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Heavy Weather (TV)
''Heavy Weather'' is a television film with a screenplay by Douglas Livingstone based on the 1933 novel '' Heavy Weather'' by P. G. Wodehouse, set at Blandings Castle. It was made by the BBC and WGBH Boston, first screened by the BBC on Christmas Eve 1995 and shown in the United States on PBS's ''Masterpiece Theatre'' on 18 February 1996.Taves (2006), p. 198. Plot Though abridged for a 90-minute film, ''Heavy Weather'' follows closely the novel of 1933, the fourth in the Blandings series. Many of the familiar elements of the Blandings books are present: the wish of Lord Emsworth's nephew, Ronnie Fish, to marry a chorus girl, Sue Brown; the concern of Emsworth's sisters, the imperious Lady Constance Keeble and Ronnie's mother Lady Julia Fish, to ensure that the reminiscences of their other brother, the Hon. Galahad Threepwood, were not published; Galahad's protectiveness towards Miss Brown, the daughter of his long lost love Dolly Henderson; the sustained efforts of the publisher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Gold
Jacob M. "Jack" Gold (28 June 1930 – 9 August 2015) was a British film and television director. He was part of the Kitchen sink realism, British realist tradition which followed the Free Cinema movement. Career Jacob M. Gold was born in London, the son of Charles and Minnie (née Elbery) Gold. He attended University College London. After leaving UCL, he began his career as a film editor on the BBC's ''Tonight (1957 TV series), Tonight'' programme. Gold became a freelance documentary filmmaker, making dramas as a platform for his social and political observations. For television, his best known work is ''The Naked Civil Servant (film), The Naked Civil Servant'' (1975), based on Quentin Crisp's The Naked Civil Servant (book), 1968 book of the same name and starring John Hurt. He had previously directed the 1964 crime series ''Call the Gun Expert'' for the BBC. Other television credits include ''The Visit'' (1959), the BBC Television Shakespeare productions of ''The Merch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury
George Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury is a recurring fictional character in the stories of British author P. G. Wodehouse. Pyke is a publishing magnate, the founder and owner of the Mammoth Publishing Company. Outside his business, he has a passion for pigs and is the owner of a prize pig named Buckingham Big Boy. Pyke appears in several novels, including two set at Blandings Castle: '' Heavy Weather'' (1933) and '' Service With a Smile'' (1961). Inspiration According to Robert McCrum, Wodehouse knew the British publishing magnate Lord Northcliffe, who served as a source of inspiration for Lord Tilbury. Life Wodehouse introduces Pyke in ''Bill the Conqueror'' as plain Sir George Pyke. Mammoth Publishing Company is already a mighty undertaking and Pyke is about to become a Lord – he selects the Tilbury title based on the address of his headquarters, at Tilbury House on Tilbury Street. Pyke is not a tall man and runs somewhat to fat. His similarity to Napoleon, both in physique ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Bamber
David James Bamber (born 19 September 1954) is an English actor. He has worked in television and theatre. He is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Early years Bamber was born in Walkden, Lancashire. By September 1973, he was at the Manchester Youth Theatre, playing Pandarus in Troilus and Cressida. Bamber studied drama at Bristol University, continuing his training at RADA where he won the Gold Medal in 1979. Career Bamber has worked on many British television series, mini-series and TV films. He appeared in the BBC adaptations of Hanif Kureishi's '' The Buddha of Suburbia'' and Jane Austen's ''Pride and Prejudice'', in which he portrayed the Bennets' clergyman cousin, Mr. Collins. He also played the part of a junior treasury minister and stamp collecting enthusiast, Julian Whitaker, in an episode of ''The New Statesman'', in which Alan frames Whitaker and forces his resignation. In 1997 he starred as Eric Slatt in two series of Steven Moffat's ''Chalk'', co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Johnson (actor)
Richard Keith Johnson (30 July 1927 – 5 June 2015) was an English stage and screen actor, writer and producer. Described by Michael Coveney as "a very 'still' actor – authoritative, calm and compelling," he was a staple performer in British films and television from the 1960s through the 2010s, often playing urbane sophisticates and authoritative characters. He had a distinguished theatrical career, notably as a cornerstone member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and was once acclaimed as "the finest romantic actor of his generation." Biography Early life and career Johnson was born to Frances Louisa Olive (née Tweed) and Keith Holcombe Johnson in Upminster, Essex. Johnson went to Felsted School, and wanted to act instead of going into the family paint business. He trained at RADA and due to the manpower shortage of wartime made his first professional appearance relatively quickly, on stage in Manchester with John Gielgud's company in a production of ''Hamlet'' in 1944. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ronald Fraser (actor)
Ronald Fraser (11 April 1930 – 13 March 1997) was a British character actor, who appeared in numerous British plays, films and television shows from the 1950s to the 1990s. An unusual appearance and unique delivery made him a natural comedic actor. Fraser was a familiar figure in West End clubs during the sixties, and despite a long-standing reputation as one of the hardest drinking of British actors he was still working in his last years. He was perhaps best known as Basil "Badger" Allenby-Johnson in the 1970s television series '' The Misfit''. Background Ronald Fraser was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, the son of an interior decorator and builder from Scotland. He attended Ashton Grammar School. He was educated in Scotland and did national service as a lieutenant in the Seaforth Highlanders. While serving in Benghazi in North Africa, he appeared in the comic play ''French Without Tears'' by Terence Rattigan. He trained as an actor at RADA until 1953 and soon appe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sebastian Beach
Sebastian Beach is a fictional character in the Blandings stories by P. G. Wodehouse. He is the butler at Blandings Castle, seat of Lord Emsworth and his family, where he serves for over eighteen years. Inspiration Beach's name was inspired by Beach Road, a road in the town of Emsworth, England, that leads to the seashore. The road is located near a cottage called Threepwood, which Wodehouse rented in the early 1900s. Background and character Like all butlers in properly run Edwardian homes, Beach is always known by his surname. He is a heavy-set man, whose favourite pastime is drinking port in the pantry, though he occasionally switches to brandy during crises. He has a pleasant singing voice, a mellow baritone reminiscent of a cask of very old, dry sherry. He is somewhat more emotional than Wodehouse's other famous domestic servant, Jeeves, although, when in the company of his masters, Beach generally limits himself to a slightly raised eyebrow, even when strongly moved. Accor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roy Hudd
Roy Hudd, OBE (16 May 1936 – 15 March 2020) was an English comedian, actor, presenter, radio host, author and authority on the history of music hall entertainment. Early life Hudd was born in Croydon on 16 May 1936 to Evalina "Evie" (née Barham) and Harry Hudd. His father was a carpenter who left the family shortly after the Second World War, and his mother, who had a history of mental health problems, commited suicide by gas when Hudd was 9 years old. Hudd was primarily brought up by his grandmother, and attended Tavistock Secondary Modern School in Croydon and Croydon Secondary Technical School. After completing his national service in the Royal Air Force, he studied commercial art at the Regent Street Polytechnic. He then worked as a messenger for an advertising agency, a window dresser and a commercial artist working under Harry Beck. He made his professional debut as a comedian at the Streatham Hill Theatre on 27 October 1957, in a show in aid of the Sir Philip Game#M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarah Badel
Sarah M. Badel (born 30 March 1943) is a retired British stage and film actress. She is the daughter of actors Alan Badel and Yvonne Owen. Life and career Badel was born in London to actor, Alan Badel and actress, Yvonne Owen. She was educated in Poles Convent, Hertfordshire and trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; she is now an Associate Member. Sarah Badel made her acting debut in January 1963 in the Bristol Old Vic company's production of ''Hamlet'', which was then touring India. Her first appearance in London theatre came in October 1964 in the part of Bella Hedley in ''Robert and Elizabeth'' at the Lyric Theatre. Badel made her Broadway theatre debut the following October playing Helen in '' The Right Honourable Gentleman'' at the Billy Rose Theatre. In 1966, she performed at the Chichester Festival Theatre in such roles as Miss Fanny in ''The Clandestine Marriage'' and Anya in ''The Cherry Orchard''. She returned to the Chichester Festival in 196 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Judy Parfitt
Judy Catherine Claire Parfitt (born 7 November 1935) is an English theatre, film and television actress. She made her film debut in a minor supporting part in ''Information Received'' (1961), followed by supporting role in the BBC television serial ''David Copperfield'' (1966). She also appeared as Queen Gertrude in Tony Richardson's 1969 film adaptation of ''Hamlet''. Later credits include as Vera Donovan in the Stephen King film adaptation of ''Dolores Claiborne'' (1995), and in '' Girl with a Pearl Earring'' (2003), the latter for which she earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She has been a cast member on the drama series ''Call the Midwife'', playing Sister Monica Joan since the show's launch in 2012. Early life Parfitt was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire in 1935 [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monty Bodkin
Montague "Monty" Bodkin (also referred to as Montrose) is a recurring fictional character in three novels of English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a wealthy young member of the Drones Club, well-dressed, well-spoken, impeccably polite, and generally in some kind of romantic trouble. Stories Monty is featured in: * '' Heavy Weather'' (1933) – a Blandings Castle novel * ''The Luck of the Bodkins'' (1935) * '' Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin'' (1972) – quoted as "Montrose" instead of "Montague" Monty is mentioned in: * ''Uncle Fred in the Springtime'' (1939) – Blandings * ''Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves'' (1963) – Jeeves Life and character Monty Bodkin is the second-richest member of the Drones Club (the richest being Oofy Prosser). He is tall and slender, and has butter-coloured hair. The son of a solicitor with a small country-town practice, Monty inherited his money from an aunt who married an American millionaire from Pittsburgh when she was in the chorus of a musical at th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Member Of Parliament (UK)
In the United Kingdom, a member of Parliament (MP) is an individual elected to serve in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Electoral system All 650 members of the UK House of Commons are elected using the first-past-the-post voting system in single member constituencies across the whole of the United Kingdom, where each constituency has its own single representative. Elections All MP positions become simultaneously vacant for elections held on a five-year cycle, or when a snap election is called. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 set out that ordinary general elections are held on the first Thursday in May, every five years. The Act was repealed in 2022. With approval from Parliament, both the 2017 and 2019 general elections were held earlier than the schedule set by the Act. If a vacancy arises at another time, due to death or resignation, then a constituency vacancy may be filled by a by-election. Under the Representation of the People Act 198 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe
Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe, 7th Baronet (usually called Sir Gregory Parsloe) is a fictional character from the Blandings Castle short stories and novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. In the stories, Parsloe resides at Matchingham Hall, near Blandings Castle, and is the rival and enemy of Lord Emsworth. Appearances Parsloe first appears in the short story " The Custody of the Pumpkin" (included in the 1935 collection ''Blandings Castle and Elsewhere'', but written over ten years earlier). He later shows up in several other Blandings tales, including ''Summer Lightning'' (1929), '' Heavy Weather'' (1933) and ''Pigs Have Wings'' (1953). Wild youth While Emsworth's brother Gally is preparing his reminiscences in ''Summer Lightning'', he reveals quite a lot about the Baronet's black past. Although the first twenty years or so of his life were relatively blameless, he went off the rails to a considerable degree, and was considered a dangerous type by his contemporaries. When Ga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |