionally appeared in dramatic roles. He performed on radio and television, and popularised the characters of the Diddy Men. He wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Orton
John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his death in 1967, was short but highly influential. During this brief period he shocked, outraged, and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies. The adjective ''Ortonesque'' refers to work characterised by a similarly dark yet farcical cynicism. Early life Orton was born on 1 January 1933 at Causeway Lane Maternity Hospital, Leicester, to William Arthur Orton and Elsie Mary Orton (née Bentley). William worked for Leicester County Borough Council as a gardener and Elsie worked in the local footwear industry until tuberculosis cost her a lung. At the time of Joe's birth William and Mary were living with William's family at 261 Avenue Road Extension in Clarendon Park, Leicester. The same year that Joe's younger brother Douglas was born, 1935, the Ortons moved to 9 Fayrhurst Road on the Saffron Lan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, which is owned by News Corp. Times Newspapers also publishes ''The Times''. The two papers were founded independently and have been under common ownership since 1966. They were bought by News International in 1981. ''The Sunday Times'' has a circulation of just over 650,000, which exceeds that of its main rivals, including ''The'' ''Sunday Telegraph'' and ''The'' ''Observer'', combined. While some other national newspapers moved to a tabloid format in the early 2000s, ''The Sunday Times'' has retained the larger broadsheet format and has said that it would continue to do so. As of December 2019, it sells 75% more copies than its sister paper, ''The Times'', which is published from Monday to Saturday. The paper publishes ''The Sunday Ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Fenton
James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (other), various kings named James * Saint James (other) * James (musician) * James, brother of Jesus Places Canada * James Bay, a large body of water * James, Ontario United Kingdom * James College, a college of the University of York United States * James, Georgia, an unincorporated community * James, Iowa, an unincorporated community * James City, North Carolina * James City County, Virginia ** James City (Virginia Company) ** James City Shire * James City, Pennsylvania * St. James City, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * ''James'' (2005 film), a Bollywood film * ''James'' (2008 film), an Irish short film * ''James'' (2022 film), an Indian Kannada-language film * James the Red Engine, a character in ''Thomas the Tank En ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust. The trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of ''The Guardian'' in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of ''The Guardian'' free from commercial or political interference". The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for ''The Guardian'' the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders. It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK. The editor-in-chief Katharine Viner succeeded Alan Rusbridger in 2015. Since 2018, the paper's main news ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Islington
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy High Street, Upper Street, Essex Road (former "Lower Street"), and Southgate Road to the east. Modern definition Islington grew as a sprawling Middlesex village along the line of the Great North Road, and has provided the name of the modern borough. This gave rise to some confusion, as neighbouring districts may also be said to be in Islington. This district is bounded by Liverpool Road to the west and City Road and Southgate Road to the south-east. Its northernmost point is in the area of Canonbury. The main north–south high street, Upper Street splits at Highbury Corner to Holloway Road to the west and St. Paul's Road to the east. The Angel business improvement district (BID), an area centered around the Angel t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West End Theatre
West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1195, Along with New York City's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London. Famous screen actors, British and international alike, frequently appear on the London stage. There are a total of 39 theatres in the West End, with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, opened in May 1663, the oldest theatre in London. The Savoy Theatre – built as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan – was entirely lit by electricity in 1881. Opening in October 2022, @sohoplace is the first new West End theatre in 50 years. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meg Johnson (actress)
Meg Johnson (born 30 September 1936) is an English actress. She is known for her roles on various British soap operas, including Eunice Gee on ''Coronation Street'', Brigid McKenna on ''Brookside'' and Pearl Ladderbanks on ''Emmerdale''. Alongside her television roles, Johnson has also appeared in various stage productions, including ''Chicago'' and ''Follies''. Career Johnson's first professional acting role occurred when she was aged 24 in a series titled ''Family Solicitor'' (1961). Subsequent roles included ''The Referees'' (1961) and '' Here's Harry'' (1961–1964). Then in 1976, Johnson appeared in a few episodes of the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' as Brenda Holden, before being cast as Eunice Gee in 1981. In the 1980s Johnson worked several times with Victoria Wood, appearing in several episodes of her shows '' Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV'' as well as '' Victoria Wood Presents''. In 1997, she appeared in the West End theatre revival of ''Chicago'' as Mama Mort ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam Kelly
Roger Michael Kelly (19 December 1943 – 14 June 2014), known by the stage name Sam Kelly, was an English actor who appeared in film, television, radio and theatre. He is best known for his roles as Captain Hans Geering in '' 'Allo 'Allo!'', Warren in ''Porridge'', Sam in '' On the Up'', and Ted Liversidge in '' Barbara''. Early life Kelly was born in Salford, Lancashire on 19 December 1943 and abandoned; he was adopted by a couple who moved to Liverpool. There he attended the Liverpool Collegiate School and was a chorister at Liverpool Cathedral, where he showed early acting talent by reciting monologues. He worked for three years in the Civil Service in Liverpool before training as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After graduating in 1967, he appeared in repertory theatres around the UK. Career His early roles included playing a film director in '' Tiffany Jones'' (1973) and appearances in two of the later ''Carry On'' films, ''Carry On Dick'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polly James
Polly James (born 8 July 1941) is an English actress with a career in theatre, film, television and radio. Career Pauline James was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, under the name Pauline Devaney. After graduating from RADA, her TV career began in BBC2's ''Thirty-Minute Theatre'', followed by the role of a drug addict in ''Z-Cars'' in 1967. She played Audrey Hargreaves in ''Coronation Street'' in 1967. She is best known for her role as Beryl Hennessey in the first four series of the British sitcom ''The Liver Birds'' (1969–74), mostly alongside Nerys Hughes. She played Cicely Courtneidge in the biographical musical of the actress '' Once More with Music'' in 1976, and appeared as a soubrette in Alan Clarke's 1982 production of ''Baal.'' She played the role of Jane Hampden on "The Awakening" episode of ''Doctor Who'' in 1984. She appeared in the West End musicals ''I and Albert'' and '' Anne of Green Gables''. In 1971, James appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company in ''T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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