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Nick Thomas (theatre Producer)
Nicholas Jeffrey Thomas (born 16 December 1959) is a British entertainment entrepreneur and an Olivier-award-winning theatre producer. He is the founder, Chairman and joint-owner with his wife Sandra, of Qdos Entertainment Ltd (Qdos), whose subsidiaries include Five Star Collection Ltd, Adverset Media Solutions and Q Talent Ltd. In March 2021, Nick & Sandra sold HQ Theatres & Hospitality Ltd to Trafalgar Entertainment Group led by Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire, partnered with Barings, the global investment pension fund manager. In April 2021 Nick & Sandra Thomas sold Qdos Entertainment (Pantomimes) Ltd to Crossroads Live Holdings UK Ltd Live entertainment acquisition vehicle partnered in the US by Raven Capital Management LLC, and chaired in the UK by David Ian. Since its inception, The Stage newspaper annual 'Stage 100' has accredited Thomas as one of the top 100 most influential people in British Theatre. In 2018, he was ranked 13th in the list, and his highest p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blandford Forum
Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour, Dorset, River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this was abolished and its area incorporated into the new Dorset (unitary authority), Dorset unitary authority. Blandford is notable for its Georgian architecture, the result of rebuilding after the majority of the town was destroyed by a fire in 1731. The rebuilding work was assisted by an Act of Parliament and a donation by George II of Great Britain, George II, and the rebuilt town centre—to designs by local architects Bastard brothers, John and William Bastard—has survived to the present day largely intact. Blandford Camp, a military base, is sited on the hills north-east of the town. It is the base of the Royal Corps of Signals, the communications wing of the British Army, and the site of the Royal Signals Museum. Dorset County Coun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cilla Black
Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles " Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "You're My World" both reached number one in the UK in 1964. She had 11 top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart between then and 1971, and an additional eight hits that made the top 40. In May 2010, new research published by BBC Radio 2 showed that her version of "Anyone Who Had a Heart" was the UK's biggest-selling single by a female artist in the 1960s. "You're My World" was also a modest hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Along with a successful recording career in the 1960s and early 1970s, Black hosted her own BBC variety show, '' Cilla'' (1968–1976). After a brief time as a comedy actress, she became a prominent television presenter in the 1980s and 1990s, hosting hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arts Club
The Arts Club is a London private members' club founded in 1863 by, among others, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton in Dover Street, Mayfair. It remains a meeting place for men and women involved in the creative arts either professionally or as patrons. History In the nineteenth century members and guests included Dickens, Millais, Whistler, Kipling, Monet, Rodin, Degas and Turgenev. As early as 1891, James Whistler, one of the Arts Club's leading members, broke away to found the rival Chelsea Arts Club. Clubhouse The original club premises were at 17 Hanover Square, Mayfair. After thirty years there, the club moved nearby to its current accommodation, an 18th-century townhouse at 40 Dover Street, Mayfair, just north of the Ritz Hotel on Piccadilly, formerly the London home of the family of the Baron Stanley of Alderley. It was badly bombed in the Blitz and extensively rebuilt. The Arts Club is also looking at expanding its clubhouses, and planning ve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Ivy
The Ivy is a British restaurant which is known for being popular with celebrities. It is located on West Street near Cambridge Circus in London, opposite the Ambassadors and St Martin's theatres, making it a popular restaurant for theatergoers. The Ivy has locations in Great Britain and Ireland. History 1917–1989 The original restaurant was opened by Abel Giandolini in 1917 as an unlicensed Italian café in a building on the same site. Legend has it that the name itself originated from a chance remark by the actress Alice Delysia, who overheard Giandolini apologise to a customer for the inconvenience caused by building works. When he said that it was because of his intention to create a restaurant of the highest class, she interjected "Don't worry – we will always come and see you. 'We will cling together like the ivy'", a line from the then-popular song, 1902's "Just Like the Ivy I'll Cling to You", written by A. J. Mills and Harry Castling. The restaurant expanded i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital is the largest centre for child heart surgery in the UK and one of the largest centres for heart transplantation in the world. In 1962 they developed the first heart and lung bypass machine for children. With children's book author Roald Dahl, they developed an improved shunt valve for children with hydrocephalus, and non-invasive (percutaneous) heart valve replacements. They did the first UK clinical trials of the rubella vaccine, and the first bone marrow transplant and gene therapy for severe combined immunodeficiency.Breakthroughs It is closely associated with University College London (UCL) and in partnership with the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, which is adjace ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flavia Cacace
Flavia Cacace-Mistry born 1980 is an Italian British professional dancer. Her professional dance partner is Vincent Simone (they are branded when performing together as 'Vincent and Flavia'), and for ten years both partners appeared on the BBC's ''Strictly Come Dancing''. Early life Cacace was born in Naples, the youngest of six children, and came to the United Kingdom with her family at the age of four when her father (a "chef") moved to another job. She attended St Peter's Catholic School in Guildford, and left in 1995. Career Dancing career Cacace's mother insisted that each of the children have an activity, so she and her eldest sister joined the local ballroom dancing class – when Cacace was 6. After partnerships with two dance partners, Cacace and Simone (who had the same dance teacher in London) were both looking for partners. They decided to try out together in 1994, and they have been dancing together ever since. ''Strictly Come Dancing'' Highest and lowest scoring pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vincent Simone
Vincent Simone (born 15 March 1979) is an Italian professional dancer, who has appeared as a professional dancer on ''Strictly Come Dancing'' from 2006 until 2012. He moved to Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom when he was 17. Simone and professional partner Flavia Cacace perform under the brand name ''Vincent and Flavia''. Early life Simone was born into a family of professional dancers and his parents are Latin and ballroom dancers. Simone's partner, Susan Duddy, a former flight attendant, gave birth to their son Luca in 2009 and Matteo in September 2013. On 18 July 2015, Simone and Duddy wed at Castle Leslie in County Monaghan, Ireland. The wedding was initially misreported by Hello! Magazine, as occurring in Derry, Northern Ireland. ''Strictly Come Dancing'' Highest and lowest scoring performances per dance Simone has appeared on the BBC's ''Strictly Come Dancing'' since the fourth series, where he danced with Louisa Lytton as his celebrity partner. They were knocked out ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Wilmot
Harold Owen "Gary" Wilmot, MBE (born 8 May 1954) is a British singer, actor, comedian, presenter, writer and director who rose to fame as a contestant on ''New Faces''. As a television presenter, he is best known as the host of '' You and Me'', '' So You Want To Be Top'' and ''Showstoppers''. His West End credits include '' Me and My Girl'', ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'', '' Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'', ''The Prince of Egypt'' and ''Wicked''. Wilmot was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity. Early life Wilmot was born in Lambeth, London, into a mixed-race household; his mother was English, and his father, Harry, was Jamaican and arrived in Britain on the Empire Windrush in 1948. Harry was a member of vocal harmony group The Southlanders, but died of a brain tumour in 1961, when his sons were still young. Despite these show business roots, Wilmot's upbringing was outside of the limelight. He worked ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nigel Havers
Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielberg war drama, ''Empire of the Sun''; and as Ronny in the 1984 David Lean epic ''A Passage to India''. Television roles include Tom Latimer in the British TV comedy series '' Don't Wait Up'' and Lewis Archer in ''Coronation Street'', between 2009 and 2019. Early life and family Havers was born in Edmonton, London, Edmonton, Middlesex, and is the younger of two boys (with an older brother, Philip), born of Michael Havers, Baron Havers, Sir Michael Havers (later Lord Havers), who was a barrister who became a controversial Attorney General for England and Wales and, briefly, Lord Chancellor in the Conservative Government in the 1980s. His paternal aunt, Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss, Lady Butler-Sloss, his grandfather Cecil Havers, Sir Ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Zerdin
Paul Zerdin (born 21 August 1972) is a British comedian and ventriloquist from London. He was the winner of the 10th season of ''America's Got Talent''. Early life When Zerdin was 10, a family friend made him a puppet theatre which he used to put on shows. Having failed his GCSEs, Zerdin got a job in a magic shop, developing his magic skills along the way. Simultaneously, he was also developing a sideline as a children's entertainer. Career Zerdin made his TV debut as a magician on the BBC's '' Tricky Business''. Shortly afterwards, at the age of 20, Zerdin landed a two-year contract presenting the Disney-produced children's programme ''Rise and Shine'' for GMTV. In 1996, Zerdin was the first outright winner – by over 100,000 votes – of LWT's ''The Big Big Talent Show'', hosted by Jonathan Ross. The experience introduced him to Nigel Lythgoe, who took Zerdin under his wing, paving the way for appearances on shows including ''Tonight at the London Palladium'' and ''The G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julian Clary
Julian Peter McDonald Clary (born 25 May 1959) is an English actor, comedian, novelist and presenter. He began appearing on television in the mid-1980s. Since then he has also acted in films, television and stage productions, numerous pantomimes and was the winner of ''Celebrity Big Brother 10'' in 2012. Early life and education Clary was born on 25 May 1959 in Surbiton, Surrey, to Brenda ( McDonald) Clary, a probation officer, and Peter J. Clary, a police officer. He was brought up in Teddington, Middlesex, with two older sisters. By his own account, he was conceived "in broad daylight" in Clacton-on-Sea in 1958. Two of his great-grandparents were Germans who emigrated to Britain at the end of the nineteenth century. He and his siblings were raised as Roman Catholics. He attended St Benedict's School, Ealing and, later, he studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths' College, University of London. Stand-up comedy Clary is an openly gay comedian who refers to himself as a "reno ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dawn French
Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian, presenter and writer. French is known for writing and starring on the BBC comedy sketch show ''French and Saunders'' with her best friend and comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders, and played the lead role as Geraldine Granger in the BBC sitcom ''The Vicar of Dibley''. She has been nominated for seven BAFTA TV Awards and won a BAFTA Fellowship with Saunders in 2009. Early life Dawn Roma French was born on 11 October 1957 in Holyhead, Wales, to English parents Felicity Roma (''née'' O'Brien; 1934 – 2012) and Denys Vernon French (5 August 1932 – 11 September 1977), who married in their home town of Plymouth in 1953. French has an older brother, Gary. Her father served in the Royal Air Force, stationed at RAF Valley and later RAF Leconfield, where Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother went to tea at French's home when French was three years old. An RAF archive footage of this event was included in French's comedy t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
