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John Sparkes
John Sparkes (born 6 January 1954) is a Welsh actor and comedian. He portrayed Barry Welsh, presenter of the HTV Wales series ''Barry Welsh Is Coming''. He has also had major roles in ''Naked Video'', '' Absolutely'', ''Fireman Sam'', ''Shaun the Sheep'', and ''Jeff Global's Global Probe'', and is the narrator of the children's television show ''Peppa Pig''. Early life Sparkes was born on 6 January 1954 in Swansea, Wales. He began his working life at Lloyds Bank in Mumbles. After a time as an English teacher, in the 1980s, he turned to comedy and moved to London, becoming an established performer in the first years of London's alternative cabaret circuit alongside Alexei Sayle, Jo Brand, Paul Merton, and Rik Mayall. Television comedy career ''Naked Video'' and ''Absolutely'' Sparkes starred in the sketch show ''Naked Video'', where he played Siadwel, the geeky South Wales poet who wore an anorak and glasses. The character also appeared when Sparkes was part of the BBC Radio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in the United Kingdom. Located along Swansea Bay in southwest Wales, with the principal area covering the Gower Peninsula, it is part of the Swansea Bay region and part of the historic county of Glamorgan; also the ancient Welsh commote of Gŵyr. The principal area is the second most populous local authority area in Wales with an estimated population of 246,563 in 2020. Swansea, along with Neath and Port Talbot, forms the Swansea Urban Area with a population of 300,352 in 2011. It is also part of the Swansea Bay City Region. During the 19th-century industrial heyday, Swansea was the key centre of the copper-smelting industry, earning the nickname ''Copperopolis''. Etymologies The Welsh name, ''Abertawe'', translates as ''"mouth/es ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexei Sayle
Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic of all time on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-ups in 2007. In an updated 2010 poll he came 72nd. Much of Sayle's humour is in the tradition of Spike Milligan and Monty Python, with riffs based on often absurd and surreal premises. His act is known for its cynicism and political awareness, as well as physical comedy. Early life Sayle was born and brought up in the Anfield suburb of Liverpool, the son of Molly (Malka) Sayle (née Mendelson), a pools clerk, and Joseph Henry Sayle, a railway guard, both of whom were members of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Sayle's mother was of Lithuanian Jewish descent, and some members of his family were devout Jews. From 1964 to 1969, he attended Alsop High School in Walton ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Big Knights
''The Big Knights'' is a British animated television series. It was created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker through their studio The Big Knights Ltd., in co-production with BBC Worldwide and in association with BBC Bristol. It was first broadcast on BBC Two over the Christmas season of 1999–2000. It was the first TV series to be digitally animated using CelAction 2D, while the first release of the software was still under development. It is mixed with cutout animation, traditional animation, and flash animation. The stories tell the adventures of the two Big Knights, Sir Boris and Sir Morris, who are incredibly strong and brave, but are also incredibly dim-witted. They solve crises, usually of their own creation, but cause great destruction and mayhem in the process. Setting The eponymous Big Knights live in Castle Big, on the edge of Forest Big, in the land of Borovia. Borovia seems to be situated in either Central or Eastern Europe. The knights themselves are indeed big; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben And Holly's Little Kingdom
''Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom'' is a British preschool animated television series. The show was created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker, and produced by Astley Baker Davies and Entertainment One (the companies responsible for ''Peppa Pig''). Many of the voice actors who worked Peppa Pig have lent their voices to the show; these include John Sparkes, Sarah Ann Kennedy, David Rintoul and David Graham. The music is produced by Julian Nott, who is noted for his ''Wallace and Gromit'' and ''Peppa Pig'' scores. Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom is the third show to be produced by Astley Baker Davies. Overview The show is set in the Little Kingdom which is hidden among thorny brambles. The Little Kingdom is ruled by King and Queen Thistle, mainly from the Little Castle, where they live with their three daughters; 8-year-old Holly, and younger twins Daisy and Poppy. Elf, Elves including 8-year-old Ben live at the Great Elf Tree, which acts as a school, library, apartment block and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morwenna Banks
Tamsin Morwenna Banks (born 20 September 1961) is a British comedy actress, writer and producer. She appeared in the Channel 4 comedy sketch show '' Absolutely'', and wrote, produced, and appeared in the British ensemble film ''The Announcement''. She voices Mummy Pig, Madame Gazelle and Dr Hamster in the children's series ''Peppa Pig''. Early life Banks attended Truro High School for Girls and Robinson College, Cambridge and was a member of the Cambridge Footlights from 1981 to 1983. She also acted with the Marlowe Society, such as in a brief comic cameo as the Widow in Ben Jonson's ''The Alchemist'', alongside Tilda Swinton. Career One of Banks' early major television roles was as part of the team on the comedy sketch show '' Absolutely'', broadcast on Channel 4 between 1989 and 1993. Her other television appearances include the BBC series ''The Thick of It'', ''Red Dwarf'', '' Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul'' and the Steve Coogan comedy ''Saxondale'', in which she played r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru (or BAFTA in Wales or WAFTA) is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and was founded in 1987.About BAFTA Cymru British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 2017-03-28. The British Academy Cymru Awards were established in 1991, with the first annual held on 30 November 1991. The annual ceremony takes place in to recognise achievement in production, performance and craft categories in Welsh-made s and |
Hugh Pugh (fictional Character)
Hugh Pugh is a news reporter for the fictitious ''Look Out Wales'' reports featured on comedy sketch show ''Barry Welsh Is Coming''. He is played by Welsh comedian, John Sparkes, and his name is a parody of Welsh names in general. He first appeared in 1997. Reports Hugh Pugh is a reporter in Fishguard in West Wales, and his reports are constantly in black and white (though he has briefly appeared in colour). It is explained that Fishguard itself is in black and white because it is behind the rest of ales The news reports are made to match old news reels to accommodate Sparkes' jokes. Hugh Pugh holds an old-fashioned microphone in one hand, but is always holding the lead's plug in the other. Hugh Pugh vs. Barry Welsh Hugh Pugh himself has a grudge against Barry Welsh, partly because Cardiff is more "advanced" than Fishguard, and partly because Barry Welsh is the host of the show. Fans and viewing figures suggest that Hugh Pugh is the most popular segment of ''Barry Welsh Is Coming ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HTV Wales
ITV Wales and West, previously known as Harlech Television (HTV), was an ITV franchise area in the United Kingdom until 31 December 2013, licensed to a broadcaster by the regulator Ofcom. There is no channel, past or present, named "ITV Wales and West". The licence relates to a "dual region", meaning that the franchise area was divided into two sub-regions, Wales and the West of England, each of which had to be served by distinct and separate ITV programme services, as more fully defined within the licence. From January 2014, the dual-region licence was split in two, with ITV Cymru Wales for Wales and ITV West Country covering the both the West of England sub-region and South West England. Both licences remain held by ITV plc through its subsidiary ITV Broadcasting Ltd, and the legal names of the former HTV companies have not yet been changed again. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in the United Kingdom. At the time, the only other channels were the television licence, licence-funded BBC One and BBC Two, and a single commercial broadcasting network ITV (TV network), ITV. The network's headquarters are based in London and Leeds, with creative hubs in Glasgow and Bristol. It is publicly owned and advertising-funded; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the station is now owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation, a public corporation of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which was established in 1990 and came into operation in 1993. Until 2010, Channel 4 did not broadcast in Wales, but many of its programmes were re-broadcast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House, London. The station controller is Mohit Bakaya. Broadcasting throughout the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands on FM, LW and DAB, and on BBC Sounds, it can be received in the eastern counties of Ireland, northern France and Northern Europe. It is available on Freeview, Sky, and Virgin Media. Radio 4 currently reaches over 10 million listeners, making it the UK's second most-popular radio station after Radio 2. BBC Radio 4 broadcasts news programmes such as ''Today'' and ''The World at One'', heralded on air by the Greenwich Time Signal pips or the chimes of Big Ben. The pips are only accurate on FM, LW, and MW; there is a delay on digital radio of three to five seconds and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anorak
A parka or anorak is a type of coat with a hood, often lined with fur or faux fur. This kind of garment is a staple of Inuit clothing, traditionally made from caribou or seal skin, for hunting and kayaking in the frigid Arctic. Some Inuit anoraks require regular coating with fish oil to retain their water resistance. The words ''anorak'' and ''parka'' have been used interchangeably, but they are somewhat different garments. Strictly speaking, an anorak is a waterproof, hooded, pull-over jacket without a front opening, and sometimes drawstrings at the waist and cuffs, and a parka is a hip-length cold-weather coat, typically stuffed with down or very warm synthetic fiber, and with a fur-lined hood. Etymology The word ''anorak'' comes from the Greenlandic (''Kalaallisut'') word ''annoraaq''. It did not appear in English until 1924; an early definition is "a beaded item worn by Greenland women or brides in the 1930s". In the early 1950s it was made from nylon, but changed to po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
