Melanie Clark Pullen (2nd July 1975 – 29th March 2022) was an Irish actress, film producer and writer.
Born and raised in Ireland, Clark Pullen attended Newpark Comprehensive School and then studied drama at Trinity College, Dublin. Shortly after graduating, in June 1997, she was cast in her most notable role as Mary Flaherty in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Playing the long-lost relative of Pauline Fowler who is played by (Wendy Richard), Clark Pullen remained in the role for 18 months until her departure in early 1999.
After Albert Square, she appeared in ITV's big-budget costume drama Lady Audley's Secret, starred in Catherine Cookson's A Dinner of Herbs and featured alongside Sir Richard Attenborough and Jenny Agutter in the remake of the classic The Railway Children, all in 2000.
Simon Nye's feature-length dramatisation of E Nesbit's heart-warming novel about three Edwardian children forced to leave their middle-class London home and move to rural Yorkshire, where they fall on hard times and embark on a series of exciting adventures. The all-star cast includes Jenny Agutter, who played Bobbie in Lionel Jeffries' 1972 film version, Jemima Rooper, Gregor Fisher, Richard Attenborough, Jack Blumenau and Clare Thomas.
Melanie Clark Pullen
Melanie played the part of Pauline Fowler's niece (Image: BBC)
Other credits include Doctors (2000), The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005) and The Clinic (2006).
On stage, Clark Pullen starred as Mariane in Tartuffe at the Lyttelton Theatre in 2002; appeared as Perdita in Shakespears's The Winters Tale in the 2001 production at the National Theatre; and co-wrote and starred in Missing Stars at the Finborough Theatre in 2001. In 2006, Clark Pullen wrote, directed and produced the short film Marion agus an Banphrionsa (Marion and the Princess), for which she won the Gradam Gael Linn award for the Best Short in the Irish Language at the 51st Cork Film Festival. She also produced another short, Sounds Good (2004), which was written by her partner, Simon Maxwell.
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EastEnders Episode 1584 9 March 1998
EastEnders - Episode 1584 - 9 March 1998
Clark Pullen appeared as Lisa Bacchus playing the wife of Policeman Sergeant John Bacchus in the BBC drama, Inspector George Gently.
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Clark Pullen was married to the writer Simon Maxwell. After leaving EastEnders she admitted to suffering from panic attacks and depression as she struggled to cope with the instant fame she received from being in such a high-profile show. In a bid to help others cope with depression she teamed up with another writer, Aoife Maguire, to create Missing Stars, a play that was staged in 2001 in which she also starred. The purpose of the play was to show sufferers of depression that help is available. Having initially been diagnosed with cancer in January 2019, a year later, she was given the all clear by doctors. She died from a brain tumour on 29 March 2022, at the age of 46. It is unclear if the cancer which claimed her life was related to the one with which she had originally been diagnosed. She was survived by her husband, three children, and her sister.
“I was only given the all-clear from cancer 18 months ago and it’s a cruel blow to think that I will now be starting into some kind of treatment again and that this time it will be long term and a permanent fixture of my life.”
Louise Plowright (1st June 1956 – 1st March 2016) was an English actress who trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She first came to prominence playing abrasive hairdresser Julie Cooper in the television soap opera Eastenders from 1989 to 1990. Subsequent major roles on TV include Linda Harvey in Families and Michelle Thorn in Footballers' Wives: Extra Time.
The Cheshire-born singer-actress appeared in a number of regional and touring productions of musicals, where her roles included: April in Hot Shoe Shuffle, Julie Johnston in Bad Girls – The Musical, and, Phyllis Rogers Stone in Follies, and most recently Chitty Chitty Bang Bang amongst others. Numerous West End Concert Performances including Living On An Island at The Talk Of London. She appeared in various regional theatre pantomimes.
In the summer of 2009 she appeared in Oklahoma! at the Chichester Festival Theatre as Aunt Eller, and the following autumn in Manchester in White Christmas. In 2010 she returned to the Chichester Festival Theatre to star in the revival of 42nd Street. She made her West End theatre debut in 1999, originating the role of Tanya in the hit musical Mamma Mia!, the following year she was promoted to the leading role of Donna, which she played for four years. On 29th October 2012, she replaced Julie Legrand as Madame Morrible in the hit musical Wicked in the West End. Due to ill health, Plowright withdrew from the production, and was replaced by Harriet Thorpe on 22 April 2013. Plowright died of pancreatic cancer on 1st March 2016, aged 59. She had raised funds for experimental treatment in Seoul, South Korea, which proved unsuccessful.
EastEnders 15th November 1990
Episode 533
Frank and Vince argue over the statues. Dot is deluged with begging letters following her bingo win and doesn't know how to handle them. Kathy tells her to ignore them, but Dot begins sending £5 and £10 notes back with a reply. Julie ends up agreeing a sale on the salon lease to the Mitchell brothers, but for £8,000 after Kathy tips her off that they were going to make a grand on top of the £7,000 deal themselves.
EastEnders 15th November 1990
Louise Plowright in Wicked. Photo: Playful Productions
2000: Louise Gold, Lesley Nicol & Louise Plowright star in Mamma Mia! (Photo: Catherine Ashmore)
The news of her passing was announced on Wicked’s Facebook page, who wrote: With great sadness we report that the wonderful Louise Plowright has passed away after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She was a much cherished former member of the Wicked London company (and a truly fabulous Madame Morrible) and an inspiration to everyone who knew her. We send much love to her family and friends and count ourselves lucky and privileged to have known such a remarkable lady and talented actor.
LOUISE PLOWRIGHT AS DONNA IN DUNGAREES DOLLIE This Dollie is to raise funds to help my beautiful friend Louise Plowright, who needs life saving treatment not available in the UK. This Donna Dollie has Louise's trademark fabulous hairstyle, and, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of the amazing "Mamma Mia!" Wardrobe department, her costume is made from the GENUINE dungaree/blouse fabric and beading from the West End Show. � LouiseDonnaDollie has had a full face repaint; her Act One costume tool belt is real suede leather and holds a scale hammer and she carries a scale replica hand drill. Every penny of the winning bid will be donated to the SaveLouise fund and to help get you all bidding, P&P within the UK only is FREE! � ***This style of doll has a magnet on the palm of the left hand, and I have chosen not to remove it. The doll can be displayed without the palm showing.*** PLEASE NOTE: � Stagey Dollies are collectors' items and not toys for play as the embellishments and accessories, being all made or customised by hand, are delicate and need gentle handling! The costumes are not designed to be removed from the doll. Your Stagey Dollie will come in a clear fronted display box, and the purchase price will include a sturdy stand should you wish you display her out of the box. � POSTAGE SHOWN IS FOR UK ONLY.
Image Above James Shelley - Bennett played opposite Hayley Mills in The Family Way, Twisted Nerve (1968) and Endless Night (1972). Other notable film roles include Private Brigg in the comedy The Virgin Soldiers (1969), Dennis in Loot (1970) and Edwin Antony in Percy (1971). Bennett's character, Ricki Tarr, was pivotal in the BBC serial adaptation of John le Carré's Tinker. Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979). In later years, he was often cast in villainous roles including Mr Croup in Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere (1996), Peter Baxter in ITV police drama The Bill (2002) and crime boss Jack Dalton in EastEnders (2003).
EastEnders - Phil Mitchell Vs. George Peters (Jack Dalton's Hitman) (22nd - 30th May 2003)
Hywel Thomas Bennett (8th April 1944 – 24th July 2017) was a Welsh film and television actor. He had a lead role in The Family Way (1966) and played the titular "thinking man's layabout" James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley (1979–1992).
Crime boss Jack Dalton in EastEnders (2003).
EastEnders - Phil Mitchell Vs. George Peters (Jack Dalton's Hitman) (22nd - 30th May 2003)
Jack Dalton - EastEnders
Bennett was born on 8th April 1944 in Garnant, Carmarthenshire, Wales, the son of Sarah Gwen (née Lewis) and Gorden Bennett. His first language was Welsh, but he learnt to speak English in an accent he called "London-Welsh" after the family moved to south London when he was four. He was the brother of actor Alun Lewis, who is best known for playing Vic Windsor in Emmerdale. Bennett attended Sunnyhill School, Streatham, Henry Thornton Grammar School, Clapham (1955–62) and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Bennett debuted on stage in the role of Ophelia in a Queen's Theatre production of Hamlet in 1959. He continued with the company for five years, his roles including Richmond in Richard III at the Scala Theatre in 1963. After a brief period working as a supply teacher, Bennett won a scholarship to train at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed in repertory in Salisbury and Leatherhead.
Shelly ~ Christmas With Shelly
Shelly ~ Christmas With Shelly
He made his television debut in 1964, making early appearances in episodes of Doctor Who and Theatre 625. In 1966, he appeared as the lead Willy Turner in BBC1 Wednesday Play "Where the Buffalo Roam". This role as a mentally disturbed, cowboy-obsessed teenager was the first of many parts in Dennis Potter television plays.
His first film appearance was as Leonardo in the 1966 Italian Il marito è mio e l'ammazzo quando mi pare ("It's my husband and I'll decide when to kill him"), directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile, a comedy in which a young wife carefully plans to murder her husband, who is 40 years her senior, to marry a young beatnik.
Bennett then starred as nervously virginal newlywed Arthur Fitton opposite Hayley Mills in the Boulting brothers' adaption of Bill Naughton's play The Family Way (1966). He was cast after John Boulting saw him in the Alan Plater play A Smashing Day and felt he had "the appearance of both sensitivity and masculinity." The success of the film gained Bennett a contract with British Lion Films and led the News of the World to dub him "the face of '67". He considered his looks "a boon and a curse. It won me quick fame, but I was a serious actor being written up as a pin-up boy and sex symbol... ...I used to wish for a broken nose."
Ignazio is married to a much younger girl, as she starts being attracted by a handsome young man. The new couple set up several plans to kill the old-timer. Italian Il marito è mio e l'ammazzo quando mi pare - Catherine Spaak was born on 3 April 1945 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France.
Hywel Bennett with Hayley Mills in The Family Way, the film that made his name
MOVIESTORE/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
He was reunited with Mills and the Boultings in the psychological thriller Twisted Nerve (1968), playing Martin Durnley in what the British Film Institute has described as "one of cinema's most striking depictions of evil". In 1969, he starred as Private Brigg in The Virgin Soldiers, a comedy-drama film set during the Malayan Emergency. Bennett described the film as "the story of a young soldier's love affair with a Chinese prostitute. And his fear in combat. One day he runs the wrong way and accidentally becomes a hero." In 1969, contemporary critic Roger Ebert called him "one of England's best young actors".
Bennett's film roles continued into the 1970s, notably with the film adaptation of Joe Orton's Loot (1970) and Endless Night (1972), an Agatha Christie adaptation again pairing him with Hayley Mills. He was the preferred choice for the role of Brian Roberts in Bob Fosse's Cabaret (1972), but wrongly assumed it was a singing role and didn't read the script. The part went to Michael York. He starred in the Ralph Thomas-directed sex comedies Percy (1971), in which he plays a shy young man who becomes the recipient of the world's first penis transplant, and The Love Ban (1973). Of this period in his career, Bennett would later state "I had come in at the tail end of everything, the studio system and so on. I found myself in the early 70s with nowhere to go."
The actor’s first film appearance came with ‘The Family Way’ in 1966, starring alongside Hayley Mills.
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He maintained a career in the theatre. His Puck in a 1967 Edinburgh Festival production of A Midsummer Night's Dream was described by Illustrated London News as "the best since Leslie French". He returned to the festival in 1990 as Long John Silver in a stage adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. He appeared in several National Theatre productions including playing Mark Antony in Julius Caesar (the Young Vic, 1972) and Marlow in the She Stoops to Conquer (the Lyttelton Theatre, 1984). Other notable roles include Prince Hal in Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2 (the Mermaid Theatre, 1970), the lead in Hamlet on a 1974 South African tour and Andrey Prozorov in Three Sisters (the Albery Theatre, 1987). He also directed productions in provincial theatres, including a 1975 adaptation of J. B. Priestley's I Have Been Here Before at Theatr Gwynedd, Bangor.
Bennett's television career resumed with appearances in episodes of Play for Today (1973) and The Sweeney (1976). In 1978, he appeared in Dennis Potter's musical drama Pennies from Heaven as Tom, a pimp. In 1979, Bennett appeared as the field agent Ricki Tarr in Arthur Hopcraft's six-part BBC2 adaptation of John le Carré's novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979), playing the character with "an ever-thinning veneer of boyish charm masking years of self-delusion and betrayal" according to the BFI. Bennett then starred in two further BBC miniseries - Malice Aforethought (1979) and The Consultant (1981). In 1981, he played occult novelist Gideon Harlax in David Rudkin's television play Artemis 81.
David Rudkin's television play Artemis 81.
Artemis 81 - Complete Version
Artemis 81 - Complete Version
A film by DAVID RUDKIN with Hywel Bennett Dinah Stabb , Dan O'Herlihy featuring Sting and Anthony Steel, Margaret Whiting Roland Curram , Ingrid Pitt A Danish museum case shattered, the pieces of a pagan statue hidden in cars on a North Sea ferry, the subsequent deaths of ferry passengers, an old musician terrified that a curse upon him will cause the devastation of the Earth. Gideon Harlax, a successful young novelist of ' the paranormal and unexplained ', thinks he has found the material for a new book. But as Gideon coldly exploits human tragedies, angry powers from Man's ancient past are gathering. First shown on Tuesday 29 December 1981 and I don't think it has ever been repeated.
In 1979 he took the lead role in the Thames Television sitcom Shelley (1979–84) as the titular "professional freelance layabout" James Shelley, a philosophical and sardonic geography graduate with no desire to work. The series, created by Peter Tilbury, drew audiences of up to 18 million viewers. According to Bennett, "the writers had done something pretty amazing. They had created what was almost a monologue and turned it into a popular sitcom." The programme resumed, initially under the title The Return of Shelley, in 1988 and continued until 1992.
The Virgin Soldiers 1969 Classic Movie - Best Movie of 1960's
A group of young British soldiers billeted in Singapore of the year 1950 dreaming about winning the love of the daughter of the Regimental Sergeant Major.
1969
Director
John Dexter
Writers
Leslie Thomas(novel) John Hopkins(screenplay) John McGrath(adaptation)
Stars
Lynn Redgrave Hywel Bennett Nigel Davenport
The Virgin Soldiers - Full Comedy Movie - Lynn Redgrave Hywel Bennett Nigel Davenport Leslie Thomas
During the 1980s, Bennett was the voice of British Rail in their advertisements featuring the slogan "We're getting there". He provided further voiceovers for Budweiser and Hoffmeister advertisements. In 1986, he played the investigative journalist Allan Blakeston in Paula Milne's single drama Frankie and Johnnie, a production he described as "one of the best things I've done in quite a long time". He lost weight to give the character a "hungry and haunted look". The following year, he played an architect whose reaction to urban violence is to steadily turn his suburban home into a virtual fortress in Andy Hamilton's black comedy Checkpoint Chiswick, part of the Tickets for the Titanic anthology series.
By the mid-1990s alcoholism and treatment for an overactive thyroid had altered Bennett's appearance. He was often cast in unsavoury roles including club owner Arthur 'Pig' Mallion in Dennis Potter's final, linked television plays Karaoke and Cold Lazarus (both 1996) and the villainous Mr Croup in Neil Gaiman's serial Neverwhere (1996). On film, he played in Dr. Crippen in Deadly Advice (1994) and Jean-Baptiste Colbert in Vatel (2000). He appeared in Lock, Stock... (2000) as Deep Throat and joined the cast of the long-running soap opera EastEnders in 2003, playing Jack Dalton – the ruthless gangland kingpin of Walford. Other late television appearances include ten appearances as sex offender Peter Baxter in The Bill (2002–2005) and as Dr. Mike Vine in the first episode of Jam & Jerusalem (2006). His final television role was opposite Peter Davison in an episode of The Last Detective (2007).
In 1970 Bennett married Cathy McGowan, who had been the presenter of the music television programme Ready Steady Go! (1963–66). They had a daughter, Emma. The marriage was dissolved in 1988. In September 1986, Bennett sought treatment for alcoholism at the Priory Hospital, Roehampton. In 1998, he married Sandra Layne Fulford and they later moved to Deal, Kent. Bennett retired from acting in 2007 after being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. He died on 24 July 2017 at the age of 73.
Actress Lynda Baron, best known for her role as Nurse Gladys Emmanuel on the BBC sitcom Open All Hours and on EastEnders, has died at the age of 82. She starred opposite Sir David Jason and Ronnie Barker on the 1970s hit TV show. She might be familiar to the younger generation as Auntie Mabel in the 1990s BBC children's show Come Outside. Her agent of nearly 30 years, Donna French, announced her death in a statement which read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved client Lynda Baron.
Lilian Ridgway was born on 24th March 1939 in Urmston, Lancashire. Her father, Cyril, was a painter and decorator. By the age of five, she was attending local ballet classes, and soon began appearing on stage. She attended Flixton Girls School in Urmston and then trained as a dancer at the Royal Academy of Dance. Early in her career, she appeared in repertory theatre and several West End venues.
Lynda Baron with her co-stars in Open All Hours, Ronnie Barker and David Jason CREDIT: DS
Baron's early television roles included small parts in Crossroads (1978), Up Pompeii (1970), Z-Cars (1971), and the British horror film Hands of the Ripper (1971). Baron appeared on television in BBC-3 (1965), a series in the vein of That Was the Week That Was, involving some of the same performers. She also alternated with Annie Ross as the resident singer on Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (1965). Baron was cast in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who three times. She was heard as a singer in the 1966 serial The Gunfighters. She appeared in front of the cameras as Captain Wrack in the 1983 serial Enlightenment, and again in 2011 in "Closing Time" as Val.
Baron is best known for playing Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the BBC sitcom Open All Hours with Ronnie Barker and David Jason which ran for four series in 1976, 1981 to 1982 and in 1985, and was subsequently voted eighth in Britain's Best Sitcom in 2004. The script asked for a character "of ample proportions", although she was in fact a slim build at the time. They overcame this by padding her clothes.
Baron and Auntie Mabel's dog Pippin were known to a generation of children for the show Come Outside.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Baron co-starred in the ITV sitcom Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt and the BBC sitcom A Roof Over My Head with Brian Rix. She had a small part in Minder, and played the middle-aged temptress Lily Bless'er in the Last of the Summer Wine episode Getting Sam Home. In 1986, she acted in a party political broadcast for the SDP–Liberal Alliance. Baron also appeared in the 1987 Christmas special of The Two Ronnies and appeared in the BBC Two comedy series KYTV
Baron played Linda Clarke in EastEnders on and off over a decade.
EastEnders - Linda Clarke (Lynda Baron) First Appearance (27/11/06)
EastEnders - Linda Clarke (Lynda Baron) First Appearance (27/11/06) - Episode 3264
Lynda Baron in Coronation Street (1 and 7 December 1997)
In the 1990s, Baron played Auntie Pat in five episodes of the ITV sitcom The Upper Hand (1992–1993). Baron then went on to star in the children's television series Come Outside (1993–1997) playing Auntie Mabel, an everyday woman living in a bungalow set in Denham, who flew around on various adventures in her spotted aeroplane with her dog Pippin, educating children on how things are created and where they come from by visiting various factories or farms and even looking at wildlife in zoos. In 1997, Baron played the minor part of Renee Turnbull in Coronation Street and took guest roles in dinnerladies (1998), The Mrs Bradley Mysteries (1998), Sunburn (1999), Nancherrow (1999) and Goodnight Sweetheart (1999).
Lynda Baron in Coronation Street (1st and 7th December 1997)
Baron continued to work regularly on television and the stage in the 2000s, with credits including Fat Friends (2000–2005), The Bill (2000), Doctors (2000, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2014), Peak Practice (2001), Holby City (2002 and 2006), Down to Earth (2005), Rome (2005) and Casualty (2009). Baron briefly appeared in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders in 2006 as Linda Clarke, the mother of Jane Beale, played by Laurie Brett. In September 2008, it was announced that Baron would be returning to EastEnders. She appeared regularly in the series from November 2008 to February 2009. On 8 April 2016, it was announced that Baron would return to EastEnders once again, alongside John Partridge, who portrayed her on-screen son Christian Clarke. She appeared on screen in May and June 2016.
In August 2010, Baron appeared in an episode of Agatha Christie's Marple on ITV. In September 2010, Baron appeared in a one-off television drama, The Road to Coronation Street on BBC Four, which looked back at the early days of the British television soap opera Coronation Street. Baron portrayed actress Violet Carson, who played Ena Sharples in the soap opera. Baron was nominated for the 2011 British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role.
Lynda Baron Nurse Glady's..
On 26 December 2013, Baron reprised her role in a special one-off episode of Open All Hours on BBC One, entitled Still Open All Hours. It was watched by 12.23 million viewers, almost a 40% share in audience figures on Boxing Day. The following day, Baron took part in Open All Hours: A Celebration, a programme looking back on the sitcom. Following the success of the Christmas episode, the cast made a full series, which began on 26 December 2014, followed by a second series in December 2015. A third series began in December 2016, but Baron was unable to return because of other commitments. In December 2016, Baron made a guest appearance in a Christmas special of Citizen Khan and, in January 2017, she appeared in an episode of Father Brown, which was to become her final television appearance.
Baron's film appearances include roles in The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963), Hot Millions (1968), Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1968), Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969), Tiffany Jones (1973), and the Hammer film Hands of the Ripper (1971) as an ill-fated prostitute. She also appeared in the Barbra Streisand film Yentl (1983), Carry On Columbus (1992), Colour Me Kubrick (2005) and Scoop (2006) directed by Woody Allen.
Barbra Streisand in “Yentl” (1983), which she also directed. She said it was hard to finance the films she wanted to make.Credit...MGM/UA via Kobal Collection.
In 1987, Baron starred in the London production of the musical Follies at the Shaftesbury Theatre. In 2007, she starred with Orlando Bloom and Tim Healy in a stage version of In Celebration. In May and June 2009, she appeared at the Menier Chocolate Factory in a production of Rookery Nook by Ben Travers.
From October 2010 to February 2011, Baron starred with Maureen Lipman and Roy Hudd in a West End production of When We Are Married by J.B. Priestley. In March 2013, she appeared in a production of D.H. Lawrence's play The Daughter-in-Law at the Sheffield Crucible. She appeared at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester from April to May 2014 in Stevie by Hugh Whitemore, alongside Zoe Wanamaker and Chris Larkin. Baron again appeared in the play from March to April 2015 at the Hampstead Theatre. Baron's other theatre credits include An Inspector Calls, Stepping Out, Entertaining Mr Sloane, and The Full Monty.
In 1995, Baron voiced the character of Nanny Ogg in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the Discworld novel Wyrd Sisters. In April 2012, Richard Kates released an album entitled There's Something About You, which featured Baron performing the track "A Hard Man Is Good to Find". On 11th May 2012, Baron appeared in the Afternoon Play on BBC Radio 4, Mrs Lowry and Son, playing the mother of artist L.S. Lowry.
Personal life and death
In 1962, Baron married hairdresser and music impresario Cyril Smith, who performed under the name Carol London; they later divorced. In 1966, she married John M. Lee. The couple had two children and were married until his death in 2001.
Baron died on 5 March 2022 aged 82. Numerous actors paid tribute to her, including John Partridge, Lisa Riley, Sally Lindsay and Adil Ray. The official Twitter accounts of CBeebies and EastEnders also posted tributes to Baron.
Many highlighted her role in the educational children's show Come Outside, in which she played Auntie Mabel, accompanied by her dog Pippin. It remains one of the most watched children's shows of all time and due to its popularity was repeated on CBeebies until 2012.
A short tribute to Baron aired as part of The One Show on the evening of 7 March 2022.
Come Outside - Geese
Come Outside - Geese
Come Outside - Frogs (1997)
Come Outside - Frogs (1997)
Baron originally trained as a dancer at the Royal Academy of Dance and repertory theatre and several West End venues.
Baron appeared in Open All Hours starting in 1976 and also made appearances in the sequel, Still Open All Hours, when it aired in 2013
She was known to generations of children as Auntie Mabel from the BBC children's TV show Come Outside.
Lynda Baron, Jacki Piper, and Jan Butlin in 1971, before Baron's big break in Open All Hours.
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Cast members from the very first Series of EastEnders. Broadcast's began in February of 1985.
Anna Wing played the iconic character Lou Beale from the show’s beginning in 1985.
The actress Anna Wing, who was now 70 years old and had been acting since the late 1930s, auditioned for the role of Lou Beale. She was so keen to play the part that she turned up for the audition clutching her birth certificate to prove she was a Hackney greengrocer's daughter and implored the producers to give her the job. When she first read for the part Holland and Smith felt that "she overacted terribly", but on the second reading she "brought the performance down considerably". There were initial fears over whether an actress of her age would have the stamina to survive EastEnders' gruelling schedule, but when asked if she'd like to be in a popular soap, Wing replied "All my life I've been an actress, now I want to be a household name!"
More cast members from the year 1985..It's amazing how young everyone looks..
Lou is a central character, who remains at the heart of the series during her time on screen and is later still occasionally referred to by long-running characters in a nostalgic nod back to the show's early history. There remains, however, a certain level of uncertainty and conflicting information regarding the character's background, in particular the number of offspring she supposedly produced.
A Dying Lou Tells Her Family Some Home Truth's
A Dying Lou Tells Her Family Some Home Truth's.
Lou Beale's Last Episode (Part 1) | EastEnders
Lou Beale's Last Episode (Part 1) | EastEnders. Broadcast on BBC One in the UK on 26/7/1988.
Anna Eva Lydia Catherine Wing MBE (30th October 1914 – 7th July 2013) was an English actress who had a long career in television and theatre, known for portraying the role of Beale family matriarch Lou Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
Wing was born in Hackney, London, and started out as an artist's model and later, during the Second World War, worked in East End hospitals. At age 30, she married the actor Peter Davey, by whom she had a son, actor-director Mark Wing-Davey, but the marriage ended in divorce after six years. Her seven years as the lover of Philip O'Connor, a surrealist writer and contemporary of Stephen Spender and Laurie Lee, saw her spend some time as a nursery teacher in West London. With her new lover she had a second son, Jon O'Connor.
Acting Roles Before EastEnders:
She made an earlier soap appearance in Market in Honey Lane for ATV in the late 1960s. She also had a role in the Doctor Who serial "Kinda" in 1982. Other TV credits include The Witches and the Grinnygog, Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, Play for Today and in 1976 in The Sweeney episode On the Run in which she played Mrs. Haldane. Her film career included roles in Billy Liar (1963), Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969), The 14 (1973) which also featured her future EastEnders co-star June Brown, A Doll's House starring Jane Fonda (1973), Providence (1977), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978), The Ploughman's Lunch (1983), and 3 British horror films – Full Circle (1977), The Godsend (1980) and Xtro (1983), in which her character was killed by a life-size Action Man doll.
Years ago, Nora Helmer (Claire Bloom) committed a forgery in order to save the life of her authoritarian husband Torvald (Sir Anthony Hopkins). Now she is being blackmailed and lives in fear of her husband finding out, and of the shame such a revelation would bring to his career. But when the truth comes out, Nora is shocked to learn where she really stands in her husband's esteem.
When a strange woman has her baby at the Marlowe's house, then disappears, Kate Marlowe is forced to keep the baby, Bonnie. She loves the child, but when her own children are systematically killed, suspicion turns to Bonnie.
"The 14" : Order Now!
"The 14" : Order Now!
The 14 - 1973
Set in London's East End, The 14 (aka The Wild Little Bunch aka Existence) is based on the true story of fourteen children who struggle against overwhelming pressures to stay together after the death of their single mother. Heading the cast is Oliver! star Jack Wild, who plays Reg -- at 17 the eldest of the children, and committed to keeping his young family together after a promise he made to his mum; his mischievous siblings are portrayed by largely untrained juvenile actors. The 14 was the second film directed by Blow Up star David Hemmings, and received a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1973.
After her daughter's death, wealthy American homemaker Julia Lofting moves to London to restart her life. All seems well until she is haunted by the ghosts of other children while mourning for her own.
Full Circle - 1977
The Haunting of Julia (1977) by Richard Loncraine, Clip: Ending - Julia and Olivia finally meet...
The Haunting of Julia (1977) by Richard Loncraine, Clip: Ending - Julia and Olivia finally meet...
After leaving EastEnders, Wing continued to work on stage, playing the medium, Madame Arcati, in Noël Coward's comedy Blithe Spirit. She also had numerous television roles, including parts in Casualty, Doctors, French and Saunders, The Bill, as well as adding her vocal talents to the animated series Fungus the Bogeyman. Her later film credits included The Calcium Kid with Orlando Bloom, Tooth (2004), in which she played an ancient fairy), and Grandma in the 2007 film Son of Rambow.
The Calcium Kid - Starring Orlando Bloom.. Following a bizarre series of events, Jimmy, a local amateur boxer, finds himself pitted in a match against the world champion.
In May 2005 she attended the British Soap Awards, where she presented June Brown with a lifetime achievement award for Brown's portrayal of Dot Branning in EastEnders. In 2005, by now aged 91, Wing formed part of the cast of the short film Ex Memoria, directed by Josh Appignanesi and produced by Oscar-winning producer Mia Bays. The short film tells of an elderly woman's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. Ex Memoria was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Short in 2006. In 2009, aged 94, she worked on a short film, Numbers Up, from Guildhall Pictures. The same year Wing was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours for her services to drama and charity. In April 2012, she appeared in the music video for Quarrel's 'Is It Cool?'.
Wing was a member of the Religious Society of Friends, the Quakers, and supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. She attended the funeral of her EastEnders onscreen daughter Wendy Richard on 9 March 2009. She died in her sleep on 7th July 2013, aged 98. The episode of EastEnders which was broadcast the following day, was dedicated to her memory and was immediately followed by a 90-second long BBC News report, the headlines of which included her death. Her funeral took place in London. Adam Woodyatt was amongst the mourners.
Quarrel vs EastEnders legend Anna Wing MBE ( Lou Beale ) in " Is It Cool ? "
Quarrel vs EastEnders legend Anna Wing MBE ( Lou Beale ) in " Is It Cool ? "
Lou Beale was the stereotypical dominant East End matriarch - a force to be reckoned with. She ruled her family with a rod of iron, constantly calling 'family meetings' to keep her clan in line, and when she didn't get her way, taking to her bed and sulking, feigning sickness.
Never afraid to speak her mind, stubborn and opinionated, woe betide anyone who managed to get on her wrong side. Especially soft-spoken son-in-law Arthur, who became the main target for most of her displeasure and nagging.
She had the respect of her best friends Dot Cotton and Ethel Skinner (and Ethel's little Willy!) but was an incorrigible gossip.
She'd have had you believe she was a paragon of morality and yet she too had her secrets, like a daughter born out of wedlock. Lou died peacefully in her sleep following a jaunt to her beloved Leigh on Sea... not before telling everyone what she thought of them first, though!
Played by Anna Wing
Wendy Richard MBE (born Wendy Emerton; 20th July 1943 – 26th February 2009) was an English actress, known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 2006.
Despite being known for her Cockney accent, Richard was born in Middlesbrough North East England.. After a childhood in which her father died by suicide, Richard worked in department stores to pay her drama school fees before appearing regularly on-screen from the early 1960s. She played Joyce Harker in The Newcomers from 1967 to 1969. Richard then starred in two Carry On films. In the television series Dad's Army, she was Private Walker's girlfriend, before being cast as Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? appearing in all 69 episodes from 1972 to 1985. She also reprised the role in the sequel series Grace and Favour in 1992 and 1993.
After Are You Being Served? ended, Richard starred as Pauline Fowler in the first episode of EastEnders, a main role that she played in over two thousand episodes until she departed in 2006. Richard was awarded an MBE in 2000 and in 2007, she was awarded the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the British Soap Awards for her role in EastEnders.
After leaving EastEnders, Richard continued to appear on-screen until her death in 2009. Richard was married four times. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996; the disease returned in 2002 and again in 2008; this time it had spread throughout her body. Richard made a documentary detailing the last few months of her life before her death in February 2009.
Wendy Emerton, an only child, was born on 20th July 1943 in Middlesbrough. Her parents, Henry and Beatrice Reay (née Cutter) Emerton, were publicans and ran the Corporation Hotel in the town. Emerton and Cutter married in Paddington, London in 1939. While Wendy was a baby, her family moved to Bournemouth. While living in Bournemouth, Wendy and her friend got stuck after trying to climb the cliffs and had to be rescued by the fire brigade. The family later moved to the Isle of Wight and then to London and ran the Shepherds Tavern, Shepherd Market, Mayfair where Elizabeth Taylor and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon are said to have been customers.
The Corporation Hotel was situated on Albert Road, opposite the town hall in Middlesbrough NE England.. Wendy Richard's parents were publicans and running the hotel in 1943. This pub has now been demolished.
Source: John Yeadon.
Lord Snowdon, pictured in Peter Sellers's garden in the mid-1970s, was known for being a ‘free spirit’ (Iconic)
Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon, (7th March 1930 – 13th January 2017), was a British photographer and filmmaker. He is best known for his portraits of world notables, many of them published in Vogue, Vanity Fair, and other major venues; more than 100 of his photographs are in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery. From 1960 to 1978 he was married to Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II. GCVO FRSA RDI
Elizabeth Taylor
Richard enjoyed several family holidays to Jersey and Blackpool before attending the local school, St George's Hanover Square Primary, but her education was interrupted when her family moved again, this time to the Valentine Hotel at Gants Hill, Essex. Another move, to the Streatham Park Hotel, Streatham, south London, followed a few months later. It was there, in December 1954, that Richard's father committed suicide. Richard, then 11, found his body. Her mother, Beatrice, never remarried, and died of liver cancer in May 1972.
She was enrolled at The Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth after her father's death, as Henry had been a Freemason, and help with fees was provided by the organisation. She found the school excessively strict and her art mistress called her paintings and drawings "affected, rather like herself". Richard dreamed of becoming a TV continuity girl or film star from a young age and, after leaving school at 15, helped to pay her way through the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London by working in the fashion department at the Fortnum and Mason department store. She briefly worked at Fenwicks but was sacked after two days for telling a customer a coat did not suit her after the customer asked her for her opinion. It was at that time that she decided to change her surname to Richard, because "it was short and neat".
The Royal Masonic School for Girls, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 4HF. Founded in 1788; at Rickmansworth since 1934.
EastEnders - Pauline tells Michelle she knows Den is Vicki's father (14/6/1988)
EastEnders - Pauline tells Michelle she knows Den is Vicki's father (14/6/1988).
EastEnders Episode 1296 30 May 1996
EastEnders Episode 1296 30 May 1996
While at the Italia Conti, Richard became a model and picked up several modelling jobs for magazines such as Woman's Own. Still at drama school, she was run over by a car when crossing the road outside the Italia Conti school. Her injuries were so severe that her friend phoned Richard's mother from the hospital thinking she was dead; she had to have thirty-three stitches in her head. She made her television debut in November 1961 when she appeared alongside Mandy Rice-Davies with Sammy Davis, Jr. in the ATV variety show Saturday Spectacular.
Fortnum & Mason (colloquially often shortened to just Fortnum's) is an upmarket department store in Piccadilly, London, with additional stores at The Royal Exchange, St Pancras railway station, Heathrow Airport in London and K11 Musea In Hong Kong, as well as various stockists worldwide. Its headquarters are located at 181 Piccadilly, where it was established in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason. Today, it is privately owned by Wittington Investments Limited. Founded as a grocery store, Fortnum's reputation was built on supplying quality food, and saw rapid growth throughout the Victorian era. Though Fortnum's developed into a department store, it continues to focus on stocking a variety of exotic, speciality and also 'basic' provisions.The store has since opened several other departments, such as the gentlemen's department on the first floor. It also contains a tea shop and several restaurants. (Food cans have slowly improved over the years)
Tracey Davis, the daughter of music legend Sammy Davis Jr. and Swedish actress May Britt (pictured), died at the age of 59 in Franklin, Tenn. According to the Associated Press, the author passed away on Nov. 2, 2020 following a brief illness, although the specific cause of death is not yet confirmed.
Come Outside - Mike Sarne (With Wendy Richard)
Come Outside - Mike Sarne (With Wendy Richard)
Upon leaving drama school, Richard wrote to theatrical agents hoping to be taken on for work, including Robert Stigwood. In 1962, her distinctive cockney vocals helped get her to No. 1 on the UK singles chart with the single "Come Outside" by Mike Sarne who was managed by Stigwood. This was followed by many promotional appearances which exposed her to television audiences.
Drawing on from the success of Come Outside, Richard was taken on by the Lom Artists agency and her first role with her new agent was in the sitcom Bulldog Breed with Amanda Barrie for Granada Television before starring as Susan Sullivan, a receptionist, in five episodes of Harpers West One, an ATV television drama series about a fictional department store. Richard then appeared in series such as Danger Man, No Hiding Place, Hugh and I and The Contact with John Hurt. In 1965, she appeared in an episode of the original Likely Lads series as a household cleaner saleswoman called Lynn. Richard also appears in a scene cut from the released version of The Beatles movie Help! (1965). She also had a small role as a nurse in Doctor in Clover (1966).
Wendy Richard - July 1962.
Sir John Hurt.
Doctor in Clover is a British comedy film released in 1966, starring Leslie Phillips. The film is based on the novel of the same title by Richard Gordon. It is the sixth of the seven films in the Doctor series. The film was released in the US as Carnaby, MD. British singer Kiki Dee sang the film's title track.
Richard first became familiar to television audiences in 1967 playing teenage supermarket till girl Joyce Harker, a regular character, in The Newcomers until the show's end in 1969. After The Newcomers ended, Richard had a recurring role as Edith Parish, Private Walker's usherette girlfriend in Dad's Army from 1970 to 1973, and had roles in several television series including Up Pompeii!, Please Sir! and On the Buses before appearing in Both Ends Meet, a sitcom about a sausage factory with Dora Bryan.
From 1972 to 1985, Richard was a regular cast member of the sitcom Are You Being Served? as Shirley Brahms, an attractive, young shop assistant with a strong Cockney accent. Set in the ladies and gentleman's clothing department in the fictional department store Grace Brothers with Miss Brahms being under the eye of Mrs Slocombe and being the subject of menswear junior Mr Lucas's advances. Richard later reprised her role in the Are You Being Served? sequel Grace & Favour, which aired from 1992 to 1993.
Richard appeared in two Carry On films, playing small roles in Carry On Matron (1972) and Carry On Girls (1973) (both films also featured her future EastEnders colleague Barbara Windsor). Richard's other film roles around this time included No Blade of Grass (1970), Gumshoe (1971) starring Albert Finney, and the film versions of On The Buses (1971), Bless This House (1972), and Are You Being Served? (1977). While appearing in Are You Being Served?, she had parts in The Fenn Street Gang, Z Cars and Bowler as well as having regular roles in Hogg's Back and Not On Your Nellie.
One thing that most Pauline Fowler fans probably don’t know though is that Wendy had a pretty good Beatles connection. According to her biography she spent a couple of days on the set of the movie Help playing a charactar based on Lady Macbeth for a scene with Frankie Howerd. Director Dick Lester wasn’t however too impressed and the footage didn’t make the final cut. It is however on the extras bonus DVD on the 2007 Help reissue. Paul McCartney Right..
"What do you want us to wear?" - Carry on Girls (1973)
Carry On Matron - 1972 (Ken Burns Edit)
Carry On Matron - 1972 (Ken Burns Edit)
"What do you want us to wear?" - Carry on Girls (1973)
An environmental catastrophe destroys civilization. Led by father John and mother Ann, the Custance clan sets out on a quest for safety in a savage world that may just end up turning them into the very thing they are fleeing.
No Blade of Grass - 1970
Lynne Frederick in No Blade of Grass (1970)
Lynne Frederick in No Blade of Grass (1970)
On The Buses, TV series, filming on location in Hornsey, London, 9th December 1971.
Reg Varney aka Stan Butler in the series, pictured with the two drivers who ghost for him in scenes where passengers are carried on buses. Reg has a licence to drive a bus but not with passengers. The drivers are from Eastern National buses, and are Chris Marlow (left) and John Coulton (right)
Bless this House - 1972
The same year that Are You Being Served? ended, Richard began appearing as the matriarch Pauline Fowler in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role she played from the first episode in 1985. The character has been described as a "legend" and a television icon, but was also voted the 35th "most annoying person of 2006" (being the only fictional character to appear on the list). Pauline has been the subject of television documentaries, behind-the-scenes books, tie-in novels, and comedy sketch shows.
The Fenn Street Gang.
On 10th July 2006, the BBC announced that Richard had decided to leave the series after more than 20 years. Until the onscreen death of her character at Christmas 2006, she was one of only two original cast members of that programme to appear continuously from the first episode in 1985, along with Adam Woodyatt, who played her on-screen nephew Ian Beale. In 2007, Richard was awarded a British Soap Award for 'Special Achievement' for her role in EastEnders.
Richard appeared regularly on the BBC Radio programme Just a Minute from 1989 until 1994. She returned for the programme's television iteration in 1999 and for further appearances on radio in 2002 and 2003. Richard was interviewed on Channel 4 Racing in August 1993, when she was a spectator at Sandown races. She mentioned she had backed a horse called "Time of Grace" because of its name-association with Grace Brothers. In 2000, Richard was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
EastEnders actresses, from left to right Letitia Dean, June Brown and Wendy Richards arrive for the fourth annual British Soap. 2007
In late 2006, Richard was seen as a guest presenter on the BBC's City Hospital series and on 31 March 2007, she presented the documentary A Tribute to John Inman, for BBC2. She also gave interviews for the first time in many years, making appearances on The Paul O'Grady Show, Big Brother's Little Brother, Loose Women, Parkinson, and the Biography Channel special Gloria's Greats with Gloria Hunniford, amongst others.
In April 2007, Richard announced that she would be appearing in a new role for the first time since leaving EastEnders, in a new sitcom penned by David Croft called Here Comes The Queen. The project came about after she personally asked Croft to write something for her. Richard had commented: "The part is like an older version of Miss Brahms". A pilot episode was made, which was considered to be poor, and it was never transmitted.
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In September 2007, it was announced that Richard was to join the second series of ITV1's sitcom Benidorm playing a "loud-mouthed, rude" character who used a wheelchair; her episode aired in April 2008. In January 2008, adverts for The Post Office featuring Richard (as a human cannonball) began to be shown. In February 2008, she landed the role of Mrs. Crump in the episode "A Pocket Full of Rye" of the Agatha Christie's Marple TV series starring Julia McKenzie. This was her final role, airing after her death in 2009.
Cigarettes and Tobacco were considerably cheaper back in the 60's. In England in 1968 a cheap packet of 20 Players No.6 were approximately 3/ 7d (18 pence), medium Piccadilly or Embassy 4/-7d ( 28 pence) and posh cigarettes like Benson and Hedges or Dunhill about 27 pence..but nowadays a packet of 20 Marlboro in England can cost up to £13.50, in Italy and France they are about €4.50 to €5 euros when I visited those 2 countries last October..tax on cigarettes in Britain is extremely high..puff puff, I don't smoke.
Richard was married four times. Her first marriage was to a music publisher, Len Blach, in 1972, which lasted just five months. For six years, she lived with an advertising director, Will Thorpe; she married Thorpe in 1980, leaving him after 18 months of marriage. Her third marriage, to Paul Glorney, a carpet fitter, took place in Westminster, London, in 1990. That marriage ended in divorce four years later. Richard later lived with John Burns, a painter and decorator 20 years her junior, in the Marylebone area of London. They lived together from 1996 and married on 10 October 2008 at a hotel in Mayfair. They remained together until her death four months later. She had no children.
Wendy Richard with partner John Burns.
Her first wedding, in 1972, to Leonard Blach CREDIT: REX FEATURES
Wendy Richard at Marylebone Town Hall where she was married to Will Thorpe in 1980 CREDIT: SUNDAY TELEGRAPH.
Some of the Eastenders cast line up at Elstree Studios in 1984, from left to right: Letitia Dean, Susan Tully, Shirley Cheriton, Gretchen Franklin, Wendy Richard, Anna Wing, Sandy Ratcliffe, Gillian Taylforth CREDIT: PA
Wendy Richard in 1985..
As Pauline Fowler in the laundrette in 1985 CREDIT: BBC
Richard was a supporter of the Conservative Party. She was particularly supportive of Margaret Thatcher and her policies. During her early years on EastEnders, scriptwriters gave Richard a script in which Pauline Fowler launched into a tirade against Thatcher, but Richard refused to perform it.
Wendy Richard with her fiance Paul Glorney in 1987 CREDIT: PA
In 1996, Richard was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery and was given the all-clear, but experienced a recurrence of the disease in 2002. Her cancer went into remission after years of treatment and she was given a clean bill of health in 2005. Articles about her departure from EastEnders suggested that her health problems did not play any role in her decision, but was because her character in the soap remarried, to Richard's displeasure. Richard later said she left because of stress and that she had been stress-free since leaving the show. She kept in touch with co-stars Bill Treacher, Natalie Cassidy, Todd Carty, and James Alexandrou.
Wendy Richard with her close friend Bill Treacher..
Natalie Ann Cassidy (born 13th May 1983) is an English actress. She has played Sonia Fowler in EastEnders since 1993, appeared in the BBC Two sitcom-horror Psychoville and was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing and the ninth series of Celebrity Big Brother.
Todd Carty, also known as Todd John Jennings (born Todd Robert Carty; 31 August 1963), is an English actor and director who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage appearances have ranged from serious drama to pantomime, and he has worked on radio plays, voiceovers, commercials, narrations and films. He is best known for TV roles as Tucker Jenkins in Grange Hill (1978-1982) and Tucker's Luck (1983-1985), Mark Fowler in EastEnders (1990-2003), and PC Gabriel Kent in The Bill (2003-2005).
In January 2008, cancer cells were found in her left armpit, and it was reported in the Sunday Express on 5th October 2008 that she had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Further investigation showed that it had metastasised to her left kidney and bones, including her spine and left ribs. She made a half-hour programme, Wendy Richard: To Tell You the Truth, documenting the last three months of her life, which was broadcast on BBC One on 19th March 2009.
Wendy Richard: To Tell You The Truth
Wendy Richard: To Tell You The Truth
Richard's agent, Kevin Francis, reported she had died on 26 February 2009 of breast cancer, aged 65, at a clinic in Harley Street, London. Her husband, John Burns, was at her bedside. Francis said: "She was incredibly brave and retained her sense of humour right to the end." On the day of her death, that evening's episode of EastEnders and a memorial programme, both dedicated to Richard, were broadcast on BBC One. Actor Bill Treacher, Richard's on-screen husband Arthur Fowler in EastEnders, said the actress was a "true professional."
Richard's funeral, on 9th March 2009 at St Marylebone Parish Church, was attended by many in the media industry and many fans. Her body was later cremated at a private service at Golders Green Crematorium. It was reported the actress had already planned her funeral and written her will. In July 2009, David Croft, the creator of Are You Being Served?, unveiled a Heritage Foundation commemorative plaque at The Shepherds Tavern in London's West End, which Richard's parents had run. A number of entertainers were there to pay their respects on the occasion.
James Alekos Alexandrou (born 12th April 1985) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is known for portraying the role of Martin Fowler in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders from 1996 to 2007. He was also the presenter of Bizarre Crime on BBC Three.
Heritage Foundation commemorative plaque at The Shepherds Tavern in London's West End.
June Brown who plays the character of Dot Cotton in the soap silently reflects on her friend Wendy Richard as she slowly leaves the funeral service held at St Marylebone Parish Church, Marylebone Road in central London.
Todd Carty also attended the service..
The body of Wendy Richard is carried out of the church by several pall-bearers.
The vicar expresses his condolences to the actress and EastEnders star Barbara Windsor.
A sad Linda Davidson - She played the wayward punk Mary Smith from Episode 5 5th March 1985 being her first appearance.
A solemn Todd Carty helps to carry the coffin..
Michelle Collins
Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28th May 1962) is an English actress and TV presenter, best known for her roles in the British soap operas EastEnders and Coronation Street and the 1987 comedy film “Personal Services”, about a character based on brothel owner Cynthia Payne. Collins played Cindy Beale in the BBC soap EastEnders from 1988 to 1998, with a two-year break between 1990 and 1992. She played Stella Price in the ITV soap Coronation Street from 2011 to 2014. Her other notable TV roles include the BBC dramas Real Women (1998–1999), Sunburn (1999–2000) and Two Thousand Acres of Sky (2001–2003).
Kara Louise Tointon (born 5th August 1983) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Dawn Swann in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. In 2010, she won the BBC competition series Strictly Come Dancing, and in 2015, she appeared as Maria in the ITV live production of The Sound of Music Live.
David Spinx (born 25th April 1951) is an English actor, probably best known for playing Keith Miller in the BBC television soap opera EastEnders from 2004–2008. He has previously appeared in EastEnders as a guest character in an episode in 1999 as the cellmate of Steve Owen and provided the voices on the radios in Barry Evans' cab firm. He has made guest appearances in many other television series such as A Touch of Frost, The Bill and Hustle. David made his last appearance on Eastenders on 1st July 2008. His character was axed due to having 'run out of steam'. Or in other words the writers ran out of ideas, shame..
Dean Martin Gaffney (born 14th February 1978) is an English actor, known for his role as Robbie Jackson on the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1993 to 2003 and 2017 to 2019; he also made guest appearances in 2004, 2010 and 2015. In 2006, he competed in the ITV series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and finished in fifth place.
Frank Thornton Ball (15th January 1921 – 16th March 2013), professionally known as Frank Thornton, was an English actor. He was best known for playing Captain Peacock in the TV sitcom Are You Being Served? and its sequel Grace & Favour (Are You Being Served? Again!) and as Herbert "Truly" Truelove in TV sitcom Last of the Summer Wine.
In 2001 Lavender joined the BBC soap opera EastEnders, playing the role of Derek Harkinson, a gay friend of Pauline Fowler. He continued in EastEnders for four years, with storylines mainly involving the Fowler family, before leaving the serial in 2005. On 4th November 2016, it was announced that Lavender would make a brief return to the show.
Letitia Jane Dean (born 14th November 1967) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and again from 2012 onwards. Her other television roles include Grange Hill (1983–1984), Brookside (1984), The Hello Girls (1996–1998), and Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married (1999–2000). In 2007, she participated in the fifth series of the BBC dance competition Strictly Come Dancing, finishing fourth. On stage, she starred in the West End production of High School Musical in 2008, and in the UK touring production of Calendar Girls in 2010.
Fern Britton (born 17th July 1957) is an English author and television presenter. She co-presented Breakfast Time in the 1980s, coming to mainstream national attention when hosting cookery game show Ready Steady Cook between 1994 and 2000 on BBC One. She presented ITV's This Morning programme from 1999 to 2009. In 2012, she participated in Strictly Come Dancing, where she was paired with professional dancer Artem Chigvintsev. Since 2010, she has also published a number of bestselling novels and books of short stories and non-fiction.