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Nicholas Nickleby (play)
''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' is an 8½ hour-long adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1839 novel, performed in two parts. Part 1 was 4 hours in length with one interval of 15 minutes. Part 2 was 4½ hours in length with two intervals of 12 minutes. It was originally presented onstage over two evenings, or in its entirety from early afternoon with a dinner break. Later it was presented on television over four evenings. The opening night was on 5 June 1980. The show ran for an 8-week season at the Aldwych Theatre, playing Part 1 on some nights and Part 2 on others with both parts playing together on matinée and evening performances. It was revived for two further 8-week runs at the Aldwych in the autumn season of 1980 and the spring season of 1981 before being filmed for Primetime TV at the Old Vic Theatre and transferring to Broadway for the autumn season of 1981. A further revival with a substantially different cast played at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Str ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the 20th century, critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are widely read today. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school at the age of 12 to work in a boot-blacking factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. After three years he returned to school, before he began his literary career as a journalist. Dickens edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed readings extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, for education, and for other social ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susan Littler
Susan Littler (31 December 1947 – 11 July 1982) was an English actress who appeared in many television and stage productions in the 1970s and early 1980s, before her death from cancer. A versatile and respected actress, Littler is perhaps best remembered for her BAFTA nominated role in the 1977 BBC ''Play for Today'' production '' Spend, Spend, Spend'' (1977), directed by John Goldschmidt. Her film career included roles in the 1973 film version of ''The Lovers'', and ''Rough Cut'' (1980) starring Burt Reynolds. Susan was also a Royal Variety award winner. Television Born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Littler trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London and started her career working in repertory in provincial theatres around Britain, including Bolton, Darlington, Plymouth and Nottingham. She made her first television appearance in a 1970 ''ITV Playhouse'' production ''Don't Touch Him, He Might Resent It'', followed by ''Another Sunday and Sweet F.A.'' (1972), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mobil Showcase Theatre
The Mobil Showcase Network, also known as Mobil Showcase or Mobil Showcase Theatre, was an occasional or ad hoc television network from 1976 to 1984 with an ad hoc group of stations. Background A Mobil Oil media expert, Herb Schmertz, wrote canned paid "editorials" placed into newspapers like the ''New York Times'' opinion-editorial page. Schmertz also had Mobil underwriting ''Masterpiece Theatre'' to improve Mobil's image, which Mobil has been sole supporter since the beginning of the series. He also considered having the company buy a newspaper, the ''Long Island Press''. He instead settled on a "sort of TV network" as Mobil and Schmertz were frustrated with the network-developed anti-oil-company news and documentaries. History Schmertz worked with SFM Media Service Corporation lining up 43 stations, primarily in the top 50 markets; half of these were network affiliates. Mobil paid $3.2 million to the stations for the 8 PM ET/PT Thursday time slot for 10 weeks. In the winter ... [...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] |
Old Vic Theatre
The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, nonprofit organization, not-for-profit producing house, producing theatre in Waterloo, London, Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal Victoria Palace. It was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 and formally named the Royal Victoria Hall, although by that time it was already known as the "Old Vic". In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian Baylis, assumed management and began a series of William Shakespeare, Shakespeare productions in 1914. The building was damaged in 1940 during The Blitz, air raids and it became a Grade II* listed building in 1951 after it reopened. The Old Vic is the crucible of many of the performing arts companies and theatres in London today. It was the name of a repertory company that was based at the theatre and formed (along with the Chichester Festival Theatre) the core of the National Theatre of Great ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ian McNeice
Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English film and television actor. He found fame portraying government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television series ''Edge of Darkness'', and went on to feature in popular films such as ''The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain'', '' Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls'' and ''Frank Herbert's Dune''. He played the Newsreader in historical drama ''Rome'' (2005–2007) and Bert Large in the comedy drama series ''Doc Martin'' (2004–2022). Early life and education McNeice was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire. His acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and two years at the Salisbury Playhouse. The next few years were spent in theatre, including a four-year period with the Royal Shakespeare Company and a production of ''Nicholas Nickleby'' on Broadway. Career McNeice's television breakthrough was as Harcourt in the award-winning series ''Edge o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alun Armstrong (actor)
Alan Armstrong, known professionally as Alun Armstrong, is an English actor. He grew up in County Durham in North East England, and first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of characters from the grotesque to musicals... I always play very colourful characters, often a bit crazy, despotic, psychotic".Kalina, Paul"Old Hand Returns with New Tricks" ''The Age'', 8 November 2007. Retrieved 2018-06-08. His credits include several Charles Dickens adaptations, and the eccentric ex-detective Brian Lane in ''New Tricks''. He is also an accomplished stage actor who spent nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He originated the role of Thénardier in the London production of ''Les Misérables'', and won an Olivier Award in the title role in ''Sweeney Todd''. Early life Born Alan Armstrong in Annfield Plain, County Durham, his father was a co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Benjamin (actor)
Christopher Benjamin (born 27 December 1934) is an English actor with many stage and television credits since the 1960s. His television roles include three appearances in ''Doctor Who'', portraying Sir Keith Gold in ''Inferno'' (1970), Henry Gordon Jago in ''The Talons of Weng-Chiang'' (1977) and Colonel Hugh Curbishley in ''The Unicorn and the Wasp'' (2008). He also provided the voice of Rowf in the animated film ''The Plague Dogs'' (1982). Early life Benjamin was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England. Career He is well known for his roles in some of the UK's biggest cult television programmes. This included playing the same character ("Potter") in two Patrick McGoohan dramas, ''Danger Man'' and ''The Prisoner'', fuelling speculation that they are possibly linked. He played the Old Man (boss of Philip Roath) in the Thames Television comedy by Peter Tilbury, ''It Takes a Worried Man'' (1981). He was also an occasional guest star in '' The Avengers'' and ''Doctor Who'', makin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emily Richard
Emily Richard (born 25 January 1948) is a British actress and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. One of three sisters, Richard was born in London, where she attended drama school in 1966, aged 18, but she was asked to leave after a year as she was "too timid". She then sold programmes in theatres in London's West End. Having acquired an agent, her first professional role was as Mole in a theatre production of ''Toad of Toad Hall''. A former member of the BBC Radio Repertory Company, Richard has worked extensively for radio, and once played 'Tess' in '' Tess of the d'Urbervilles'' in that medium. Theatre In 1971, Richard appeared at the Apollo Theatre in ''Charley's Aunt'' with Tom Courtenay, and in 1978 she appeared in Chekhov's '' The Three Sisters'' and Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night'' in a small British tour for the Royal Shakespeare Company, with Ian McKellen, Edward Petherbridge, Roger Rees, Rose Hill and Bob Peck. In 1982 she appeared at the Open Air Theat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fulton Mackay
William Fulton Beith Mackay (12 August 1922 – 6 June 1987) was a Scottish actor and playwright, best known for his role as prison officer Mr. Mackay in the 1970s television sitcom ''Porridge''. Early life Mackay was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. He was brought up in Clydebank by a widowed aunt after the death of his mother from diabetes. His father was employed by the NAAFI. On leaving school, he trained as a quantity surveyor and later volunteered for the Royal Air Force in 1941 but was not accepted because of a perforated eardrum. He then enlisted with the Black Watch and he served for five years during the Second World War, which included three years spent in India. Career Theatre work After being demobbed, Mackay began training as an actor at RADA. His first work was with the Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow, where he performed in nine seasons between 1949 and 1958. He also worked at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh before gaining notice at the Arts Theatre C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suzanne Bertish
Suzanne Bertish (born 7 August 1951, Hammersmith, London) is an English actress. Educated at Woldingham School, Bertish joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared in many of its productions, including its marathon eight-and-a-half-hour version of Charles Dickens's ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'', in which she played three roles. She repeated these three roles in the 1982 television version of the complete play. She was later seen in the BBC Television Shakespeare production of Shakespeare's ''The Comedy of Errors'' (1983) as Adriana. She has also played small roles in several films, including the Harrison Ford vehicle '' Hanover Street'', and the vampire film '' The Hunger''. She had a recurring role as Eleni in the cable television series ''Rome'' (2005–2007). In 2009 she had a role in a production of '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. She also appeared as a female Arnold Rimmer (Arlene Rimmer), in an episode of ''Red Dwarf' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Graham Crowden
Clement Graham Crowden (30 November 1922 – 19 October 2010) was a Scottish actor. He was best known for his many appearances in television comedy dramas and films, often playing eccentric "offbeat" scientist, teacher and doctor characters. Early life Crowden was born on 30 November 1922 in Edinburgh, the son of University of Edinburgh-educated schoolmaster Harry Graham Crowden (d. 1938) and Anne Margaret (née Paterson).Who's Who In The Theatre: a biographical record of the contemporary stage, seventeenth edition, vol. I, ed. Ian Herbert, Gale Research Company, 1981, p. 154 He was educated at Clifton Hall School and the Edinburgh Academy before serving briefly in the Royal Scots Youth Battalion of the army until he was injured in an accident. During arms drill he was shot by his platoon sergeant, when the sergeant's rifle discharged. The sergeant reportedly enquired "What is it now, Crowden?", to which Crowden replied "I think you've shot me, sergeant." He later found work in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
