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Neville's Island (play)
''Neville's Island'' is a comedy play for stage and screen by Tim Firth, first staged at Scarborough in 1992. The action takes place in November on a small island in Derwentwater, with four British businessmen on a team-building weekend. Outline Four managers from a mineral water company based in Salford go on a team-building exercise in the English Lake District and become stranded on a wooded island. All are quite different. Neville is the incompetent team leader, Angus a fussy perfectionist, Roy an unstable birdwatching Christian, while Gordon, a loner from a working-class background, has a talent for mocking the others. A mist rolls in, the only food they have is one cold sausage, and the men become desperate. They argue over the division of the sausage, then panic when they hear a rustle in the woods and begin to think of murder. Productions First staged at Scarborough in June 1992, the play was subsequently produced at the Apollo Theatre in the West End in October 1994, wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Firth
Tim Firth (born 13 October 1964) is an English dramatist, screenwriter and songwriter. Life and career Firth was born in Frodsham, England. He spent much of his time at school writing songs and it was only a few weeks before going to King's College, Cambridge to read English that he attended an Arvon Foundation course in West Yorkshire. This was run by Willy Russell and whilst on it, Firth had to write dialogue. He wrote about the only thing he knew - two sixteen-year-olds trying to write a song. Another course participant optioned it for his production company and Firth decided to become a writer. While at Cambridge he joined the Footlights where his contemporaries included fellow King's student David Baddiel who later invited him to contribute music to '' The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' on BBC radio. His first plays at this time were all directed by Sam Mendes. On leaving Cambridge, he wrote and composed music for the award winning Radio Four series '' And Now In Colour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust Limited. The trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of ''The Guardian'' in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of ''The Guardian'' free from commercial or political interference". The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for ''The Guardian'' the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in its journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders. It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK. The editor-in-chief Katharine Viner succeeded Alan Rusbridger in 2015. S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lord Of The Flies
''Lord of the Flies'' is the 1954 debut novel of British author William Golding. The plot concerns a group of prepubescent British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves that led to a descent into savagery. The novel's themes include morality, leadership, and the tension between civility and chaos. ''Lord of the Flies'' was generally well received and is a popularly assigned book in schools. Background Published in 1954, ''Lord of the Flies'' was Golding's first novel. Golding got the idea for the plot from ''The Coral Island'', a children's adventure novel with a focus on Christianity and the supposed civilising influence of British colonialism. Golding thought that the book was unrealistic and asked his wife whether it would be a good idea if he "wrote a book about children on an island, children who behave in the way children really would behave?" Golding, who was a philosophy teacher before becoming a Royal N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Way Upstream
''Way Upstream'' is a Play (theatre), play by Alan Ayckbourn. It was first performed, under Ayckbourn's direction, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK, "Theatre in the round, in the round" at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, on 2 October 1981. Although realistic in style, with a setting of a hired cabin cruiser on an English river, some journalists read it as an allegory of the political state of England at the time, with the violent resolution of the usurping captain's tyrannical regime taking place at "Armageddon Bridge", and crew members "Alistair" and "Emma" (representing an innocent Adam and Eve, "Adam" and "Eve") making a new start at the end. Ayckbourn, however, always maintained he was an apolitical writer and is on frequent record for his lack of interest in party politics; his website makes it clear that the play is not about the political state of the nation. Original cast *Keith: Robin Bowerman *June: Carole Boyd *Alistair: Robin Herford *Emma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 90 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their first performance. More than 40 have subsequently been produced in the West End, at the Royal National Theatre or by the Royal Shakespeare Company since his first hit '' Relatively Speaking'' opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1967. Major successes include '' Absurd Person Singular'' (1972), '' The Norman Conquests'' trilogy (1973), '' Absent Friends'' (1974), ''Bedroom Farce'' (1975), ''Just Between Ourselves'' (1976), '' A Chorus of Disapproval'' (1984), '' Woman in Mind'' (1985), '' A Small Family Business'' (1987), '' Man of the Moment'' (1988), ''House'' & ''Garden'' (1999) and '' Private Fears in Public Places'' (2004). His plays have won numer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laurence Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, but they were renamed in honour of the English actor of the same name in 1984. The awards are given annually to individuals involved in West End productions and other leading non-commercial theatres based in London across a range of categories covering plays, musicals, dance, opera and affiliate theatre. A discretionary non-competitive Special Olivier Award is also given each year. The Olivier Awards are recognised internationally as the highest honour in British theatre, equivalent to the BAFTA Awards for film and television, and the BRIT Awards for music. The Olivier Awards are considered equivalent to Broadway's Tony Awards, France's Molière Award, Spain's Premios Max and Australia's Helpmann Awards. Since inception, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Bamber
David James Bamber (born 19 September 1954) is an English actor. His credits include '' Privates on Parade'' (1983), '' Juliet Bravo'' (1983), '' Crown Court'' (1984), '' Call Me Mister'' (1986), '' The Buddha of Suburbia'' (1993), '' Pride and Prejudice'' (1995), '' Chalk'' (1997), '' Mile High'' (2004), '' Beethoven'' (2005), ''Rome'' (2005-2007), '' Valkyrie'' (2008), '' Psychoville'' (2009-2011), '' The Borgias'' (2011), '' The Hollow Crown'' (2012), '' What Remains'' (2013), '' Darkest Hour'' (2017), '' Borg vs McEnroe'' (2017), '' Peterloo'' (2018), '' A Very English Scandal'' (2018), '' Flesh and Blood'' (2020) and '' The Regime'' (2024). His most notable achievement was winning the 1995 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance as Guy in '' My Night with Reg''. Early years Bamber was born 19 September 1954 in Walkden, Lancashire. His very first stage performance was aged 5 as a pig in ''Tom Tom the Piper's Son''. He joined the Manchester Youth Theatr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Rawle
Jeffrey Alan Rawle (born 20 July 1951) is a British actor from Birmingham, England. He is known for playing Billy in ''Billy Liar (TV series), Billy Liar'' (1973–1974), and for portraying George Dent in the news-gathering sitcom ''Drop the Dead Donkey'' (1990–1998), and Silas Blissett in ''Hollyoaks'' (2010–2022). Other credits include ''Minder (TV series), Minder'' (1993), ''Doc Martin'' (2004), ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' (2005), ''Grantchester (TV series), Grantchester'' (2023), and ''Beyond Paradise (TV series), Beyond Paradise'' (2024). Early life Rawle was born on 20 July 1951, in Birmingham. His first secondary school was King Edward VI Aston School, King Edward VI School in Aston, Birmingham. When he was 15, his family moved to Sheffield, and it was at High Storrs School (Sheffield), High Storrs Grammar School that he first became interested in drama when he appeared in school plays. He worked at the Sheffield ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Timothy Spall
Timothy Leonard Spall ( ; born 27 February 1957) is an English actor. He gained recognition for his character actor roles on stage and screen. In 2000, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. Spall is known for his collaborations with director Mike Leigh, acting in six of his films: '' Home Sweet Home'' (1982), '' Life is Sweet'' (1990), '' Secrets & Lies'' (1996), '' Topsy-Turvy'' (1999), '' All or Nothing'' (2002), and '' Mr. Turner'' (2014). He received nominations for the BAFTA Award for his roles in ''Secrets and Lies'' and ''Topsy-Turvy'' as well as received the Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award for his portrayal of J. M. W. Turner in ''Mr. Turner''. Spall has acted in films such as ''Hamlet'' (1996), '' Still Crazy'' (1998), '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002), '' The Last Samurai'' (2003), '' Enchanted'' (2007), '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' (2007), '' The Damned United'' (2009), '' The King's Spe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Clunes
Alexander Martin Clunes (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV comedy-drama series '' Doc Martin'', Gary Strang in the BBC sitcom ''Men Behaving Badly'', and William Shawcross in ''William and Mary''. Clunes has narrated a number of documentaries for ITV, the first of which was '' Islands of Britain'' in 2009. He has since presented a number of documentaries centred on animals. He has also voiced Kipper the Dog in the preschool animated series '' Kipper''. Clunes was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 Birthday Honours for services to drama, charity, and the community in Dorset. Early life Clunes was born on 28 November 1961 in Wimbledon (then in Surrey, now in Greater London), the son of actor Alec Clunes and his second wife, Daphne ( Acott) Clunes (4 July 1928 – 17 September 2007). Clunes was educated at the Royal Russell School in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terry Johnson (dramatist)
Terry Johnson (born 20 December 1955) is a British dramatist and director working for stage, television and film. Educated at Birmingham University, he worked as an actor from 1971 to 1975, and has been active as a playwright since the early 1980s. Johnson's stage work has been produced around the world. He has won nine British Theatre awards including the Olivier Award for Best Comedy 1994 and 1999, Playwright of the Year 1995, Critics' Circle Theatre Awards for Best New Play 1995, two Evening Standard Theatre Awards, the Writers Guild Award for Best Play 1995 and 1996, the Meyer-Whitworth Award 1993 and the John Whiting Award 1991. He has had many West End productions as director and/or writer including: '' One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'', '' Hitchcock Blonde'', '' Entertaining Mr Sloane'', ''The Graduate'', ''Dead Funny'', ''Hysteria'', ''Elton John's Glasses'' and '' The Memory of Water''. At the Royal Court Theatre he directed ''Dumb Show'' by Joe Penhall and op ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ITV (TV Network)
ITV, legally known as Channel 3, is a British free-to-air public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television network. It is branded as ITV1 in most of the UK except for central and northern Scotland, where it is branded as STV (TV channel), STV. It was launched in 1955 as Independent Television to provide competition to BBC Television (established in 1936). ITV is the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990, it has been Legal name, legally known as Channel 3 to distinguish it from the other analogue channels at the time: BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 4. ITV was, for decades, a network of separate companies that provided regional television services and also shared programmes among themselves to be shown on the entire network. Each franchise was originally owned by a different company. After several mergers, the fifteen regional franchises are now held by two companies: ITV plc, which runs ITV1, the ITV1 cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
