Cleo Rocos
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Cleo Rocos (born 24 July 1962, in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, Brazil) is a UK-based comedy actress, producer, presenter and businesswoman who starred alongside
Kenny Everett Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English comedian, radio disc jockey and television presenter. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the mid-1960s, he was one of the fi ...
on ''
The Kenny Everett Television Show ''The Kenny Everett Television Show'' is a comedy sketch show broadcast on BBC1 from 1981 to 1988. It was presented by its main performer Kenny Everett, who wrote the material with Barry Cryer and Ray Cameron. Later in 1986 they were joined by ...
''.


Early life

Rocos was born in Brazil. Her father was
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and worked in shipping, and her mother was English. She came to England as a child to attend school, and also took acting classes.


Television career


Early career and Kenny Everett

Rocos had an early non-speaking part as a green-skinned alien in the first episode of the ''
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it w ...
'' television series (1981), demonstrating the effects of a
Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster Zaphod Beeblebrox () is a fictional character in the various versions of the comedy science fiction, comic science fiction series ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' by Douglas Adams. He is from a planet in the vicinity of Betelgeuse, and ...
. According to Rocos she was later lunching at the BBC with ''Hitchhikers'' director Alan Bell when they were approached by Jim Moir, later Head of Light Entertainment, who asked her to audition for a new show he was developing. This was
Kenny Everett Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English comedian, radio disc jockey and television presenter. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the mid-1960s, he was one of the fi ...
's
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
series ''
The Kenny Everett Television Show ''The Kenny Everett Television Show'' is a comedy sketch show broadcast on BBC1 from 1981 to 1988. It was presented by its main performer Kenny Everett, who wrote the material with Barry Cryer and Ray Cameron. Later in 1986 they were joined by ...
'', which would run for five series from 1981 to 1988, in which her glamorous and curvaceous figure was often used to comic effect. The role would also be echoed in her similar appearances in the 1985 TV sketch series '' Assaulted Nuts'', and later in reports for the consumer affairs show ''
That's Life! ''That's Life!'' was a satirical TV consumer affairs programme on the BBC, at its height regularly reaching audiences of fifteen to twenty million, and receiving 10–15,000 letters a week. The series broadcast on BBC1 for twenty-one years, ...
''. Rocos went on to remark in 2013 that the show would not be made in modern times on account of "professional campaigning women with thick ankles and shrill ovaries who have nothing better to do than to police people’s opinions". She also appeared, playing a white-coated lab assistant, alongside Everett in BBC1 science quiz series ''Brainstorm'', which ran for one series in 1988. Off-screen the two found an immediate affinity, which became an enduring friendship "causing mischief wherever we went".
Marcus Berkmann Marcus Berkmann (born 14 July 1960) is a journalist and author. Life Berkmann was educated at Highgate School and Worcester College, Oxford. His younger brother is the DJ Justin Berkmann. He began his career as a freelance journalist, contribut ...
described the pair as "two reticent, rather formal people who loved to play and perform but valued their privacy above all else."


Later work

From the late 1980s to early 1990s, Rocos starred in a Welsh comedy show on S4C called '' Pobol y Chyff''.
Rhys Ifans Rhys Ifans (; born Rhys Owain Evans; 22 July 1967) is a Welsh actor and musician. He was the frontman of Welsh rock music bands the Peth and Super Furry Animals. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), ''Kevin & ...
and Meirion Davies played the main characters. An occasional sidekick to 'shock jock' DJ
James Whale James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor, who spent the greater part of his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. He is best remembered for several horror films: ''Fran ...
on late-night ITV in the early 1990s, she fulfilled a similar role with TV critic
Garry Bushell Garry Bushell (born 13 May 1955) is an English newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author, musician and political activist. Bushell also sings in the Cockney Oi! bands GBX and the Gonads. He managed the New York Ci ...
on ITV nocturnal TV-review series ''Bushell on the Box''. She also made a few appearances in the Ugly Bloke slot, as an incongruously glamorous escort to physically unattractive males, on Chris Evans' Channel 4 series
TFI Friday ''TFI Friday'' is an entertainment show that was broadcast on Channel 4 television in the United Kingdom. It was produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker, and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first five series. The sixth series ...
in about 1996. Other TV credits include an acting role in US drama series '' Highlander'', presenting and co-producing a short Channel 5 series on the dresses of
Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...
(whom she knew personally), participating in
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
game shows such as '' Wipeout'', ''
Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...
'' and ''
Ready, Steady, Cook ''Ready Steady Cook'' is a BBC daytime TV cooking game show. It debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last original edition was broadcast on 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley ...
'', and partaking in Channel 5's
karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...
show ''Night Fever''. She also starred in
Leigh Francis Leigh Izaak Francis (born 30 April 1973), known professionally as Keith Lemon, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television presenter. He is best known for creating and starring in Channel 4's sketch comedy show '' Bo' Selecta!'' (20 ...
' TV series ''Whatever I Want'' as herself, as did Big Brother host
Davina McCall Davina Lucy Pascale McCall (born 16 October 1967) is an English television presenter. She was the presenter of the reality show ''Big Brother (UK), Big Brother'' during its run on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2010. She also hosted Channel 4's '' ...
. Rocos later appeared again with Francis, on Bo'! in the US, the US version of ''
Bo' Selecta! ''Bo' Selecta!'' is a British television sketch show written and performed by Leigh Francis. It was broadcast on Channel 4 from 2002 until 2009 and lampooned popular culture, becoming known for its often surreal, abstract toilet humour. Seas ...
''. Although her television work became less frequent after Everett's 1995 death, during the late 1990s she presented quirky reports from exotic locations for the long-running ITV travel show '' Wish You Were Here...?''.


2000s and 2010s

In 2002-3 she presented and produced a travel show for
Five 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...
called ''Cleo Worldwide'', and she spent much of summer 2006 recording a new travel show for television about the
wonders of the world Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, in order to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural features and human-built structures. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the o ...
. In 2007, Rocos entered the ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'' house and remained in the house until the final week. She was voted off the show on 26 January 2007 as part of a surprise joint eviction along with singer
Jo O'Meara Joanne Valda O'Meara (born 29 April 1979) is an English pop singer. She is best known for being a member of pop group S Club 7 between 1999 and 2003. Born and raised in Romford, she launched her career at age 16 working with Max Martin. O'Meara ...
, a former member of pop group
S Club 7 S Club 7 were a British pop group from London, created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller and consisting of members Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett. The group ...
. On 30 December 2007, Rocos was interviewed on
Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
as a "friend of
Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...
", the recently assassinated Pakistan politician. On 2 January 2010, she appeared on the BBC celebrity special of ''
Total Wipeout ''Total Wipeout'' is a British game show, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, which first aired on the BBC on 3 January 2009. In each episode, contestants competed in a series of challenges in an attempt to win £10,000. These challen ...
'' and on 2 May 2010, she appeared on the
Watch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...
game show, ''Scream If You Know the Answer''. In October 2011, she was a participant in Channel 4 show '' Come Dine with Me'' and was joint winner with the pop singer Pete Burns. In 2013 she appeared on BBC Radio 4's
The Museum of Curiosity ''The Museum of Curiosity'' is a comedy talk show on BBC Radio 4 that was first broadcast on 20 February 2008. It is hosted by John Lloyd (Professor of Ignorance at the University of Buckingham, and later at Solent University). He acts as th ...
with
Robert Llewellyn Robert Llewellyn (born 10 March 1956) is a British actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He plays the mechanoid Kryten in the sci-fi television sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and formerly presented the engineering gameshow ''Scrapheap Challenge''. He ...
and
Kevin Warwick Kevin Warwick (born 9 February 1954) is an English engineer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University. He is known for his studies on direct interfaces between computer systems and the human nervous system, and has also done ...
. In 2014 (a few weeks before the World Cup association football tournament in Rio de Janeiro in June), she narrated the three-part observational series, 'Welcome to Rio', which aimed to reveal the truth about the city's famous shanty-towns, the
favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...
s, through the lives of people who live there. Rocos narrated the programmes saying 'we', indicating her connection with Rio. In 2017 she appeared in a Channel 5 reality show, Celebrity 5 Go Motorhoming.


Radio, music, producer and film

Rocos is an occasional presenter for
BBC Radio London BBC Radio London is the Local BBC Radio, BBC's local radio station serving Greater London and its surrounding areas. The station broadcasts across the area and beyond, on the 94.9 FM broadcasting, FM frequency, Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, ...
. She has collaborated on some pop music singles, such as ''Love Dilemma'' in the 1980s – a traditionally-crooned number with the Enrico Valdez Orchestra – and 1993 dance track ''Back to Love'' with the band Vertigo (which disbanded when they learnt that their music was the last thing a woman murdered in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
had listened to). She is not named on the latter's sleeve, beyond a small co-writing credit. She co-produced a revival of ''
The Seven-Year Itch The seven-year itch is a popular belief, sometimes quoted as having psychological backing, that happiness in a marriage or long-term romantic relationship declines after around seven years. The phrase was used in the title of the play ''The Seven ...
'' for the London stage, starring
Daryl Hannah Daryl Christine Hannah (born December 3, 1960) is an American actress and environmental activist. She made her screen debut in Brian De Palma's supernatural horror film '' The Fury'' (1978). She has starred in various movies across the years, i ...
, in 2000. In 2005, Rocos produced ''...Sex Actually'', a special episode of ''
The Comic Strip Presents The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The c ...
'' in which a murder occurs amongst a group of swingers. Her film credits include
Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began h ...
's 1981 comedy ''
History of the World, Part I ''History of the World, Part I'' is a 1981 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Mel Brooks. Brooks also stars in the film, playing five roles: Moses, Comicus the stand-up philosopher, Tomás de Torquemada, King Louis XVI, and ...
'', the 1983 comedy horror spoof ''
Bloodbath at the House of Death ''Bloodbath at the House of Death'' is a 1984 British comedy horror film directed by Ray Cameron and starring the comedian Kenny Everett and featuring Vincent Price. It is an over-the-top spoof loosely inspired by ''The Amityville Horror (1979 film ...
'' (with Kenny Everett),
Lindsay Shonteff Lindsay Craig Shonteff (5 November 1935 – 11 March 2006) was a Canadian born film director, film producer and screenwriter who achieved fame for low-budget films produced in the United Kingdom. Biography Lindsay Shonteff was born in Toronto ...
's ''
Number One Gun Number One Gun was a Christian rock band from Chico, California, that was most recently signed to Tooth & Nail Records. They self-released their debut EP ''Forever'' in 2002, before releasing their follow-up albums '' Celebrate Mistakes'' (20 ...
'' (1990), and '' Baby Juice Express'' (2004).


Writer

Rocos' autobiographical book ''Bananas Forever: Kenny Everett and Me'' (co-authored by
Richard Topping Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...
), detailing her relationship with Everett, was published in 1998 but later reissued under the title ''Kenny and Me''. She has contributed travel articles to publications such as ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
''. Rocos's book ''The Power of Positive Drinking'', published by Random House, covers how to drink well and avoid the pitfalls.


Business career

In 2012 Rocos launched a premium brand of tequila called AquaRiva, made from 100% 'Weber Azul' agave.


References and sources

;References ;Sources *


External links

*
Official website
of her tequila brand AquaRiva {{DEFAULTSORT:Rocos, Cleo 1962 births Living people English television actresses English people of Greek descent Brazilian emigrants to England Brazilian people of English descent Brazilian people of Greek descent People from Rio de Janeiro (city)