Miles Tredinnick, also known as Riff Regan, (born

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

18 February 1955) is a rock musician, songwriter and a stage and screenwriter. In the 1970s, he was the lead singer with the British rock band

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

.Spicer, Al, (2006) ''The Rough Guide to Punk'', Rough Guides Ltd, , p. 155 Afterwards he went on to write comedy plays for the stage. He has also written scripts for

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

, including the television special '' Superfrank!'' and the stage comedy ''

Up Pompeii! ''Up Pompeii!'' is a British television comedy series broadcast between 1969 and 1970, starring Frankie Howerd. The first series was written by Talbot Rothwell, a scriptwriter for the ''Carry On'' films, and the second series by Rothwell and ...

Rock musician

In 1976, with drummer

Jon Moss Jonathan Aubrey Moss (born 11 September 1957) is an English drummer, best known as a member of the 1980s new wave group Culture Club. He has also played with other bands, including London, the Nips, the Damned and Adam and the Ants. Early li ...

, guitarist Dave Wight (real name Colin Wight) and bassist Steve Voice, Tredinnick formed the punk band

.Rimmer, Dave (1985) ''Like Punk Never Happened'', Faber and Faber, , p. 40-42 He was the lead singer Riff Regan. The band came to the notice of Danny Morgan who was a talent scout for ex- Yardbirds and ex-

Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex. Bolan was posthumously inducted int ...

manager

Simon Napier-Bell Simon Robert Napier-Bell (born 22 April 1939) is an English record producer, music manager, author and journalist. At different times, he has managed artists as diverse as the Yardbirds, John's Children, Marc Bolan, Japan, London, Ultravox, Bon ...

.Napier-Bell, Simon (2001) ''Black Vinyl White Powder'', Ebury Press, , p. 163 He secured them a record deal with

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

and a nationwide tour supporting

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origina ...

. Their singles "Everyone’s A Winner", "Summer of Love"/"Friday on My Mind" and "Animal Games" and their one and only album ''

Animal Games ''Animal Games'' is the only album recorded by the original line-up of the British punk band London.Rimmer, Dave (1985) ''Like Punk Never Happened'', Faber and Faber, , p. 40-42 Recorded throughout 1977 at the IBC Studios in London,Napier-Bell, ...

'' were all produced by Napier-Bell at the

IBC Studios The IBC Recording Studios were independent recording studios located at 35 Portland Place in London, England. In the 1960s and 1970s, the studios become internationally famous after being used by recording artists like the Kinks, the Who, Bee Gee ...

in London. Their recording of "

Friday on My Mind "Friday on My Mind" is a 1966 song by Australian rock group the Easybeats. Written by band members George Young and Harry Vanda, the track became a worldwide hit, reaching no. 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in May 1967 in the US, no. 1 ...

" was made in the same studio that

The Easybeats The Easybeats were an Australian rock band that formed in Sydney in late 1964. They enjoyed a level of success that in Australia rivalled The Beatles. They became the first Australian rock act to score an international hit, with the 1966 sing ...

had made the original. Although

had a popular live stage act, ticket sales never transformed into record sales. This was despite flamboyant film director Mike Mansfield directing the video for "Everyone's A Winner". The highest UK chart position they reached was 52 for their EP ''Summer of Love''. Jon Moss was particularly impatient to have chart success and following a nationwide tour the band decided to call it a day. They broke up after a farewell gig at the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...

in Wardour Street. Jon Moss joined The Damned and later formed

Culture Club Culture Club are an English pop band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Mikey Craig (bass guitar) and formerly included Jon Moss (drums and percussion). Emerging in the New ...

with

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

; Colin Wight became a Professor in International Politics; Steve Voice formed The Original Vampires; Simon Napier-Bell went on to manage

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

and

Wham! Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more ...

. Tredinnick, as Riff Regan, released four more singles on MCA Records; "All The Nice Boys And Girls in the World" (produced by Napier-Bell), "Japanese Girls" (produced by Andy Miller), "You Call Me Lucky" and "The Only One" (both produced by

Liam Sternberg Liam Sternberg (born July 28, 1949 in Akron, Ohio) is an American songwriter and producer who wrote the Bangles hit "Walk Like an Egyptian". Sternberg first got noticed as part of the late 1970s "Akron Sound" which included Devo and the Waitresses. ...

) before recording "Hard Hearts Don’t Cry" (produced by Andy Miller) on

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

in 1981. In August 2015 his first solo album

Milestones A milestone is a marker of distance along roads. Milestone may also refer to: Measurements *Milestone (project management), metaphorically, markers of reaching an identifiable stage in any task or the project *Software release life cycle state, s ...

was released on Beach Café Records. In 1997, Captain Oi! Records released a best of

CD called ''

London The Punk Rock Collection London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

''. It contains all the band's MCA recordings. Tredinnick also co-wrote the song "Hottest Woman in Town" with Andy Miller in 1982. Recorded at London's

Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry. ...

by ex-

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

and

Ian Gillan Ian Gillan (born 19 August 1945) is a British singer who is best known as the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Deep Purple. He is known for his powerful and wide-ranging singing voice. Initially influenced by Elvis Presley, Gillan ...

lead guitarist

Bernie Torme Bernie may refer to: Places in the United States * Bernie, Missouri, a city * Griffithsville, West Virginia, also called Bernie People * Bernie (given name) ** Bernie Sanders, United States senator and 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential candid ...

, it was released as a single and featured on the "Metal Killers" album. In 2007 he reformed

with original bass player Steve Voice and new guitarist Hugh O'Donnell and new drummer Colin Watterston. The band played their first London gig in over 30 years at the

12 Bar Club The 12 Bar Club was a music venue in London that opened in 1994 on Denmark Street – known as Great Britain's "Tin Pan Alley" – just off Charing Cross Road and close to Soho. Some of the most famous musicians and groups to play at the ...

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

, London on Saturday 23 February 2008. ''

Reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

'', their first studio album in 34 years, was released in February 2012 and ''The Hell for Leather Mob'' album was released in July 2020.

Theatre and television

Tredinnick's first stage play, '' Because of Mr Darrow,'' was produced at the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world p ...

in London and his second comedy '' Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami!'' had a successful fringe run at the

Pentameters Theatre The Pentameters Theatre was founded in 1968 and is still run by artistic director Leonie Scott-Matthews, a well known Hampstead resident. It is a 60-seat venue and is a fringe theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located above the Three Horse ...

in Hampstead. The latter was later produced for the first Liverpool Festival of Comedy. In translation, ''Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami!'' has been produced in many cities, including Vienna, where its title was ''...Und Morgen Fliegen Wir Nach Miami''. British Director

Cyril Frankel Cyril Solomon Israel Frankel (28 December 19217 June 2017) was a British film and television director. His career in television began in 1953 and he directed for over 30 TV programmes until 1990. He directed many episodes of popular British TV sho ...

directed with German translation by Adolf Opel. In 1990, Tredinnick wrote the stage thriller ''

Twist Twist may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage * ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist'' * ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...

''. This was translated into German by Ursula Grutzmacher-Tabori under the title ''Der Letzte Dreh'' and was later produced in London under the title ''Getting Away with Murder'' at the

in Hampstead. The play had its US debut in Taunton, Massachusetts in 2010 and an acting edition was published by Josef Weinberger Plays in 2019. His next stage comedy was '' It's Now Or Never!'' in 1994. Directed by Marina Calderone at the Queen's Theatre,

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed ...

, England, it starred Tony Roper,

Peter Polycarpou Peter Polycarpou is an English-Cypriot actor, best known for playing Chris Theodopolopodous in the television comedy series '' Birds of a Feather'' and Louis Charalambos in ''The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies''. Early life Polycarpou w ...

and Leyton Sommers as

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. A German version, ''Jetzt Oder Nie,'' translated by Christian Wolffer has been successful as has a Dutch version translated by Martine Deboosere. ''

Topless Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is barechestedness, also commonly called shirtlessness. Expose ...

'', a one-woman play set on an open-top London sightseeing bus, followed in 1999. Produced by

The Big Bus Company Big Bus Tours (formerly ''Les Cars Rouges'' and ''The Big Bus Company''), is the largest operator of open top bus sightseeing tours founded in May 2011 after "Les Cars Rouges" and the "Big Bus Company" merged. The company operates in 23 citie ...

, this unique theatrical piece was actually performed, with audience, on top of a sightseeing bus driving through the streets of the West End of London. This was followed by '' Topless in Philadelphia'' (2009) featuring a male tour guide giving an open-top bus tour in America's most historical city and then ''

Topless in Sydney Miles Tredinnick, also known as Riff Regan, (born Warrington 18 February 1955) is a rock musician, songwriter and a stage and screenwriter. In the 1970s, he was the lead singer with the British rock band London.Spicer, Al, (2006) ''The Rough Gui ...

'' (2014) and ''Topless in Las Vegas'' (2018).

Frankie Howerd

From 1985 to 1992 Tredinnick wrote regular stage and television scripts for

including co-writing the hour long special, '' Superfrank!'' for Channel 4. He also wrote an updated stage version of ''

'' although a proposed tour was put on the shelf when Howerd was offered a chance by

Larry Gelbart Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009) was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series ''M*A*S*H'', and as co-writer of the B ...

to reprise his role as Pseudolus in ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specifica ...

'' at the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End. The new play, now revised and updated, received its premiere in

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

in January 2011 before embarking on a UK tour. Produced and directed by Bruce James, it starred Damian Williams, host of Sky One's '' Are You Smarter Than A Ten Year Old?'', as Lurcio the slave. An acting edition of the play was published by Josef Weinberger Ltd in 2012.

Television

In 1987/8 Tredinnick created and wrote the BBC1 comedy series ''

Wyatt's Watchdogs {{Infobox television , image = Wyatt's watchdogs opening title still.jpg , caption = Opening title , runtime = 30 minutes per episode , creator = Miles Tredinnick (Writer) Alan J. W. Bell (Director, Producer) , starring = Brian ...

.''Lewisohn, Mark (1998) ''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy'', BBC Books, , p. 730Taylor, Rod (1994) ''The Guinness Book of Sitcoms'', Guinness Publishing, , p. 276 Produced and directed by Alan J W Bell, it starred

Brian Wilde Brian George Wilde (13 June 1927 – 20 March 2008) was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy, most notably Mr Barrowclough in '' Porridge'' and Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst in ''Last of the Summer Wine''. His lugubrious ...

and

Trevor Bannister Trevor Gordon Bannister (14 August 193414 April 2011) was an English actor best known for having played the womanising junior salesman Mr Lucas in the sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1979, and for his role as Toby Mulberry Smith i ...

. In 1992 he joined the Alomo/BBCTV show '' Birds of a Feather'' as a writer on series 4.

Other work

In 1986 Tredinnick started writing for the international ''

Disney Magazine ''Disney Magazine'' was an official Disney magazine that was published quarterly from December 1965 to April 2005. The ''Disney Magazine'', otherwise known as ''Disney News'' ''Magazine'', was the “Official Magazine for Magic Kingdom Club Fam ...

'' creating cartoon stories for ''Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy'' and other well-known Walt Disney characters. His first novel '' Fripp'', was published in 2001. A Kindle ebook version was published in 2011.

Bibliography

* '' Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami!'' (1986 Samuel French Ltd) * ''Und Morgen Fliegen Wir Nach Miami'' – German version of ''Laugh? Miami!'' with Ursula Lyn and Adolf Opel.(1988 Gerhard Pegler Plays) * '' Walt Disney Magazine'' (1986–1991 GPS Publishing) * ''We Hebben Zien Vlieggen!'' – Dutch version of '' Laugh? Miami!'' with Martine Deboosere. (1991 Toneelfonds) * '' It's Now Or Never!'' (1991 Warner Chappell Ltd) * ''Jetzt Oder Nie'' – German version of ''It's Now Or Never!'' with Christian Wolffer. (1996 Vertriebsstelle) * '' It's Now Or Never!'' – Dutch version with Martine Deboosere. (1997 Toneelfonds) * ''Der Letzte Dreh'' – German version of ''Twist'' with Ursula Grutzmacher-Tabori. (1999 Gerhard Pegler Plays) * '' It's Now Or Never!'' (1999 Josef Weinberger Plays) * ''

'' (2000 Comedy Hall Books) * ''Jean Marlow Audition Speeches for Women'' – Extract from ''Topless''. (2001 A&C Black) * '' Fripp'' (2001 Comedy Hall Books) * ''

'' – new edition, (2006 Matador Books) * ''

'' (2008 Matador Books) * '' Topless in Philadelphia'' (2009 Matador Books) * '' Fripp'' (2011 Kindle Edition) * ''Up Pompeii'' (2012 Josef Weinberger Plays) * ''

'' (2014 Kindle Edition) * ''The Topless plays'' (2014 Kindle Edition) * ''Topless in Las Vegas'' (2018 CS Independent Publishing & Kindle Edition) * ''

'' (2019 Josef Weinberger Plays)

Records

* ''Everyone's A Winner'' – London (1977 MCA Records) * ''Summer of Love'' and ''Friday on My Mind'' – London (1977 MCA Records) * ''Animal Games'' – single. London (1977 MCA Records) * ''Punk Rock'' – Various Artists. (1977 Philips/Phonogram Records Brazil) * ''

'' – album. London (1978 MCA Records) * ''Meet the New Punk Wave'' – Various Artists. (1978 EMI Records Holland) * ''All The Nice Boys And Girls in the World'' – Riff Regan (1978 MCA Records) * ''Japanese Girls'' – Riff Regan (1978 MCA Records) * ''You Call Me Lucky'' – Riff Regan (1979 MCA Records) * ''Spring Sampler'' – Various Artists (1979 MCA Records) * ''The Only One'' – Riff Regan (1979 MCA Records) * ''Hard Hearts Don't Cry'' – Riff Regan (1981 CBS Epic Records) * ''Hottest Woman in Town'' – single. Berni Torme and The Hard. (1983 CM Records) * ''Metal Killers'' – Various Artists. (1983 Kastle Killer Records) * ''

'' – London (1997 Captain Oi! Records) * ''Get Out of London'' – London (2010 Official bootleg live CD) * ''

'' – London (2012 Bin Liner Records) * ''Milestones'' – Riff Regan (2015 Beach Café Records) * ''The Hell for Leather Mob'' – London (2020 Beach Café Records)

Television and radio shows

* ''So It Goes'' (1977 Granada Television) * ''The Weekend Show'' (1979 ITV Television) * ''Superfrank!'' (1987 Channel 4 Television) * ''Wyatt's Watchdogs'' (1988 BBC Television) * ''Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami!'' (1992 South Africa Radio) * ''Birds of a Feather'' (1992 Alomo Productions and BBC Television) * ''It's Now or Never!'' (1993 South Africa Radio) * ''Topless'' – (1999 Carlton Television excerpt and report) * ''Topless – Live from London'' (2000 The Amy Lamé Show, BBC Radio London) * ''Generation X'' (2001 BBC Television) * ''Facing the Music with David and Carrie Grant'' (2005 BBC Television) * ''Don't Get Done, Get Dom'' (2006 BBC Television)

DVD, videos and film

* ''Everyone's A Winner'' – Director Mike Mansfield (1977 MCA Records) * ''Animal Games'' – So It Goes (1977 Granada Television) * ''London Live at the Marquee'' – (1977 Italy) * ''You Call Me Lucky'' (1979 Westward Television) * ''Birds of a Feather'' (2011 Series 4 DVD on Network) * ''Superfrank!'' (2011 Oh, Please Yourselves – Frankie Howerd at ITV DVD on Network)

References

External links

Miles Tredinnick Official Website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tredinnick, Miles 21st-century English novelists English songwriters English television writers English male singers 1955 births People educated at Blundell's School Living people People from Falmouth, Cornwall People from Warrington English male novelists 21st-century English male writers British male television writers 21st-century British screenwriters British male songwriters