Adrian Gurvitz - Classic • TopPop
Adrian Gurvitz - Classic • TopPop
Gotta write a classic
Gotta write it in an attic
Baby, i'm an addict now
An addict for your love
I was a street boy
And you were my best toy
I found it easy to annoy you
But you were different from the rest
And i loved you all the wrong ways
Now listen to my say
If it changed to another way
Would the difference make it?
Would it be a classic?
I gotta send it right away
Gotta write a classic
Gotta write it in an attic
Baby, i'm an addict now
An addict for your love
Back Vocals
(I'm so down)
(And out of control)
(Without your love)
(I'm in love}
(Came for love)
(There's no living without you)
(Deep down i know ...)
(You're not hearing)
(The words i say)
(Gotta write it down)
(And send it right away)
Now i'm living my life
One day at a time since losing your love
I've been losing my mind
What more can i see
The future is so clear
And it's not what i mean
I mean it's not what it seems
I just keep living for the dreams
And it's not what i mean
I mean it's not what it seems
I just keep living for the dreams
Gotta write a classic ...
Gotta write it in an attic
Baby, i'm an addict now ...
An addict for your love
Gotta write it down
And send it right away
Back Vocals
(I'm so down)
(And out of control)
(Without your love)
(I'm in love}
(Came for love)
(There's no living without you)
(Deep down i know ...)
(You're not hearing)
(The words i say)
(Gotta write it down)
(And send it right away)
Adrian Curtis Gurvitz
Adrian Curtis Gurvitz born 26th June 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. His prolific songwriting ability has gained him hits on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack The Bodyguard, Eddie Money's No. 1 Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts single "The Love in Your Eyes", and with his own song "Classic", a No. 8 UK hit single, as well as the Top 10 UK Rock Chart single "Race with the Devil", with his band The Gun. His early bands The Gun, Three Man Army, and The Baker Gurvitz Army were major influences to the first wave of the British hard rock circuit. Gurvitz also gained notability as a lead guitarist, known for his intricate, hard-driving solos. Gurvitz was placed at No. 9 by Chris Welch of Melody Maker's "Best Guitarist in the World" list.
Gurvitz's father was the tour manager for Cliff Richard and the Shadows and The Kinks. Adrian started playing guitar at the age of eight and by age 15, he was touring in early bands like Screaming Lord Sutch, Billie Davis, and Crispian St. Peters. In 1967, he and his band Rupert's People, released their single, "Reflections of Charles Brown" on Columbia Records, the song charted on the Australian pop charts at No. 13 in August 1967. It just failed to reach the main chart in the UK, being listed as a "breaker" underneath the chart for three weeks in August 1967. Gurvitz is Jewish.
As the lead guitarist and singer of the band The Gun, Gurvitz had his first major hit with "Race with the Devil" at age 18. Issued as a single in October 1968, it reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart and, in March 1969, it also became a big hit in many European countries. Jimi Hendrix quoted the song's riff during his song "Machine Gun" at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. "Race with the Devil" has been covered by Judas Priest (on the remastered CD version of "Sin After Sin"). Black Oak Arkansas (on their album "Race with the Devil"), Girlschool (on their album "Demolition"), and Church of Misery (on their 1996 demo, released as a split album with Acrimony, and on their full-length LP "Vol. 1"). Their debut album artwork cover is noteworthy as it was Roger Dean's first. After their second album, "Gunsight", the band disbanded.
Floating Islands, 1993 Artwork by Roger Dean
William Roger Dean (born 31 August 1944), known as Roger Dean, is an English artist, designer, and publisher. He is best known for his work on posters and album covers for musicians, which he began painting in the late 1960s. The artists for whom he did the most art are English rock bands Yes and Asia. The covers often feature exotic fantasy landscapes and his work has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide.
William Roger Dean was born on 31 August 1944 in Ashford, Kent. His mother studied dress design at Canterbury School of Art before her marriage and his father was an engineer in the British Army. He has three siblings, brother Martyn and sisters Penny and Philippa. Much of Dean's childhood was spent in Greece, Cyprus, and, from age 12 to 15, Hong Kong, so his father could carry out army duties. Dean was very keen on natural history as a child, and Chinese landscape art and feng shui became particular influences on him during his time in Hong Kong. He has cited landscape, "and the pathways through it", as his greatest influence and source of inspiration.
Blue Desert (c) Roger Dean 2003
Known primarily for the dreamy, other-worldly scenes he has created for Yes, Asia, Budgie, Uriah Heep, Gentle Giant and other bands, Dean has described himself primarily as a landscape painter. Characteristic landscapes show graceful stone arches (as shown in Arches Mist) or floating islands, while many paintings portray organic-seeming habitats, such as on the cover of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. Though he primarily works with watercolour paints, many of his paintings make use of multiple media, including gouache, ink, enamel, crayon and collage. In addition to his cover paintings, Dean is respected for his calligraphic work, designing logos and titles to go with his paintings.
Asia album "Alpha" cover art by Roger Dean
Dean was friends with album cover designer Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis and the two lived in the same building after leaving university. He recalled a time when they collaborated on an album cover, but it turned out to be "a complete failure". The rise of the compact disc in the 1980s led to what Dean described as a decline in combining music with art, with the jewel case looking "tacky" and a way for record companies sacrificing quality to save money. He cites the early CD reissue of Close to the Edge by Yes as one that particularly affected him as his inner sleeve artwork was missing, replaced with black and white text.
Roger Dean - Race with The Devil.
Dean designed the logo to the independent label Fly Records in 1970. This led to Dean working on a single for their musician Marc Bolan which involved typesetting the liner notes and lyrics, but Dean had not done the technique before and completed them by hand with the assistance of a graphic designer, in order to show the printing staff where the typesets were to be placed. The positive reaction Dean received from his style of writing led to him handwriting the text for further Bolan singles. This was a similar case for Dean's design for Clear Blue Sky (1970) by Clear Blue Sky, where a painting had been completed except the typesetting, "So to bluff my way through the meeting I had to handwrite it all and hope they would never ask about it". The label's staffers were enthusiastic, which gave Dean the confidence to pursue more handwriting, logo, and graphic work.
Above: ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’ (1973) artwork for the Yes album of the same name.
In mid-1971, during his search for work affiliated with rock bands, Dean sent a portfolio to numerous executives including Phil Carson, the European General Manager of Atlantic Records. Carson took an interest in using Dean for one of his rock acts, Yes, and hired Dean for the cover of Yes's fourth album, Fragile (1971), which marked the beginning of an association with the band to the present day. Dean pitched a story on a creation myth rather than a particular image for it, "about a child who dreamt they were living on a planet that was breaking up, so they had to build a space ark to find another planet to live on. And they towed all the little bits of the planet with them". In 1972, he designed the band's logo which he came up with during a journey on the Brighton Belle train. Yes guitarist Steve Howe said, "There is a pretty tight bond between our sound and Roger's art". In addition to their album covers, Dean also contributed to Martyn Dean's stage set designs for the band. In 1972, Dean designed the logo for the newly established Virgin Records. In the late 1970s, Dean had an idea for Living in the Third Millennium, a television show about the designs of the future yet it never made it to production due to budget constraints.
Above: ‘Relayer’ (1974) artwork for the Yes album of the same name © Roger Dean
In 2013, Dean filed a legal action in U.S. District Court New York claiming that film director James Cameron was inspired by 14 of his original images in the making the 2009 blockbuster film Avatar. Dean sought damages of $50m. Although the filmmakers admitted in court to being influenced by the artist's work, Dean's case was dismissed in 2014. Beginning in 1985 Dean created cover artwork for some Psygnosis games, including Shadow of the Beast and Obliterator. He later did the cover art for Tetris Worlds as well as a redesign of the Tetris logo. Among Dean's first successes was his sea urchin chair design which spawned from his research at the Royal College and completed in 1967. He filed a patent for it in the following year. It has been considered to be a predecessor to the bean bag, whereby the chair compresses and fully adapts to the shape and size of the user. The design was completed when Dean was one of the few students picked from the Royal College to design and make objects in famed designer Cherrill Scheer's factory. The chair remains one of Cherrill's favourite pieces. It is now a part of the permanent collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. In the early 1980s, Dean collaborated with comic artist Michael Kaluta for the video game The Black Onyx (1984) by Henk Rogers. The project involved the pair producing an estimated 4,000 drawings for it, including ideas for its animation, story, music, and motion capture. In 1981, Dean and his brother Martyn had their collaborative design, the Tectonic House, a futuristic and economic home built to last, displayed at the annual International Ideal Home Exhibition in Birmingham. The idea spawned from two ideas: Dean's earlier designs for a bed and bedroom intended for the safety of children, and Martyn's "retreat pod" from 1970 that was featured in the Stanley Kubrick film, A Clockwork Orange (1971).
Above: ‘Terrorpods’ (1987) Psygnosis
Dean received an honorary doctorate from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2002, and an honorary fellowship from the Arts University Bournemouth in 2009. In 2013, Dean received a Gold Badge of Merit from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. Dean has two permanent galleries, his largest at Trading Boundaries, East Sussex in the UK and the other at The San Francisco Art Exchange. Both galleries display original works and limited edition prints, sketches and drawings. Dean has a daughter, artist and designer Freyja Dean (b. 1987) who is the inspiration behind the title to Dean's painting Freyja's Castle (1987). Dean lives in Lewes, East Sussex. Dean has had a long relationship with the Isle of Man, and especially with its long-term resident Rick Wakeman, keyboardist of the progressive rock band 'Yes', for which Dean has designed several pieces of album artwork. On 20 August 2016, an exhibition of Dean's masterpieces went on display at the Manx Museum.
Above: ‘Obliterator’ (1988) Psygnosis
Not long after The Gun disbanded, Gurvitz began work on his first solo album, which turned into Three Man Army's debut album, "A Third of a Lifetime". Three Man Army was signed to Reprise Records and Warner Bros. Records. The debut album featured several drummers, including Band of Gypsys drummer Buddy Miles. Shortly after Jimi Hendrix's death, Miles invited Gurvitz to join his band, The Buddy Miles Express, on it's US tour. The tour lasted for two solid years and they played in front of 50,000 people a night. On tour, Gurvitz contributed to Buddy Miles' 1973 album "Chapter VII". It was during this tour that Gurvitz met Ginger Baker, drummer for Cream. Gurvitz returned to the UK from his tour with Buddy Miles and met back up with his brother and Three Man Army bandmate Paul Gurvitz. Tony Newman, who had previously played with Sounds Incorporated and Rod Stewart, joined for the group's next two albums, "Mahesha" and "Three Man Army Three". At the end of the third album, he teamed up to form The Baker Gurvitz Army with Ginger Baker. The Baker Gurvitz Army signed to Vertigo Records in the UK and signed with Atlantic Records in the United States. Their album, "Baker Gurvitz Army" went Gold, peaked at No. 22 on the UK Albums Chart and hit the US Billboard 200 chart. They went on to produce two more Gold albums together, "Elysian Encounter" (1975) and "Hearts On Fire" (1976). Gurvitz was asked by drummer Graeme Edge of The Moody Blues to join his band, The Graeme Edge Band. He wanted Gurvitz to help write, sing and produce his next two albums, "Kick Off Your Muddy Boots" and "Paradise Ballroom", which both charted in the US. The albums were released by
Threshold and the cover illustrations were by Joe Petagno.
In 1979, Gurvitz went solo and recorded two albums with Jet Records. He recorded "Sweet Vendetta" with US studio musicians Jeff, Joe and Steve Porcaro, and David Paich who started the band Toto two years earlier. He later issued "Il Assassino" in 1980. After his deal with Jet Records ended, he signed with EMI/Rak in Europe and Geffen Records in the US. There he released his third album, "Classic". Gurvitz reached success with the song "Classic", reaching No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart. "Classic" was one of the most played ballads in England in 1982. The follow-up single was "Your Dream". During this time, Gurvitz wrote for Mickie Most's publishing company Rak Music Publishing. There, Gurvitz wrote songs for Earle Brown, Hot Chocolate, and in 1982 he wrote The England World Cup Squad song "England, We'll Fly The Flag" which was on the AA-side of "This Time (We'll Get It Right)", which hit No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Gurvitz moved to the States and wrote Eddie Money's hit, "The Love in Your Eyes". It reached number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Gurvitz signed to Warner, Chappell Music, where he wrote tracks for artists like Steve Perry, REO Speedwagon and Chicago. In 1992, he wrote "Even if My Heart Would Break", recorded by Aaron Neville and Kenny G. The song appeared in the movie and on the best selling soundtrack album of all time, "The Bodyguard" starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. "The Bodyguard"'s soundtrack still is the No. 1 selling soundtrack of all time and it is recognized as being one of the top 5 best selling albums of all time. "The Bodyguard"'s soundtrack won a Grammy Award for best album of th eyear in 1994 and has sold over 45 million copies worldwide. Also, Kenny G included the song on his platinum album "Breathless".
Roger Dean Artwork.
In 2000, Gurvitz formed an American-British pop girl group, No Secrets. One of the members of the group was his daughter, Carly Lewis. They signed to Jive Records and their song, "Kids in America" peaked at No. 1 on the Heatseekers Billboard chart. It was also featured on the "Jimmy Neutron" movie soundtrack. No Secrets joined Aaron Carter in Toronto for the shooting of his video named "Oh Aaron", and they also collaborated in the taping of the song, providing background vocals. Gurvitz was hired by Walt Disney Records to produce and write songs for many of their in-house pop stars such as Jesse McCartney, Cheetah Girls and Anne Hathaway. He produced many of the "Disneymania" soundtracks, which landed him three gold albums. In 2011, Gurvitz produced the song "Stevie on the Radio" for Pixie Lott featuring Stevie Wonder on her album "Young Foolish Happy". The album went Gold in the UK. Most recently, Gurvitz has worked with Ziggy Marley and Andra Day, among others. He is currently working as an executive at Buskin Records which he founded alongside Jeffrey Evans, and with Warner Bros, Records in which Buskin has a partnership deal.
Grateful Dead - Aoxomoxoa (1969
In 1968, during his third year at the Royal College, Dean was assigned a project which involved the design of a contemporary landscape seating area of the upstairs disco at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho. This led to the design of his first album cover, Gun (1968) by rock band Gun, after owner Ronnie Scott asked him to adapt a demonic-themed design that Dean originally made in his sketchbook for his thesis, for the album's cover. Dean agreed, and was paid "around £5,000" for his work. Dean earned more money from the album's cover than he had done with architecture related work, and realised covers took much less effort. He decided to venture into cover design not purely for the money, but its wider audience and its use "as a propaganda tool showing people what might be and what could be". Dean began to pick up work where he could, including covers for various jazz artists for Vertigo Records which he disliked, calling them "austere exercises" and too restrictive for the ideas he wished to convey. The experience led Dean to establish a commission before starting work he wanted to do, leading to a short period of financial hardship. At the same time, he wanted to release a book on architecture but faced rejection from 27 different publishers.
In 1959, after the family had returned to England, Dean attended Ashford Grammer School followed by his entry in 1961 to the Canterbury College of Art studying silversmithing and furniture design and graduated with a National Diploma in Design. He was removed from a life drawing class by the principal for being "young and impressionable", and was informed he could not take it due to maths and physics being his other subjects, leading a switch to studying industrial design. As the school was trying to become accredited in the subject, Dean bypassed its foundation level course but disliked the way the subject was taught and questioned the teachers as to why people had to live in "boxes" and their response in that "form follows function". Towards the end of the course at Canterbury, Dean was faced with the option of pursuing either architecture or industrial design; one of his tutors thought neither were for him, and recommended that Dean study at the Royal College of Art in London. He enrolled at the college in 1965 to study furniture design and became a student of Professor David Pye. Among his research was the "psychology of architecture" and what made people feel comfortable in buildings. He did a thesis about "producing a sense of tranquillity in domestic architecture". He graduated from the college in 1968 with a masters first degree honours, and won a silver medal for "work of special distinction". By this time, Dean was interested in "designing the future boxes for people to live in". He considered Rick Griffin's artwork for Aoxomoxoa (1969) by The Grateful Dead as his "first big visual shock" and bought the album prior to owning a record player.
Aura is the eighth studio album by British progressive rock band Asia - Artwork Roger Dean.
By 1971, Dean's desire to produce artwork for rock bands had grown though he continued to pursue architecture and headed a small exhibition of his work in Florence. Following discussions with A&R man David Howells, who had assigned Dean the sleeve for The Gun, Dean agreed to work on the cover of Osibisa (1971) by afrobeat band Osibisa. The design is a result of a brief that Dean described as "credible African fairytale imagery" and features "flying elephants and not architecture", which became an early representation of the style he later achieved fame with. Dean considered the job a breakthrough for his career as the design was made into a poster by the Big 'O' poster company which sold a large number of copies. He later said, "From that point on I could do what I wanted". During his work for Yessongs (1973), Dean and his printers Tinsley Robor secured a patent for "a way of going from gatefold to any number of pages, folded out of one piece of card". For Yes's album Relayer (1974), he painted the sleeve in pencil and coloured it with dirty water. In 2004, Dean worked on his "Homes for Life" architectural idea, designing affordable futuristic homes that can be mass-produced in factories and customised to the user's tastes. The design is curved based and without right angles.
Fool If You Think It's Over
Elkie Brooks - Fool If You Think Its Over
A dying flame, you're free again
Who could love and do that to you
All dressed in black, he won't be coming back
Save your tears, got years and years
The pains of seventeens
Unreal they're only dreams
Save your crying for the day
Fool if you think it's over
'Cos you said goodbye
Fool if you think it's over
I'll tell you why
New born eyes always cry with pain
At the first look at the morning sun
You're a fool if you think it's over
It's just begun
Miss teenage dream, such a tragic scene
He knocked your crown, and ran away
First wound of pride, and how you cried and cried
But save your tears you've got years and years
Fool if you think it's over
'Cos you said goodbye
Fool if you think it's over
I'll tell you why
New born eyes always cry with pain
At the first look at the morning sun
Fool, if you think it's over
It's just begun
I'll buy your first good wine
We'll have a real good time
Save your crying for the day
That may not come but anyone
Who had to pay would laugh at you and say
Fool if you think it's over
'Cos you said goodbye
Fool if you think it's over
I'll tell you why
Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder, 25 February 1945) is an English singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest success in the late 1970s and 1980s, releasing 13 UK Top 75 singles, and reached the top ten with "Pearl's a Singer", "Sunshine After the Rain" and the title track of the album No More the Fool, she has been nominated twice for Brit Awards. Brooks is a Gold Badge Award of Merit winner from formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA now The Ivors Academy. She is generally referred to as the "British Queen of Blues".
Broughton, Salford
Clowes Park, Broughton Salford.
Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas
Etta James's
Small Faces
The Animals
Jon Lord's Artwoods
Vinegar Joe.
Wet Willie
Brooks was born Elaine Bookbinder in Broughton, Salford, the daughter of Marjorie Violet "Vi" (née Newton) and Kalmon Charles "Charlie" Bookbinder. She was raised in Prestwich. She attended North Salford Secondary Modern School. Her older brothers are Raymond Bookbinder (born 1938) and Anthony Bookbinder (born 28 May 1943), who went by the stage name of Tony Mansfield, and was drummer for Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas, on their run of 1960s hit records. According to Brooks, her unofficial debut was a gig at a club called the "Laronde" on Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester, when she was 13 years old. She first sang professionally at the age of 15, and her first record, a cover of Etta James's "Something's Got a Hold on Me", was released on Decca in 1964. Brooks spent most of the 1960's on Britain's cabaret circuit scene, a period of her life that she did not particularly enjoy. In the mid 1960s she supported the Beatles in their Christmas show in London, then, as an established act, helped the Small Faces in their early career by introducing them at several venues. She went on to tour the United States with several bands, including the Animals. She also toured the then communist Poland with Jon Lord's Artwoods. After she met Pete Gage, whom she would marry, she joined the short-lived blues rock fusioneers Dada before forming Vinegar Joe with Gage and Robert Palmer. Brooks gained the reputation as the wild woman of rock 'n' roll due to her wild stage performances. After three albums, they split up in 1974, and Brooks and Palmer pursued separate solo careers. After a time as backing singer with the American southern boogie band Wet Willie, she returned to England.
Elkie Brooks (hold the dream).wmv
Elkie Brooks (hold the dream).wmv
Rich Man's Woman (1975)
Two Days Away (1977) Back Cover.
Throughout the 1950s, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller would shape the face of modern popular music. The duo’s songwriting resulted in hits for Elvis, The Coasters, The Drifters and many others that blurred the lines between genres. With their success and ambition, they fought for greater control of their songs, redefining the role of producer into something akin to what we know it to be now. The songwriting team met in 1950 and bonded over a shared love of rhythm and blues music. They scored their first hit in 1952, writing “Hound Dog” for Big Mama Thorton, which would later be covered by Elvis Presley. Following the cover’s success, they would go on to write a string of hits for Presley.
Cat Stevens
Live and Learn (1979)
Her first solo album on A&M records was Rich Man's Woman (1975), it was released to critical acclaim but Brooks was given a hard time because of the album's cover shot of a naked Brooks with a feather boa, which was considered outrageous for the time. It came before a run of 16 albums in 20 years, starting with Two Days Away (1977), produced by the songwriting duo Leiber & Stoller, who had also worked with Elvis Presley and many others, Brooks also wrote some tracks with them. The hits "Pearls a Singer" and "Sunshine After the Rain" came from this album. That same year, Brooks duetted with Cat Stevens in the song, "Remember the Days of the Old Schoolyard". The albums Shooting Star (1978) and Live and Learn (1979) also saw success along with the singles "Lilac Wine" and "Don't Cry Out Loud". Her polished, powerful cover of Gallagher and Lyle's "The Runaway", saw the Scottish singer-songwriters appear with Brooks on TOTP's to provide backing vocals.
Gallagher and Lyle
Knebworth Festival 1980
Beach Boys
Santana
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Gus Dudgeon
Mike Oldfield
Chris Rea
A Very Peculiar Practice
Dave Greenslade
In 1980, Brooks performed at the Knebworth Festival with the Beach Boys, Santana and Mike Oldfield. The Pearls album released in 1981 achieved the biggest success of her career, charting for 79 weeks and reaching No 2, the album was still in the charts one year later when Pearls ll (1982) reached No 5 and spent 26 weeks on the UK charts. The Gus Dudgeon produced "Fool If You Think It's Over" (1981) was a major hit single for Brooks, written by Chris Rea. Other charts singles followed with "Our Love" "Nights In White Satin" & Gasoline Alley all produced by Gus Dudgeon. Minutes (1984) and Screen Gems (1984), were both all UK album chart hits in the same year. In 1986, she sang the title song for the BBC television series "A Very Peculiar Practice", The song, written by Dave Greenslade, was never released as a commercial recording. In early 1987, the song "No More the Fool" reached the top five and became her biggest hit single to date with the parent album also reaching the top five. This led to her achieving another career peak, as she had two albums in the Top Ten and a single in the Top Ten all on the same week. Following chart success ensued with the albums "The Very Best of Elkie Brooks (1986), "Bookbinder's Kid" (1988). "Inspiration" (1989), Round Midnight (1993), Nothin' but the Blues (1994), Amazing (1996) and "The Very Best of Elkie Brooks" (1997).
Reborn in the USA. Elkie Brooks Bottom third right.
Peter Cox
Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet.
Leee John
Humphrey Lyttelton and his band
The Doors
Bob Dylan
Paul Rodgers
Tony Joe White
Bryan Adams
Happy Birthday to my very talented eldest son Jermaine Jordan! EB X
Lovely spending the morning with Mr Michael Ball - thanks for having me BBC Radio 2!
Enjoyed a few weeks off & now can’t wait for my shows in Torquay & of course the London Palladium on 19th September! EB X
Finding Your Feet
In March 2003, she participated in the ITV music talent show Reborn in the USA, alongside musicians such as Peter Cox, Tony Hadley and Leee John. Also in 2003 she issued a CD, Trouble in Mind, with the acclaimed Humphrey Lyttelton and his band, which included Bad Penny Blues with added lyrics. The Electric Lady album (2005) produced by son Jermaine Jordan saw a return to her blues and rock roots, featuring self-penned tracks alongside re-workings of numbers by the Doors, Bob Dylan, Paul Rodgers and Tony Joe White. The following year saw the release of her first official DVD, Elkie Brooks & Friends: Pearls, featuring an array of guest musicians. Brooks's twentieth studio album, Powerless also produced by son Jermaine Jordan was released in 2010, featuring songs such as Prince's "Purple Rain" and Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love", Brooks continues to perform live throughout the UK and Ireland. In 2012, Brooks released her autobiography Finding My Voice, published by The Robson Press. In it she details her life and career, focusing on her love of performing live and the downsides of the recording business, which has often left her financially no better off.
Elkie Brooks on The One Show.
Having some great time off and enjoying getting out in the kayak today with my son Joe
Bonobo album Migration (2017
In July 2017 after signing to Virgin EMI she issued a new CD Elkie Brooks: Pearls The Very Best Of, which charted at No 14 and included two new singles: "Love Ain't Something that You Can Get for Free" and the Bryan Adams penned "Forgive and Forget" later in the year a remix of the 1979 album track "The Rising Cost of Love" was also released as a single, all 3 singles made it to the Radio 2 'A' playlist with "Forgive & Forget" being the Radio 2 "Record of the Week" . Brooks promoted the CD with several appearances on Radio 2 shows and the BBC's The One Show, Live at the Palladium & Aled Jones Show. Later in the year Brooks appeared at the London Palladium, on 19 September, to mark 40 years since her first sell out week there in 1977. The show celebrated her 40 years of success since the hit single "Pearl's a Singer" was released. In 2017 Brooks recorded the closing theme song "Running to the Future" for the British movie Finding Your Feet, starring Imelda Staunton, Timothy Spall, Celia Imrie and Joanna Lumley. The track was released as a download only single and was included in the soundtrack CD album. Her self-penned song "Just An Excuse" has been the subject of various remixes, most notably appearing on the Bonobo album Migration (2017) which was a UK No 5 hit. Brooks has performed live since 1960 and continuously every year since 1977 with current concert dates set throughout 2020 billed as the 60th anniversary tour.
guitarist Peter Gage
Alan Messer
Bonobo
In the early to mid-1970s, Brooks was married to guitarist Peter Gage, On 1 March 1978, she married her sound engineer, Trevor Jordan. They are still married, live in Devon and have two sons, Jermaine (born 22 December 1979) and Joseph (born 31 December 1986). Between 1981 and 2002 they lived in a mansion in a secluded area of North Devon. However, in 1998, after her accountant informed her that he had not been paying her taxes, Brooks found herself in severe debt and was reduced to living in a mobile home. After four years of increasing interest bills and loans, Brooks managed to sell her home (after being threatened with repossession) and cleared all of her debts. In 2000 Brooks's management and tour promotion was taken over by husband-and-wife team Jermaine and Joanna Jordan (Brooks's elder son and his wife).
Elkie with husband Trevor and their sons in 1989. Elkie had to sell her house having been landed with a £250,000 tax bill in 1998. ‘There is no point feeling sorry for yourself,’ says Elkie
When The Hero Walks Alone
Elkie Brooks - When The Hero Walks Alone.
Dennis Waterman - I Could Be So Good For You (1979) RIP ❤
Dennis Waterman - I Could Be So Good For You - Oct 1980
If you want to, I'll change the-e situation
Right people, right time, just the wrong location
I've got a good idea, just you keep me near
I'd be so goo-ood for you
I could be so good for you, I'm gonna help ya
Love ya like you want me to
I'd do anything for you-ou-ou
Id be so goo-ood for you
I could be so good for you
I'll do it like you want me to
Love you like you want me to
There ain't nothin' I can't go throu-ou-ou-ough
I'd be so goo-ood for you
Sometime when you're feelin' like a poor relation
Call on me and I'll give you more than conversation
Take an' shake it, hey it's a deal
And woh big brother I'll make you heal
I'll be so goo-ood for you
I could be so good for you, I'll be right by your side
Love you like you want me to
There ain't nothin' you can hide from me
I'd be so good for you
I could be so good for you
I'm your man, Love you like you want me to
I'll tell you nothin', there ain't nothin', nothin' I cannot do
I'll be so goo-ood for you
Don't ask me no questions, I'll tell ya no lies
Use my shoulder to rest on
I will be right by your side
I will be your ear tonight
I could be so good for you, I'm the one you really need
Love you like you want me to
I can even help you brea-ea-ea-eathe
I'll be so goo-ood for you
I can make the good times roll, make 'em roll
Love you with my heart and soul, That's right
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, I'd be so goo-ood for you (fade)
Dennis Waterman (born 24th February 1948) is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his tough-guy leading roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks, singing the theme tune of the latter two. Waterman's acting career has spanned 60 years, starting with his childhood roles in film and theatre, and his adult roles in film, television, and West End theatre. He is notable for the range of roles he played, including horror (Scars of Dracula), adventure (Colditz), comedy (Fair Exchange), comedy-drama (Minder), musical (Windy City) and sports (The World Cup: A Captain's Tale) as well as police TV series such as The Sweeney. He has appeared in 28 films but retired from acting between 2015 and 2019.
Directed by Roy Ward Baker | Starring: Christopher Lee, Jenny Hanley, Dennis Waterman, Christopher Matthews
The Prince of Darkness casts his undead shadow once more over the cursed village of Kleinenberg when his ashes are splashed with bat's blood and Dracula is resurrected. And two innocent victims search for a missing loved one... loved to death by Dracula's mistress. But after they discover his blood-drained corpse in Dracula's castle necropolis, the Vampire Lord's lustful vengeance begins.
Dennis Waterman and Victor Madden were amongst the cast members of Fair Exchange, an American comedy series from the early sixties which was set in both London and New York.
Situated on a cliff overlooking a small East German town in the state of Saxony is Colditz Castle. It has stood on this site since the Middle Ages and has in the past been used as a workhouse and a mental institution. However, its place in history became assured during the Second World War, when it was Oflag IV-C, a prisoner-of-war camp for high-profile Allied officers who had repeatedly escaped from other camps. Colditz has since appeared frequently in fiction, including books, films and TV, but what is the truth behind this notorious Nazi POW camp?
CASTLE HISTORY
The town of Colditz can be found in the middle of the triangle formed by the three great cities of Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz, in the heart of Germany. The first castle was built during the late 11th Century AD at the order of powerful German king Henry IV. From then on the castle played an important role as a watchtower for the German monarchy. In 1504, an accidental fire destroyed a large part of the castle and its reconstruction saw new buildings added to the site. In 1523 the castle grounds was turned into one of the largest zoos in Europe. The castle structure was changed again under the long reign of the elector Augustus of Saxony from 1553 to 1586, when it was reconstructed into a Renaissance style castle with extra courtyards, cellars and hundreds of rooms.
The condition of the once proud castle was allowed to deteriorate during the 19th Century, when Colditz was used by Frederick Augustus III as a workhouse to feed the poor, the ill and those under arrest in the city. It would be used in this way until 1829.
HOME TO THE "INCURABLY INSANE"
That year the workhouse at the castle was taken over by an institution in Zwickau and it became a mental hospital for the "incurably insane". For nearly a hundred years, between 1829 and 1924, Colditz was a high-profile sanitarium, generally reserved for the wealthy and the nobility of Germany During this time Germany saw massive upheavals after the Napoleonic Wars destroyed the Holy Roman Empire and created the German Confederation. All the while Colditz stood firm as a shelter for the insane as it witnessed the lifespan of the North German Confederation and the complete reign of the German Empire, right up until the beginnings of the Weimar Republic. Over this long period it was home to several notable figures including Ludwig Schumann, the second youngest son of the famous composer Robert Schumann, and Ernst Georg August Baumgarten, one of the original inventors of the airship. Colditz was first used as an official Prisoner of War camp during World War One, although no escapes were made at this time. However, when the Nazis came to power in 1933, they turned the castle into a political prison for communists, homosexuals, Jews, and other "undesirables". It was not until 1939 that Allied prisoners were housed there.
IMPENETRABLE FORTRESS
There were many reasons why Colditz castle instilled fear in its prisoners above all other Nazi POW camps for captured officers; this thousand year old fortress was in the heart of Hitler's Reich, some four hundred miles from any frontier not under Nazi control. Its outer walls were seven feet thick and the cliff on which it was built had a sheer drop of some two hundred and fifty feet to the River Mulde below. For any prisoner, chance of escape was slim and even if you did make it outside, you had a long and arduous trek ahead of you to freedom. The sheer fact that it had endured for a millennium made it a highly potent symbol of German strength, which Hitler exploited no end.
PRISON LIFE
Day to day at Colditz was far from a sombre, empty experience; if you were to visit it you probably would be surprised by how much of a bustling hive of activity it was. Aside from the prison guards, there were also a large number of civilians and local townspeople who would be on castle grounds. For the prisoners themselves, they were permitted to entertain themselves. In August 1941 the first camp Olympics were organized by the Polish inmates, with events including football, volleyball, boxing and chess.
ESCAPE ATTEMPTS
Despite being a daunting prospect, there were a number of escape attempts, each using a range of plans. Inmates duplicated keys to various doors, made copies of maps, forged identity papers, and manufactured their own tools. Less daring plans included pretending to be ill or mentally unhinged in an effort to get repatriated on medical grounds. Some prisoners even managed to communicate with the outside world. The British War Office communicated with the prisoners in code and smuggled them new escape aids disguised in care packages sent from their families. However, the Germans soon became skilled at intercepting packages containing suspicious material. Other methods used, which seem straight out of a film, include inmates being sewn into mattresses, trying to navigate through the sewers below the castle, long-term tunnel digging and the tying together of bed sheets to form rope!
Although people did actually escape from Colditz and return to their homeland, most of the escape attempts failed. There was however only ever one fatality, that of British Lieutenant Michael Sinclair, who was killed in September 1944. The Germans buried him in Colditz cemetery with full military honours, his casket was draped with a Union Jack flag made by the German guards, and he received a seven-gun salute. After the war he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, the only man to receive it for escaping during WWII.
THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY
The ultimate goal for anyone trying to escape was a Home Run, which is a complete escape from the castle grounds and into Allied territory. There is some debate over how many of these actually happened.
Successful escapee and British Captain Pat Reid claims in his account Colditz: The Full Story that there were 31 Home Runs, including those who were repatriated due to illness prisoners who being transported and therefore were not directly under Colditz staff control.
However, in Colditz: The Definitive History historian Henry Chancellor claims 32 escaped but only 15 were Home Runs: these were 1 Belgian, 11 British, 7 Dutch, 12 French and 1 Polish.
The first to escape was French Lieutenant Alain Le Ray, who did so on April 11th, 1941. He managed to get out of the castle by hiding in a terrace house in a park during a game of football. Seizing the moment he managed to reach neutral Switzerland and freedom.
Another French officer worthy of mention was Lieutenant Pierre Mairesse Lebrun, who escaped on July 2nd, 1941. After a failed attempt by climbing into the rafters of a pavilion during exercise and waiting until dark, he later vaulted over a wire in the park with the help of an associate. He then reached Switzerland in eight days on a stolen bicycle!
Notable British escapees include the aforementioned Reid, who succeeded on October 14th, 1942 by slipping through POW kitchens into the German yard, into the Kommandantur cellar and down to a dry moat through the park. It then took him four days to reach Switzerland.
There was also the legendary British Lieutenant Airey Neave, who escaped earlier on January 5th, 1942. Neave crawled through a hole in a camp theatre after a prisoner performance to a guardhouse, then boldly marched out dressed as a German soldier. Reaching Switzerland two days later, Neave later joined M19, the department of the British War Office dedicated to helping POWs escape.
Other escapes were less daring in that they involved basically legging it from the town of Colditz itself; three Frenchmen escaped while on a visit to the town dentist, all on December 17th 1941!
FALL OF COLDITZ
In April 1945, US troops entered Colditz town to conquer the castle. As the troops approached the castle, the Allies and prisoners feared the Prominente might be used by the German troops as hostages, human shields, or that the SS might try to kill them out of spite. However, this was not the case as the Germans moved all the Prominente out of the castle. This decision was made after the prisoners themselves convinced the guard leader Obergruppenführer Gottlob Berger to surrender in secret. With his aide these VIP prisoners reached American lines a couple of weeks later and Berger later received a lessened sentence after his hearing in 1949 because of his actions.
On April 16, after only two days the once-mighty prison for the enemies of The Third Reich crumbled. In May 1945, the Soviet occupation of Colditz began and following the Yalta Conference the city became a part of East Germany. The Soviets turned Colditz castle into a prison camp for local burghers and non-communists and later the castle was a home for the aged and nursing home, as well as once again serving as a hospital and psychiatric clinic. The last residents moved out in 1996, and since then the castle has been renovated and turned into a museum with visits showing some of the escape tunnels built by WW II prisoners of the Oflag during. There are potential plans to turn part of the castle into a hotel, ensuring that people will continue to visit this historic site for years to come.
Minder is a British comedy-drama series about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV (originally by Thames, then Central Independent Television in 1993 and 1994 after Thames lost its franchise). The original show ran for ten series between 29 October 1979 and 10 March 1994. The series was notable for using a range of leading British actors, as well as many up-and-coming performers before they found their greatest success; at its peak it was one of ITV's most watched shows. The original show starred Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, an honest and likeable bodyguard (minder in London slang) and George Cole as Arthur Daley, a socially ambitious, but highly unscrupulous importer-exporter, wholesaler, used-car salesman and purveyor of anything else from which there was money to be made, whether within the law or not. Like many British sitcoms, the show is set firmly within a certain social class, in this case working class west London. It shares strong similarities with Only Fools and Horses and Steptoe and Son in the sense that much of the storyline revolves around a dysfunctional, co-dependent relationship between the two protagonists. In the case of Minder, they are not family members but friends. These relationships are marked by an older man (Arthur, Del Boy, Albert Steptoe) controlling the life and frustrating the ambitions of his younger, dimmer counterpart (Terry, Rodney, Harold Steptoe). In the case both of Only Fools and Horses and Minder, this older character is also the sharp, aspirant dreamer, whereas in Steptoe and Son, the opposite holds good, with Harold the aspirant dreamer whose ambitions are frustrated by having to take on the burden of his father's dead-end business.
Dennis Waterman - Wasnt Love Strong Enough (1980)
Dennis Waterman - Wasnt Love Strong Enough (1980)
Clapham Common South Side
Caius House Boxing Club members
Waterman was born the youngest of nine children to Rose Juliana (née Saunders) and Harry Frank Waterman in Clapham, London. The family, which included siblings Ken, Peter, Stella, Norma, and Myrna, lived at 2 Elms Road, Clapham Common South Side. Harry Waterman was a ticket collector for British Railways. Two older sisters, Joy and Vera, had already left home by the time Dennis was born, and another brother, Allen, had died as a young child. Boxing was a big part of Waterman's childhood. His father had been an amateur boxer and made all of his sons box. His older brother Ken first took Dennis boxing when he was three years old, and when he was ten Dennis joined Caius Boxing Club. Another older brother, Peter, was a welterweight boxing champion. Waterman was educated at the Granard Primary School, a state primary school on the Ashburton Estate in Putney, South-West London, followed by Corona Stage School, an independent school at Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith in West London.
Joan Weldon-Forrest Tucker in The Music Man..
Auditorium of the Mermaid Theatre, City of London, 1960
Waterman's acting career began in childhood. His first role was in Night Train for Inverness (1960). He appeared in two small stage roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1960 season. In 1961, at the age of 13, he played the part of Winthrop Paroo in the Adelphi Theatre production of The Music Man. A year later, he starred as William Brown in the BBC TV series William based on the Just William books of Richmal Crompton. Waterman played the rôle of Oliver Twist in the production of the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! staged at the Mermaid Theatre, London, in the early 1960s, and appears on the cast recording released in 1961. Waterman was a series regular in the 1962 CBS comedy Fair Exchange, playing teenage son Neville Finch. Waterman was in the original cast of Saved, the play written by Edward Bond, and first produced at the Royal Court Theatre in November 1965. He had a major rôle in the film Up The Junction (1967) his character Peter, played the boyfriend of Polly played by actress Suzy Kendall in the star studded cast of this landmark film.
Royal Court Theatre London..
Polly (Suzy Kendall) wants to move into the working class life for good, Pete (Dennis Waterman) just wants to get rich and escape it (Up the Junction (1967)
Fright (1971
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Man about the House.
Man About the House is a British sitcom created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer that starred Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett, Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy. Six series were broadcast on ITV from 15th August 1973 to 7 April 1976. The series was considered daring at the time because it featured a man sharing a London flat with two single women. The show was made by Thames Television and recorded at its Teddington studio in Greater London. It is regularly repeated on ITV3. First airing on 15 August 1973, Man About the House ran until 7 April 1976, spanning 39 episodes in six series. In addition, on Christmas Day 1973, a short special aired as part of All-star Comedy Carnival.
Dennis Waterman as Rommel in Man About the House.
Chrissy and Jo live in a London flat together and work for the same firm. The women find a stranger, student CHEF Robin Tripp, asleep in their BATH TUB the morning after the farewell party for their departed flatmate Eleanor. When he meets the two girls, Robin has been in London two days, having moved from Southampton to attend college. The girls are unimpressed with Gabrielle (Helen Fraser) as a potential replacement for Eleanor, but they are impressed by Robin's culinary skills, as they cannot cook at all. Learning that Robin has been staying at the YMCA, they convince him to move in, on the understanding that it will be a platonic relationship. Chrissy tells landlord George Roper that Robin is gay to eliminate George's objections to the mixed-sex living arrangement. George, in truth a subletting landlord placed by the council, is a miserly, spiteful and unkempt man under the thumb of his domineering and sexually frustrated wife Mildred.
In the second episode, Robin's true sexuality becomes known to Mildred. She takes out her frustrations with George's lack of class and sexual inadequacy by making suggestive remarks to Robin and frequently siding with the tenants against George. Mildred openly flirts with Robin, and Robin frequently flirts with Chrissy and Jo. The girls, adhering to their pledge to maintain a platonic relationship with Robin, spurn his mild advances and adapt to his presence in the flat. Chrissy occasionally shows attraction to Robin, but the two never pursue any romantic interaction. Robin's friend Larry, a lovable rogue, appears on a recurring basis throughout the series. In the third series, he moves into the loft apartment above the trio's apartment and is a frequent source of trouble. Another occasional cast member is George's friend, the dodgy builder Jerry (Roy Kinnear). Jerry is the only supporting character to reappear in the spin-off George and Mildred. Robin's brother Norman Tripp (Norman Eshley) appears in the final three episodes of the sixth and final series, and starts a romance with Chrissy. Eshley had a previous guest role in the episode "In Praise of Older Men" (Series 2, Episode 3).
![Man About the House (1974) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/icBwYDvHFy0/maxresdefault.jpg)
Man About the House (1974) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]
Man About the House (1974) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]
In the early 1970s Waterman appeared in the BBC television series Colditz as a young Gestapo officer. He played the brother of a victim of Count Dracula (Christopher Lee) in the Hammer film Scars of Dracula (1970), and the boyfriend of Susan George in Fright (1971). He appeared alongside Richard Harris amd John Huston in a Hollywood western, Man in the Wilderness (1971), He was a member of the company of actors who featured in The Sextet (1972), a BBC 2 series which included the Dennis Potter drama, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, and Waterman later appeared in the same dramatist's Joe's Ark (Play for Today, 1974). Both plays were directed by Alan Bridges. Also in 1974, Waterman appeared in episode 4 of the second series of the comedy programme Man About the House entitled "Did You Ever Meet Rommel", in which he played a friend of Robin, a German student by the name of Franz Wasserman (an evident play on his own surname). He became well known as DS George Carter in The Sweeney during the 1970s. As well as starring as Terry McCann in Minder., Waterman sang the theme song, "I Could Be So Good for You", which was a top three UK hit in 1980 and a top ten hit in Australia. It was written by his then-wife Patricia along with Gerard Kenny. Waterman also recorded a song with George Cole: "What Are We Gonna Get For 'Er Indoors?" In 1976 Waterman released his first album, Downwind of Angels, arranged and produced by Brian Bennett. A single, "I Will Glide", was released from the album, but did not enter the top 40. The backing singers on "I Will Glide" were the choir of Belmont School, where Brian Bennett's son, Warren, was a pupil. In 1978, Waterman returned to the RSC to play Sackett in Bronson Howard's comedy Saratoga.
Pit ponies being prepared for a carnival at Horden colliery in County Durham in the 1920s. The mine closed in 1987. Photograph: Durham County Record Office People Past and Present hord284
HALF-WAY HOUSE: There is debate among readers about whether these houses were half-timbered or half-corrugated iron sheeting. Either way, they were halfand- half, and this picture was taken in July 1979, shortly before they were demolished
The Dene Valley to the east of Bishop Auckland exploded into life in the latter half of the 19th Century. It was just boggy farmland – the Gibson family lived at Close House, a house surrounded by an enclosure, or fenced paddock – until the first horsedrawn branchline of the Stockton and Darlington Railway reached it on July 10, 1827. FOR centuries, people had been aware coal was near the valley’s surface – boys were sent into the visible seams to get it, and came out filthy, thus giving the area its Black Boy nickname. Darlington’s Pease family sank the first pit, Eldon Colliery, in 1829 – Joseph Pease and his head banker, Jonathan Backhouse, had married Gurney sisters from the Norwich family of Quaker bankers. Nicholas Wood, a friend of George “the father of the railways” Stephenson sank Black Boy Colliery in 1830, and then in 1864 Auckland Park Colliery was sunk.
Terraces for the miners crawled across the farmland and up the valley sides. By the First World War, all three pits were at their peak: Eldon employed nearly 2,000 men and boys; Black Boy more than 300 and Auckland Park more than 1,100. It must have been an extraordinary hive of industrial activity. A large electric fan dominated the northern hillside, blowing air down a shaft. An aerial flight, like a ski-lift, carried tubs from Black Boy to Auckland Park. Eldon Colliery Railway clanked through the centre of Eldon; Black Boy Colliery rumbled along the edge of Close House, and an old horsepowered waggonway wormed its way up Fan Bank towards Coundon. And then it all stopped. Eldon closed in 1932; Black Boy in 1939, and Auckland Park in 1946. In 1951, Durham County Council adopted a plan to cope with the decline of the coalfield and its isolated, unplanned communities. It placed all 350 of its villages into four categories: A: a growing village B: population static C: population declining, but likely to stabilise D: a village in terminal decline, in which there would be no future development and all existing properties would be bought by the council for demolition, with the inhabitants being rehoused in new towns like Newton Aycliffe.
In 1951, 114 Durham villages were placed in Category D and left to die. When the policy was revised in 1964, a further seven villages were added. Many communities fought bitterly against their extermination – feelings intensified because it was their own council that was exterminating them. The policy ended in 1977 and it is said that only three villages had been obliterated. Memories guesses that these included East Howle, Page Bank and one other – can you name the three lost villages? But even villages which had survived had been abandoned for nearly three decades and so, as the pictures of Gurney Valley and Eldon Lane in Memories 145 showed, were in a dreadful state.
Gurney Valley was two lines of terraced houses halfway up the northern side of the Dene Valley. The first 80 or so of these houses were conventional brick buildings; the top 80 were half-and-halfs. The bottom half of these houses was brick, and the top half was either corrugated iron or wood, painted red, or going rusty. This must have been a cheap method of construction. Alan Smith of Bishop Auckland remembers that his uncle, Billy Sunter, lived at 132 Gurney Valley – one of the half-and-halfs. It was a two-up, two-down, with an earth closet outside in the cobbled yard.“The living room had a large coal fire, black leaded with partial brasswork,” remembers Alan, who was born in Close House. “The fire had a shelf where extra coal was kept so it could be pulled down onto the flames as required.
“There was an oven at one side of the fire and a hot water boiler which had a tap on it. The boiler was refilled with a pail of cold water.” Billy grew up in Auckland Park, where his father, Jim, bred canaries for use in the colliery – the canaries were early warning devices for the miners, as poisonous gas made them distressed long before it affected the men. Billy married a Durham lass with the brilliant name of Zipporah (in the Bible, Zipporah is the wife of Moses), and he worked down Auckland Park Colliery. His house in Gurney Valley had a long garden for vegetable growing and rabbit breeding. “Just outside the gate was an air raid shelter for residents of about four houses,” remembers Alan. “Shelters were built up and down the street for the other houses.” Perhaps at the start of the Second World War, the Dene Valley demanded the shelters because it was still psychologically scarred from the First World War: on Sunday, April 2, 1916, it was bombed by a Zeppelin airship. One child was killed and several properties were destroyed – but this is a story for our forthcoming First World War season.
New Tricks is a British television procedural crime drama, created by Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell, produced primarily by Wall to Wall (until its final year, when it was handled by Headstrong Pictures), and broadcast on BBC One. The programme originally began with a pilot episode on 27 March 2003, before a full series with commissioned for 1 April 2004, with it concluding after twelve series on 6 October 2015. The show utilises an ensemble cast, of which Dennis Waterman was the only constant over all twelve series; this cast variously included Alun Armstrong, James Bolam, Amanda Redman, Denis Lawson, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tamzin Outhwaite, and Larry Lamb. The series focuses on the work of the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS) - a fictional division within London's Metropolitan Police Service tasked with re-investigating unsolved crimes. UCOS primarily functioned with a senior police detective overseeing the work of three retired police officers who would handle each case, and who could bring in police support when needed. Each episode focuses on a different investigation, with characters often coping with problems at their age but using their wisdom to overcome hurdles in the original investigation of cold cases. Both creators, McCrery and Mitchell, devised the title of the programme around the proverb "You can't teach an old dog new tricks".
Dennis Waterman and Patricia Hodge in The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, 1986
Tom Baker also stars in the miniseries as Father Ferguson..
The Life and Loves of a She-Devil is a 1986 award-winning BBC miniseries adapted from Fay Weldon's 1983 novel The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. The story concerns married couple Ruth and Bobbo, who are on the verge of separating as Bobbo is having an affair with novelist Mary Fisher. After Bobbo leaves Ruth and moves in with Mary, Ruth develops a plan to get her revenge on both of them. The adaption by Ted Whitehead was very faithful to the novel with only minor changes from the book. It was partly shot at the Belle Tout Lighthouse at Beachy Head near Eastbourne in East Sussex, which has since been moved several metres from the cliff edge, due to the rapid rate of coastal erosion in the area.
Episode Title Written by Directed by Original air date Ratings
1 "Episode 1" Ted Whitehead Philip Saville 8 October 1986 N/A
Ruth is devastated when she realizes that her husband Bobbo has been cheating on her, and when he finally abandons her, and their two children, she decides that she will do anything to get revenge on Bobbo and his mistress, novelist Mary Fisher.
2 "Episode 2" Ted Whitehead Philip Saville 15 October 1986 N/A
Ruth takes on a number of different roles and aliases to get her revenge, including starting to study accountancy, and working in a care home with Mary's mother, and having sex with a lot of different men to desensitize herself.
3 "Episode 3" Ted Whitehead Philip Saville 22 October 1986 N/A
Because Ruth burnt down their family home, Bobbo and Mary have to let Bobbo's two children live with them, which spoils their romantic plans, meanwhile Ruth gets Mary's mother kicked out of her care home, and she moves in to Mary's home as well.
4 "Episode 4" Ted Whitehead Philip Saville 29 October 1986 N/A
Mary realizes that Ruth is targeting her, and the stress and worry is making her sick, so she turns to a priest for help but she doesn't suspect that the priest is in Ruth's thrall. Meanwhile Ruth gets Bobbo sent to jail, and starts to takes over Mary's life and identity.
The cast of the mini-series includes:
Patricia Hodge as Mary Fisher
Julie T. Wallace as Ruth
Miriam Margolyes as Nurse Hopkins
John Bluthal as Angus
John Rowe as Dr. Rohn
Stephen Greif as Dr, Ghengis
Tom Baker as Father Ferguson
Bernard Hepton as Judge Bissop
1987 BAFTA Awards
Best Drama Series Sally Head, Philip Saville Won
Best Video Lighting John King Won
Best Video Cameraman Mike Winser, John Hawes Won
Best VTR Editor Malcolm Banthorpe, Dave Jervis Won
1988 CableACE Awards Writing a Movie or Miniseries Ted Whitehead Won
The First Kangaroos (1988)
Children's animated series Tube Mice
Waterman starred in a television film made by Tyne Tees Television entitled The World Cup: A Captain's Tale (1982). It was the true story of West Auckland F.C., a part time side who won the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, sometimes described as the 'First World Cup'. Waterman played the part of Bob Jones, the club captain. It cost £1.5 million to make of which most was funded by Waterman. Shooting took place in the North East and in Turin in Italy. Scenes were shot in County Durham pit villages and in Ashington, Northumberland where goal posts and a grandstand were erected in a public park with a colliery headframe in the background. In 1982, Waterman starred in the musical Windy City. A relatively short-lived production, the cast included Anton Rodgers, Diane Langton, Victor Spinetti and Amanda Redman, with whom Waterman had an eighteen-month affair during the run of the musical and with whom he later went on to star in the TV series New Tricks. Windy City closed on 26 February 1983 after 250 performances. Waterman took the lead male role in the BAFTA Award winning BBC adaption of Fay Weldon's The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1986). In 1983, Waterman narrated an eight-part BBC documentary series about Asian martial arts titled The Way of The Warrior. In an Australian television film, The First Kangaroos (1988). Waterman's depiction of Albert Goldthorpe drew formal complaints from Goldthorpe's granddaughter. In 1988, Waterman voiced Vernon's dim-witted, stupid and food loving sidekick Toaster in the children's animated series Tube Mice which also starred George Cole.
Stay Lucky is a British television comedy-drama series ran from 8 December 1989 to 6 August 1993. Made by Yorkshire Television and screened on the ITV network, it starred Jan Francis and Dennis Waterman. Drama about a small-time gangster Thomas Gynn )Dennis Waterman) from London who discovers a new life up north in Yorkshire. Helping widowed, self-sufficient businesswoman Sally Hardcastle (Jan Francis) when her car breaks down on the motorway, Thomas reluctantly accepts an offer of a lift to Leeds. Over the coming months, the two become involved in a series of misadventures that soon find them being drawn closer together.
CAST:
Leslie Ash as Jo Blake
Jan Francis as Sally Hardcastle
Susan George as Samantha Mansfield
Ian McNeice as Franklyn Bysouth
Willie Ross as Barney Potter
Niall Toibin as John Lively
Emma Wray as Pippa
Others include: Chris Jury, Belinda Lang, Rula Lenska, Amanda Noar and Dougray Scott.
On the Up is a British situation comedy written by Bob Larbey, about the failure of a millionaire's marriage, and his relationship with his assorted live-in staff. The programme was first broadcast on BBC1 between 1990 and 1992.
Plot Summary:
Tony Carpenter is a self-made millionaire who turned his South London minicab firm into a successful chauffeur-driven car service. He lives in a large detached mansion in Esher, surrounded by Rolls Royces and BMWs, with a domestic staff who respect him, and whom he adores; Witty and insolent butler/driver Sam (who is also a childhood friend of Tony), acerbic secretary Maggie and cook Mrs Wembley (responsible for the series' catch-phrase of "Just the one", used to respond to the offer of a sherry even if it was her third or fourth).
Despite all these advantages, Tony's life is full of conflict:
His working-class background and sensibilities make him uncomfortable with the idea of having domestic staff, and in dealing with local snobs.
Nothing he does seems to please his snooty wife Ruth, who hates his downmarket behaviour, constantly suspects him of infidelity with either his secretary Maggie or friend & model Dawn (both of whom are significantly younger than herself), and cannot abide the "chummy" relationship he has with "servants".
Then there is daughter Stephanie, away from home at a Public School and thus being inculcated with upper / middle class sensibilities, who is embarrassed by both her father's differing outlook, and by the unsettled relationship between her parents.
Finally there is his mother, who is still living in a South London terrace, and never seems impressed with his achievements, finding herself unable to understand why he lives "all the way over there" (in reality about 14 miles away) in his big house.
The third series ended with Tony looking set to enter a happy relationship with new love interest Jane Webster, a single mother from Stephanie's school, as well as romantic interests for all three staff, but also closes on a slight cliffhanger as it is displayed that Tony and Ruth still share feelings for each other. A fourth series was initially planned, and was mentioned in in-house BBC literature for the Autumn 1993 season on BBC One, but never came to fruition.
Dennis Waterman as Tony Carpenter, the lead character, owner of a luxury car hire business in the Surrey "Stockbroker Belt" and ardent supporter of Charlton Athletic. Although he's proud to be a "self-made man" and enjoys the good life his success has brought, Tony is unashamed of his working-class roots and treats his staff more like friends, to the frustration of his wife.
Sam Kelly as Sam Jones, a friend of Tony since their days at Clapham Parochial School. An ex-Merchant Seaman. Sam was the first driver he ever employed, and now works as chauffeur to the Carpenter family. Although Tony is his boss, Sam still behaves more like a friend towards him and isn't afraid to criticise his behaviour. Sam has feelings for Maggie but believes she prefers Tony; however, in the final episode the two get together.
Joan Sims as Mrs. Fiona Wembley, the Carpenter family's cordon bleu cook. She is something of a confidante and mother figure for the others in the house and becomes upset if Tony isn't eating properly. Fond of sherry – leading to her largely inaccurate catchphrase "just the one" – her tippling is indulged by Tony; when she fears the sack because Ruth is returning home, she confides in Sam that she worries another employer wouldn't be so understanding. Late in series one it's revealed that she never actually married Mr Wembley, as he was killed in the Korean war before they could.
Jenna Russell as Maggie Lomax, a young Scottish secretary of strong socialist leanings. She is highly efficient and regularly saves Tony's bacon when things go wrong. She and Ruth make no secret of disliking each other, something which largely stems from Ruth's (accurate) suspicion that Maggie has feelings for Tony. Maggie later gets over Tony and starts a relationship with Sam in the final episode.
Judy Buxton as Ruth Carpenter, who is described in the title song as regarding her husband as a "bit of rough". She enjoys the good life Tony's money provides but is constantly frustrated by his tendency to treat the staff as friends and his disdain for her upper class friends. She has an on-off lover, Stephen, for whom she leaves Tony more than once.
Michelle Hatch as Dawn, a lifelong friend-of-the-family and currently a Lingerie Model. Although she enjoys modelling, she is worried about being seen as a dumb blonde and, with Maggie's help, begins taking adult learning classes. She mostly sees Tony as a father figure, but in one episode attempts to seduce him.
Vanessa Hadaway as Stephanie Carpenter, Ruth and Tony Carpenter's teenage daughter, who attends a very exclusive boarding school. Although both her parents love her, she often ends up a pawn in their power games, with both trying to buy her affection with expensive gifts. Seen as spoilt by the staff, Stephanie's attitude improves somewhat when she gets some tough but genuine love from her grandmother.
Dora Bryan (series 1) then Pauline Letts (series 2 and 3) as Mrs Carpenter Senior, Tony's Mum. Proudly working class and an ardent supporter of the Labour Party, she thinks Tony has forgotten his roots. She and Ruth share a mutual dislike.
Fiona Mollison as Jane Webster (Series 2-3), from nearby Cobham, the mother of Stephanie's school friend Marina. She becomes a new love interest for Tony and is liked by his staff, with Mrs Wembley even allowing her to call her "Fiona".
Recurring:
Jenny Lee as Mrs Purvis, Stephanie's headmistress
William Lucas as Sir Douglas Hoyle, Mrs Wembley's suitor
Bunny May as Barry, office manager of Tony Carpenter's car hire business
Paul Weakley as the singing gardener
John Harding as Stephen, Ruth's one-off boyfriend and a solicitor
The open titles are accompanied by the 1st movement of the Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, or Twelve Grand Concertos No.11 in A major – a classical instrumental piece, played by the Guildhall String Ensemble. However, the closing credits are accompanied by Dennis Waterman's rendition of the series' custom theme tune. This continues a pattern from Minder and Stay Lucky, shows in which he also starred and sang the theme tune.
Series 1 - transmitted BBC1 September – October 1990
Series 2 - transmitted BBC1 September – October 1991
Series 3 - transmitted BBC1 September – November 1992
DVD editions of the individual series, and as a Box Set, are available.
Mrs. Wembley's catch-phrase, "Just the One", in particular, became associated with the series and entered common British lexicon for a time..
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Moses Jones is a British television crime drama series first broadcast on BBC Two in February 2009. The series was written by Joe Penhall, directed by Michael Offer and produced by Cameron Roach. The series follows DI Moses Jones (Shaun Parkes), a Scotland Yard detective who is seconded onto an enquiry investigating a mutilated body found floating in the Thames. The complete series was released on DVD on 9 March 2009.
The discovery of the bizarrely mutilated body in the Thames who seems to have been the victim of a ritualistic witchcraft killing sparks a wave of violence amongst London's Ugandan exile community. DI Moses Jones (Shaun Parker) is seconded to the case from Scotland Yard due to his supposed cultural links with the local African community and assisted by young, hopeful DS Dan Twentyman (Matt Smith), he sets out to uncover the truth. Jones and Twentyman find their investigations lead to the victim's niece Joy (Wunmi Mosaku) and her friend Solomon (Eamonn Walker) at the Afrigo Club where the ex-pat community go to unwind to the African beats of Solomon's band. As the investigation continues, the violence escalates and the evidence all seems to point towards Matthias Mutukula (Jude Akuwudike), a mysterious godfather figure rumoured to have both terror links and supernatural powers. Forced to ask himself tough questions about his cultural identity, Moses Jones embarks on a frightening quest to track down his man and redeem himself before the community implodes... or takes revenge itself.
CAST
Shaun Parkes - DI Moses Jones
Matt Smith - DS Dan Twentyman
Eamonn Walker - Solomon
Wunmi Mosaku - Joy
Femi Elufowoju Jr. - Peter
David Fishley - Paul
Jude Akuwudike - Matthias Mutukula
Obi Abili - Joseph
Indira Varma - Dolly
Dennis Waterman - Frank Costello
Tom Goodman-Hill - DCI Dick Catherwood
Christianne Oliveira - Lita
Ellen Thomas - Libby Jones
Mark Oliver - Selwyn
Shaun Dingwall - Roger Dankorth
Struan Rodger - Father Fred Bone
Lee Ross - Mick Mahoney
Adam Kotz - Dr. Michael Michaels
Waterman sang the theme tunes to three more programmes in which he appeared: the comedy drama Stay Lucky with Jan Francis (Yorkshire Television/ITV 1989), sitcom 'On the Up (BBC 1990) and crime drama New Tricks (Wall to Wall television for BBC, 2003). In 1997, he appeared as John Danson (the head of the largest UK smuggling network) in series 3 of the UK TV drama The Knock.
He was a regular cast member in every season of New Tricks, from 2003 to 2014. After expressing his intent to leave the series during its final season (2015), he appeared in only the first two episodes. He recited excerpts from the journal of Walter H. Thompson for the UK history series Churchill's Bodyguard. He appeared on stage in Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell by Keith Waterhouse and as Alfred P. Doolittle in the 2001 London revival of My Fair Lady. He narrated the reality-format television programme Bad Lads' Army and appeared in the 2009 BBC2 miniseries Moses Jones. In 2020, Waterman starred in the Australian drama-comedy film Never Too Late which had been filmed in Adelaide, South Australia the previous year.
Waterman has been married four times:
Penny Dixon (1967–1976)
Patricia Maynard (1977–1987), an actress with whom he has two daughters, one of whom, Hannah Waterman, is also an actress. Hannah is best known for playing Laura Beale in the BBC1 soap opera EastEnders, and later appeared in New Tricks alongside Waterman as his character's daughter.
Rula Lenska (1987-1998)
Pam Flint (November 2011–present)
Waterman and Pam Flint have been friends from 1996. She was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2006; surgery saved her life. In November 2011, they were married.
Waterman is a fan of Chelsea F.C., His love of football was reflected in him being chosen to present Match of the Seventies from 1995 to 1996, a nostalgic BBC show celebrating the best football action from the 1970s. In 2015, his friend of many years, George Cole, aged 90, who had played Arthur Daley, died and Waterman delivered the eulogy at Cole's funeral on 12 August.
Belle Tout Lighthouse at Beachy Head near Eastbourne in East Sussex
The cliffs near Beachy Head saw numerous shipwrecks in the 17th and early 18th centuries and a petition to erect a lighthouse started around 1691. The calls were ignored for over 100 years until The Thames, an East Indiaman, crashed into the rocks off Beachy Head. The petition gained momentum with the support of a Captain of the Royal Navy and Trinity House, the official lighthouse authority, agreed to attend to the matter. Having witnessed the incident himself, John 'Mad Jack' Fuller, MP for Sussex, used his influence and some of his personal wealth to fund the lighthouse construction. The first Belle Tout lighthouse was a temporary wooden structure that started service on 1 October 1828. It displayed a revolving light, which exhibited 'its greatest brilliancy once in two minutes' The construction of the permanent granite lighthouse began in 1829 to a design by Thomas Stevenson and it became operational on 11 October 1834. The light was provided by a three-sided rotating array of oil lamps, with ten lamps on each side, each lamp mounted within a parabolic reflector. Its use of 30 oil lamps meant that the lighthouse would require two gallons of oil every hour. In 1887 the light was altered. It was equipped with the latest Douglass two-wick oil burners: six lamps and reflectors on each side of a clockwork-driven revolving triangular frame (eighteen lamps in total). The speed of rotation was significantly increased so as to give a four-second flash every fifteen seconds.
The lighthouse was not as successful as had been hoped, with two significant flaws leading to an alternative being sought. The cliff-top location caused problems when sea mists obscured the light, significantly reducing the distance that it would reach. Vessels that sailed too closely to the rocks would not be able to see the light because it was blocked by the edge of the cliff. However, the cliffs of Beachy Head suffered intense coastal erosion over the years and the rocky area started to be covered by the light. The Belle Tout was in service until 2 October 1902, when a new lighthouse was built at the bottom of the cliffs, known simply as the Beachy Head Lighthouse. Trinity House sold off the building in 1903, after which time it changed hands several times. In 1987 the lighthouse featured in the James Bond film The Living Daylights. From 1996 the lighthouse was used as a family home and, in 2007, the building was put up for sale again. It now includes six bedrooms and large walled gardens.
The lighthouse was further immortalised in the song "Belle Tout" by British rock band Subterraneans, and in the movie B Monkey starring Asia Argento. The glass "round room" which once housed the light itself was featured on the popular BBC television show Changing Rooms, wherein it was redesigned by celebrity interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. By 1999 the erosion of the cliffs was threatening the foundations of the building and drastic steps had to be taken to stop it from falling into the sea. On 17 March 1999 in a remarkable feat of engineering work the Belle Tout was moved 17 metres (56 ft) away from the cliff face. The 850-ton lighthouse was moved using a pioneering system of hydraulic jacks which pushed the building along four steel-topped concrete beams that were constantly lubricated with grease, work undertaken by the engineering firm Abbey Pynford. The site should now be safe for many years and has been designed to enable further moves as and when they are required.