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John Alford (born John James Shannon; 30 October 1971) is a British

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He is known for his roles as Robbie Wright in the

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series ''

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical comprehensive school. The show began its run on 8 February 1978 on BBC1, and was one of the longest-running progra ...

'' (1985–90) and Billy Ray in the ITV series '' London's Burning'' (1993–98). He also had three Top 30 hits on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1996.

Career

Born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Alford attended Anna Scher's stage school from age 11 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, alongside future '' EastEnders'' actors

Sid Owen Sid Owen (born David Sutton; 12 January 1972) is an English actor, television presenter and former singer, who played Ricky Butcher in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' on and off since 1988. He also appeared in the tenth series of ''Stric ...

and

Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is an English actress and DJ, known for her roles as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), and Bianca Jackson in the ...

. He appeared as a child actor in ITV

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

''Now and Then'' before landing the role of Robbie Wright in 1985 in ''

''. Alford featured on the Grange Hill "

Just Say No "Just Say No" was an advertising campaign prevalent during the 1980s and early 1990s as a part of the U.S.-led war on drugs, aiming to discourage children from engaging in illegal recreational drug use by offering various ways of saying ''no'' ...

" anti-drug single. In 1980, he appeared in ''

Not the Nine O'Clock News ''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' is a British television sketch comedy show which was broadcast on BBC2 from 1979 to 1982. Originally shown as a comedy alternative to the '' Nine O'Clock News'' on BBC1, it features satirical sketches on then-cur ...

'', joining in a song about a strike-breaking train driver. In 1993, prior to his solo singing career, he took his highest profile adult role as

fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

Billy Ray in ITV's '' London's Burning'', remaining in the role for five years. In 1996 this led to a short-lived singing career during which he released a self-titled album, but it did not chart. His first single release was "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", which reached number 13 and stayed in the UK chart for five weeks. His highest hit was "Blue Moon"/"Only You", which reached number 9 in the UK charts and stayed in the UK chart for four weeks. A further single "If"/"Keep on Running", reached number 24 and stayed in the UK chart for three weeks. Alford's fourth and final single "Let It Be Me" was scheduled for release in March 1997, but was withdrawn at the last minute. Finished copies, some with 'promotional use only' stickers, exist. Alford was then dropped by his record label. In 2001 he gained a role in the film '' Mike Bassett: England Manager.'' In 2003 he played the part of drug-dealing and scheming flight attendant Dean in ''

Mile High ''Mile High'' is a British television drama based on the lives of the cabin crew members of Fresh!, a budget airline based in London. The name of the show is a reference to the Mile High Club. The show was broadcast on Sky1 from 2003 to 2005 ...

''. In 2005 Alford appeared in the reality TV show '' Trust Me...I'm A Beauty Therapist,'' in which celebrities trained and worked in a salon doing hair and beauty. He has since appeared twice in ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'', in May 2009 and May 2010, and was a prison guard in ''

The Hatton Garden Job ''The Hatton Garden Job'', also known as ''One Last Heist'', is a 2017 British crime film. The film is a dramatization of real-life events in April 2015, when the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company, based underground in the Hatton Garden area o ...

'' (2017).

Personal life

In 1999 he was convicted of supplying drugs to the '' News of the World'' undercover reporter

Mazher Mahmood Mazher Mahmood (born 22 March 1963) is an undercover British journalist who was convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Before his conviction, he worked mainly for the tabloid press. He spent 20 years working for the ''News ...

, and subsequently imprisoned for nine months. During his trial, Alford said in his defence that he was set up, and complained that Mahmood was not punished for this. He was released after six weeks after agreeing to

electronic tagging Electronic tagging is a form of surveillance that uses an electronic device affixed to a person. In some jurisdictions, an electronic tag fitted above the ankle is used for people as part of their bail or probation conditions. It is also used in ...

. Alford has stated that Mahmood claimed to be a well-connected prince, who could offer Alford a lucrative contract. After the collapse of the trial of

Tulisa Tula Paulinea Contostavlos (Greek: Τούλα Παυλίνα 'Τουλίσα' Κοντόσταυλου; born 13 July 1988) professionally known as Tulisa, is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. As a part of the ...

in 2014, when the judge said there were "strong grounds for believing" Mahmood had committed

perjury Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...

, Alford told '' Panorama'' that the conviction had led him to suicidal thoughts. He was quoted as saying, "No one can give me the 18 years I’ve lost, no one can give me that back. I hope this is the first day of a new life for me." In January 2006 Alford was found guilty of

drink driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is invo ...

and subsequently banned from driving for sixteen months. Magistrates ordered him to pay a £150 fine and £100 costs. On 1 October 2018 Alford appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrate's court where he pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault on a police officer and guilty to a charge of criminal damage to a vehicle belonging to Camden Council on 1 September 2018 in Holloway London. He was bailed to appear for trial at the same court on 29 November 2018. On 29 January 2019 Alford pleaded guilty to two counts of resisting an officer and was given a 12-month community order.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alford, John 1971 births Living people Male actors from Glasgow Alumni of the Anna Scher Theatre School 20th-century Scottish male singers British people convicted of drug offences Anglo-Scots Scottish male television actors