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- Actress
- Soundtrack
Aimee-Ffion Edwards (born 21 November 1987) is a Welsh actress from Newport, Wales. She is known for playing Sketch in Skins, Esme in Peaky Blinders, Sophie in Detectorists and Abi in Loaded.
Aimee-Ffion Edwards was born in Newport, Wales. She attended Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd (Newport Welsh medium primary school) and Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw. She played for a local youth rugby team, the only girl in a boys' team, until she was 14. She would often go from ballet lessons to playing for the rugby team.
She took a drama A-level at school, and joined the National Youth Theatre of Wales. She is fluent in English and Welsh.
Edwards appeared in the 2002 short film Dwr Dwfn.
She was training to be a classical singer when she appeared on the Pop Idol-type Welsh language TV show called Wawffactor in 2006, finishing as runner-up.
Edwards made her television debut as the character Sketch in the E4 series Skins in 2008.
In 2009, she appeared in the Valentine's Day episode of Casualty ("Stand By Me"), as a teenager who finds a replacement speed-date in the wards of Holby City Hospital, and ends up involved in a serious gun-related incident. In the first episode of Casualty 1909 she played a young prostitute called Deborah Lynch, who was being abused by her father.
In 2010, she appeared in an episode of the supernatural BBC drama series Being Human as a theatre usher, who is also a ghost.
In 2011, she appeared in series 2 of the BBC drama series Luther, playing the character Jenny Jones.
In 2012, she appeared in Sky Atlantic's four-part series Walking And Talking, a spin-off from an episode of Sky One's Christmas series of shorts Little Crackers. Aimee played Mary, friend of Kath, played by Ami Metcalf, in these stories written by Kathy Burke and based on her own teenage years.
In 2013 and 2014, she appeared as Esme, the wife of John Shelby, in the BBC series Peaky Blinders.
In 2014, Edwards appeared in two BBC Cymru Wales television productions celebrating the centenary of Dylan Thomas: as part of an all-Welsh cast in a television adaptation of Thomas' radio drama Under Milk Wood, playing the part 'Laugharne Voice'; and as Marianne in A Poet in New York, Andrew Davies' dramatisation of Thomas' last days.
In 2014, she appeared as Katy in "The Harrowing", the sixth episode of the first series of Inside No. 9, written by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith.
Edwards played Sophie in the BAFTA award-winning BBC Four comedy series Detectorists; series 1 in 2014 and series 2 in 2015.
In 2016, she appeared as Sian in Death In Paradise as a young girl who is murdered.
In 2017, she was Josh's (ex)girlfriend in Channel 4 comedy Loaded.
In 2009, she performed in Jez Butterworth's play Jerusalem at the Royal Court Theatre, alongside Mackenzie Crook.
In 2011, she made her Broadway debut, reprising her role in Jerusalem at the Music Box Theatre, New York. She appeared in the London revival of Jerusalem later that year.
In 2012, she appeared in The Recruiting Officer at the Donmar Warehouse, and in Marius von Mayenburg's Fireface at the Young Vic.
In 2013, she appeared as Avonia Bunn in Trelawny of the Wells at the Donmar Warehouse.
In 2017, she played Marcella in B, a new play by Guillermo Calderón which had a limited run at the Royal Court Theatre.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Owain Sebastian Yeoman is a Welsh actor born to Michael and Hilary Yeoman. He has one sister Ailsa. An honors English graduate of Brasenose College (1996-99), Oxford University, Yeoman also graduated from the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London with the distinction of being the Henry Marshall Shield Winner in 2003. His first audition was for the Warner Bros epic, Troy (2004) starring Brad Pitt in which director Wolfgang Petersen immediately cast Yeoman as Lysander, the Captain of the Trojan army.
A veteran of over a dozen stage plays in London's West End theaters and two Edinburgh international Stage/Film festivals Yeoman re-located to Los Angeles in 2004 where he was cast in TV projects including "The Friendlies", the lead role in Mark Burnett's Commando Nanny (2004) and played the T-888 main terminator in the pilot of the Terminator franchise series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008). Yeoman played leading series regular roles in the 2006 Fox comedy Kitchen Confidential (2005), opposite Bradley Cooper.
In 2008, Yeoman played Sgt. Eric Kocher in the HBO award-winning biopic Generation Kill (2008). He is probably best known to TV audiences for his leading role as CBI detective Wayne Rigsby in the CBS international hit series The Mentalist (2008) in which he has starred for over 6 years. in 2012, Yeoman was cast as the lead detective KING in the independent horror feature Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 (2011) and as the lead in the festival short movie AbsolutSin (2012). In 2014, Yeoman was reunited with Bradley Cooper when he starred in American Sniper (2014) in which he was cast by Clint Eastwood.
He is an avid animal rights supporter and works closely with PETA and the Humane Society (USA). He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Gigi and their French bulldog, Cash.- Richard Pearson was born on 1 August 1918 in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Pirates (1986), Macbeth (1971) and Middlemarch (1968). He was married to Patricia Dickson. He died on 2 August 2011 in Northwood, Hillingdon, London, England, UK.
- Ubiquitous Welsh actor who has excelled as deceptively mild-mannered characters in 1960s and 70s BBC literary adaptations. His first foray of note into this genre was as the unprincipled, hedonistic cad George Wickham in Pride and Prejudice (1958). A particular favorite for Dickensian parts, Jeavons was value-for-money as Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (1959), as the feckless Jarndyce ward Richard Carstone in Bleak House (1959), the ever so 'umble' Uriah Heep in David Copperfield (1966) (often regarded as the definitive portrayal of one of literature's most insidious characters) and as the disreputable attorney Sampson Brass in The Old Curiosity Shop (1979). Jeavons returned in later iterations of Great Expectations (1981) and Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House (1985), this time, respectively, as the dour, but kind-hearted legal clerk Wemmick and as the austere, manipulative solicitor Vhol, representing Richard Carstone in Chancery.
Other endeavours on the classical scene saw Jeavons as Henry V in BBC's The Life and Death of Sir John Falstaff (1959), the Tudor noble Robert Clifford in The Shadow of the Tower (1972), lawyer Briggs in Jane Eyre (1983) and as the master criminal Professor Moriarty in The Baker Street Boys (1983). He also made a very lively (and considerably less obtuse) Inspector Lestrade in several episodes of Granada's acclaimed series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984). Novelist and Holmes expert David Stuart Davies extolled Jeavons' performance, saying "Lestrade was played with great panache throughout the Granada series by Colin Jeavons, who humanised and enhanced Doyle's sketchy portrait of the Inspector."
Elsewhere, Jeavons has played fashion designers, undertakers, shop owners, civil servants, military officers, policemen and an unending array of clerics (including on the big screen in films like The Oblong Box (1969), Bartleby (1970) and The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)). For the stage, he portrayed the Reverend Tooker in a 1988 National Theatre production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
One of the most versatile of character players, able to change his features from immobile to expressive and from doleful to amiable, Jeavons has branched out into diverse genres, including science fiction (for instance, as the comedian Max Quordlepleen, host of the 'Restaurant at the End of the Universe' in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981) and as the Atlantean surgeon Damon in the early Doctor Who (1963) instalment The Underwater Menace). His performance as the ill-fated child Donald in Dennis Potter's Blue Remembered Hills (an episode of the anthology series Play for Today (1970)), has often been singled out by critics and reviewers as his best. Jeavons also stood out in the role of Tim Stamper in the original British version of House of Cards (1990), a role he reprised for the sequel To Play the King (1993). He has performed in various capacities --either as a character or as storyteller-- in multiple episodes of the long-running children's series Jackanory (1965).
Colin Abel Jeavons began on stage in a 1946 Birmingham production of Twelfth Night. From 1956 to 1957, he appeared in several plays for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company. He has also performed with the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He was married to the ballet dancer Rosie Jeavons who passed away in 2018. Jeavons has been retired from acting since 1993. - Actor
- Soundtrack
Edward E. Clive was a Welsh-born actor/manager, initially, it seemed, slated for a medical career. After four years, he suddenly elected to abandon his studies at the University of Wales. For the next ten years, he trod the boards in diverse theatrical productions across Britain, becoming adept at a variety of regional dialects. Clive arrived in the United States in 1912 and set up the Copley Theatre Stock Company in Boston, with himself as leading performer. By the 1920's, he made a name for himself as a producer and director on Broadway ("The Creaking Chair",1926; "The Whispering Gallery",1929; "The Bellamy Trial",1931). He also continued in his position as director of the Copley.
Clive arrived on Hollywood screens relatively late in life, making his debut with The Invisible Man (1933). Thereafter, he was effectively typecast in a long line of austere, humourless British butlers, town mayors and haughty aristocrats, his demeanour invariably ranging from gloomy to irritable. Though most these parts were often quite small, Clive managed to steal the odd scene or two. At his best, he was the burgomaster in Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Sir Humphrey Harcourt in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) and (in a recurring role), manservant 'Tenny' Tennison in several instalments of Paramount's 'Bulldog Drummond' series.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Born in Newport in Wales, Keiron Self read English at Oxford before studying at the Welsh College of Music and Drama. On leaving in 1993, he and some colleagues set up "just for a laugh" the Mappa Mundi theatre group to produce their own versions of classic plays. The same year he married actress Lynne Seymour, Ophelia to his Hamlet, and they have twins, Molly and Jake, born in 2001. Initially supported almost entirely by box office returns Mappa Mundi joined with Theatr Mwldan in 2006, and have been acclaimed for their innovative productions, including a cross-dressing King Lear and an all-male Taming of the Shrew. Though touring largely in Wales their recent productions of 'She Stoops To Conquer' and 'Dangerous Liaisons' were also acclaimed at venues in England. In 2007 Keiron was one of several established Welsh talents to lend support to 'It's My Shout', an arts project designed to support budding young Welsh performers. He is also a writer, having provided scripts for several children's television shows but is probably best remembered as ditzy dentist Roger Bailey in the 'My Family' sitcom -initially intended to appear in one episode but so endearingly goofy that he became a regular character. As of 2010 he and his family live in Cardiff.- James Coombes was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He is known for Howards' Way (1985), King David (1985) and Murder with Mirrors (1985). He has been married to Cathy Finlay since 25 June 1989. They have three children.
- Doris Hare was born on 1 March 1905 in Bargoed, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for On the Buses (1969), The Avengers (1961) and Second Best (1994). She was married to John Fraser Roberts. She died on 30 May 2000 in Denville Hall, Northwood, Hillingdon, London, England, UK.
- Going through old copies of the Radio Times and scanning the cast lists of vintage television productions, some names keep turning up, over and over again. Peter Cushing and Donald Pleasence, prior to their horror stardom; Yvonne Mitchell, Andre Morell, Roger Delgado, Barry Letts, Patrick Troughton, John Robinson; and Paul Whitsun-Jones was another example of this breed. Corpulent, with thick black hair and often seen as appropriately solid authority figures, whether comically pompous or threatening in an oily manner, Whitsun-Jones facially resembled a heftier and rather bad-tempered version of Peter Bowles; his Avengers appearances are pretty representative of his work, respectively taking in Government man, fat villain and eccentric innocent bystander. Given the bluff, very old-school image he often projected, it's slightly surprising to find he was actually born in Wales, in 1923, though less surprisingly this was in Monmouthshire, near the border with England.
One of his early TV credits was a ground-breaking one for the medium; The Quatermass Experiment (1953) (BBC), the first adventure for Nigel Kneale's scientist hero, who after masterminding an early space mission has to take action when one of the astronauts (played by Duncan Lamont from "Stay Tuned") comes under the control of an alien, mutating creature. In typical 50s gear of trilby and trenchcoat, Whitsun-Jones was a regular in the series (or serial as it would have been called then), playing James Fullalove, an ironically named, cynical newspaper columnist who complicates matters by attempting to get to the unfortunate astronaut. (In Kneale's work, journalists are always bad news.) Only the first two episodes of this - "Contact Has Been Established" and "Persons Reported Missing" - exist today, the BBC at the time deciding against recording the last four; whether this was because they were not satisfied with the poorly lit, distinctly indistinct picture quality of the first two, or if the still-new process of telerecording was simply too expensive, is debatable. Famously, its prefacing continuity announcement contained the warning that the programme was not suitable for "those of you who may have a nervous disposition", or children. By contrast, The Gordon Honour (BBC, 1956), was a children's series, hovering somewhere between drama and comedy, about two feuding families called the Gordons and the Fitzwilliams, their rivalry centring around a candlestick, with the Fitzwilliams generally on the losing side. It ran for two series, from which no episodes exist now; each episode took place at a different point in history, but with the same actors playing the various family members, among them Roger Delgado, in a tailor-made role as a sword-wielding Spaniard, and Whitsun-Jones as a family butler. Occasional guest stars included the great Arthur Lowe from "Dead Man's Treasure" and Dad's Army.
In the first of several roles opposite Roger Moore, Ivanhoe, "The Gentle Jester" (Screen Gems, 1958) saw Whitsun-Jones as Sir Maverick, a fellow supporter of King Richard who seeks a replacement jester, after which it was a real switch for a deeply unusual entry in Sydney Newman's normally realistic Armchair Theatre, "Death of Satan" (ABC, 1958), set in Hell, in which he played Oscar Wilde, who along with Lord Byron was found to be rather enjoying himself there.
In the theatre, Whitsun-Jones was in the original West End production of Oliver!, by Lionel Bart out of Charles Dickens, in 1960, with Ron Moody (seen in "Honey for the Prince" and "The Bird Who Knew Too Much") giving it 100% as Fagin, as he would in the film, which Whitsun-Jones wasn't in. The latter's next TV series was Bonehead (1957) (BBC), a children's sitcom which went out in the same early Saturday evening slot (around 5.30) later filled by Doctor Who. Colin Douglas, a heavily built actor who later starred on the early 70s WW2 series A Family At War, had the title role of a dim Cockney villain in a bowler hat, Whitsun-Jones was The Boss, and each week their gang's criminal plottings ended in slapstick disaster. Unlike the career of its writer-producer, Shaun Sutton, who ended up becoming Head of Drama at the BBC, then oversaw the Corporation's 80s televising of all Shakespeare's plays.
Getting into the ITC series, where he was more often than not cast as foreigners of some kind, Whitsun-Jones was in the now obscure Man Of The World, "A Family Affair" (ATV/ITC, 1962), set in Paris, in which he was some way down the cast list as "A Midwesterner"; then, again with Roger Moore, he had three turns alone in the first batch of (black and white) episodes of The Saint. "The Golden Journey" (ATV/ITC, 1962), also with Roger Delgado (again) and Richard Montez, had Whitsun-Jones as a stereotyped lumberjack in a check shirt, who in one, deeply non-PC scene gives spoilt heroine Erica Rogers (seen in "The Bird Who Knew Too Much") a spanking; "Starring the Saint", which kept the budget down by involving Templar with the film industry, and had two Avengers spymasters-cum-villains, Whitsun-Jones and Ronald Radd, in similar roles as showbiz chancers; and "Teresa", which like the previous episode featured Alexander Davion, who with Whitsun-Jones, Richard Montez (again) and Coronation Street regular Alan Browning (seen in "Intercrime" and "Who Was That Man I Saw You With?"), here had to pretend to be Mexican. Paul Whitsun-Jones' film appearances were generally minor, and as easily defined types like policemen, stuffy gents, and pub customers (one suspects he probably liked a glass in real life).
The Moonraker (1958) was a costume swashbuckler set in the English Civil War and decidedly on the side of the Royalists, with Peter Arne doing well as a villain, although John LeMesurier as Oliver Cromwell required some suspension of disbelief. Whitsun-Jones was in both the minor classic Room at the Top (1958), detailing the climb of Laurence Harvey and his phoney Northern accent, with Ian Hendry also among the bit-parters, and its less well remembered sequel Life at the Top (1965), which featured Honor Blackman as a journalist; intriguingly, as this was just after Goldfinger, Harvey and director Ted Kotcheff were compelled to cast Honor with the box office in mind, when they had actually wanted Vanessa Redgrave. The intense, Scottish-set military drama Tunes of Glory (1960), starring Alec Guinness and 'John Mills', had strong support from 'Dennis Price', Gordon Jackson, Duncan Macrae, Gerald Harper, and Whitsun-Jones as the Mess President. The latter also did a couple of the fondly recalled, British series of Edgar Wallace B-movies; Candidate for Murder (1962), with the splendid Michael Gough from "The Cybernauts" and "The Correct Way to Kill," and The £20,000 Kiss (1963), plus that king of the American B-movie Roger Corman's The Masque of the Red Death (1964), with Vincent Price and Nigel Green. The Wild Affair (1965), a forgotten comedy-drama written and directed by Season Five director John Krish, with Whitsun-Jones as a party guest, is perhaps noteworthy as the only film in which the great Terry-Thomas appeared without his trademark moustache.
Whitsun-Jones was also a stooge for the annoying, later bewilderingly knighted Norman Wisdom in There Was a Crooked Man (1960), having the bad luck to turn up later in What's Good for the Goose (1969), which killed off Wisdom's film career by having him leching after girls a third his age; strangely, the director was the notorious Menahem Golan, who with his lowest common denominator Cannon Group would try to take over Hollywood in the 80s (after pretty well destroying what was left of the industry in Britain). Remaining very busy on television, Whitsun-Jones guested in the highly successful Maigret, "The Crime At Lock 14" (BBC, 1963), with Rupert Davies as the French detective, plus Isa Miranda from "Epic"; and in The Odd Man, "A Pattern Of Little Silver Devils" (Granada, 1963), a moody, noir-ish crime series, here also guest-starring Donald Sutherland as a drummer in a jazz band, and secret drug addict. He was next one of a regular repertory company, also including former stand-up Alfred Marks and Welsh loon Kenneth Griffith, in Paris 1900 (Granada, 1964), vigorously performing six stage farces from that time by Georges Feydeau, adapted and produced by Philip Mackie, an unfairly overlooked TV hero of the 60s whose literary adaptations were always good value.
The next two guest shots both saw Whitsun-Jones working with Patrick Macnee's then wife Catherine Woodville, killed off in "Hot Snow," and stuntman-director Ray Austin; G.S.5, "Scorpion Rock" (ATV, 1964) starred Ray Barrett and Neil Hallett as agents, with Whitsun-Jones (as a Mediterranean dictator called Emilio Zafra) and Woodville guesting, Austin as stunt arranger and Brian Clemens as script editor, while yet another episode of The Saint, "The Damsel in Distress" (ATV/ITC, 1964), directed by Peter Yates, had Whitsun-Jones and John Bluthal as members of a slightly dodgy Italian family, with Woodville and Austin also in the cast, again. Miss Adventure, "Journey to Copenhagen" (ABC, 1964) was, as the title suggests, a light comedy thriller which starred, of all people, Hattie Jacques (Eric Sykes' sister on TV, and a Carry On-er in films), and the producer was Ernest Maxin, later noted for his work with Morecambe and Wise; Whitsun-Jones guested here as a Russian, along with Eric Flynn, who died recently and was in "Murdersville."
Whitsun-Jones occasionally turned up on the successful P.G . Wodehouse adaptation The World of Wooster (1965) (BBC), as the fearsome Sir Roderick Glossop, father of the drippy Honoria, and generally causing complications for Ian Carmichael as Bertie, to be sorted out by Dennis Price as Jeeves. Going back to children's programmes, he was in Doctor Who, "The Smugglers" (BBC, 1966), a Tale of Old Dartmoor with Whitsun-Jones as a local squire, later revealed to be in league with the nominal ruffians. It was the penultimate story of the visibly ailing (and frankly, having trouble with his lines) William Hartnell; later, in "The Mutants" (1972) with Jon Pertwee, Whitsun-Jones' character of the Marshal, treating the inhabitants of an Earth colony shabbily, was intended by writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin as a critique of British imperialism, although this rather got lost in the usual juvenile runaround. Returning to successful stage musicals, he was in the West End production of Fiddler On The Roof, in 1967, with Topol (and later, Alfie Bass) taking centre stage as Tevye; Whitsun-Jones would, again, miss out on the later film version. On TV, Mr. Rose, "The Jolly Swagman" (Granada, 1967), a spin-off from the aforementioned The Odd Man, starred bald-domed comedy actor William Mervyn as the retired Scotland Yard man of the title, here taking a cruise on which Whitsun-Jones, John LeMesurier, and Derek Farr (seen in "Man-Eater of Surrey Green" and "The Eagle's Nest") were also present.
The first week of 1969 saw Whitsun-Jones as a regular in Wild, Wild Women (1968) (BBC), a vehicle for Barbara Windsor in between Carry Ons; it was written by Ronnie Wolfe and Ronald Chesney, who had earlier created The Rag Trade, and similarly this was set in a clothing factory with a truculent female workforce, the difference being it was set in 1902. Despite Windsor's (continuing) popularity, it only ran for one season; Whitsun-Jones played her pompous and somewhat lascivious employer, while his gormless assistant was forgotten stand-up Ken Platt, whose allegedly hilarious catchphrase was "I won't take me coat off, I'm not stopping". The pilot in 1968, unsurprisingly an episode of Comedy Playhouse, had Derek Francis (later in "House of Cards") in Whitsun-Jones' eventual role, similarly Penelope Keith (a very different type of comic actress from Windsor!) had been in this, but not the series. Then, two episodes, as different characters, of Department S; "A Cellar Full of Silence" (ATV/ITC, 1969), directed by former Hammer man John Gilling, with Peter Wyngarde and chums delving into the case of four corpses in fancy dress turning up in a cellar, and the later "Death on Reflection", involving killings somehow connected to a much sought-after mirror. The latter featured 40s leading man Guy Rolfe (who'd actually been in Dennis Spooner's mind when he created Jason King) as chief villain, and Whitsun-Jones, just as "Fog" did at around the same time. In a busy year, The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm (1969) (Thames) was another children's series, from a series of books, published for over half a century, by one-time magician Norman Hunter. Jack Woolgar, seen in "The Living Dead" and a specialist in old codgers, played the other-worldly, multiple-spectacle-wearing professor, with Whitsun-Jones in what seems like a perfect bit of casting as his militaristic chum Colonel Dedshott.
Next, he was in the then hugely popular, now deeply rickety Up Pompeii!, "Exodus" (BBC, 1970), with Frankie Howerd as slave Lurcio here put up for auction, and Whitsun-Jones and Gainsborough film star Jean Kent among the bidders; this was actually the last episode in the series, although Frankie carried on Up in three films and two belated TV specials (decades apart and for different networks, but both called Further Up Pompeii). Staying in comedy, Whitsun-Jones was in an early episode of another success of the 70s that many feel has not aged well, The Goodies, "Give Police A Chance" (BBC, 1970); its defenders point out it had some anti-Establishment elements, notably portraying the police as thuggish and corrupt, and certainly Whitsun-Jones, in an unrestrained performance as Commissioner Butcher, did much yelling and threatening towards the trio (especially Tim Brooke-Taylor), after being unamused by their attempts to give the force a "nice" image. He was then one of a team of regular performers, including the much-mourned young comedy actor Richard Beckinsale, in Elephant's Eggs In A Rhubarb Tree (Thames, 1971), yet another children's series and the kind of charmingly old-fashioned amalgam of poetry, prose and songs that sadly just isn't done any more.
On the big screen, Simon Simon (1970) was a short oddity directed by character actor Graham Stark in which various names, including Michael Caine, Peter Sellers and David Hemmings, put in unbilled cameos for free, as favours to Stark (in Sellers' case, shot during his lunch break); Whitsun-Jones, along with John Junkin, was among the credited (and presumably paid) cast members. One review, in the Monthly Film Bulletin, commented that the next time Stark tried to make a film, he must realise it involves more than just sticking a load of well-known people in front of the camera; however, he clearly hadn't learned this by the time of the sketch-film The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971), with Whitsun-Jones in the segment on Avarice. He was a police sergeant in the intriguing but rather disappointing Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971), written by Brian Clemens and produced by him and Albert Fennell for Hammer. Then he had the colossal misfortune of being in the very smutty Keep It Up, Jack (1974), described by Verina Glaessner in Time Out as "defining a whole new low in British comedy", and with detachable naughty bits filmed for the continental version, without the knowledge of some of the cast; Whitsun-Jones and Frank Thornton (who deserved better than this, or Are You Being Served) played lawyers.
His last film was Assassin (1973), a routine spy effort benefiting from Ian Hendry in the title role, plus various familiar faces including Frank Windsor; it was written by Michael Sloan, whose later revivals of old shows on American TV usually found space for Patrick Macnee, i.e. The Return Of The Man From Uncle (1983). Returning to TV episodes, Whitsun-Jones was a French police inspector in The Persuaders!, "Powerswitch" (ATV/ITC, 1971), yet again with Roger Moore, plus Annette Andre as a showgirl in trouble and, unbelievably, a cameo from deeply camp dancer and professional celebrity Lionel Blair; this episode was later stuck together with another, "The Gold Napoleon" and released in cinemas (and later on video) in some countries as Mission: Monte Carlo. And Whitsun-Jones' role was virtually identical in Jason King, "Chapter One: The Company I Keep" (ATV/ITC, 1972), his investigator was Italian this time but in a similar scenario, seen quizzing Ronald Radd in another teaming, with Stephanie Beacham as, yes, a showgirl in trouble. He was an innkeeper in The Adventures Of Don Quixote (BBC/Universal, 1972), filmed in Spain and shown in the prestige Play Of The Month strand, with a very rare TV role for Rex Harrison as Quixote, accompanied by Frank Finlay as Sancho Panza; Alexander Walker's biography of Harrison (Fatal Charm) claims this is one of the best things the star ever did, in which he really did act rather than just play himself (or Professor Higgins), and regrets how it remains virtually unseen since its premiere.
One of the last sightings of Whitsun-Jones was in Bowler, "Members Only" (LWT, 1973), a forgotten sitcom about a would-be refined Cockney gangster, played by the normally serious and upright George Baker. Whitsun-Jones died, shamefully young, very early in 1974, a small obituary of him appearing in The Times on the 18th January of that year. - Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Marina Diamandis is a Welsh singer-songwriter was born on October 10, 1985, in Brynmawr, Monmouthshire, Wales, known by her stage name 'Marina and the Diamonds', in which, 'Diamonds' refers to her fans, as she clarified. An "indie artist with pop goals", she is often compared to Kate Bush, even though she was not influenced by her during her early years. Rather, she grew up listening to albums by Dolly Parton, Enya and George Michael from her mother's collection. Interestingly, her father was more of a conservative who despised the pop culture and listened to Greek classical songs and to Haris Alexiou. Revealing that Madonna inspired her to be a pop star, she also admitted that she admires pop icons such as Spice Girls, Britney Spears and S Club 7. A 'pop enigma' as she 'never felt like she belonged to the masses', she has still managed to gain a massive cult following among her fans. She is also recognized for her unconventional retro fashion sense, and turned a few heads for subverting "the norm" in her 'How to be a Heartbreaker' music video by wearing more clothes than male models.
While attending Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls, she often skipped singing in the choir, but her music teacher convinced her that she had musical talent. She moved to Greece at the age of 16 to complete her final two years of schooling, and earned an International Baccalaureate from St. Catherine's British Embassy School in Athens two years later. Since she was 9 years old, she wanted to be a performer, and after completing school, she moved to Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, with her mother because it offered the best paid jobs. She worked at a petrol station for two months, taking as many shifts as she could, and moved to London with her saved money to pursue a singing career. In London, she attended a dance school for two months, took a one-year singing course at Tech Music Schools in 2005, and studied music and culture at the University of East London. She then transferred to Middlesex University, where she started taking a musical composition course, but left after three months as she wanted to learn everything first hand.
Marina Diamandis started writing songs at the age 18, even though she was terrified to sing in public. She later started applying for auditions listed in 'The Stage' newspaper, which had a hand in forming the Spice Girls, but stopped auditioning eventually to compose her own music, following the example of Daniel Johnston. In 2007, she independently released her first EP, 'Mermaid vs. Sailor', which she herself produced and composed with the help of GarageBand software. The following year, she was spotted by Derek Davies from Neon Gold Records, which booked her to open for the Australian singer Gotye. She signed a recording deal with 679 Recordings, a subdivision of Warner Music Group, in October 2008. However, her debut single, 'Obsessions', was released from Neon Gold Records on February 14, 2009, followed by her debut EP 'The Crown Jewels', which released on June 1st. Her popularity in the UK skyrocketed after she ranked second on the BBC 'Sound of 2010' poll and was nominated for the 'BRIT Awards' that year, even though both honors went to singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding. She released her next single, 'Mowgli's Road', on November 13, 2009, and in February next year released the track 'Hollywood', which peaked at No.12 on the 'UK Singles Chart'. On February 15, 2010, she released her debut studio album, 'The Family Jewels', which charted at No.5 in the UK. The success of the album helped her sign a deal with Chop Shop Records which released her third EP, 'The American Jewels', in the US on March 23. She release three more singles, 'I Am Not a Robot', 'Oh No!' and 'Shampain', for her debut album in the next few months. To support the album, she toured Europe, North America and Australia during 2010-11, but failed to attract the American audience. In 2011, she opened for American pop icon Katy Perry during her 'California Dreams Tour', along with Swedish artist Robyn. For her next studio album, 'Electra Heart', she depicted stereotypical female archetypes through the eponymous protagonist. The concept album, released on April 27, 2012, portrayed four distinct female personas: 'Teen Idle', 'Primadonna', 'Homewrecker', and 'Housewife'. It became her first chart-topping album in the UK, and peaked at 31 on the US 'Billboard 200' chart. "Froot", the lead single from her eponymous third studio album, released on October 10, 2014. The album, which released on March 13, 2015, became her highest charting album in the US, debuting at No.8 on 'Billboard 200'. She performed the song 'Disconnect' with electronic group Clean Bandit at the 2015 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It was later revealed that the song would be included in the next studio album she is working on.- Actor
- Writer
A classically-trained actor, director and playwright, Keith Baxter (born Keith Stanley Baxter-Wright) was a commanding theatrical presence. The son of a captain in the Merchant Navy, he was schooled in his Welsh home town of Newport, Monmouthshire, became interested in theatre arts and then studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1953. Initially on stage with repertory companies in Oxford and Worthing, he made his professional acting bow three years later in a small part in Noël Coward 's play South Sea Bubble at the Lyric Theatre in London. Orson Welles then famously cast him as Hal, Prince of Wales, in his celebrated play Chimes at Midnight which opened at the Grand Opera House in Belfast to good reviews on February 13, 1960. Baxter recreated this role five years later for the filmed version opposite Welles, John Gielgud and French star Jeanne Moreau.
In 1962, Baxter won a Theatre World Award for his debut Broadway performance as King Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons. His subsequent classic roles included both Octavius and Marc Antony in different productions of Antony and Cleopatra. In 1971, he was awarded a Drama Desk Award for his tour-de-force turn as Milo Tindle in Anthony Shaffer's brilliant play Sleuth opposite Anthony Quayle as crime novelist Andrew Wyke. Off-Broadway, Baxter essayed seven different parts for the gothic thriller The Woman in Black. He also began directing for the stage by the mid-70s and was latterly associated with the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C.. His works as an author have included the 1987 play 'Barnaby and the Old Boys' and a memoir published in 1999, titled 'My Sentiments Exactly', recalling collaborations and friendships with luminaries like Coward, Gielgud, Tennessee Williams, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Baxter's screen career has been somewhat desultory, apparently subordinated to his theatrical work. His first credited appearance on the celluloid medium was as Charles Barrett in The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957) (which also starred Gielgud). He was then primarily active on television in anthology drama (ITV Play of the Week (1955)) and - infrequently -- as guest star in series ranging from The Avengers (1961) to Hawaii Five-O (1968). Baxter's final screen role was a small part as Sir Hector in the miniseries Merlin (1998) which starred Sam Neill in the title role and Gielgud as King Constant.- Ray Reardon was born on 8 October 1932 in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK.
- Born in St Brides Wentlooge (now in Gwent), Wales, UK, where he was brought up as a strict Congregationalist and a Welsh speaker. He started his working life as an apprentice draper in Newport, Wales, and was drawn to an acting career after seeing "It's Never Too Late to Mend" at the Old Victoria Hall, Newport. Started career as a stage actor in South Wales. His first engagement was at a chapel in Cardiff, giving readings from Shakespeare. In 1890 he met a touring group on a train and was persuaded to step in for a sick actor; this was his first professional engagement. He opened on 28 August 1890 in "The Grip Of Iron" at the Theatre Royal, Bristol, gaining experience in the provinces. He made his London debut at the Shakespeare Theatre Clapham on 19 July 1897. Changed his name to Lyn when working in London, as the English could not spell or pronounce his real Christian name, Llewellyn. He starred in stage, screen and radio productions, and he toured in the U.S., India, Burma, and Japan, sharing stages with John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, and Anthony Quayle. He specialised in playing villains: The sinister hypnotist Svengali, Conan Doyle's Prof. Moriarty, and Bill Sikes in "Oliver Twist" were some of his roles. His last stage appearance was as Abu Hassan in "Chu Chin Chow" in the West End in 1941 when he was 74 years old, and when he was nearly 80 he played Owain Glyndwr in Shakespeare's Henry VII for the BBC 3rd Programme. He died in 1952 after a long illness. There is a memorial to him in the Chapel House Inn (a public house) in his home town of St Brides Wentlooge (the inn was owned by his uncle), the plaque having been moved from its original place in his old school when the school closed.
- John Cording was born in 1944 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He is an actor, known for Superman (1978), Poirot (1989) and Da Vinci's Demons (2013).
- Howard Greene was born on 21 November 1923 in Bargoed, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for A Shot in the Dark (1964), Mark of the Phoenix (1958) and After the Ball (1957). He was married to Marjie Lawrence. He died on 4 March 2013 in London, England, UK.
- Janet Lees-Price was born on 19 April 1943 in Abersychan, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for Blake's 7 (1978), Poirot (1989) and By the Sword Divided (1983). She was married to Paul Darrow. She died on 22 May 2012 in Horsham, West Sussex, England, UK.
- Actor
- Producer
Don Hawkins was born in October 1943 in Caerleon, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Underworld (1985), Rawhead Rex (1986) and The Virgin Soldiers (1969).- Director
- Production Manager
- Additional Crew
Nicholas Laughland was born on 25 May 1951 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was a director and production manager, known for Wild at Heart (2006), Wire in the Blood (2002) and William and Mary (2003). He died on 1 June 2020 in Twickenham, London, England, UK.- Valerie Gearon was born on 27 September 1937 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Persuasion (1971) and Thursday Theatre (1964). She was married to Kip Gowans. She died on 9 July 2003 in Bath, Somerset, England, UK.
- Bertrand Russell was born on 18 May 1872 in Ravenscroft, Trelleck, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was a writer, known for Reductio: Adventures in Ideas (2019), Filosofix (2018) and Aman (1967). He was married to Edith Finch, Patricia Spence, Dora Russell and Alys Pearsall. He died on 2 February 1970 in Penrhyndeudraeth, Merioneth, Wales, UK.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
John Baker was born on 8 August 1917 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Uncle Silas (1989), Doctor Who (1963) and Five to One (1963). He died on 2 December 2002 in Barnet, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Leslie Thomas was born on 22 March 1931 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was a writer, known for Search for Tomorrow (1951), Loving (1983) and The Virgin Soldiers (1969). He was married to Diana Miles and Maureen Crane. He died on 6 May 2014 in Wiltshire, England, UK.- Charles Morgan was born on 21 July 1909 in Bedwellty, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Sergeant Cork (1963), Doctor Who (1963) and The Citadel (1960). He was married to Stella Guthrie. He died in May 1994 in Surrey, England, UK.
- Lynne Carol was born on 29 June 1914 in Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for Coronation Street (1960), The War of Darkie Pilbeam (1968) and Yanks (1979). She was married to Bert Palmer. She died on 30 June 1990 in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Johnny Morris was born on 20 June 1916 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Aladdin and the Forty Thieves (1984), The Secret Cave (1953) and The Full Monty (1993). He was married to Eileen Monro. He died on 6 May 1999 in Wiltshire, England, UK.- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
- Visual Effects
Chic Anstiss was born on 1 February 1931 in Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was a cinematographer, known for Krull (1983), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) and Dune (1984). He died on 30 June 2011 in Vienna, Austria.- Raymond Glendenning was born on 25 September 1907 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for This Is the BBC (1959), Asking for Trouble (1942) and Dry Rot (1956). He was married to Sheilagh Millar. He died on 23 February 1974.
- Anthony Oliver was born on 4 July 1922 in Abersychan, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Nudist Story (1960), Love and Mr Lewisham (1959) and BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950). He was married to Eve ?. He died in November 1995 in London, England, UK.
- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
BAFTA nominated series creator and writer - originating and writing a variety of shows, including BAFTA nominated Sadie J for the BBC, Edge of Heaven for ITV, So Sammy for the Disney Channel and Snow Feather for S4C. Lead writer on the live action adaptation of Julia Donaldson's Princess Mirror-Belle book series, and the BAFTA nominated children's series Waffle the Wonder Dog.
Series writer on multiple episodes of the BAFTA winning SKY One comedy drama, Stella across six series, the RTS and BAFTA winning and International EMMY nominated BBC comedy Secret Life of Boys, across four series, flagship CBBC drama The Dumping Ground and the iconic continuing BBC drama, Eastenders.- Madoline Thomas was born on 2 January 1890 in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for No Trace (1950), How Green Was My Valley (1960) and Pride and Prejudice (1958). She was married to John W. H. Thomas. She died on 30 December 1989 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, UK.
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Peter Jones was born on 6 November 1941 in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He is a producer and director, known for The Trials of Life (1990), Nova (1974) and The World About Us (1967).- Additional Crew
Richard Meade was born on 4 December 1938 in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He is known for International Velvet (1978), It's a Knockout (1966) and A Question of Sport (1970). He was married to Angela Dorothy Farquhar. He died on 8 January 2015 in West Littleton, Gloucestershire, England, UK.- Visual Effects
- Special Effects
Ray Caple was born on 5 January 1938 in Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. Ray is known for Brazil (1985), Superman (1978) and Alien (1979). Ray was married to Yvonne Boddington. Ray died in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Hamilton rose through the ranks of the British Conservative Party during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1983, he became the party's Member of Parliament for Tatton in North-West England. In 1996, Mohamed Al-Fayed, owner of the Harrod's department store in London, claimed that Hamilton had accepted bribes to ask questions in the British Parliament. Neil Hamilton strenuously denied the allegations, but this was just one of a number of damaging "sleaze" allegations facing the ruling Conservative Party in the run-up to the 1997 General Election. Former BBC news reporter Martin Bell stood against Hamilton as an independent candidate and famously defeated him in a landslide victory, ending Hamilton's political career. Neil and his wife Christine Hamilton have subsequently become celebrities thanks to several memorable confrontations between them and Bell, which were broadcast nationwide on news programmes. They appeared on the satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You (1990) shortly after their election defeat in May 1997, and have since attempted to launch a career as television presenters, with limited success. Together they sued Mohamed Al-Fayed for libel in 2000. The case was thrown out of court, and the huge legal bills forced Hamilton to file for bankruptcy. In summer 2001, events took an even more bizarre turn when the Hamiltons were accused of sexual assault by 22-year-old Nadine Milroy-Sloan who told her story to publicist Max Clifford. Although the allegations proved to be completely unfounded, they were once again surrounded by journalists and news cameras. Events were captured by BBC filmmaker Louis Theroux, who coincidentally was making a documentary about the couple when the story broke. Events in 2001 have proved that the public are still intrigued by this slightly eccentric person.
- Alexander Cross was born on 20 December 1903 in Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Blackmailer (1936), China Clipper (1936) and I Met Him in Paris (1937). He died on 17 November 1976 in East Sussex, England, UK.
- Colin Mason was born on 19 August 1943 in Bedwelty, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He has been married to Grace Tweney since 1968. They have two children.
- Additional Crew
- Sound Department
- Director
Tom Tremayne was born on 12 April 1991 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He is a director, known for When I Fall in Love (2014), DarkWood (2017) and Terror Alert (2017).- Production Designer
- Art Director
- Art Department
Hayden Pearce was born in 1943 in Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was a production designer and art director, known for Solomon & Gaenor (1999), Bloody New Year (1987) and Cwcw (2008). He died on 27 December 2009 in Frome, Somerset, England, UK.- Music Department
Brian Godding was born on 19 August 1945 in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He is known for BBC2 Playhouse (1973), Looking Into Paintings (1985) and Popdown (1969). He was married to Angie Driscoll. He died on 26 November 2023 in the UK.- Alfred Russel Wallace was born on 8 January 1823 in Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom. He died on 7 November 1913 in Broadstone, Dorset, England.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Angus McBean was born on 8 June 1904 in Newbridge, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Murder in the Cathedral (1951), Aria (1987) and David Sylvian: Red Guitar (1984). He was married to Helena Wood. He died on 9 June 1990 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, UK.- Cliff Wilson was born on 10 May 1934 in Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK.
- Charlotte Carey was born on 11 June 1996 in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for Kittens of the Desert (2012) and Commonwealth Games (1954).
- Walter Thomas was born in 1888 in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Ivanhoe (1913), Nicholas Nickleby (1912) and The Sport of the Gods (1921). He was married to Ruby Vyvyan. He died on 31 March 1933 in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK.
- Writer
- Music Department
W.H. Davies was born on 3 July 1871 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. W.H. was a writer, known for Fleetwood Mac: Dragonfly (1971) and Poetry Film: Leisure (2018). W.H. was married to Helen Matilda Payne. W.H. died on 26 September 1940 in Nailsworth, Gloucester, England, UK.- Roy Jenkins was born on 11 November 1920 in Abersychan, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for On Trial (1960), Reputations (1979) and ATV Today (1964). He was married to Jennifer Morris. He died on 5 January 2003 in East Hendred, Oxfordshire, England, UK.
- Vivienne Stenson was born in 1927 in Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for Playbill (1953).
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Clive Westlake was born on 25 December 1932 in Wattsville, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He is known for Just for Fun (1963), Impact (1963) and The Paper (1994). He died on 17 June 2000 in Pegram, Tennessee, USA.- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Writer
Howard Thomas was born on 5 March 1909 in Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was a producer and writer, known for Heights of Danger (1953), We'll Meet Again (1943) and The Door in the Wall (1956). He died on 6 November 1986 in Henley-on-Thames, England, UK.- John Dawes was born on 29 June 1940 in Abercarn, Monmouthshire, Wales, UK. He was married to Janette Morris. He died on 16 April 2021 in the UK.