YESTER
Remembered
14 PAGES OF
THESPORT OF KINGS (ANDQUEENS)
RoyalAscot andthe HenleyRoyal Regatta
KEEPING SCORE
NewTrickscomposer
Warren Bennett
THESUT TON TRUST
Thecharity that star ted with homes
TE ARSFOR SOUVENIRS
Theseriousside of KenDodd
Atribute to Jean Marsh
Ifyou areeverf icki ng th roug ht he TV chan nels late at night, then there’sagood chance that you’ ll fnda nepi sode or twoofa classic 1960 sseriessucha sRanda ll and Hopk irk(Deceased), Te Sa intorTe Avengers.A nd if youdocha nceacross Te Avengers,t henit’smorel ikelytobe aDia na Rigg or Li ndaTorsonepi sode, as opposedtot he ea rl ieronesfeatu ri ng HonorBlack ma norIan Hend ry.
Tere areseveral reason swhy that frst series of Te Avengers,sta rringHendr y as Dr DavidKeel, arerarelyshown.Only three episodes (a nd thef rstact of debut episodeHot Snow)a re know ntoexi st in thea rchives; it wa sshota sl ivei nt he st ud io on blacka nd wh itev ideo tape, comi ng across more as aplayt ha nt he glossy ac tion-adventu re series we know andlove; andopposed to theu sual spy-f tropes of ev il geniuses with nefa riou s schemes, that frst series ha st he feel of a ploddi ng police procedural.
Idowonderi fTeAvengerscou ld have enjoyedt he st at us it does hadIan
Hend ry st ayed on fora nother series.But by chucki ng therai ncoata nd st ar ti ng to dress li ke aret ired guards ofcer, PatrickMacnee createdastronglookt hatmadeh im a perfec tleadi ng ma ni nwaiti ng.
Re watchi ng wh at do es su rv iveoft he frst series ,it’spai nf ul ly obviou st hat
de spit eHendr y’ss ad ly wa st ed ta lent , Macnee is theb es tt hi ng ab outit. Hi s absencei snot iced from wh at su rv ives of thef rs tepi so de (het ur ns up lateri n them is si ng se ct ion) andt he ea rl ie st fu ll epis ode, Gi rl on aTrapeze,i nwhich he do esn’tapp ea rata ll
By thenex tsur vivi ng epis ode, Te Fr ig ht eners, thec ar nation andu mbrell a aret here,e veni fhedoe swea ra tr ilby in st eadofab owlerh at .A nd,yes ,Ste ed do es gettoend theepi so de celebr at ing cr acki ng thec as eovera gl as sof someth ingw it hafem alecompa nion, even if th at dr in ki ng pa rt nerw as On the Bu se s’ Dori sH are.
Butt he begi nn ings of Te Avengers as we know it aret here,a nd we have Patrick Macnee to than kfor that.
Cardinal Cox uncovers afew notsoancient traditions
Hig hsum meri suponu s andt imeto keep an eye open forevidenceofd ru id s in your loca lspi nney or th icket. Tese shy creatu res, wh ileharmless, ca nprove to be very usef ul.Cou ncil wa nt stocut down an oa kt ree? Ca ll in ad ru id.Government wa nt stoploug hsomei nf ra st ruct ure through thecou nt ryside?Bet terorgan ise an ei steddfod
My loca ld ru id sa re apleasantbunch whocla im to be pa rt of an ancient trad it iona nd,i ndeed, photog raph s were reprintedi na loca lnewspaper of peopleholdi ng aban nert hatproclai med them selves to be dru id s, butt hatwas arou nd acentu ry ago. My guessi st hat they were probably membersoft he Un ited AncientOrder of Dr uids.Tat wa samut ua la nd friend ly societ ymuch li ke theR AOBorOdd fellows, andsod id import antworki nt heir ow ncom mu nity
(mucha sd ru id sm ig ht have done before theRoman conquest ,but with less hu ma n sacrifces, hopefu lly)
It wa sa lsoa roundt hi st imei nt he 1930 s that Lady Raglan confated acoupleof ea rl iert radition sa nd efec tively created thefol kloreoft he GreenMan.Iwou ld suggestt hata fter 90 years, at radition is as much at radition as anyother.
In that spirit ,t he dru id shaveembraced thefac tt hatGeorg ia npriesta nd antiquaria nWil liam St ukeley wa sav icar in alocal town,whi le spendi ng hi sspa re ti me creati ng li nk sfor ancientd ru id sat Stonehenge andAvebu ry.
Te same town waschi ldhood home to Lady CharlotteGuest who(to spite herstepfather) ensuredthatthe tutor employed to educateher du llardbrothers actual ly taught her. When shemarried an industrialistfromGlamorgan,she took it upon herselftolearn Welshand then superv ised thetranslation of medieval ta les
that formed theMabinogion– acol lection of theearliestWelsh prosestories. Trad it ion, as Ihavesug gested,need notbea ncient.Tesametow nhas a tucked-awaymemoria lbench to Boud icca (erected in the196 0s)t hati sbot h accessible andfar enough from houses to notd istu rb theneighboursi fpeoplewant to ma rk midsum merdaw nt here.Myown city includes astone ci rcle erec tedi nt he midd le of ahou si ng estate 20 yearsago,so notsosecluded.
Andt hi si sa ll withoutropingi nt he legacy of Peterborough-borna nd ra ised ac tora nd author DavidPin nerwhose 1967 novelR it ua lwas (i nslightpar t) in spirat ionfor thef lm Te Wicker Ma n… perhaps, though,t hat’sa trad it ionwedon’t need to embrace, as much as therev ived Wh it tlesea St rawBea rFestiva lm ig ht lend it self to such th ings
Next issue: Spangles
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Treasuresinthe At tic Canyou guesshow much it ’s worth?
Theairmanwho fell from theskies
Aselec tion of recent gems anda previewofauc tionstocome.
memories.
on thePast
of seasidepiers from The FrancisFrith Collec tion
Francis Frith Collection.
Atribute to ac tressand Upstairs, Downstairs co -creator Jean Marsh.
A t bute actress a co- creator Marsh
Sound
Therediscovery of Lost Summer Love
The rediscovery Lost Love.
Mad ‘Professors’
Thehistory of RoyalAscot andHenley RoyalRegat ta
The histor y of Royal Ascot and Henley Royal Regat
The exploits of Brighton’s forgotten
TheexploitsofBrighton’sforgotten pier divers.
The English
Bexhill-on-Sea, home to the UK’s motor racing festival.
frst
F
Six ty-fve years ice -cream
Cover: PatrickMacnee, pictured in 1967, as SteedinThe Avengers.
Photograph:Studiocanal/Shutterstock Coloured andrestoredbyStuartHumphryes
An interviewwithNew Tricks composer Warren Bennet t. 52 TheSerious Side of KenDodd
Thecomedian’sprolifc andfruit ful recordingcareer. 54 SonicBoomBoy
We chat to Boom Radioco-founder DavidLloyd.
Theman behind thefrsthouse to have allmod cons
TheCharity That Began With Homes
ThegroundbreakingworkofThe Sutton Trust.
‘OwDo, ‘OwAre Yer?
Professional York shiremanand 1940s celebrit yWilfred Pickles.
64 Doon theClub
Theperilsfaced by comediansinthe nor th-eastofEngland.
66 GrandDesigns
Howthe work of WilliamMorris continuestoresonate.
68 AFineVyntage
Therestoration of TheVyne’sstunning carved oakpanels. 70 Puzzle Page and Cr ypticCrossword
Teatimeteasers
This month’sgoodreads 76 Out& About
Things to seeand do in June.
Doctor WhostarColin Baker remembers.
Dear Simon,
TheEditorwelcomeslet ters forthissection.Pictures areappreciated.Let ters maybeeditedsothatwecan includeasmanyaspossible
Icannot tell youhow happyitmade me to seeanimagefromThe RockyHorrorPictureShow, my favouriteflm of all time, proudly adorning the coverofyour Mayissue
Not only have Ibeen passionately following TheRocky Horror Showand TheRocky HorrorPictureShowsince my teenage years in the mid-1980s, seeing both thestage and screen incarnations many hundreds of times,but Iobsessively collect anyand allRocky Horror merchandise and memorabilia, so anypublication which uses my favouriteobsession (thank you, Dr Frank-n-Fur ter) as its coverstory will always get atreasured placein my belovedcollection.
Sincechildhood,Ihaveloved classic (and,sometimes,not-soclassic) science fiction and monster movies–the originalKingKong, TheDay TheEar th Stood Still, Tarantula and Nightofthe Demon were favourites from aver yyoung age–aswellasthe Hammer and Universal horrormovies,1950s rock ’n’roll music, 1970s glam rock,and sauc yBritish (Carry On style) humour,soimagine how my adolescentmind wasblown upon discoveringa fun, camp,rock musical which cleverly satirised andpaidhomage to all of these things.
When Ifirst sawthe showatthe TheatreRoyal Hanley,Stoke -onTrent, in 1985,its openingsong,Science Fiction/DoubleFeature, seemedtospeak to me personally like no songI’d ever heard before.
My unwavering passion forRockyHorrorresulted in thebook Still the Beast is Feeding: FiftyYearsofRockyHorror(writtenwith my friend Phil Barden), published by Telos Publishing (telos.co.uk) in 2013 to commemoratethe show’s40th anniversar y, with arevised and updated edition published in 2023 forits 50th.The feeling of seeing my ownbook take its placeonthe shelf next to my extensive collection of other RockyHorror-relatedpublicationswas quitean emotional experience.
Dear Simon,
Iw as think ing abo ut the gam eo ffootball and howove rt he ye ars it has chan ged.W hen Iw as at school,t he full-backs we re to ld not to go over the hal fw ay line and to stayi nt heir ow nh alf But in the moder ng ame they arei n the ir op pone nt s’ half all the ti me.
Also,the boots arelike trainers with studson, and youcan get anycolour of boot youlike.Toget thegame star tedthese days,
With the 1975 film celebrating its 50th anniversar yin2025 (a milestone the stage version reached twoyears ago), Iwas hoping thatsomeone wouldgiveitits momenttoshine –especially as the 50th anniversar yofStevenSpielberg’sJaws(also happening this year) is likely to overshadowit–soitbroughtmegreat joytosee TimCurry ’s Dr Frank-n-Fur ter, Patricia Quinn’s Magenta and Little Nell’s Columbia in all their glor yonthe coverofyour latest issue
Not only that, but the RockyHorrorarticle wassupported by a separateinter view with the fabulousAngela Bruce –herself one of TheRockyHorrorShow’searly cast members,and your own special memories of the RockyHorrorphenomenon (shared in your editorial) which were par ticularly relatable.All in all,awor thy celebration of RichardO’Brien’s enduring cult masterpiece and a welcome addition to my collection. Thank yousomuch
Rob Bagnall
Leek,Stafordshire
youcan stand in the other team’s half andk ickthe ball backwards. When aplayerscores, he runs over and kicks the corner flag down. Meanwhile,his teammates arrive and,beforeyou know it,they are all on topofeach other in abig heap.Inmyday,you mightshake hands and thatwas that.
Idid enjoyfootballwhen Iwas youngbut todayyou mightsay : “I t’sfootballbut not as we know it.”
Yours
BobbyKnottley
Newthorpe Common, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Dear Simon,
My wife, Lesley,was searching through some costume jeweller yand brooches etcawhile ago,and came across some smallearrings with whatlooked like amilitar yshieldas theirdesigninsilverand brass
Through the wonders of an internet search, we cracked thenut, they aretinyminiatures of aUSNavyofficer’scap badge.Thenthe cogs startedtochurn, while ser ving in theRoyal Australian AirForce,Lesley wasaliaison officer working with the US Navy,dealingwithAmerican militar ypersonnel sent on R&R leave to Australia from Vietnamduring the Vietnam War. Theearrings must have been awee “thank you” gift
We both have strong links with theRAAF; Iwas seconded to them while ser ving with the RAFand,aswefound out later, were both ser ving in Australia at the same time
Sometimes,itcan be asmall world.
Alan Mudge
Pentney,King’s
Lynn, Nor folk
Dear Simon,
Iwas thrilled to read Russell Cook ’s ar ticleonSimon Brett (A Nice Class of Corpse,April). Imet Simonmorethan oncewhen he came to Croydon Writers when Iwas secretary.Hebrought hisbookstosell,and Ialways boughtone.The pictureofhim in theApril issue showshim holding the same book Ihave. It ’s signed by Simon withthe words: “ToMaisie,with thanks formak ing me welcome in Croydon.”
Dear Simon,
Readers maybeinterested to know thatthereisa free information ser viceabout older cycles available from Mr ScotfordLawrence, historian to the National CycleMuseum.
If youneed help to identify ac ycle,please attach aphototoan email and send to cycle.museum@care4free.net or by post to:
ScotfordLawrence
TheNational CycleMuseum
Automobile Palace
Temple Street
Llandrindod Wells
LD1 5DL
Mr Lawrenceisunable to give valuations due to fluctuating prices.Manyenquiries areaboutthe histor yofvarious cycle makers in the past as well as wanting adviceabout restoration.
Kind regards
Freda Davies
National CycleMuseum
Llandrindod Wells,Powys
Thebook is AFethering Myster y, TheHanging inthe Hotel.I have read the other series,ofcourse, andthe Charles Parisseries ismyfavourite. Simon wasagreat speaker and entertainer and is amar vellous writer, so thank youfor bringing him to mind and reminding me of my days as secretar yofCroydon Writers
In May’sPostbag,BobbyKnottley wroteabout hismemories of Surrey (Hog’sBack to the Future). He mentioned St Martha’s church in Guildfordbut saiditwas just on theHog’s Back so it mightwell be adifferentone to where my grandmother is buried in Albur y, just outside Guildford. Iremember as a childwalk ingupasandy path to it.Her name wasEmmaMiddleton and she was53when she passed away in July1919.
Her son Rober tismentioned on thegrave.Hediedon 29 April1917 and is buried at the Baghdad (Nor th Gate)war cemetery.“Remembered with honour.” My mothertoldmeher mother nevergot over losing her son.
Theinscription from her other childrenreads:“Dear Mother,rest,they work is o’er.They loving hands shall toil no more. Thygentleeyesshall weep,rest,Dear Mother,gently sleep.”
Thank you, Bobby, forthe nudge to get out thepapers relating to St Martha’s
Maisie Dance
Purley,Surrey
Dear Simon,
Readers of the ar ticleFaster Food (Food and Drink,March), apreview of the book DiningatSpeed by Chris de Winter Hebron, mightlike to know that the very same DevonBelle Pullman carriages Chris lovedsomuch arestill withus–and you can stayinthem.
Severalhavebeen beautifully conver tedintoluxur yovernight accommodation at the Old Railway Station near Petwor th (01798 342346, old-station.co.uk). Still on railsbut going nowhere, sadly,thisisafantastic wayto spend the night, and the restaurantin another Pullman carriage is outstanding. Highly recommended to train buffs and anyone look ingfor somethingdifferent.
Regards
Paul Wood Southampton,Hampshire
Dear Simon,
Although Iwas alwaysaware of the heroism displayed in warbymygreat-uncle Alexander MacLeod,Igulped when Iopened an envelope senttomebyFergieMunro of Ullapool.Heinformedmethathewas sending me adrawing by warartist John McQueen Moyes, sinceIwas nowthe oldest directrelativeofAlexander and he felt I shouldhaveit.
Thefollowing is recorded in the battalion’s official historical waraccounts: “Fifteen Germans advanced and succeeded in getting close to afor ward post nowgarrisoned by only SergeantMacLeod and one other man. On June 23rditwas announced that decorations had been awarded and that the Distinguished Conduct Medal had been awarded to (newly promoted) SergeantA MacLeod forConspicuous Braver y. Aftera heavybombardmentthe enemysentover some reconnoitring par ties butSergeant MacLeod jumped the parapet and bombed them back to their wire, 160 yards. He set a fine example.”
Thesigned drawing depicts him in action and says it all.
Afterthe winterof1916 and afterVimy Ridge,itwas decreed thatHill 70 would be taken by the RoyalHighlanders of Canada. Meanwhile,after aseverebombardment, the Germans attacked and entereda trench closetoaposition thatAlexander and somecomrades had been holding.A flaresuddenly lit up the sk yrevealing that advancingtroops were wearing brassards (Red Cross caps). Doubting the genuineness of this,agrenade wasthrownbyaRussian who had joined in in their direction af ter achallenge made received aguttural and unconvincing reply
The disguised Germans replied in kind but were driven back towardstheir ownlines by Alexander and just acouple of others,who held firmuntil reinforcements arrived. For this,Alexander
wasawarded the Cross of St George (Russian, ThirdClass). He wasin factone of only 200 awarded this decoration who were not Russian by bir th. It was awarded “in recognition of an extreme actofbravery in the faceofthe enemy.”
Hill 70 wastaken by the Royal Highlanders,whereall others had failed before. However, the cost washuge Alexander wasone of 10,000 casualties. Many of the dead,including Alexander, and the very hear tofthe 13th Battalion lay, until identified and buried,inthe soil theyhad captured.
Across unveiled at Vimy Ridge by the Canadian prime minister commemorates all those who lost their lives there while ser ving in the RoyalHighlanders.Examination of the names of all those who diedreveals that manywereofScottish parents who had emigratedinearlier years,or, like Alexander, who had arrivedinCanada seek ing anew life but who died fighting in France. They areall remembered daily on Parliament Hill,O ttawa.
Colin MacLeod Beauly,Inverness
Dear Simon,
Ihavealwaysenjoyedspor t and have been luckyenough to attend some greatspor ting events
Iwas at Wembley forthe 1953 FA Cupfinal.Known as the“MatthewsFinal”, it was Stanley Matthews’s thirdFA Cupfinal appearancefor Blackpool,with the previous twobeing lost.At38, 1953 was almost certainly his last chance in whatsome thoughtmight be his final season. Ever ybody(except the Bolton Wanderers fans) wanted to see him receiveawinner ’s medal
Black pool wonathrilling match4-3. As forMatthews,hejust kept on playingseasonafter season, earningthe accolade of the inaugural Ballon d’Or,asEuropean Footballer of theYear when he was41, and the Football Writers’Association Footballer of theYear awardinEngland when he was 48.Heplayedonuntil he was50 at thetop level.
In 1953,therewas amassivequeue downWembley WaytoWembley station afterthe match. While waiting,wehad the pleasureofbeing passed by the Black pool coach containing all theirplayers andthe FA Cup itself. We gave them acheer.
Isaw David Gowerscore acentur yin1990 againstIndia at the Oval.I hadseen moreexcitinginnings but this onestood out fora reason. It was effortless.Hewas facing bowlersofTestmatch status but he madethem look like schoolboys.Hek new it and they knew it.
Iwas at London’s Earl’sCour twhen Henr yCooperbeatBrian London to win the British HeavyweightChampionshipfor thefirst time in Januar y 1959. Nobody could have guessed thatnight howpopularCooper would become.Hewas British champion threetimes buteveryoneremembers the fightwhereheput Cassius Clay(latertobecomeMuhammadAli) on hisbackside.
Henr yCooper easily outpointedBrian London thatnight. Iwill always remember howspor ting Londonwas at the end of the fight. He raised Cooper ’s armbeforethe refereedid.However,therewas still another round to go.Poor oldBrian. Henry woneasily but,asusual,hewas bleeding quitea lot.
Of course,Cooper went on to be very well known, not just forboxing but afterretiringfor hisappearances on television showsand in adver ts So well known, in fact, thatifyou saidOur ‘Enr y, people knew who you meant. Not only washea “brute” when boxing,hewas also a“Brut ”when retired.Oncea “Brut ”, alwaysa “brute”.Iput thatline in not so much as an afterthoughtbut as an aftershave.
In 1966,I wasluckyenough to be one ofthe 13,000 in Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough to watch one of thebiggest shock results in the histor yof football’s WorldCup as Nor th Korea defeatedI taly 1-0.
Nor th Korea trained at Ayresome Park during the tournament, so the Middlesbrough crowdadopted thecountr yastheir hometeam.Nor th Korea lost 3-0 to the Soviet Union, drew 1-1withChile andthen shocked Italy. What aroarwentupwhen thefinal whistle blew in the latter match. We had all seen it happen but founditso hardtobelieve.
Ithink the Italian players founditevenharder. They had lefttheir countr yfull of hope but returned to be pelted withtomatoes.
David Sim Normanby, Middlesbrough,Nor th Yorkshire
Ballroom and popular sequence dancing gentleman would liketomeet lady,64+ forlocal events (Ilminster/Tauntonarea). Ihavea nicedancefoor and a jukeboxwith 60s/70srecords forpracticeand improvement. Julian Bittleston, Tel: 01460 281993
TheFriends of DoverCastle are keen to fndany information relating to anybody who was stationed at,orworkedat, DoverCastle either service or civilian roles.The castle still had troops quarteredinbarracks thereuntil 1958 and from the 1960s to the 80s,the castle tunnels were used as acold war regional seatofgovernment. These tunnels had previously playedanimportantroleduring WorldWar Two. We arealso interested in anyinformation relating to DoverHomeGuard foranongoing project.
TheFriends of DoverCastle, 1Keep Yard,Dover Castle, Castle Hill,Dover,KentCT16 1HU Email: fodc2025@ outlook.com
Iamlook ing forrelatives of men/women who would have ser vedonthe World WarTwo gunand searchlight batter y, Inner FrowardPoint, near Brixham, Devon. Any information gladly received. Chris Martindill,Flat4, HardenHouse,Trelissick Road,Paignton, DevonTQ3 3GJ Tel: 01803 525483.
Trying to traceBrian Knight,last seen in Pendeen, Cornwall,and employedatthe Summercourt
Guest House in Pendeen owned by Mr and MrsTorrance. We were guests theremid-70s.The last we heardabout him was thathehad gone back home to Lutonwith his twodaughters, Eveand Dawn, if Irecall.It would be nicetotalktohim. LesGee,Email: lesgee45@ hotmail.com
Iwould like some penfriends to writetowho like classic reggae,calypso,ska and world music.I’m aged 60 and would also like to writetopeople who like classic television, drama and comedy
Colin Grifths,5 Chaston Place, Kettering, NorthamptonshireNN169TF
Is thereanyoneout there who took par tinthe Essex Senior Scout 4th European Expedition to Germanyinthe summer of 1959? If so,Iwould love to hear from you; Ihave anumber of photos but no other paper recordsofour frst ever visit abroad
David Sansom, Email: davidwsansom@yahoo.co.uk
Looking forinformation on the newspaper photographer EWS “Bill”Byers whoworked with the likes of the Ilford Recorder from his ofceat16The Broadway,IlfordLane.I would be grateful to see anyexamples of his pictures including football matches and Norman Wisdom’s 1953 appearanceat Barkingside High Street Rob Meyers,123 Ashurst Drive, Barkingside,Ilford, EssexIG6 1HA
Requestsfor information, friendsand family searches andreunion announcementscan be included here free of charge.Sendany requests,written as conciselyaspossible,toCan YouHelp?, Best of British, Kelsey MediaLtd,Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle,Linconshire LN96JR or by emailto info@bestofbritishmag.co.uk
Dear Simon,
Therewas atime when peoplegrewup, went to work wheretheir father did and when they married,lived near theirparents,maybe even in the samestreet.Thatdoesn’t happen anymore.
Some years ago,myeldestgrandson went to Spain to get ajob thereand,inwhat seemedlike no time at all,met andfellin love with aSpanishgirl. They ’vejust got married.And Istill rememberhis first words as atoddler;they were:“Jesus Christ ”. He was copying his father whowas not apatient driver and when someone turned orchanged laneswithout indicating he would say: “Jesus Christ ”. My grandson thinks this can’t be true, just agood stor y.
Thewedding invitations wereinSpanish but could be translatedintoEnglish by scanning aQRcode.Who’d have thoughtit? Thetranslation just appeared on thescreen. When in Spain, if youwantto say something in Spanish all younow need to do is to sayitinEnglish and ask your mobile to translate.Isn’t technology amazing? So,
Dear Simon,
Inspired by Susan Brewer ’s article in the May issue,GottaLotta Bottle,mythoughts went back manyyears to when Iwas aplaying member of StonyStratford Cricket Club. We had am em be r, Pe te ,j oi nt he club about the time the dev elopme nt of Mi lt on Keynes wa ss til li ni ts e ar ly stag es Pe te’s da yj ob re quir ed hi mt oc on tac t pot en tial cust omers on the ne wh ou sin g esta te sa nd build milk ro unds fo rh is co mpan y. Unf or tuna te ly fo rPet e, this
the Spanish phrase book Iboughtwas awaste of money
Iwas look ing forward to the wedding,but our flights were cancelled because of the fire and poweroutage at Heathrow thathit the headlines.Unfor tunately, we could not get another one in time
In Spain, it ’s tr aditional fo rt he br idegro om’s mum to wa lk down the aisle wi th the groom beforet he br ide ar ri ve s. Th es etting fo rt he we dding wa sa ve ry beautif ul church ( see photo) .Att he re ce ption, the br id ea nd groom star te dt hings off with ac horeogra phed dance. Th ey al so did ad ancew heret hey we aved their waya ro un d t he tables and th e gu ests al ls to od up and wave dt heir napk ins, ve ry co nt inen tal but something we co uld co py don’t yo ut hin k?
Thewedding pic tures include one of their dog Bruno in his weddinggear (photo attached). Hedidn’tattend the wedding but wasbroughtalong by the dog sitter forthe photoshoot.Dogs liketofeel they arepar t of the family,soI expec theenjoyedthat.
In the UK ,brides don’t alwaystake their husband’s name but, in Spain, they never do.Any children have adouble -barrelled name.I’m also told thatthe groom wears his
wedding ring on his righthand,soladies, don’t check the lefthand if youwanttok now whether your Spanish boyfriend is single. ThecouplehoneymoonedinJapan, not somewherepeople ever went to on holiday when Iwas young
So,that’sitthen, the wedding Inearly went to.
Don Alcott
Shirley,Solihull
includ e da ll da yo nm at ch da ys . Pete’s problem arose when he was selectedtoplayinthe first team because, as one of leading clubs in ourarea, our local week ly newspaper published amatch repor tand afull scorecardofour games, which would reveal Pete’s nameand whereabouts to his boss.
Ma ny cloak and dagger meetin gs to ok placeb et we en Pe te,o ur captain, and scorer,p lu sm anyp in ts of beer in the clu bb ar,b eforei tw as de ci ded tha tPete’s iden tit yfor cr icket re por ting sh ould be
kn ow na sG To pps –av ar ia tio no ft he creamier pin to fm ilk ,g old-top
Thehistor ybooks tell us thatthe coaching town of StonyStratford is the original home of the saying “a cock and bull stor y” based on exaggerated stories thatcame from the twohotels in thehigh street.Regardless of this reputation, Iam assured thatthese arethe fac ts and Pete’s boss wasnever able to shout: “Howzat?”
Terr yGlenn
Old Stratford, Buck inghamshire
Dear Simon,
Thever yfrst air raid on Londonwas carried out in broad daylight on Saturday 7September 1940.Atthattime,I wasa 10-year-old lad,living with my parents and little sister at Vauxhall GroveinLambeth, close to the RiverThames and Westminster
Howeverything changed on that sunny Saturdayafternoon, the air raid sirens had sounded,and we made our waytothe small brick shelter thathad been recently built oppositeour frontdoor
Afterthe sirens had ceased their wailing, London fell very quiet.Nothingisasquiet as acitywaiting to be attacked and we just stayedinthe shelterand hoped it wasa false alarm, as this period wasstillpar tof whatwas knownas“the PhoneyWar ”. Afterafew minutes,things changed.We heardthe noise of afew ack-ackguns firing in
Dear Simon,
Iw as in tr igued by the men tion of ac to r Rayner Bo ur to ni nCol in Baker ’s Back in Ti me co lumn (M ay ). Iw as co nv inced this name wa se nt irely new to me as Ih ad no re co llec tion of se ei ng it on the c re dits of anything Ih ad wa tc hed
At around thesametime,I discovered thatall 54 episodes of 1980s children’s drama series Murphy ’s Mobhavenow been uploaded to YouTube.A policeconstable made several appearances throughout series one in dealing with various matters at the ground of fctional fea-bitten Four th Division outftDunmore United Football Club Theupholder of the lawappeared to be por trayed by the same actoreach time but imagine my surprise when scrutinyofthe credits revealed a change of per former in the latter episodes –none other than Colin Baker ’s old friend, Rayner Bour ton.
Th ew ri ting (bys er ie sc re ator
the distance. My mother and Iwentand stood at the open door of the shelter and scanned the skybut could see nothing untoward.
Then we sawthem, quitehigh but a crowdofbrightsparkling shapes that gradually became swept backed wings and glittering bulbous noses.They were in per fect formations and seemed to be quite unopposed.
Theformations swept over Vauxhall and, as one,turned slowly andgracefully into aright-hand turnand followedthe River Thames eastwards, which we nowk now wastheir bombing runtothe docks and the East End industrial area.
My mother said: “They must be ours”, but Iwas prettygood with aircraftrecognition and said: “No,Mum, they ’reHeinkels.”
Isaw further formations coming along behind them and recognised them as Dornier Do 17s,known as the “Flying pencils”. There
seemed to be hundreds and hundreds of them, flying over ourcapital with impunity. My father told me laterthatatthat momentherealised just whatEngland wasupagainst and feared the worst.That thoughtwas quick ly backed up by the sight of black clouds of smoke and flamesfrom the stricken docks area.
We found outmuch laterthatthe Luftwaffehad stopped attack ing RAF air fields and went directfor our capital city.Thus beganthe first onslaughtthat lasted forall the years to 1945 whenthe warfinally ended.Wealso know thatnever again would the Luftwaffebeabletoattack London without battling with our RAF fighters and,ofcourse,the Battle of Britain ended in the UK’s favour
Ron McGill
Worplesdon, Guildford, Surrey
B ri an Fi nch) and ac ting of the le ad char ac te rs wa ss uper bi nt he fi rs tt hree ser ies of Mu rp hy ’s Mo b, par ticul ar ly th e goalkeeping saga across the second half of ser ies two( hands up those of yo uw ho kn ew John “B oycie”C hal l is pl ayed ousted first -c hoiceg oal keeper Har ry Br adshaw in twoe pisodes) and the stor ya rc acros s ser ies three.S omething wa sm iss ing from the final season –a nd not jus tt he main man himsel f, the br illian tK en Hutchin son as Ma cM ur phy, fo rt he firs th alf of the ser ies
Th em ainstays acros st he piecewere Te re nceB udd (as fla mboya nt ow nerchair man Ra sputin Jones), Mi lton Johns (as the we asel-l ike De re kCas s idy,n emesis of the “M ob”), the aforemen tioned Hutchinson, and Ke ith Jayne (B oxer) and Le wis Stevens (Wur ze l) as the leading ligh ts of the junior sup por te rs’c lub.Lynda Be llingham wa sp ivotal as Ma cM ur phy’s wife, Elaine,i ns er ies one but wa sm issing fo ra large chunk of the secon ds eason and then not seen again .For mer Do ctor Wh o star Janet Fi elding steppe di ntot he breach in ser ies three as Ma c’s Au str alian nieceCarolin e but her ro le appeared to be re str ic te dtoa nswer ing the door and mak ing her screen uncl ec ups of te a.
Mu rp hy ’s Mo bw as a re al gem and,given the energetic per fo rm ances of Hutchinson, Budd,J ohns and Steven s, deser ve dtob e brough ttoa wider audience both 40+ ye ars ago,i nstead of being re str ic te dtot he children’s schedules,a nd now( no presenceo nI TV X and Ib elieveo nly as ingle episode on Br itB ox ).
Jon Harris
Goldeneye (1989)
Talking Pictures TV talk ingpicturestv.co.uk
SKY328 |FREEVIEW82 FREESAT306 |VIRGIN 445
(Sunday1June, 8.30am)
Biography. Director: DonBoyd. Starring: Charles Dance, Phyllis Logan, Patrick Ryecar tand Marsha Fitzalan.The stor yofIan Fleming and how his work inspired JamesBond.
TheLast Escape (1970) (Friday6June,6.40pm)
Action. Director: Walter Grauman. Starring: Martin Jar vis,MargitSaad, Stuar tWhitmanand John Collin.An American officer joins British soldiers tr ying to kidnap aGermanrocket scientist, while avoiding SS and Soviet forces who arealso afterhim.
ADandy in Aspic (1968) (Saturday7 June,9.05pm)
Thriller.Director: AnthonyMann. Starring: LaurenceHar vey, Tom Cour tenayand MiaFarrow. British
bbc.co. uk/iplaye r
Theatre625
Intelligenceorders its operatives to eliminate aSovietspy,unaware he’s one of their ownmen.
Meantime (1983) (Monday9June,9.05pm)
Comedy/Drama. Director: Mike Leigh. Starring: Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Phil Daniels and Alfred Molina. Aremarkablestory following the lives of the Pollack family and their struggles to make ends meet
It Always Rains on Sunday(1947) (Friday13June,4.40pm)
Talking to aStranger JudiDench starsinJohn Hopkins’quartet of plays thatrecountthe events of one weekendfromthe viewpointsof four members of thesame family.Hailed by critics as one of the most importantand affecting television dramas of the 1960s, it wonJudi Dench her first British AcademyTelevisionAward forBestActress.
Doctor Who
TheDaleks’Master Plan: EscapeSwitch
Steven and Sara areheld hostage by the Daleks who demand that the Doctor hand over the vitaltaranium core,orhis companions will be exterminated.
Theatre625 Talking to aStranger
ManAlive
Drama. Director: Rober tHamer. Starring: Googie Withers and John McCallum. Rose wantstoescape the drudgery of her daily lifewhen an old loverescapes from prison.
Nightofthe Demon (1957) (Sunday15June,9.55pm)
Horror. Director: JacquesTourneur. Starring: Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins and Niall MacGinnis.A sceptical American psychologist visits England and investigatesa fellowscientist ’s mysterious death. In so doing,heencounters ablack magician who has the powertoinvoke an ancientfiredemon to do his bidding
Hyde Pa rk Fi rst tr ansmitted in 1971, Joh nPitman re por ts on ad ay in the lifeo fH yd ePar k, meeting th es ol diers who live there, ear ly mor ning Se rp en tine sw immer sa nd other local char ac te rs
Code of aKiller
John Simm and David Threlfall star in this groundbreak ing crime drama based on atrue stor y. Ascientist and adetectiveare both intent on solving agrisly Leicester murder case
Upstairs,Downstairs
Bafta-winning drama about the turbulentlives of the Bellamyclan and their ser vantsinthe early 1900s.Everydayfamily issuesplay out amidhuge social and political change
Rising Damp
LeonardRossiter, Frances delaTour,Richard Beck insale and Don Warrington star in this classic70s sitcom set in atumbledown boarding house
Yangtse Incident: TheStory of HMS Amethyst(1957) (Wednesday4June,2.40pm)
While sailinglawfully up the Yangste in 1949, the Britishwarship Amethyst found its returntothe open sea blocked by communistChinese shorebatteries thatunexpectedly opened fire. In charge, LieutenantCommander Kerans (Richard Todd) was, however, notprepared forhis crew and his ship to remain as ahostage forthe Chinese to use as an international pawn.
Deathwatch(2002)
(Friday13June,11.05pm)
Alost squad of British soldiersinWorld WarOne take shelter in an abandoned enemytrench,but it proves to be no refuge as the men find themselves
Only Fools and Horses (Sunday 1June,9.05am)
huntedbyunseen evils.Written and directedbyMJBassett, the British castincludes Jamie Bell,LaurenceFox,KrisMarshall, Matthew Rhys and Andy Serk is
SKY110, VIRGIN 124, TALKTALK 310, NOWT V
TheUnluckyWinner Is TheTrotters go overseas afterDel enters one of Rodney ’s paintings in acompetition and wins aweek ’s holidayinMallorca forthree. But there’sa catch...
Comedy Playhouse (Monday9June,9.55am)
AreYou Being Served? Thepilot episode of Britain’s favourite depar tmentstore sitcomfrom1972. When Mr Grainger is asked to take down histrousers,the menare up in arms
Pieinthe Sky (Thursday5 June,2pm)
FREEVIEW/YOUVIEW/BT/ TALKTALK 20, SKY143, VIRGIN 130, FREESAT158
Black Pudding RichardGriffithsstarsinthe charming detective drama. Acantankerous food writercalls on Crabbe when her unpublished (and spic y) memoirs come under threat.
Rebus (Saturday14June,1.35am)
TheFirstStone Themoderator-electofthe ChurchofScotland and afemale companion arefoundnaked in acar withtheir throats cut,but the church closes ranks as Rebus (Ken Stott) investigates.
TheVengeanceofShe (1968) (Wednesday18June,3pm)
Abeautiful young European girl,Carol (Olink a Berova), is taken over by the spirit of mysterious Ayesha, queen of the lost city of Kuma. She is taken to Kuma to succeed the almost-immor tal Ayesha as empress of Kuma.AHammer Film directedbyCliff Owen.
TheDeer Hunter(1978) (Saturday28June,10.45pm)
One of the most wid ely acclaimed films of all time,t his is Mi chael Ci mino’s ce lebr ated in te rp re ta tion of the stress es and dangers –both phys ical and emotional –w hich co nfron t at ri oo fPennsyl va nian steelwor kers when they ares en to ut to figh ti nt he hor ro rt ha t wa st he Vi etnam wa r. St ar ri ng Ro ber tD eN iro, Chr istopher Wa lken, John Sava ge and Me ry l St re ep
Bangers &Cash (Wednesday4June, 11pm)
Derekinspects abrace of old copcars including aRover P6 complete with radio,sirens and V8 engine,and aformer mod wavesciao to his collection of 1960s Italian scooters
Antiques Roadshow (Tuesday10June,1pm)
Brooklands Fiona Bruce and her team of exper ts see whatSurreyhas to offer.Delightfulfinds include ararestirrup cup,books onceowned by Churchill and Queen Victoria’s bracelet.
FREEVIEW/YOUVIEW/BT/ TALKTALK 27, SKY155, VIRGIN 129, FREESAT159
Rebus: TheFirst Stone
WatchD ave, U&W, U&Yesterdayand U&Drama shows on demand with U(u.co.uk) andcatch up on your favouriteprogrammes.
Channels maybeunavailable in certain regions.Ifyou arehaving trouble viewing channels,gotofreeview.co.uk/ freeview-channel-checker or call the Freeview Advice Line on 03456 50 50 50 (Mondays to Fridays,9am-5pm).
Initialpreparation work hasbegun to raiseand renovate theearliestcast-iron railwaybridgeto stillbe in place over an operationalrailway.Constructed between1830 and1834, theGrade II -listedCrawshawWoods Bridge is recognised by Historic Englandas oneofthe most signifcant structures on theTranspennineroute.Following previous renovationsin1943and 1999,the cast-iron girders, bridge deck ,parapetsand original iron railings will be carefullyremoved forof-site repair andrenovation. When reinstated,the historic bridge will be raised by approximately1.5mtocreateenough room forthe installation of overheadlineequipment (OLE), whichwill powerelectrictrainsthrough theareaand beyond as part of themulti-billion -pound Transpennine RouteUpgrade. Howthe earliest cast-ironrailway bridge will look afterrestoration work.
Amotor museumhas welcomed what Enzo Ferraridescribed as “the most beautifulcar ever made”toits collec tion.L akeland MotorMuseum(015395 30 40 0, lakelandmotormuseum.co.uk) hastaken delivery of a1967JaguarE-Type, aloanbylocal owner Gordon AylmoreofStorrs, Bowness- on -Windermere. Afxed head coupewitha4.2 litresix-c ylinderengine, capableofan impressive topspeed of 150mph,the car’sinteriorfeatures leatherupholster y, awoodrimmedsteeringwheel,toggle switches andanaloguegauges.
“I’veloved this carsince Ipurchased it in 2015,” said Mr Aylmore. “However,nolongerdriving it regularly, Iwanteditto be kept somewherethatnot only Icould visitand enjoyit, but also to bringthatjoy to others.It’sacar that hasalwaysreceived complimentswheneverI droveit, so it wouldbeashame to have it hidden away in agarage. Ihopevisitorstothe museum enjoyits beauty as much as Ihave.”
In pristine condition, alocal ownerhas loaned his1967Jaguar E-Type to themuseumfor fellow enthusiaststoenjoy.
Acclaimedstone carver SimonSmith adds thefinishingtouches to theheadof Demeter, oneofseveral sculptures being recreatedfor OlympiaLondon.
Restorationhas begunofthe lost sculptures and friezesatOlympia London’s GrandHall entrance.Appointed by main contractor LaingO’Rourke, DBR London’s specialist in-house craf tspeople arerecreating intricatearchitectural detailstorecapture thegrandeur of one of thecapital’s most celebratedvenues. Theproject,akey part of Olympia’s£1. 3bn transformation, focuses on reinstating allegoricalfguresand decorative elements removedinthe mid20th centur y. Builtin1886asthe National Agricultural Hall,the venue’soriginalentranceway wascelebratedfor itshandsomered brickand Portland stonefacadeaswellasits sculptures evoking ancientGreek my thology. Workingclosely with acclaimedstone carver SimonSmith,these remarkable pieces will be installedby DBR’steamofmasons, whoseimpressivepor tfolio includes the conser vation of theElizabeth Towerand therepair, replacement andreset ting of thePalaceofWestminster’shistoricinterior encaustictiling.
Aw oo la rt ex hi bi ti on th at ce le br at es VE
Da yc on ti nu es to gr ow as it ma ke si ts wa ya ro un dt he UK .T he ex hi bi ti on ,T he Lo ng es tYar n2 :B ri ta in at Wa r, ha dn in e pa ne ls fo ri ts la un ch at Wo nde rw oo l
Wa le s–t he pr em ie rw oo la nd na tu ra l fi br ef es ti va l, wh ic hw as he ld at th e Ro ya lWel sh Sh ow gr ou nd in Ap ri l–b ut wi ll gr ow to 80 as ex tr ap an el sa re ad de dd ur in gat ou ro ft he UK ov er th e co mi ng mo nt hs
Thefrst nine panels include VE Day, Buck ingham Palace,War is Declared,The Lorr yonthe Strand,Coventr yCathedral is Bombed andThe Few.
FounderTansy Forsterand herfellow knit ters andcrochetersare creatingthe newinstallationtofollowonfromthe successofThe LongestYarn, an 80 -metre, 3D wool ar tdepic tion of theD -day landings, whichtouredthe UK last year andiscurrently touringAmerica
More than 1,000 knit ters andcrocheters from across theworld contributedto thefrstproject whichsnowballedfrom
In the July Issue of Best of British
Tans y’sinitial idea of adisplay foragardenwallather home in Normandy
“Wehavetaken allaspec ts of life,rationing,evacuees, The Blit z, terrible headlines, when Britainwas look ingatthe DarkestHour, to endwiththe euphoria of peace,”explains Tans y.
“WhenI frst hadmy lightbulbmoment, Ireallyhad no idea that it wouldleadto this incredible rollercoaster that I’ve been on foralmost twoyears.Two hundredand ff ty thousand people have visitedthe frst exhibition and raised thesameinmonetar yterms.”
Beginningwithninepanels, wool artexhibitionThe LongestYarn2:Britain at Warwillexpandto80panelsby thetimeitvisitsSouthwell Minster.
Tans yishopingtodoublethe £250,0 00 raised so fartoestablish ahalfway house forBritish veterans,while also suppor ting dogcharities whichsupport people with disabilities andmedical conditions
At Gospor tMuseum&Art Galler yuntil 4June, TheLongest Yarn 2: BritainatWar movestoMarketHall, Plymouth from 5-29
Please Sir!
We talk to FrankieAbbott actorDavid Barry
Calling time on Wimbledon’s line judges TheLostLionesses
Remembering the 1971 Women’s World Cup WriteonTime
The history and influence of Pitman shorthand
June,and visits othervenuesincluding Chiltern Open AirMuseumon1-31 August.All 80 panels will be on show by thetimeitreaches SouthwellMinster on 3September,where it will be on display until27September
Forfur ther informationonThe Longest Yarn 2: BritainatWar,along with other dates, go to thelongest yarn.com
ur and
Your letters and memories in Postbag and Yesterday Remembered, Treasures in theAttic, Food and Drink, Window on the Past, Back in Time With Colin Baker and loads more
On sale from 26 June
QMy work colleagues andIare of a similar ageand arealwaysreminiscing aboutold comedy shows. However, there is ashowthatIrememberthatno oneelse seemstorecollect.Itwas called Hear tburn Hotel, andall Ican remember is that it starredT im Healyasthe ownerofa rather seedyhotel that hadrooms namedafter oldBritish athletes.Ifyou couldgivemeany informationonthisseries, or indeed letme know if it is on DVD, Iwould be very grateful. MHarris, Barnehurst ,Kent
Best of Brit ishsays: Writ tenbyOnlyFools andHorses’ John Sullivan,accompanied by co -writerSteve Glover,Heartburn Hotel wasbroadcast on BBCOne across twoseries anda Christmasspecial in 1998 and2000 Benidormand AufWiedersehen,Pet star Tim Healey played Harr ySpringer, an ex-army cook whohad bought aBirminghamhotel to capitalise on Birmingham’s failed bidtohost the 1992 Summer Olympics
Renamed theOlympic Hotel, therundown premises featured roomssuchasThe Torvilland Dean Lounge,The Geof Capes Room,The Eddiethe EagleSuite andThe Fatima WhitbreadGrill.However,far from attracting athletes,itprovidedDSS-funded accommodationtothose down on theirluck including asylum seekers, drunks andveterans.
Amongthe permanentguestswere soldierturnedteacher Duggie Strachen, played by Game of Thrones’ CliveRussell, whohad served in theFalklands with Harr y, andHarry ’s nephew SimonThorpe, played by PeterGunn, whoisbestk nown nowas Coronation Street newsagentBrian Pack ham. Gueststars includedNicholasRBailey, whowould go on to play EastEnders’Dr Trueman, as thefreshly deposedAfrican prince Prince Ekoku, andTracieBennett andSally Dexter as models Rita andYvonne who, unlike most of theguestsat theHotel Olympic, ac tually payfor theirstay.
KennethMacDonald whoplayedOnly
Foolsand Horses publandlordMikemade aguest appearance as O’Hare,another of Harr y’sold army pals,while behind the scenes,the show wasdirec tedbyOnlyFools andHorsesalumniGarethGwenlan,who also served as producer,and Tony Dow. Although episodes areavailable on YouTube, theserieshas notbeenrepeated by theBBC andanofcialDVD is unavailable.
QIn your very interestingarticle regarding Richard Murdochand others (QuestionT ime, May) it wasmentioned that KennethHorne wasa director of TriplexSafet yGlass.Iwas always underthe impression that he wasa director of the Chad Valley ToyCompany.Doyou know if this is true?
RogerWickins ,Cornwall
Best of Brit ishsays: In 1928,Kenneth Horne joined TriplexSafet yGlass as amanagement
trainee. Having been “sentdown” from university forneglectinghis studies, it was hissportingprowess that ac tually secured himthe role,asthe company’ssportsand social clubneededanother rugbyplayer.
Rising to thepositionofsales director, Hornelef tTriplex at theend of 1954,a few months af terrecording theAustralianradio series Much Murdochand Horne, to take up theroleofmanagingdirec torofthe BritishIndustriesFair, an annual tradefairto promoteBritish manufacturing.
In 1955,the BoardofTrade withdrew its funding, leadingtothe closureofthe British Industries Fair.Horne wassoonswamped with at trac tive jobofers includingthe directorship of acommercialtelevision stationbut decidedtojoinBirminghambasedtoy manufacturer Chad Valley as its chairman andmanaging director
In February 1958,Horne suferedastroke whiledriving,and although he made agood recovery andquickly returned to broadcasting, decidedtocut histieswithbusiness, resigning from Chad Valley in May1958.
ASKUS! If you’ve gotaquestion, theBestofBritish staff will do itsbesttofind theanswer. Occasionally we getstuck andlookto ourreaders for assistance.Whether you’ve got somethingtoask ,can provideananswer, or want to addtothe information provided, please emailinfo@bestofbritishmag.co.uk or writetousatKelseyMedia Ltd, MediaCentre, Morton Way, Horncastle LN96JR .
Onthe face of it,the character of John Steed, played by PatrickMacneeinthe IT VseriesTeAvengers, wasanunlikelyiconfor theswinging60s.Inadecadeobsessed with youth, modernit yand work ing-class heroes,Steed wasnot on ly midd le-aged (Macneeturned4 0in1962) butresolutely old-fashioned, an oldEtonian anda throwback. Suaveand debonair,Steed was rarely seen withouthis trademarkbowler hatand umbrel la andusual ly droveeithera Bent leyoraRol ls-Royce.
Macne ehad largelycre ated the characterofSte ed himself. When Te Avengers frst aired in 1961, it wa sa much less glamorousshow than theone itultimately be came. Essentially avehicle forIan Hendry,who played le ad character Dr DavidKeel, Macnee wa sc asta sSte ed, an unf ashionable trenchcoat- we ar ing undercover op erative who would serve
Top: As John SteedinThe Avengers, PatrickMacneewas an unlikely icon forthe swinging 60s.
as Ke el’s link to theunder world. But it so on be came obv iousSte ed wa sn’t re ally working outa sacharacter. Canadian producer Sydney Ne wman suggested Macne ereadIan Fleming ’s JamesB ond bo ok sand consider making some changes.
Te actordid as he wastold,drawing on thefashion senseofhis father and remembering how he had alwaysworna carnation in hisbuttonhole and had the collars of hisovercoatscovered in velvet. He now adopted this look forJohn Steed. On frst seeing Macneeturnupfor workin
Left:Pic turedinthe Columboepisode Troubled Waters,Macneehad served with theRoyal Navy on motortorpedo boatsduring WorldWar Two, rising to thepositionoflieutenantbythe time he wasdemobbedin194 6. Right: ThelaunchofThe Avengers on home videoin1993saw PatrickMacneereunite with hisformerco-starsLinda Thorson, DianaRiggand HonorBlack man.
hisnew garb, IanHendry sworeout loud in surprise.Newman, meanwhile, hedged hisbets: “Well, it’s sureashelldiferent.”
It wa s. Macne edre wonother infuences ,b othrealand fctional Macnee had once be en in aflm ab out Te Sc arletPimpernel,af ashionable 18thcentury dandy who wa sconstantly underestimate dbyhis enemies .Healso drew up on MajorCharlesHammond, another fctional character, this time played by Ralph Richardson in thespy flmQPlanes(1939). Finally,healso rememb ered thereal-life braver yof Buss y Carr,his commanding ofcerinthe Roy al Navy dur ing WorldWar Two.
Tese innovations not onlysaved Macnee’sjob but helped transform Te Avengers into an international phenomenonwhichwould endure for almost theentiredecade andwhichwould change tele visionforever.Hendr yleft theshow earlyon, but Macneewas soon joinedbyHonor Blackman who took on theroleofDrCathy Gale,Steed’s leatherclad partner,sex symbol and crimefghter between 1962 and 1964. Blackman, along with thecharacter of VenusSmithplayed by JulieSte vens ,werejustthe frstof asuccession of memorable female costars forMacnee. Te ywerefollowed by Diana Rigg ,who played thesexyand sophisticated Emma Peel (1965-67), when theshow reachedthe peak of its popularity,and LindaTorson, who was cast as Tara King (1968-69) as theseries movedtowards itsend.
Classyand urbane,the character of Steedwould be aconstantfeature throughout .Macneewas theonly actor to appear in ever yone of theshow ’s 161 episodes .TeAvengers experience completely dominatedMacnee’s experienceofthe 1960s and wasthe defning role of hislife.
Th es ei nn ovat io ns no to nl ys aved Ma cn ee’s jo bb ut he lp ed tr an sf or m Th eAve
ng er si nt o an in te rn at io na l
ph en om en on .
Hischildhood had been privilegedbut unusual. Hisfather wasaracehorse trainer knownasDaniel “Shrimp” Macnee, because of hisheight.A WorldWar One veteran, he liked to drink and would occasionally gethis shotgun out and pointitatpeople during dinner parties, but to hiscredit, as hisson noticed,was alwaysimpeccably dressed.His mother,Dorothea, meanwhile, wasa niece of theEarlofHuntingdon. A busysocialite, shegavebirth to Daniel PatrickMacneein1922 aftergoing into labour at adinner party. She laterran away with wealthy lesbianEvelynSpottiswoode, while Macnee’sfather fedtoIndia. Te two womenbrought up theboy themselves, encouraging him to wear adress.He resisted,sometimescompromising by
wearing akilt.Despitebeing born in Paddington, central London, Macnee’s surname and family background ledhim to identif yasaScot. He grew up in thesocially lively estate of Rooksnest Housewherehe wasencouragedtocallhis mother’s lover “Uncle Evelyn”. It wasadifcult childhood Along with aconstantfow of guests including ever yone from RudyardKipling to Hollywood star Tallulah Bankhead, Dorothea and Evelyn’s household sometimeshad as manyas45dogs. It wa sEvely nwho paid formuch of Macne e’se ducation. He acte dfor thefrst time opp ositeChr istopher Le ewhile at Summer Fields boarding scho ol in Summer town,Oxfordb efore being expelle df romEtonfor selling pornog raphyand acting as ab ookmaker forother pupils. Less shamef ully,he joine dthe Ofcer Training Cor ps while at Eton and wa sone of theg uard of honour forG eorgeV ’s funeral in 1936.
Having traine datthe Webb er Dougla s Ac ademyofDramatic Ar t, Macne e’s acting care er wa sjuststarting to take of when thew ar intervene d. He had just be en ca st oppositeViv ien Leighin theWestEnd when he wa sc alle dup. He served on motor torp edob oats with theRoy al Navy,r ising to thep osition of lieutenant by thetime he wa sdemobb ed in 1946. An attack of bronchitisc ause d him to miss D-day. As hiscre w’sb oat approached theshoreon6June1944, thecraft he would have be en on wa s destroyed.All hiscre wwerekilled.
Te years ahead sawhim taking numerousscreenroles ,manyof them on thenewly emerging mediumoftelevision Among other things, theyoung Macnee canbespotted in Te Life and Deathof ColonelBlimp(1943), Scrooge(1951) and Te Battle of theRiver Plate(1956). Hisfrst marriage endedwhen he walked out on hiswife, Barbara Douglas, and two children, Rupert and Jenny, to go to Canadain1956. He laterbitterlyregretted this decision (he fought se veral long battles with depression and alcoholism). He was cast in Te Avengers soon afterreturning to theUKin1960. He latermarried actress Katherine Woodville in 1965,before divorcing in 1969 and, fnally,marrying his thirdwife, Baba MajosdeNag yzsenye, in 1988, thecouplestaying together untilher deathin2007.
Hissuccess as John Steed entirely sw allowe duphis 1960s .At one point, he re corded theinf ur iatingly catchy novelty re cord Kink yB oots with co-starHonor Blackman. Macne ew as so ner vousabout perfor ming on it that he drank he av ily beforehand. In thee vent, thesong wa sa fop, only achie ving Top10success when it wa sre-relea se d30years later.
Macne ereprise dthe role of Stee din Te Ne wAvengers (1976-77). Nowinhis 50s ,Macne etookmoreofa back se at role le av ing much of theaction to hisyounger co-stars ,Joanna Lumle yand Gareth Hunt .Inthe end, therev ampnever re captured thew ry senseofhumour nor, cr ucially,the popular ity,ofthe or iginal. He ne ver entirelyesc ap ed theghost of John Stee d, howe ver.Although he live dtothe age of 93,dying 10 ye arsago in June 2015, littleofhis post-Avengers workprove dter ribly memorable. Notable highlight sinclude drolesinthe or iginal tele vision Battlestar Galactic a, werewolf horror Te Howling (1981), flm come dy classic TisIsSpinal Tap(1984),Roger Mo ore’sfnal Bond flmAVie wtoaKill (1985),and one-of parts in Columb o, Hart to Hart ,and Frasier.In1996, he came oe dinthe vide ofor Oa sis’sD on’t Lo ok Back in Anger.
But this is not theend to asad story ForTeAvengers alone, Patr ickMacnee lef tap er manentand indelible imprint whichw ill ne ver disapp ear. In thep opular cultureafterlife, thetowering fg ureof Macne ea sJohn Stee d, umbrella in hand and bowler hatonhead, shall stand tall fore ver,p erhaps enjoying agla ss of champagnew ithagents CathyGale and Emma Pe el as he do es so.
ChrisHallam celebrates theactingand writingtalents of Upstairs,Downstairsco- creatorJeanMarsh
JeanMarsh wasonholiday in the southofFrancewhenshe came up with theideawhich would completely transformher life.Jean wasw ithher friend,Eileen Atkins.Bothwereactresses in their 30sand were house-sittingfor awel l-todo mutual friend.“I’ dlovemoreofthis,” Jean refected,asshe rela xedluxuriously by thepool. “Ten writedownthe idea!” Ei leen replied. Jean’s idea hadbeensimple. It wasthe late 1960sand Jean hadbeen struck by therecentenormoussuccess of the1967adaptationofJohnGalswor thy’s Te ForsyteSaga. “Itwas beautifu l, of course,” Jean refected later. “Teclothes, thehouses... butwethought... whois cook ingthe food andironing theclothes? At thetime, apar tfromDickens,there wasnothing writ tenabout theworking classes. AndIwas determined to be the maid andnot thelady.”
Te twoactresses originally envisaged acomedyseriesentitledBehind the GreenBaize Door in whichtheywould play two Victorianhousemaids. Te ideaevolved.Tecomedy element was dropped,the name changed, and the setting movedfor ward in time, starting in theEdwardian era of 1903, atime then still well within living memory forolder viewers.Importantly,an“upstairs” family,
theBellamysof165 EatonPlace,Belgravia, central London werealsointroduced.As Jean observed:“Servants have to serve somebody.”
Te result,Upstairs,Downstairs frst wentout in October1971. ITVfranchise LondonWeekend Television initially showedlittleconfdenceinthe newseries, sneaking it out in agraveyard slot of 10pm on Sundays. “Tey’ll switch of in their thousands,”predicted CyrilBennett,LWT’s head of drama.“It’s verypretty, but it’s just not commercial television.”
However,Bennett waswrong.Large numbers of viewers soon came to know and love characters suchasthe proud Scots butler Mr Hudson (GordonJackson), cook Mrs Bridges(Angela Baddeley), chirpy parlourmaid Sarah Mofat(Pauline Collins), and rakish sonofthe house,JamesBellamy (Simon Williams). AlthoughEileen Atkins provedunavailable to actinthe series in the end,JeanMarsh took theplum role of stern parlourmaid Rose Buck.
Running across 68 episodes and fve series until 1975, Upstairs,Downstairs ultimately markednot just thehighpointofJean Marsh’s career but representeda landmark
Top: Jean Marshpicturedwithone of the many awards shewon forco-creating and appearinginUpstairs, Downstairs