PECKHAM PECULIAR THE
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
DEAR READER, WELCOME TO ISSUE 59 OF THE PECKHAM PECULIAR, A FREE NEWSPAPER FOR PECKHAM AND NUNHEAD.
They say never meet your heroes, but our cover star for this issue is one of England’s finest actors, Joseph Marcell, who was an absolute joy to talk to.
Joseph grew up in Peckham in the 1950s and 60s and went on to have a career that most actors can only dream of.
He is perhaps best known for his role as Geoffrey the butler in the smash-hit sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which aired for six years in the early 1990s.
We chat to him about hanging out with Will Smith in Hollywood, as well as his amazing career on stage and screen over the past 50 years, with his most recent appearance being in Channel 4’s acclaimed series Queenie. Turn to page 10 to read the interview.
Other people featured in this issue include the Dulwich Hamlet Women’s team and Jean Adamson, the co-creator of the immensely popular Topsy and Tim books, who grew up in Peckham. We also take a look at the
Read all about it
The SE London BookFest has announced some of the headline authors who will be appearing at the inaugural event this autumn.
Authors taking part in the festival, which will run across the whole of November, include the BBC Radio 4 presenter Emma Barnett and her husband, Jeremy Weil; and Kenny Imafidon, the author of That Peckham Boy.
Barnett and Weil began photographing their favourite south London spots last year, initially as a way to document special places and moments for their young family. This simple activity grew into a colouring book series called Colour Your Streets, which now has more than 30 titles, all inspired by hyperlocal neighbourhoods including Peckham, Dulwich and Lewisham.
Kenny Imafidon will be interviewed about his memoir, That Peckham Boy, which was recently published by Penguin. As well as being an author, Imafidon is also an entrepreneur and social commentator and has worked on projects with global businesses and charities. He is a trustee of several charities, including BBC Children in Need.
He is also the co-founder of My Brother’s Keeper, a voluntary group that supports men, mainly serving long-term sentences, in six prisons across the UK. In 2022 he was featured in Forbes’ annual 30 under 30 list for social impact.
The local foodies Mike Davies (Frank’s Cafe, the Camberwell Arms) and the Flygerians are also taking part to discuss their debut cookbooks, which are both out this year.
Sisters Jo and Jess Edun opened the Flygerians restaurant in 2022 at Peckham Palms, a black female-led space supporting startup businesses.
They made it into Vogue in a round-up of the best black-owned restaurants in London and have since attracted plenty of media attention and made several TV appearances.
The festival co-founder Mark McGinlay, who is also co-editor of this newspaper, said: “We’ve had a great response from national publishers, which means we’ll be able to showcase some fantastic local talent and some exciting new writers in November.
“The festival recently ran a crowdfunding campaign to cover some of the operating costs. The £5,000 raised on Kickstarter will go towards helping to cover some of the essential expenditure.
“We’re still looking for sponsorship, so if you’re a local business, please do get in touch. And obviously, the more money we are able to raise, the bigger and better the festival will be!”
For further information about festival sponsorship, please email SELBookFest@gmail.com
fantastic new sauna at Glengall Wharf Garden in our photo essay.
The next issue of the Peckham Peculiar will be the autumn edition, which will be published in early September and available until early November. As always, it will be distributed to all our stockists across Peckham, Nunhead, Camberwell and East Dulwich.
If you’re a business or organisation who is interested in advertising in the Peculiar, please drop us a line at peckhampeculiar@gmail.com to
find out how we can promote what you do across Peckham, Nunhead, south-east London and beyond, in print and online.
And as ever, if you have a Peckham or Nunhead-related story that you think we should feature on our pages, please send us your ideas via the same address – we would love to hear from you.
We hope you enjoy the issue!
Mark McGinlay and Kate White
THE PECKHAM PECULIAR
Editors Mark McGinlay, Kate White | Production Tammy Kerr | Photographers Lima Charlie, Julia Hawkins
Subeditor Jack Aston | Features editor Luke G Williams
Marketing and social media Mark McGinlay
For editorial and advertising enquiries, please email peckhampeculiar@gmail.com peckhampeculiar.tumblr.com | @peckhampeculiar | @peckhampeculiar | @peckhampeculiar
Jeremy Weil and Emma Barnett
The Flygerians
Mike Davies
Kenny Imafidon
Berkeley battle continues
Residents and business owners came together on 26 June to protest against Berkeley Homes’ plans to redevelop the much-loved and historic Peckham town centre with a scheme that one campaigner described as “gentrification on steroids”.
A crowd of 150 people united at the public meeting, which was the last time the developer was expected to engage with the public before submitting its major planning application to Southwark council this month.
The development has been met with widespread criticism from local people, who say the new plans to redevelop the Aylesham Centre on Rye Lane are imposing and damaging to the delicate ecosystem of the area, known as a significant centre for specialised BAME goods and services. The plans echo those rejected by the council and condemned by campaigners in 2022-23.
The local residents’ group Aylesham Community Action has been at the forefront of the campaign, working closely with Peckham Vision. Eileen Conn, the founder of Peckham Vision and a community activist, said: “Berkeley Homes have continued to ignore the views of local people who since 2014 have consistently campaigned against this kind of development.
“Locals have been misled and inadequately consulted throughout the entire planning process so there is very little awareness around the extent of the impact on local people, and the special nature of Peckham’s vibrant economy. The consultation process has been an absolute travesty and will have dire consequences.
“We are fighting for the right investment and development for the area – one which meets
local needs and is in keeping with the character of Peckham.
“We want the council to tell Berkeley Homes that the consultation has not been adequate, and that they need to engage the local community in a different way that really takes on board their views. It is gentrification on steroids. The council needs to take action before it’s too late.”
Berkeley Homes said on its website, theayleshamcentre.community – which shares details of the scheme and how people can have their say – that the proposals support local traders and SMEs and provide “significant funding” for local infrastructure improvements. It also said it has provided opportunities for local people to discuss the plans on a “regular basis” throughout its two-year consultation process.
We are a team of experienced osteopaths offering affordable healthcare to patients of all ages. As highly qualified experts in the field of paediatric osteopathy, we also offer specialist treatment for babies and children.
- Treatments available for patients of all ages - Specialist paediatric osteopaths
- Cranial osteopathy available
- Safe and effective pain relief
- Full disabled access
Appointments available with Nancy Nunn, Aidan Spencer, Chiara Ribera, Emily Starsmeare and Konstantinos Pitoglou 55 Hichisson Road, Nunhead, London SE15 3AN
People power for popular festival
Celebrating its 15th year of bringing free entertainment to SE15, the Peckham & Nunhead free film festival will return from 30 August to 8 September, offering a wide variety of free indoor and outdoor screening events.
The popular festival is run entirely by volunteers, who are as passionate about making movies accessible to everyone as they are about the films. The team are currently working hard to pull together an exciting line-up of events as they secure the films and partner with new and returning venues.
The full programme will be announced in late July – check the festival’s website for details and follow its social media channels for updates. Posters and printed programmes will be distributed around Peckham and Nunhead in August.
Already confirmed is the after-dark screening in Nunhead Cemetery on 7 September – featuring the film that won the public vote at the cemetery open day in May – and the festival’s opening night will be held at Peckhamplex, which is soon to celebrate 30 years as south London’s favourite independent cinema.
Other locations will range from Peckham Rye Common, the Brayards Road Estate and the Pelican Estate to smaller venues such as Peckham’s Persepolis restaurant, the Feminist Library and the Peckham Pelican cafe-bar.
There will be a filmmaking workshop at Mountview drama school, and screenings in pubs and community spaces such as the Copleston Centre.
The festival co-chair, Neal Browne, explained why free film festivals like this one are so important. “Times are tough for many people right now, and cost shouldn’t be a barrier to enjoying a great night of entertainment with friends and neighbours in your local area,” Neal said.
“That ethos is at the heart of the Peckham & Nunhead free film festival and it’s what inspired its launch 15 years ago.
“Not only do our screenings bring community groups together, they’re also good fun and can introduce people to creativity and stories they haven’t come across before. And they get to ex-
perience them in some unexpected venues that are practically on their doorstep.”
There’s still time to join the friendly and diverse team of volunteers organising this year’s festival, with roles ranging from assisting with publicity to setting up screening equipment and stewarding events. Some people dip their toes in the water by helping out at a couple of screening events one year, then enjoy it so much that they join the planning team next time round.
That is exactly what happened with a number of people who volunteered for the first time in 2023 who have now taken on key organisational roles. Among them is the new co-chair Jack Holliman, who read about the festival in last July’s Peckham Peculiar.
“I decided to volunteer last summer after seeing the piece in the Peckham Peculiar – I really enjoyed getting to know the other volunteers and becoming part of something that brought together my love of films and my local community,” Jack said.
“This year I was keen to get involved right from the start of the planning process. I’m taking on more responsibility for the festival as a whole, as well as suggesting films and building relationships with potential venues.”
To find out more about volunteering your time or skills, email pnfff@freefilmfestivals.org and visit the website: freefilmfestivals.org/filmfestival/ peckham-nunhead
Are you tired of searching for top-quality meat that satisfies your taste buds? Look no further than the Proud Sow! With years of expertise and a passion for perfection, we believe in the art of butchery.
What sets us apart is our commitment to locally sourced products. We work directly with trusted farmers who share our dedication to ethical farming practices and superior animal welfare.
We take pride in creating a personal and welcoming experience for all our customers.
When it comes to your meat, settle for nothing but the best. Trust the Proud Sow to bring you the ultimate culinary adventure. Visit us today!
New MP for Peckham
Miatta Fahnbulleh has replaced Harriet Harman as the local MP.
Miatta, who stood as a Labour and Co-operative candidate, beat nine others in the general election on 4 July. She won 22,813 votes (58.8%), with the Green party candidate, Claire Sheppard, coming second with 7,585 votes (19.6%). The Liberal Democrat and Conservative candidates finished third and fourth respectively.
Harman, who stood down in May, said: “It has been the greatest privilege and responsibility to be MP for Camberwell and Peckham and not a day has gone by when I have not felt honoured to be MP for such a dynamic and diverse area.
“I will give my full support to your new MP but I just want to thank you all for all that you do and wish you the best for the future.”
Farewell Derek
The much-loved local writer and loyal Peckham resident Derek Kinrade has died aged 94, after a long illness that he battled with characteristic good humour and grace.
Born in Toxteth, Liverpool, in 1929, Derek worked for several decades as a civil servant for the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise among others. In 1992 he was awarded the prestigious Imperial Service Order for his services as adjudicator for the Office of Fair Trading.
In the 1980s, alongside his civil service job, Derek joined the National Information Forum, a charity devoted to improving the provision of information to disabled people and other disadvantaged groups. With his second wife, Ann Darnbrough, who died in 2013, he co-authored a number of books including eight editions of Directory for Disabled People and The Sex Directory, a guide for sexual problems published at a time when Aids and HIV were little understood. His work with the forum led to an authorised biography, published in 2007, of Lord Morris of Manchester, an MP and disability rights campaigner.
Derek’s passion for writing was allied, after he moved to the area in 1988, with an unshakeable passion for the people and history of Peckham. He chaired the protest group PEARL, which campaigned against the Channel Tunnel rail link being built through Peckham and Camberwell.
Alongside the Peckham resident Deborah Elliott, Derek wrote countless articles and
Amazing Ademola
The former Peckham resident and St Thomas the Apostle School (STAC) alumnus Ademola Lookman made history on 22 May, when he scored a spectacular hat-trick to fire the Italian club Atalanta to a 3-0 victory against Bayer Leverkusen in the final of the Uefa Europa League.
The 26-year-old Nigerian international’s sensational scoring feat was the first hat-trick in a major European final since Jupp Heynckes’ triple for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the second leg of the 1975 Uefa Cup final against Twente. Lookman’s treble also brought to an end Leverkusen’s astonishing 51-game, 361day unbeaten run.
Peckham by his mother alongside one of his sisters, while his other sister was in Nigeria with his father. He achieved an impressive five As, four Bs and one C in his GCSEs at STAC and was spotted playing for the amateur club Waterloo FC in 2013, earning a contract at Charlton Athletic.
Lookman had varying degrees of success during spells at Everton, RB Leipzig, Fulham and Leicester, but since signing for Atalanta in 2022 he has discovered a new-found freedom and consistency.
books about Peckham’s personalities and buildings, many of which were published by the Peckham Society. Arguably his masterpiece was the recently published Peckham’s Heritage – Past, Present & Future, written by Derek with architectural notes by the local architect and friend, Benedict O’Looney.
Paying tribute to Derek, Benny told the Peckham Peculiar: “Derek was so passionate about Peckham and its history and it was a real treat to collaborate with him on the Peckham’s Heritage book. He was a deep scholar and deep thinker but he wore his learning very lightly. He was cheerful, good-humoured, amusing and fun to be with. There was a playful, mercurial spirit to him which I adored.
“I have an astonishing final memory of Derek. Not long before he died I visited him and as he went off to bed he was singing one of his beloved opera numbers in a very joyous way. That moment was very Derek. He was cheerful to the end. He was an amazing man.”
Derek is survived by his wife, Nancy Coleman-Frank, as well as one brother, two children, three step-children and numerous grand- and great-grandchildren. Derek met Nancy, a Californian who was also researching the eminent 18th-century botanist Peter Collinson in 2016. They discovered they had much in common, romance blossomed and the couple wed on 25 November 2018. Together they went on to transform the American Garden in Peckham Rye Park, creating a charity to support the project.
Lookman’s first goal was a clinical finish at the back post in the 12th minute. Fourteen minutes later he extended Atalanta’s advantage with a curling right-footed effort from the edge of the penalty area. He completed his hattrick 15 minutes before the final whistle, enacting a clever step-over before smashing the ball into the top of the net.
“I’ve always had confidence in my ability,” Lookman declared after the game. “The past few years I’ve been able to take my game to a new level. Maybe it would have come earlier, but it has come now.”
Born in Wandsworth on 20 October 1997 to Nigerian parents, Lookman was brought up in
A crafty idea
The local author Hannah Read-Baldrey has a new book out this month titled Couture Craft Gifts: Luxury handmade presents without the price tag. Hannah is the co-founder of one of the UK’s most successful craft startups, MakeBox & Co. She is the first and only craft designer to sell at the royal residences, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Her designs also retail at Liberty, John Lewis and Harrods.
As a writer, she created the books Everything Alice and Girls’ Night In. She has also worked as a presenter for Hobbycraft and Sizzix, and has appeared in TV shows such as Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas.
She said: “When writing this book, I wanted to create designs that are wholly premium – you could potentially spend a small fortune in an artisan shop, and yes there is some gold leaf in here – dispelling some trade secrets, passing on some of my knowledge and having a lot of fun along the way.”
Fifteen goals in 35 games in his first season in Italy were followed by 17 strikes in 45 games in 2023-24. However, it is his feats in the Europa League that will live longest in the memory, having helped secure just the second trophy in the Bergamo club’s history – and their first since their fabled Coppa Italia triumph in 1963. Earlier this year, Lookman scored three goals in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, helping Nigeria reach the final. In recognition of this achievement, he and his team-mates were awarded the prestigious Order of the Niger by the Nigerian government.
Despite his growing fame, Lookman maintains close contact with his former school STAC, and has spent several thousand pounds buying kit for the school’s football teams.
A bright future
DULWICH HAMLET WOMEN’S TEAM TELL US ABOUT THEIR sensational 2023-24 season – and what the fans can expect next
Some football seasons are so special, they stay with you for ever. The Dulwich Hamlet Women’s team’s 2023-24 campaign was one such golden, unforgettable season.
Since their merger with AFC Phoenix in June 2019, triumph and disaster, glory and melancholy have often gone hand in hand for Dulwich Hamlet’s women. Just two months after the aforementioned merger, the coach Farouk Menia passed away, leaving many of the players bereft.
Ryan Dempsey assumed the coaching reins, only for Dulwich to mystifyingly be denied promotion during the Covid-19 pandemic despite topping the London & South East Regional Women’s Premier Division on two occasions.
Then, in 2022, the team reached their first ever cup final, only to be vanquished by Ashford Town in the Capital Women’s Senior Cup.
Now, though, the years of toil, injustice and disappointment are at an end after a stunning winning streak of 15 league games saw Dulwich Hamlet crowned London & South East Regional Women’s League champions – therefore winning
promotion to the FA Women’s National League Division One South East, the fourth tier of the women’s game in England.
Reflecting on the enormity of the achievement two weeks after the club had clinched the title with a 5-1 victory away to Saltdean United Women on 19 May, Ryan told the Peckham Peculiar: “I’m still buzzing, although to be honest I haven’t had all that much time to think about it because we finished our season after everyone else, so I’ve been getting on with prepping for next season.
“The celebrations will live long in the memory, of course. Ultimately I think our success came down to our chemistry as a team, and the environment and culture we have created.”
Even now, though, with memories of their league championship triumph still fresh in our collective minds, Dulwich’s great triumph is tinged with melancholy – for this was a special group of players, some of whom will never play together again.
For starters, the legendary Hamlet captain Brit Saylor, who was one of the driving forces behind the original merger with Phoenix, has decided
to hang up her boots, although she will remain involved in the club in a new capacity, having been appointed to the board of directors.
“It was an incredible season, and on a personal level to go out on such a high is really amazing,” Brit told the Peculiar.
“Having said that, even though I’m sure the team will go on to have more success next season and afterwards, I think there’s no recreating what we had this season. It was really special. With so many of the team going their different ways, the future will be very different.”
Heartbreakingly for Hamlet fans, the formidable attacking trio of Summer Roberts, Shakira Kafero-Roberts and Angel Reid –christened SAS – will now be going their separate
ways, after a golden year in which they shared more than 40 goals and fuelled countless dreams destined to be a case of “for one season only”.
Although Summer is thankfully staying at the club, Shakira and Angel are heading to the US to continue their football careers and academic studies.
Two days on from completing her A-levels, Shakira admitted to the Peculiar: “I’ve definitely got mixed feelings now the season is over. I’m very happy that we won the league but I’m also sad to be leaving the club.
“I was looking for a place at university here in the UK but it is so expensive,” she added. “So I made a highlights video of myself playing and
WORDS LUKE G WILLIAMS PHOTOS LIAM ASMAN
sent it on to an agent who sent it off to a bunch of universities in America and I ended up getting a scholarship to North Carolina.”
Of her SAS partnership with Angel and Summer, Shakira said: “I don’t know how it happened but we just clicked. That doesn’t happen often but this time it really did.”
It’s a point that Summer expanded on, fielding my phone call straight after a session of scubadiving on a much-deserved holiday in Jamaica.
“Me and Shakira personality-wise are total opposites,” Summer said. “But we all really clicked as a front three. Shakira and Angel made my job so easy.”
The spirit and inclusivity at Dulwich Hamlet was a theme that Summer referenced repeatedly as crucial to the team’s success. “100% the reason for our success was our bond as a team –on and off the pitch,” she said.
“We were here for each other all the time, no matter what, and we took that spirit on to the pitch. Having that sort of bond makes things so much easier.
“The fans were so important, too – I’ve played football at a higher league level, but I’ve never seen fans like Dulwich fans. The vibe they bring is so different – they really push the team on.”
The fans’ support was certainly needed early in the campaign, after a disastrous start that saw Dulwich lose their first two matches of the season.
“So much had to happen in our favour after losing those games,” Brit admitted. “The only thing we could do was stay focused on each training session and game as it came. We never got too carried away.”
It was only when it came to near the end of the final game of the season, which Dulwich would have had to lose by 12 goals to be denied
the title, that Brit allowed herself the luxury of allowing the moment to sink in.
“I wanted to win the league so badly that maybe in a way I didn’t enjoy the season as much as I could have done – I was so determined to stay grounded,” she said.
“But there was a moment in the Saltdean game when we had total control and I thought to myself: ‘There’s no way we’re going to lose this!’ Only then did I allow myself to look around and take it all in – the fans, the players, and what it meant to everybody. That was very special – the
realisation that we’d done it and we’d all created this incredible atmosphere and memories.”
Shakira also pinpointed the Saltdean match and the celebrations afterwards, including a visit to the Goose Green roundabout, as particularly special. “We came out so fast – it was a great game to play in. After the match I went to the roundabout, but I had an A-level sociology exam the next day so I could only stay for a bit!”
For Summer, the experience of the roundabout was a particular eye-opener. “On the day of the Saltdean match everyone was
talking about the roundabout and I was thinking: ‘What’s that all about?’
“After we got back though we had some drinks at the club and then everyone went down there and the whole place was shut down – it was incredible. People were everywhere, all over the roundabout. There were fireworks, inflatables, car horns beeping. It was surreal.”
As memories of the roundabout fade, the female faces at Champion Hill may be changing, but with attendances for the women’s team continuing to grow, culminating in a new record figure of 1,142 for the home game against Enfield in April, the future of the club remains bright.
Players who are staying, such as the Yorkshireborn defender Jodie Lodge, will be particularly crucial to the Dulwich cause next season, as will the fans of course.
“We’ve got talented players in every position and we showed our strength this season when we had injuries and other people came in,” Jodie said.
“Before I joined I didn’t realise how committed the fans would be – they really are like a 12th player out there. Next season I’m super-excited to still be at Dulwich and I think we can push on, go for promotion again and hopefully have a good FA Cup run.”
And you never know, some of the faces from 2023-24 just may return to Champion Hill one of these days.
“I see myself back at Dulwich one day,” said Shakira, as she prepared to pack her bags for her new adventure across the Atlantic. “It’s the best team I’ve ever played for. I’d love to come back.”
To discuss sponsorship opportunities with the Dulwich Hamlet Women’s team, contact Clare Keeble on commercial@dulwichhamlet.co.uk
Considered attention to both seasonality and provenance underpin everything we cook.
We can cater for all kind of events, anywhere in London. From canape deliveries to fully managed weddings - we’re here to help.
Trust us to look after you, it’s what we do best day in, day out.
What the butler saw
JOSEPH MARCELL’S VARIED CAREER HAS SEEN HIM ACT IN SHOWS FROM THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR TO KING LEAR. He discusses his early years growing up in Peckham, playing Geoffrey the butler and his latest role – as Grandad Wilfred in the Channel 4 series Queenie
WORDS MARK MCGINLAY
Joseph Marcell has had a career that most actors can only dream of.
He is perhaps best known for his role as Geoffrey the butler in the smash-hit sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which aired for six years in the early 1990s. But to tell his story properly, we need to go back to the beginning.
Born in St Lucia in 1948, Joseph moved to England when he was nine and grew up in Peckham. “Well, we all need to come from somewhere, and luckily enough I grew up in Peckham,” he tells the Peckham Peculiar.
“We first lived in Bermondsey, then my father began to make it so we moved to Peckham. In those days, it was the place to live. I have noticed that it’s very fashionable again now, what with all the trendy coffee shops and other stuff.
“I lived on Gordon Road and at the back of our street there was a Victorian bedlam, an old mental institution. Our road went all the way up to Nunhead. We went to the Catholic church near the top of the hill and I attended Peckham Manor School.
“In those days, we had the Harrods of southeast London, a store called Jones & Higgins. And
I always remember there was a lovely smell just as you got to Nunhead. I think it was a perfume factory or something similar, with a beautiful aroma, though I never went inside. I also used to go to the launderette on Nunhead Lane.”
Joseph was 20 when he moved north of the river in 1968 to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
“My family remained in Peckham when I went to drama school and I still have family there now,” he says.
As a renowned member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Joseph has appeared in productions of Othello and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has also featured in numerous other Shakespearean plays such as Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, Titus Andronicus, The Tempest and King Lear.
He has a deep love of the Bard and serves on the board of Shakespeare’s Globe USA and on the Globe’s council here in the UK.
He fondly remembers working with the local actor Jade Anouka 10 years ago (Jade was also a Peckham Peculiar cover star in 2019). They
appeared together in the premiere of Omeros, an epic poem by the St Lucian writer Derek Walcott, first published in 1990. Many people view the poem as Walcott’s finest work and in 2022, it was included in the Big Jubilee Read list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors.
“I did know Derek as we had taken King Lear to St Lucia, thanks to Dominic Dromgoole who was then the artistic director of the Globe,” Joseph says. “I suppose it was a present to me for having played King Lear for two years.
“We took it to St Lucia and I formed a friendship with Sir Derek. Dominic suggested we dramatise a shortened version of Omeros and Derek agreed. He and Bill Buckhurst, who directed it, came up with an actable version. We became reasonably good friends after that.”
As well as a hugely accomplished career on the stage, Joseph has appeared in a number of TV programmes in the UK, such as EastEnders, Doctor Who and Death in Paradise.
His big break on television was appearing in Antony and Cleopatra 50 years ago with Patrick Stewart, Janet Suzman and Corin Redgrave. “That was really my first notable performance,” he says, “though I had a small part in a series called Mogul back in around 1969, 1970.”
The Troubleshooters (titled Mogul for the first series) was made by the BBC between 1965 and 1972, and recounted events in an international oil company.
Joseph later appeared in the TV series Empire Road. “I have been very lucky,” he says, laughing with genuine modesty. “Empire Road was groundbreaking. It was the first series written by – and in various episodes, directed by – black creatives. It was also one of the first modern family dramas to be on TV.”
The series was written by Michael John Abbensetts, who was the first black British playwright commissioned to write a television drama series. The Guyana-born British writer has been described as “the best black playwright to emerge from his generation”, and as having given “Caribbeans a real voice in Britain”.
Joseph had co-starred in the series with Norman Beaton, who went on to play the eponymous lead in one of Peckham’s best-loved TV series, Desmond’s.
“Norman Beaton was the lead actor in Empire Road,” says Joseph. “And working with him in Desmond’s, that was fun too and it had been a long time since we had worked together. And of course, Desmond’s appealed to young people, which was marvellous.”
The beginning of the 1990s marked Joseph’s first appearance in another hit show with massive appeal to young audiences – the worldwide smash hit that was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Joseph had been in Los Angeles a few years beforehand in a production of Measure for Measure directed by Patrick Stewart, in which he had played Angelo and three other roles.
Then along came the Fresh Prince in 1990 –and the producers needed not only an English butler but one of African-Caribbean heritage. Someone had remembered him as Angelo and he was duly cast.
“I don’t think many people know this but it was the magnificent Janet Street-Porter who had commissioned the show for the BBC and brought it to BBC Two,” Joseph says.
“She came over to see us. We had moved from Hollywood as it was impossible to walk outside the studio, so she visited us in Burbank. And it was thanks to her that the British people discovered Will Smith and all the rest of us!
“One of the great achievements of that show was it was a huge crossover. It was essentially a black show but it became a show for America.
“We were on NBC on a Monday, which was American football night. None of the other
channels put on anything because everyone just watched the football.
“But The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air came out at 8 o’clock on a Monday evening on 10 September 1990. People would leave the football for 28 minutes just to watch us, then go back to the football. It was just the most amazing thing. That was thanks to Quincy Jones and all the important suits who made that decision.”
Are the cast still in touch? “We had an official reunion a couple of years ago, but we do see each other every couple of years as Will takes us all out to lunch.
“We hadn’t been on the set for 30 years until the [official] reunion. Arriving on the set, all the memories, all the irritations, all the joy, just rushed at you. I think the reunion was very well
received and it made peace with one of the original cast members who sadly had to leave the show.”
The Fresh Prince was known for having a dazzling array of guest stars including Oprah Winfrey, Chris Rock, Don Cheadle, Tom Jones and dare we say it, Donald Trump. Naomi Campbell also appeared in one episode as Geoffrey’s date. “I did have some pretty exciting girlfriends on that show,” Joseph chuckles.
He’s currently appearing in the adaptation of the bestselling novel Queenie on Channel 4, with all eight episodes available to watch online.
The channel has gained a strong reputation over the years for producing black-led programmes, right back from when it began in the early 1980s when it launched with a TV series
called No Problem! that centred on a family of Jamaican heritage, the Powells, living in a council house in Willesden Green.
Humphrey Barclay, the executive producer of that show, went on to produce Desmond’s –which was set in a barbershop in Peckham – on the same channel a few years later.
Now Channel 4 has produced another south London success story with Queenie, in which Joseph plays Grandad Wilfred. Also appearing in the show is Llewella Gideon, who was born in Peckham and went to school locally. She plays Grandma Veronica and is also of St Lucian descent.
“Truthfully, I’ve not got the best Jamaican accent,” Joseph says. “When they asked me if I would be interested in reading for it, I said: ‘Yes, but you must understand my Jamaican accent is ridiculous. I can do a great St Lucian accent, I can do a good Trinidadian accent, but I can’t do a Jamaican one that would be convincing!’
“But they said that wouldn’t be a problem and wanted to know what I thought of the book and the episodes that I’d read. And I said it was fantastic and it was a milestone in the development of British black entertainment.
“In fact, the last time we had anything as groundbreaking was Empire Road. And they were kind enough to say they’d like me to be in it. I said if you trust me that much, I would be proud and honoured to be in it.”
It does strike him, as we talk about all the shows he has appeared in over the last five decades, that there should have been a lot more shows that highlighted diversity.
“There should be more. I’m now a grandfather. And my granddaughter, and my other relatives such as my nephews, my nieces ... it is simply about representation. We haven’t been represented and if you turn on the television and don’t see yourself, you are a stranger.”
So, as much as this interview was about what Joseph Marcell has witnessed over a glorious career, it was also about what he hasn’t seen.
Omeros
Queenie
Lucky dip
Not only can visitors to Peckham’s Glengall Wharf Community Garden immerse themselves in the joys of nature – now they can enjoy a sauna and cold plunge, too.
The proceeds from the pop-up Community Sauna Baths have provided the garden with the funds to complete the build of its new classroom
this summer, which will host community workshops all year round.
The two saunas and three plunge pools open from 7am-9pm on Thursdays and Fridays, from 8am-9pm on Saturdays and on some Sundays.
To book, go to community-sauna.co.uk/glengall
WORDS JACK ASTON
The language of laughter
MUNYA CHAWAWA’S SATIRICAL SKETCHES HAVE WON THE COMEDIAN LEGIONS OF FANS. We take a look at his career so far
WORDS LUKE G WILLIAMS
British comedy has come a long way since the days when a Cambridge education and a place in the Footlights comedy troupe pretty much guaranteed a neat segue into a contract with the BBC.
Munya Chawawa is one of the new and thrilling generation of comedians who have harnessed the power of social media – rather than the old school tie – to break their way into the mainstream.
“I want to break the mould of being from a classically trained, elitist background,” the comic and satirist – based just down the road from Peckham in Forest Hill – told the Face in 2020.
“I’ve always been trained in my life, especially by my dad who is a very conventional Zimbabwean, that you have to live with purpose. You have to try and leave some sort of impression on this Earth when you go.”
Munyaradzi Oliver Chawawa was born in Derby on 29 December 1992 but was raised in Zimbabwe until the age of 11. It was his upbringing in the southern African state that he credits for breeding in him a sense of self-confidence, albeit a selfconfidence that was dented when his family returned to the UK to live in Framingham Pigot, a Norfolk village close to Norwich.
“We were encouraged to be proud of our personalities [in Zimbabwe],” Munya told the Guardian in 2020. “At school one day the teacher was like, ‘Right, we’re having a self-esteem lesson today’. I learned to not have any shame attached to being expressive. Then when I moved back to England, I felt many layers of my personality being sheared off. It was like your status was proportional to how discreet you were.”
Of mixed ethnicity, with a black father and white mother, Munya was always interested in comedy, and was particularly drawn to comics who straddled the boundaries of what might be considered transgressive or in bad taste, for example Frankie Boyle and Jimmy Carr, possibly as something of a rebellion against his somewhat strict and Christian upbringing.
“There were lots of parameters over what we could and couldn’t do or say,” he once reflected. “Saying ‘abracadabra’ was the equivalent of blurting out the C-word in my house, because my dad is religious and that’s a magical phrase.”
A successful student at Notre Dame High School in Norwich who then graduated in psychology from the University of Sheffield, Munya found himself battling the feeling that he never quite fitted in during his university days.
“I wasn’t a big drinker and didn’t gel too well with my flatmates. I never fully connected with how university was supposed to be.
“The white people there expected me to be a typical black guy, but I didn’t know [the] culture because I hadn’t grown up in a place like that in England. Meanwhile, I didn’t necessarily know
how to relate to white people. I still to this day do not know the hook for Sex on Fire.”
Initially, Munya tried his hand at presenting and working behind the scenes and writing for television production companies. However, it was through social media that he was to find his metier by developing a range of wickedly funny and satirical comedy characters, whose sketches he disseminates via X and Instagram – platforms where he has a combined total of more than 1.5m followers.
“All the times I’ve been trying to get into TV or radio, I’ve had to impress one person at the top,” Munya has said of why, ultimately, he believes he found fame via the internet rather than through a traditional broadcast route. “On the internet, every video could be your massive break. I want to be kind of like a young and sharp satirist from, perhaps, an untypically satirist background who is working up there with the best.”
Among Munya’s most notable comic creations are Johnny Oliver, Jamie Oliver’s “Caribbean cousin”, and the racist newsreader Barty Crease. Then there’s Unknown P, a posh rapper who raps about fox hunting or his friends “Martin and Tabitha” who have been prosecuted for tax evasion.
“If you watch the character and you feel like this is so cringeworthy and it makes your skin crawl,
that’s what I want you to feel,” Munya admits of the impetus behind this character. “That’s how I felt. I wanted people to feel the emotions I felt when I was around these people who were alienating me with their wealth and their status.”
Indeed, you could argue that for Munya, sketch comedy is a cathartic process enabling him to “refind the person that I was back in Zimbabwe”.
Since uploading his first video in 2019, Munya’s following has grown rapidly, and spread particularly fast during the Covid-19 lockdowns. One of the secrets to his success is his incredible facility for reacting to items in the news in a quickfire and pitch-perfect manner. As the Guardian put it: “Any time there’s an incident that highlights the racism in British public life, Munya Chawawa will have skewered it while it’s still trending.”
However, unlike many internet comedians, the quality and production values of Munya’s work remains consistently and impressively high. “What I want to leave behind is a quality body of work that you can’t fault in terms of production and the scripting, as opposed to being slapdash,” he has said.
So successful has Munya been online, that more traditional and mainstream sections of the media have been forced to sit up and take notice. Through his Unknown P persona he was signed
by Atlantic Records in 2020. He co-hosted the Mobo awards in 2021 and has appeared on TV programmes such as The Great Celebrity Bake Off, The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan, The Jonathan Ross Show, Have I Got News for You and Would I Lie To You?
However, perhaps Munya’s biggest mainstream break came last month when he began a threeweek long BBC Radio 4 sketch show titled Munya Chawawa’s Election Doom Scroll, which debuted in the prime 6.30pm slot in the run-up to the general election.
Regardless of whether his platform is the BBC or social media, Munya’s mission remains the same and he is unwavering in his commitment to the concept of comedy as a tool for satire and societal improvement.
“I try to give a satirical take on the biggest global talking points. It brings everything into perspective. Race and class and privilege, we talk about them and there is some amazing literature out there, but some people can’t really process that information.
“Sometimes comedy is a language that unites all different kinds of people: it’s the language of laughter. If you can disguise or embed a message within that, it’s an effective way of communicating any injustices or riffs in society that otherwise people don’t want to address.”
WELCOME TO 139 FIKA
Where the vibrancy of Africa, the flavours of the Caribbean and the classic tastes of British cuisine come together in perfect harmony.
Our restaurant is on the beautiful Bellenden Road, in South London’s Peckham, offering a unique blend of exotic spices, bold textures, and rich historical influences that will transport your taste buds on a global journey like no other. Come and experience the taste of three continents in one unforgettable dining experience.
139 Fika opened its doors on the 26th March after 7 months of renovation. We transformed this lovely space into a warm, earthy fresh feel.
The interior is a blend of modern design and traditional African elements, featuring handcrafted decor, vibrant textiles, and
artwork from an Ugandan artist based in Kampala. The warm lighting and communal seating arrangements create an inviting space perfect for both intimate dinners and lively group gatherings – uniquely designed by Maria @STUDIO MTA.
The stunning mural at the back in-out terrace was painted by a talented local artist Ilayda Bakare, who was able to capture what Peckham meant to us. From the legendary
bus 12, we grew up on, hoping on and off to school, to the beautiful African lady carrying the baby on the back, a classic traditional way that most kids would’ve from African heritage.
Since its opening, 139 Fika has quickly become a beloved addition to Peckham’s dining scene. With its commitment to authenticity, creativity, and community, the restaurant offers a unique and enriching dining experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Whether you’re a seasoned fan of African cuisine or a curious newcomer, 139 Fika invites you to embark on a culinary adventure that celebrates the diverse and delicious flavours of Africa and the Caribbean. So, gather your friends and family, and head down to 139 Fika for a meal that promises to be as memorable as it is mouth-watering.
Jean genius
THE TOPSY AND TIM BOOKS ARE LOVED BY CHILDREN FOR THEIR BOLD AND BRIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS AND RELATABLE STORIES.
We take a look at the life of their co-creator Jean Adamson, who was Peckham born and bred and studied at Goldsmiths
With more than 130 titles published and 21m copies sold, the Topsy and Tim books are one of the most-loved series in children’s literature, yet few seem to know that their co-creator Jean Adamson was Peckham born and bred.
Now 96 years old, Jean was born on 29 February 1928, and it was frequent visits to her local Peckham library that fuelled her youthful imagination and love of children’s literature.
“As a child I was an avid reader, working my way through the whole of the children’s section in Peckham library,” Jean told the BBC in 2013. “My absolute favourites were the Tales of Toytown series, Edward Lear’s nonsense poems, Aesop’s Fables and Milly-Molly-Mandy.”
The second world war badly disrupted Jean’s childhood. The day war was declared – 3 September 1939 – was the same day she was due to start her secondary education at a local grammar school. Instead of studying, she and her classmates found themselves “all in our new winter uniforms in the blazing heat of that September” being evacuated by train. “It played havoc with my education,” Jean later admitted.
By the time war was drawing to a close, the now 16-year-old Jean had become “hooked on drawing”. Pursuing her passion, she left school to attend Goldsmiths College in New Cross to study illustration. “Art school at 16, just before the war ended, was like heaven,” she would reflect in later years. “I couldn’t believe it, drawing all day!”
It was at Goldsmiths that she met her future husband, Gareth Adamson. Two years her senior and a native Liverpudlian, Gareth was also studying illustration. On completing his studies he went to work for an advertising agency in Newcastle, while Jean taught at Goldsmiths and then went to work for an animation unit on Dover Street in Mayfair. “I had a lovely time, it was a huge unit ... doing new modernistic ‘contemporary’ work, stylish amusing cartoons, very unlike Disney.”
Gareth and Jean stayed in touch through occasional visits and letters and married in 1957, with Jean joining her new husband in Newcastle. While working as freelancers, mainly in advertising, they nursed a joint dream to produce illustrated children’s books together.
In 1960 their dream became a reality when Gareth’s agent discovered that the Scottish publisher Blackie & Son was looking to commission a series of books for young children.
Jean and Gareth’s genius was to discern exactly the gap in the market they could fill.
“We decided to write about children in real-life situations,” Jean explained.
“In those days there were not a lot of children’s books available. Those around were mainly of the Beatrix Potter style – lovely picture books with usually fantasy stories with animals. And the school stories like Dick and Dora were not about real-life children. They were simply for a child’s vocabulary.
“There was [also] the Janet and John series, which bore no relation to real life: Britain had started swinging, there was a whole new world coming. I’d understood that through my film work, so I suggested we do something about now.”
And so it was that the Adamsons created the characters of Topsy and Tim, a pair of ordinary young twins navigating everyday, formative
experiences such as going to the dentist, learning to swim or getting a haircut.
“Topsy and Tim were not themselves originally based on specific children,” Jean said. “However, the majority of the different scenarios [were] inspired by observing real children in the relevant situations. Many of the scenarios were also based on my own fond memories of me and my brother Derrick when we were small children.”
The gender balance of the twins was a vital component. The publisher had initially pressed for a series based solely around a male lead character, but Jean insisted on having a boy and a girl. “With two older brothers I’d always been a feminist,” she said. “They had to be equal. Gareth wanted magic [in the stories], but I said no, to small children everything is fresh and wonderful.”
The first book – Topsy and Tim’s Monday Book – was published in 1960 and the Adamsons soon established and stuck to a successful and harmonious working method. “I would do the basic subject research and layout and I would
WORDS LUKE G WILLIAMS
sketch out the bare bones of the plot,” Jean said. “Gareth would then take over and produce a beautifully crafted storyline. I would then do the illustrations. We made a very good team.”
Although Jean’s wonderfully bright and striking illustrations looked simple, a great deal of skill went into her illustrative style.
“Having taught design and illustration at Goldsmiths I was able to put a lot of thought and sophisticated design techniques into the illustrations,” she said.
“The characters of Topsy and Tim were carefully constructed to be instantly recognisable little icons and the illustrations had a bright, uncluttered look, but plenty of texture.”
Jean and Gareth went on to have three children of their own – Leo, Gabriella and Kate –whose childhoods provided material for many of the later books in the series.
The family moved to Cambridgeshire in 1968 and sadly, after 25 years of marriage, Gareth died in 1982 of a brain tumour, the family’s distress at his passing accentuated by the fact his condition had initially been misdiagnosed.
Jean continued the Topsy and Tim books without him, ensuring his name and legacy lived on, and finally earned financial security after years of debt and struggle.
Eventually Jean passed the illustrating baton to others, with the style of the books undergoing a revamp in 1988, although she remained in charge of the overall vision and direction of the books and created a detailed “style bible” that anyone working on the books still adheres to today.
Around the same time, Topsy and Tim made the transition to television and home video, with Bevanfield Films animating 60 episodes based on the books that were narrated by Roger Blake and broadcast to great popularity on ITV.
Further recognition of Jean’s remarkable career and creative abilities arrived in 1999, when she was awarded an MBE for her services to children’s literature.
Topsy and Tim were then reimagined for a whole new generation of children in 2013 when a BBC live action adaptation began a hugely successful three season, 71-episode run on the children’s channel CBeebies.
Jean pronounced herself “tickled pink” by her and Gareth’s creation making it to television, and hailed lead actors Joshua Lester (Tim) and Jocelyn Macnab (Topsy) as “delightful, charming, friendly and articulate”.
In 2016, Jean’s meritorious career, and her south-east London roots, were recognised by the award of an honorary fellowship by her alma
mater, Goldsmiths – an appropriate reward for her skill in shepherding Topsy and Tim through the considerable social, political and cultural changes of nearly 65 years.
Topsy and Tim have never grown up, and Jean has always kept them true to her and Gareth’s original and revolutionary conception. As she put it in 2013: “The stories are aimed directly at children, not parents or guardians. Adults sometimes forget that experiences that seem commonplace to them are wonderful, first-time adventures to young children.”
BY ALDHELM
Peckham in parliament
WORDS MARK MCGINLAY
The constituency of Peckham was created almost 140 years ago for the 1885 general election, and was abolished before the 1997 election, when it was replaced by the new constituency of Camberwell and Peckham. After the completion of the 2023 periodic
review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was re-established for this year’s general election.
Before Labour’s Miatta Fahnbulleh became the area’s new MP on 5 July, there had been 13 members of parliament for Peckham.
Only two were female MPs – Freda Corbet and Harriet Harman. Much is known about the latter, but Corbet is probably not a name familiar to most readers of this publication.
Corbet stood for MP for Lewisham East for Labour at the 1935 general election, but was unsuccessful. She became a magistrate in 1940, working on the treatment of young offenders.
’Nduja squid with parsley salad
SQUID AND SPICY MEAT, COMBINED WITH A FRESH PARSLEY salad, make this dish by the Camberwell Arms’ Mike Davies a winner
FOR THE PARSLEY SALAD
1 large bunch of parsley, leaves picked
1 tbsp capers
2 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt crystals and black pepper
TO FINISH
Neutral oil, for frying
400g squid (ask your fishmonger
I think of squid as a gateway seafood. Similar to prawns, the flavour and texture feel accessible, and so tend to be loved by many, even non-fish eaters. Holiday calamari may well put a child on the road to trying other seafood.
Equally, if you’re combining meat and fish, ’nduja could be considered a good jumping-off point. A spicy, soft, cured meat from Calabria in southern Italy, it contains twice as much fat as meat, which, once rendered, becomes more like a savoury seasoning in this dish. The parsley salad provides much-needed freshness, balancing out the rich ’nduja. Having some delicious bread on the table for mopping up residual juices is an excellent idea.
METHOD
If you are using a barbecue, cook the squid quickly over hot coals. If you’re cooking indoors, add a little neutral oil to a large frying pan over a high heat. The pan doesn’t need to be screaming hot, but it definitely wants to sizzle when you add the squid.
to clean and prepare the squid – if they have larger squid, I think it makes for better cooking and eating, but it’s not always available)
100g ’nduja
Juice of 1 lemon
CAREFULLY place the squid in the hot pan in a single layer and season it very lightly with salt and pepper.
COOK for 30 seconds on each side, then lift out of the pan and set aside. Continue the process until all of the squid is cooked, adding a little more oil in between batches if needed.
TURN the heat down and add the ’nduja to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to break it up a bit, then allow the fat to render. This will only take a couple of minutes – the fat will melt and create a sort of spicy, oily sauce.
ADD THE SQUID back into the pan with the ’nduja and toss very gently. Finish with a squeeze of lemon before turning off the heat. Plate up the spicy squid immediately with the parsley salad alongside it.
This recipe is from Cooking for People by Mike Davies, chef and owner of the Camberwell Arms, which will be published on 15 August by Pavilion
During the second world war, Corbet assisted victims of the London blitz in Camberwell, leading to her election as the MP for Camberwell North West in 1945 and then for Peckham after 1950.
As an MP she did not attend many parliamentary debates and instead focused on her local duties, including fortnightly surgeries for her constituents.
She had become chief whip of the London County Council in 1947, where she required councillors to check with her before even asking questions at public meetings. Her short stature led to her being known as the “tiny tyrant”.
In 1960, she became chairperson of the general services committee, and oversaw the renovation of London’s South Bank. Her influential role in the establishment of the Royal National Theatre meant that she was given a place on its board for a few years.
In 1972 she abstained on a vote on the European Communities Bill in defiance of a three-line whip, allowing the UK to join the European Common Market, and soon after, she announced her retirement from politics to spend more time with her unwell second husband, Ian McIvor Campbell.
Corbet was awarded the freedom of the borough of Southwark in 1974 and passed away from bronchopneumonia and heart failure in Bromley in November 1993.
USING THE POWER OF THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES TO SUPPORT SOCIAL COHESION & COMMUNITY IN PECKHAM AND BEYOND
We’re a not-for-profit club of over 500 amazing creative professionals from more than 30 disciplines using our creative skills to support local Social Impact Entrepreneurs, Charities and Community Initiatives for free.
Founded in Peckham in 2018, our mission is to help our local communities thrive and grow by unleashing the incredible power of the UK’s Creative Industries, starting right here in South East London.
