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James Cossins
James Cossins (4 December 1933 – 12 February 1997) was an English character actor. Born in Beckenham, Kent, he became widely recognised as the abrupt, bewildered Mr Walt in the ''Fawlty Towers'' episode "The Hotel Inspectors" and as Mr Watson, the frustrated Public Relations training course instructor, in an episode of ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em''.Guide Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Episodes at Comedy guide Retrieved 14 August 2015 Early life He was born in and educated at the |
Beckenham
Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west of Bromley and Shortlands. Its population at the 2011 census counted 46,844 inhabitants. Beckenham was, until the coming of the railway in 1857, a small village, with most of its land being rural and private parkland. John Barwell Cator and his family began the leasing and selling of land for the building of villas which led to a rapid increase in population, between 1850 and 1900, from 2,000 to 26,000. Housing and population growth has continued at a lesser pace since 1900. The town, directly west of Bromley, has areas of commerce and industry, principally around the curved network of streets featuring its high street and is served in transport by three main railw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gandhi (film)
''Gandhi'' is a 1982 period biographical film based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of nonviolent non-cooperative Indian independence movement against the British Empire during the 20th century. A co-production between India and United Kingdom, it is directed and produced by Richard Attenborough from a screenplay written by John Briley. It stars Ben Kingsley in the title role. The film covers Gandhi's life from a defining moment in 1893, as he is thrown off from a South African train for being in a whites-only compartment and concludes with his assassination and funeral in 1948. Although a practising Hindu, Gandhi's embracing of other faiths, particularly Christianity and Islam, is also depicted. ''Gandhi'' was released by Columbia Pictures in India on 30 November 1982, in the United Kingdom on 3 December, and in the United States on 8 December. It was praised for a historically accurate portrayal of the life of Gandhi, the Indian independence movement and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
L For Lester
''L for Lester'' is a BBC sitcom first broadcast in 1982, starring Brian Murphy. The programme followed the misfortunes of a small town driving instructor. It was intended as a new vehicle for Murphy after his previous hit show - ''George and Mildred'' - was retired following the sudden death of Yootha Joyce in 1980. Premise Lester Small is a driving instructor in a quiet West Country town with quite a reputation - for taking on clients that cause havoc and mayhem whenever they are on the road. His most consistent pupil is the hapless Mrs Davies, who usually drives into a perilous situation in each episode where Lester's car is usually either badly damaged or destroyed in the process (e.g. though a level crossing onto railway tracks, into a river, onto a firing range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice or competitions. Some shootin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Good Life (1975 TV Series)
''The Good Life'' is a British sitcom, produced by BBC television. It ran from 4 April 1975 to 10 June 1978 on BBC 1 and was written by Bob Larbey and John Esmonde. Opening with the midlife crisis of Tom Good, a 40-year-old plastics designer, it relates the joys and setbacks he and his wife Barbara experience when they attempt to escape a modern "rat race" lifestyle by "becoming totally self-sufficient" in their suburban house in Surbiton. In 2004, it came 9th in ''Britain's Best Sitcom''. The lead roles are taken by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal. Background John Esmonde and Bob Larbey wrote ''The Good Life'' for Richard Briers, the only cast member who was well known before the series was broadcast. Larbey and Esmonde were inspired by Larbey's 40th birthday, which seemed to them a milestone in most people's lives. Their story has the Goods' decision to pursue self-sufficiency conflicting sharply with the habits of the Leadbetters, who live next door. The conflict betw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Just William
''Just William'' is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for numerous television series, films and radio adaptations. ''Just William'' is also sometimes used as a title for the series of books as a whole, and is also the name of various television, film and radio adaptations of the books. The William stories first appeared in ''Home'' magazine and ''Happy Mag''. Short stories The book contains the following short stories: * William Goes to the Pictures – William's aunt gives him a shilling, so he buys sweets and goes to the cinema. On his way home he is obsessed with acting out what he has seen. * William the Intruder – William steals the attentions of his brother's new crush. * William Below Stairs – William runs away from home after reading a book about a boy who ran away and made a fortune ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Citizen Smith
''Citizen Smith'' is a British television sitcom written by John Sullivan, first broadcast from 1977 to 1980. It starred Robert Lindsay as Walter Henry "Wolfie" Smith, a young Marxist "urban guerrilla" in Tooting, south London, who is attempting to emulate his hero Che Guevara. Wolfie is a reference to the Irish revolutionary Wolfe Tone, who used the pseudonym "Citizen Smith" in order to evade capture by the British. Wolfie is the self-proclaimed leader of the revolutionary Tooting Popular Front (the TPF, merely a small bunch of his friends), the goals of which are "Power to the People" and "Freedom for Tooting". Wolfie dresses in a stereotypical fashion for rebellious students of the period: logoed T-shirt, denim jeans and Afghan coat. He supports Fulham F. C. and occasionally wears a Fulham scarf. He rides a scooter and spends most of the time at his girlfriend's house, which means he constantly clashes with her parents. Cast * Robert Lindsay as Walter Henry "Wolfie" Smith ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
All Creatures Great And Small (1978 TV Series)
''All Creatures Great and Small'' is a British television series made by the BBC and based on the books of the British veterinary surgeon Alf Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot. The title aired over seven series, totalling 90 episodes, from 1978 to 1990. A remake premiered in 2020. Set in the Yorkshire Dales and beginning in the mid-1930s, it stars Christopher Timothy as Herriot, Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon (based on Donald Sinclair), the proprietor of the Skeldale House surgery, and Peter Davison as Siegfried's "little brother", Tristan (based on Brian Sinclair). Herriot's wife, Helen (based on Joan Wight), was initially played by Carol Drinkwater and in the latter series by Lynda Bellingham. The series was produced throughout its run by Bill Sellars. In early 1977, the BBC tasked him with the creation of a television series from Herriot's first two novels, ''If Only They Could Talk'' (1970) and ''It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet'' (1972), using the title of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shadows (TV Series)
''Shadows'' is a British supernatural television anthology series produced by Thames Television for ITV between 1975 and 1978. Extending over three series, it featured ghost and horror dramas for children. Notable writers for the series included J. B. Priestley, Fay Weldon, PJ Hammond, Joan Aiken, Jacquetta Hawkes and Penelope Lively. Cast Guest actors included John Nettleton, Gareth Thomas, Jenny Agutter, Pauline Quirke, Brian Glover, June Brown, Rachel Herbert, Jacqueline Pearce and Gwyneth Strong. The series was also notable for reviving the character of Mr. Stabs (Russell Hunter) from the TV series Ace of Wands. Episodes Series 1 (1975) Series 2 (1976) Series 3 (1978) Awards In 1976 and 1977 ''Shadows'' was nominated for the ''Harlequin'' BAFTA TV Award under the category of Drama/Light Entertainment. The series missed out on winning on both occasions, to Ballet Shoes and The Multi-Coloured Swap Shop respectively. Spin-offs A 1979 TV series, ''The Boy Merlin'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bless This House (British TV Series)
''Bless This House'' is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 2 February 1971 to 22 April 1976. Starring Sid James and Diana Coupland, it was created by Vince Powell and Harry Driver, but mainly written by other hands including Dave Freeman and Carla Lane. It was made for the ITV network by Thames Television. In 2004, ''Bless This House'' was ranked by a BBC poll as the 67th Best British Sitcom. Synopsis ''Bless This House'' centres on life in Howard Road, New Malden, where travelling stationery salesman Sid Abbott and his wife Jean live with their teenagers: Mike is fresh from art college and more pre-occupied with protests than finding a job; and trendy schoolgirl Sally. Mike is 18 and Sally is 16, at the series' start. Sid and Jean constantly battle to comprehend the new generation's permissive ways and are usually out-of-touch. Their neighbours and best friends are Trevor Lewis and his wife Betty. A total of 65 episodes of ''Bless This House'' were produced between 197 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sweeney
''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Inspector Jack Regan and Dennis Waterman as his partner, Detective Sergeant George Carter. It was produced by the Thames Television subsidiary Euston Films for broadcast on the ITV network in the UK between 2 January 1975 and 28 December 1978. The programme's title comes from the real-world Cockney rhyming slang nickname "Sweeney Todd" used to refer to the Flying Squad by London's criminal fraternity in the mid 20th Century. The popularity of the series in the UK led to two feature films, '' Sweeney!'' (1977) and ''Sweeney 2'' (1978), both starring Thaw and Waterman, and a later film, '' The Sweeney'' (2012), starring Ray Winstone as Regan and Ben Drew as Carter. Background ''The Sweeney'' was developed from a one-off TV drama entitled ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bergerac (TV Series)
''Bergerac'' is a British crime drama television series. Set in Jersey, it ran from 18 October 1981 to 26 December 1991. Produced by the BBC in association with the Australian Seven Network, and first screened on BBC1, it stars John Nettles as the title character Jim Bergerac, who is initially a detective sergeant in Le Bureau des Étrangers ("The Foreigners' Office", a fictional department dealing with non-Jersey residents), within the States of Jersey Police, but later leaves the force and becomes a private investigator. Westward Studios executive producer Brian Constantine said the Bergerac reboot was in the final stages of development, possibly airing 2024. Background The series ran from 1981 to 1991. It was created by producer Robert Banks Stewart after an earlier detective series, '' Shoestring,'' starring Trevor Eve, came to an abrupt end. Like ''Shoestring'', the series begins with a man returning to work after a particularly bad period in his life: Eddie Shoestring fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minder (TV Series)
''Minder'' is a British comedy-drama series about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television, and shown on ITV for ten series between 1979 and 1994. The series was notable for using a range of leading British actors, as well as many up-and-coming performers before they found their greatest success; at its peak it was one of ITV's most watched shows. The series was revived by Channel 5 in 2009 but was discontinued after only six episodes. Plot The first seven series starred Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, a Fulham fan, an honest and likeable bodyguard (''minder'' in London slang) and George Cole as Arthur Daley, a socially ambitious, but highly unscrupulous importer/exporter, wholesaler, used-car salesman and purveyor of anything else from which there was money to be made, legally or not. The series is principally set in inner west London (specifically Shepherd's Bush, Ladbroke Grove, F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
