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Pat Ashton
Pat Ashton (28 February 1931 – 23 June 2013) was an English actress. Her engaging cockney, blonde persona is best remembered for appearances in English TV-sitcom film spin-offs ''On the Buses'' (1971) and ''Mutiny on the Buses'' (1972). She was married to Geoff Godwin 1953–1985. Early life Ashton was born and raised in Wood Green, north London. Trained from childhood as a singer and tap-dancer, she performed in the 1950s at seaside resorts around England in summer season shows. In the early 1960s, she toured Europe with Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop in ''Oh, What a Lovely War!''. Early West End appearances included ''Half a Sixpence'' and ''The Matchgirls''. Career Ashton's first television break was taking the role of Fanny Cornforth opposite Oliver Reed in Ken Russell's '' Danté's Inferno (1967)'', a film for the '' Omnibus'' series on the life of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The part later led to a small role in Russell's 1971 film '' The Devils''. In 1970, Ashton's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wood Green
Wood Green is a suburban district in the borough of Haringey in London, England. Its postal district is N22, with parts in N8 or N15. The London Plan identifies it as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London, and today it forms a major commercial district of North London. Formerly lying within the western part of Tottenham and within the county of Middlesex, it became part of both Haringey and Greater London in 1965. Wood Green lies directly to the east of Alexandra Palace. It is from Charing Cross in central London. Toponymy The name Wood Green derives from ‘Woodlegh’ or 'Woodlea', a Saxon word meaning open ground near a wood, which in this case relates to an opening in Tottenham Wood, an extensive area of woodland which formerly covered most of this area and westward to Muswell Hill. The earliest surviving written record of ‘Woodlegh’ is a reference in documentation dating from 1256, which relates to a grant for Ducketts Manor, (a sub-manor of Tottenham) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Devils (film)
''The Devils'' is a 1971 historical drama film written, produced and directed by Ken Russell, and starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave. A dramatised historical account of the fall of Urbain Grandier, a 17th-century Roman Catholic priest accused of witchcraft after the possessions in Loudun, France, the plot also focuses on Sister Jeanne des Anges, a sexually repressed nun who incites the accusations. A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, ''The Devils'' is in part adapted from the 1952 non-fiction book ''The Devils of Loudun'' by Aldous Huxley, as well as John Whiting's subsequent 1960 play '' The Devils''. United Artists initially pitched the idea to Russell but bowed out after reading his finished screenplay, as they felt it was too controversial in nature. Warner Bros. agreed to produce and distribute, and filming largely took place at Pinewood Studios in late 1970. The film's graphic portrayal of violence, sexuality and religion ignited har ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Gaffer (TV Series)
''The Gaffer'' is an ITV situation comedy series of the early 1980s, that starred Bill Maynard and was written by businessman Graham White. It was made for the ITV network by Yorkshire Television. Cast * Bill Maynard – Fred Moffatt * Russell Hunter – Harry * Pat Ashton – Betty * David Gillies – Ginger * Don Crann – Charlie * Keith Marsh – Henry * Chris Langham – Spencer Moffatt (series 2) Plot Following the end of the situation comedy (''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt''), Maynard's next character couldn't have been more different from the bumbling Selwyn Froggitt. Fred Moffatt is a survivor – just. Bearded, wearing a battered hat and a crumpled suit, his Rover P6 a rusting wreck, he runs a struggling engineering firm and is constantly trying to avoid his creditors, the tax man, the bank manager, and indeed anyone who might want him to pay for something. The series' background accurately reflected the precarious condition of many small businesses of the era and ad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Bolam
James Christopher Bolam (born 16 June 1935) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Terry Collier in ''The Likely Lads'' and its sequel ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'', Jack Ford in ''When the Boat Comes In'', Roy Figgis in '' Only When I Laugh'', Trevor Chaplin in ''The Beiderbecke Trilogy'', Arthur Gilder in ''Born and Bred'', Jack Halford in ''New Tricks'' and the title character of Grandpa in the CBeebies programme '' Grandpa in My Pocket''. Early life Bolam was born on 16 June 1935 in Sunderland, County Durham, England. His father, Robert Alfred Bolam, was from Northumberland, and his mother, Marion Alice Drury, from County Durham. After attending Bede Grammar School, Sunderland, Bolam attended Bemrose School in Derby. Bolam trained as an articled clerk to chartered accountant, before becoming an actor, and formally trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London, where he won the gold medal and the Margaret Rawlings Cup. Lacking fun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Only When I Laugh (TV Series)
''Only When I Laugh'' is a British television sitcom made by Yorkshire Television for ITV. It aired between 29 October 1979 and 16 December 1982 and was set in the ward of an NHS hospital. The title is in response to the question, "Does it hurt?". It starred James Bolam, Peter Bowles, and Christopher Strauli as patients Roy Figgis, Archie Glover, and Norman Binns. Mr. Gordon Thorpe, their consultant surgeon, was played by Richard Wilson; and Gupte, the staff nurse from Delhi, was played by Derrick Branche. The show was one of many successes for writer Eric Chappell, and has been repeated on ITV4 since 2019, formerly on ITV3. Production ''Only When I Laugh'' was written after Eric Chappell was commissioned by Yorkshire Television to write another sitcom following the success of ''Rising Damp''. Chappell devised the premise of a hospital comedy from the patients' perspective as he felt that previous television based in a hospital setting focused on the doctors, nurses and sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Mullard
Arthur Ernest Mullard (né Mullord; 19 September 1910His obituary in ''The Times'' gives his date of birth as 10 November 1910 but conflicts with the birthdate given in his death registration. His year of birth appears as 1908, 1910, 1912 and 1913 in various sources. However online records ashow that the birth of an Arthur E Mullord was registered in Islington in October–December 1910, which is probably him. – 11 December 1995) was an English actor and singer. Following military service and a brief boxing career, Mullard found work as a cockney character actor in film and TV comedy, notably in the series ''Romany Jones''. Early life Mullard was born to a humble background in Islington, London, named Arthur Mullord. He started work at the age of 14 as a butcher's assistant and joined the army at 18. It was there that he began boxing, becoming champion of his regiment. When he left the army after three years, he had a short stint at boxing professionally. This ended after ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yus, My Dear
''Yus, My Dear'' is a British sitcom that ran for nineteen episodes over two series in 1976 featuring Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts in the lead roles. It was written by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, and produced and directed by Stuart Allen for London Weekend Television. It was screened by ITV during 1976, and marked an early regular TV appearance of the comedian Mike Reid. A sequel to Chesney and Wolfe's earlier series ''Romany Jones'' (1972–75), the characters Wally and Lily Briggs (Mullard and Watts) have left their caravan for a new life in a council house. The new series introduced Wally's brother Benny, the first acting role for the ''EastEnders'' and '' Snatch'' star Mike Reid of '' The Comedians'' fame. The series, which gained modest ratings, has been described by the ''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy'' as being one of the worst British sitcoms ever produced. Cast * Arthur Mullard as Wally Briggs. Lil's Husband and Benny's brother. * Queenie Watts as Lil B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don't Drink The Water (TV Series)
''Don't Drink the Water'' is a British sitcom television series produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network. The series was created by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe (who wrote almost every episode) and is a spin-off from their long running sitcom ''On the Buses''. The storyline follows Cyril Blake (Stephen Lewis) living in Spain with his sister Dorothy (Pat Coombs) after his retirement from the Luxton & District Traction Company. Thirteen episodes were broadcast over two series from 27 July 1974 to 6 December 1975. Episode list Series 1 Series 2 DVD releases Network originally included the first episode of ''Don't Drink the Water'' as an extra feature on the seventh series DVD of ''On the Buses ''On the Buses'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom that was broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 1969 to 1973. It was created by Chesney and Wolfe, Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, who wrote most of the episodes. It spawned thr ...'', which w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dora Bryan
Dora May Broadbent, (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014), known as Dora Bryan, was a British actress of stage, film and television."Feted Brighton actress Dora, 90, to make rare public appearance" ''The Argus'', 2 September 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013. Early life Bryan was born in , Lancashire. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in Oldham, Lancashire. Her career began in |
The Benny Hill Show
''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV (from 1969) between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketches that were full of slapstick, mime, parody and double entendre (which could be described as a filmatographic version of British saucy seaside postcard humour). At its peak ''The Benny Hill Show'' was among the most-watched programmes in the UK with the audience reaching more than 21 million viewers in 1971. In 1972, Hill received a BAFTA Television Award for Best Writer, and he was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance. In the late 1970s, the Thames Television version of the show gained a following in the United States and would run in syndication until 1991. In 1980 and 1981, it received Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Variety. In 1984 Hill received a Rose d'Or. Thames cancelled production of the show in 1989 due to declining ratings and large pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
On The Buses
''On the Buses'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom that was broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 1969 to 1973. It was created by Chesney and Wolfe, Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, who wrote most of the episodes. It spawned three spin-off feature films and a stage version. Despite the writers' previous successes with ''The Rag Trade'' and ''Meet the Wife (TV series), Meet the Wife'' with the BBC, the corporation rejected ''On the Buses'', not seeing much comedy potential in a bus depot as a setting. The comedy partnership turned to Frank Muir, Head of Entertainment at London Weekend Television (LWT), who loved the idea; the show was accepted, and despite a poor critical reception became a hit with viewers. The series is centred on the working-class life of Stan Butler and Jack Harper, who are the crew of the Number 11 bus at the Luxton and District Motor Traction Company. The action mostly takes place at the Butler home and at the bus depot. Network On Air descr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marie Lloyd
Matilda Alice Victoria Wood (12 February 1870 – 7 October 1922), professionally known as Marie Lloyd (), was an English music hall singer, comedian and musical theatre actress. She was best known for her performances of songs such as " The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery", " My Old Man (Said Follow the Van)" and " Oh Mr Porter What Shall I Do". She received both criticism and praise for her use of innuendo and double entendre during her performances, but enjoyed a long and prosperous career, during which she was affectionately called the "Queen of the Music Hall". Born in London, she was showcased by her father at the Eagle Tavern in Hoxton. In 1884, she made her professional début as Bella Delmere; she changed her stage name to Marie Lloyd the following year. In 1885, she had success with her song "The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery", and she frequently topped the bill at prestigious theatres in London's West End. In 1891, she was recruited by the impresario Augustus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
