Lynda Bellingham
Lynda Bellingham, OBE ( ; 31 May 194819 October 2014) was an English actress, broadcaster and author. She acted in television series such as '' All Creatures Great and Small'', ''Doctor Who'', '' Second Thoughts'' and '' Faith in the Future''. She was also known for her appearances as the mother in the long-running series of " Oxo Family" British TV advertisements between 1983 and 1999, and as a panellist on the ITV lunchtime chat show ''Loose Women'' between 2007 and 2011. Early life Bellingham was born Meredith Hughes in Montreal to a single mother, but was given up for adoption because she was born out of wedlock in a strict church-going family. She was adopted when she was four months old. Bellingham was educated at Aylesbury High School and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Film and television Acting Bellingham made her television début as a nurse in an ITV afternoon soap opera of the 1970s, ''General Hospital''. Her early film credits included roles in ' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Order Of The British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V and comprises five classes across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. Recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the United Kingdom, the self-governing Dominions of the Empire (later Commonwealth) and the Viceroy of India. Nominations continue today from Commonwealth countries that participate in recommending British honours. Most Commonwealth countries ceased recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire when they ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Confessions Of A Driving Instructor
''Confessions of a Driving Instructor'' is a 1976 British sex-farce film. This was the third instalment of the ''Confessions'' sequence on the erotic adventures of Timothy Lea, based on the novels published under the name by Christopher Wood. Plot Timothy joins his brother-in-law's driving school. Their school is soon in rivalry with a competing school, while Timothy finds himself involved in erotic adventures with his clients, secretary and landlady. His clients are a mix of the inept and the dangerous and, as usual, mayhem ensues. A rugby match is organised between the two schools, at which one of the rival school's instructors unknowingly swallows a powerful aphrodisiac and rampages around the field, an event that leads to the climactic car chase. Cast *Robin Askwith .... Timothy Lea * Antony Booth .... Sidney Noggett *Bill Maynard .... Walter Lea * Doris Hare .... Mrs Lea * Sheila White .... Rosie Noggett *Windsor Davies .... Mr Truscott *Liz Fraser ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Michael Redfern
Michael Ian Redfern (30 March 1943 – 29 July 2022) was an English actor, known for his appearances on television and stage. Early years Redfern was born on 30 March 1943 in Isleworth, Middlesex, England. Career Redfern is perhaps best known for his role on the long-running British " Oxo family" television commercials, running from 1983 to 1999, in which he played the on-screen husband of Lynda Bellingham. He has appeared in numerous television dramas and comedies as policemen over the years, namely '' The Young Detectives, Crossroads, The Offence, And Mother Makes Five, George & Mildred, Robin's Nest, The Young Ones, Filthy, Rich and Catflap, Boon'' and '' Fool's Gold: The Story of the Brink's-Mat Robbery''. His other comedy appearances include roles in ''Man About the House'' with Richard O'Sullivan,'' Bless This House'' with Sid James and'' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' with Michael Crawford. With Ronnie Barker in ''Open All Hours'', ''Porridge'' and ''The Two Ronnies' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Blake's 7
''Blake's 7'' (sometimes styled ''Blakes7'') is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four 13-episode series were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first series, produced by David Maloney (series 1–3) and Vere Lorrimer (series 4), and the script editor throughout its run was Chris Boucher, who wrote nine of its episodes. The main character for the first two series was Roj Blake, played by Gareth Thomas. ''Blake's 7'', which was broadcast in 25 other countries, had a low budget but featured many tropes of space opera, such as spaceships, robots, galactic empires and aliens. Critical responses have been varied; some reviewers praised the programme for its dystopian themes, strong characterisation, ambiguous morality and pessimistic tone, as well as displaying an "enormous sense of fun", but others have criticised its production values, dialogue, and accused it of lacking originality. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Andrea Newman
Andrea Newman (7 February 1938 – 9 November 2019) was an English writer of fiction. Biography Andrea Newman was born in Dover, Kent, the daughter of a reporter on the ''Kentish Mercury'' (who was born in India) and a mother who worked in an office during World War II (who was born in Jamaica). An only child, she taught at a grammar school after graduating with a degree in English from the Westfield College, University of London. A film version of her novel ''Three into Two Won't Go'' (1967), with a screenplay by Edna O'Brien, was released in 1969. It starred Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom, and was directed by Peter Hall. She adapted one of her short stories "The Night of the Stag" for ''The Frighteners'', an anthology series produced by London Weekend Television (LWT).The Sunday Times; ''The 100 hottest tickets of the year'' 10 January 2010. ''Helen: A Woman of Today'' was another LWT drama recounting the side of a wronged wife for which Newman wrote two episodes. Having been ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Carol Drinkwater
Carol Drinkwater (born 22 April 1948) is a British actress, writer and filmmaker residing in France. She portrayed Helen Herriot (née Alderson) in the television adaptation of the James Herriot books '' All Creatures Great and Small'', which led to her receiving the Variety Club Television Personality of the Year award in 1985. Career Drinkwater was a member of the National Theatre Company under the leadership of Laurence Olivier and has acted in numerous television series and films including the highly successful ''Chocky'', '' Bouquet of Barbed Wire'', '' Another Bouquet'' and ''Golden Pennies''. Drinkwater won a Critics' Circle Best Screen Actress award for her role, Anne, in the feature film ''Father'' (1990) in which she starred opposite Max von Sydow. Amongst many other film and television series, she has appeared in Stanley Kubrick's ''A Clockwork Orange'' (1971), ''Queen Kong'' (1976), ''The Shout'' (1978), ''Father'' (1990), and the film adaptation of Beryl Bainbr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
James Herriot
James Alfred Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), better known by his pen name James Herriot, was a British veterinary surgeon and author. Born in Sunderland, Wight graduated from Glasgow Veterinary College in 1939, returning to England to become a Veterinarian, veterinary surgeon in Yorkshire, where he practised for almost 50 years. He is best known for writing a series of eight books set in the 1930s–1950s Yorkshire Dales about veterinary practice, animals, and their owners, which began with ''If Only They Could Talk'', first published in 1970. Over the decades, the series of books has sold some 60 million copies. The All Creatures Great and Small (franchise), franchise based on his writings was very successful. In addition to the books, there have been several television and film adaptations of Wight's books, including the 1975 film ''All Creatures Great and Small (film), All Creatures Great and Small''; a All Creatures Great and Small (1978 TV series), BBC telev ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Music Hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Britain between bold and scandalous ''Music Hall'' and subsequent, more respectable ''Variety'' differ. Music hall involved a mixture of popular songs, comedy, speciality acts, and variety entertainment. The term is derived from a type of theatre or venue in which such entertainment took place. In North America vaudeville was in some ways analogous to British music hall, featuring rousing songs and comic acts. Originating in saloon bars within public houses during the 1830s, music hall entertainment became increasingly popular with audiences. So much so, that during the 1850s some public houses were demolished, and specialised music hall theatres developed in their place. These theatres were designed chiefly so that people could consume food ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Funny Man (TV Series)
''Funny Man'' is a British comedy television series which first aired on ITV in 1981.Halliwell p.312 It portrays a family of music hall entertainers in the late 1920s and early 1930s, at the time of the Great Depression and the continuing desertion of traditional music hall audiences to the cinemas. Star Jimmy Jewel had himself grown up in a family of comedians active during the era. Actors who appeared in individual episodes include Elsie Randolph, Nell Campbell, Sylvia Coleridge, Madeline Smith and Leslie Sarony Cast * Jimmy Jewel as Alec Gibson (13 episodes) * David Schofield as Davey Gibson (13 episodes) * Andrew Fell as Teddy Gibson (13 episodes) * Jean Boht as Elsie (13 episodes) * Sharon Duce as Kath Gibson (11 episodes) * Lynda Bellingham as Gwen (11 episodes) * Trudie Styler as Babs (11 episodes) * Lesley Hand as Wendy (11 episodes) * Veronica Doran as Freda (11 episodes) * Tricia Ford as Dolly (10 episodes) * Marianne Price as Rose (9 episodes) * Pamela Stephenson ... [...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]   |
|
Sweeney!
''Sweeney!'' is a 1977 British action crime drama film and extension of the ITV television series ''The Sweeney'' which aired on ITV from 1975 to 1978. The film did well enough at the box office that a sequel, ''Sweeney 2'', was released in cinemas in 1978. Plot Detective Inspector Jack Regan (John Thaw) and Detective Sergeant George Carter (Dennis Waterman) become embroiled in a deadly political scandal. One of the leading members of the British government, Charles Baker (Ian Bannen), is about to secure a huge deal with OPEC (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), stabilising the world oil market and boosting Britain's position within it. Baker is a rising star in the government, regarded as a future prime minister, and he is closely controlled by his urbane, manipulative American press secretary, Elliot McQueen (Barry Foster (actor)). That night, Regan is forced to drink alcohol, and completely intoxicated drives his car into a crowded market. The following day, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter (21 October 1926 – 5 October 1984) was an English actor. He had a long career in the theatre but achieved his highest profile for his television comedy roles starring as Rupert Rigsby in the ITV series ''Rising Damp'' from 1974 to 1978, and Reginald Perrin in the BBC's ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' from 1976 to 1979. Early life and stage work Rossiter was born on 21 October 1926 in Wavertree, Liverpool, the second son of John and Elizabeth (née Howell) Rossiter. The family lived over the barber shop owned by his father. He was educated at the Liverpool Collegiate School (1939–46). In September 1939, when the Second World War began, Rossiter was evacuated, along with his schoolmates, to Bangor in north Wales, where he stayed for 18 months. While at school, his ambition was to go to university to read modern languages and become a teacher; however, his father, who served as a voluntary ambulanceman during the war, was killed in the Liverpool Bl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |