1.
County Borough of Salford
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Salford was, from 1844 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England, coterminate with Salford. It was granted city status in 1926, in about 1230, the vill of Salford, Lancashire, was created a free borough by charter granted by Ranulph de Blondeville, 4th Earl of Chester. The boroughs government was in the hands of a borough-reeve and portmote court, the reeve was elected by the burgesses at large, while the head of the Molyneux family of Sefton presided over the court as hereditary steward of the Hundred of Salford. In 1791 the first modern local government was established in the area, the borough originally consisted of the township of Salford and the part of Broughton township south of the River Irwell. It was divided into four wards, with a council consisting of a mayor, eight aldermen. In 1853 the borough was extended to include the rest of Broughton and Pendleton township, the wards of the borough were redrawn and increased in number to sixteen. Salford township was divided into seven wards, Broughton into three and Pendleton into six, each ward was represented by three councillors and one alderman, and the size of the council consequently increased to forty-eight councillors and sixteen aldermen. Under the Local Government Act 1888 all municipal boroughs with a population of 50,000 or more were designated as county boroughs with the powers of both a borough and a county council. In 1889, therefore, the became the County Borough of Salford. Although independent of Lancashire County Council, Salford remained part of the county for purposes such as lieutenancy, shrievalty, custos rotulorum. The size of the council did not change, although the wards were reorganised in 1921. This was in spite of the opposition of civil servants in the Home Office who dismissed the borough as merely a collection of 240,000 people cut off from Manchester by the river. The corporation progressively accumulated increased powers and responsibilities through government legislation, elections to the borough council were held annually, with one third of councillors being elected each year. Aldermen had a term of office, with one half of their number being elected by the council every three years. As was common in borough elections throughout England, early elections were often uncontested, as late as 1883 only two wards were contested. Although party labels were not used, there were in two groupings on the council, aligned to the parliamentary Conservative and Liberal parties. Conservatives were in a majority until 1892 when the two groups reached parity, with an independent councillor holding the balance of power. The Conservatives regained power in 1893, and by 1894 the Liberal grouping had divided into Gladstonians and Radicals, Conservatives and other Unionist members maintained a large majority until 1919
2.
Lancashire
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Lancashire is a non-metropolitan ceremonial county in north west England. The county town is Lancaster although the administrative centre is Preston. The county has a population of 1,449,300, people from Lancashire are known as Lancastrians. The history of Lancashire begins with its founding in the 12th century, in the Domesday Book of 1086, some of its lands were treated as part of Yorkshire. The land that lay between the Ribble and Mersey, Inter Ripam et Mersam, was included in the returns for Cheshire, when its boundaries were established, it bordered Cumberland, Westmorland, Yorkshire, and Cheshire. Lancashire emerged as a commercial and industrial region during the Industrial Revolution. Liverpool and Manchester grew into its largest cities, dominating global trade, the county contained several mill towns and the collieries of the Lancashire Coalfield. By the 1830s, approximately 85% of all cotton manufactured worldwide was processed in Lancashire, Accrington, Blackburn, Bolton, Burnley, Bury, Chorley, Colne, Darwen, Manchester, Nelson, Oldham, Preston, Rochdale and Wigan were major cotton mill towns during this time. Blackpool was a centre for tourism for the inhabitants of Lancashires mill towns, the detached northern part of Lancashire in the Lake District, including the Furness Peninsula and Cartmel, was merged with Cumberland and Westmorland to form Cumbria. Lancashire lost 709 square miles of land to other counties, about two fifths of its area, although it did gain some land from the West Riding of Yorkshire. Today the county borders Cumbria to the north, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south and North and West Yorkshire to the east, with a coastline on the Irish Sea to the west. The county palatine boundaries remain the same with the Duke of Lancaster exercising sovereignty rights, including the appointment of lords lieutenant in Greater Manchester, the county was established in 1182, later than many other counties. During Roman times the area was part of the Brigantes tribal area in the zone of Roman Britain. The towns of Manchester, Lancaster, Ribchester, Burrow, Elslack, in the centuries after the Roman withdrawal in 410AD the northern parts of the county probably formed part of the Brythonic kingdom of Rheged, a successor entity to the Brigantes tribe. During the mid-8th century, the area was incorporated into the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria, in the Domesday Book, land between the Ribble and Mersey were known as Inter Ripam et Mersam and included in the returns for Cheshire. Although some historians consider this to mean south Lancashire was then part of Cheshire and it is also claimed that the territory to the north formed part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It bordered on Cumberland, Westmorland, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, the county was divided into hundreds, Amounderness, Blackburn, Leyland, Lonsdale, Salford and West Derby. Lonsdale was further partitioned into Lonsdale North, the part north of the sands of Morecambe Bay including Furness and Cartmel
3.
Stand-up comedy
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Stand-up comedy is a comic style in which a comedian performs in front of a live audience, usually speaking directly to them. The performer is known as a comic, stand-up comic, stand-up comedian. In stand-up comedy, the comedian usually recites a grouping of humorous stories, jokes and one-liners typically called a monologue, routine, some stand-up comedians use props, music, or magic tricks to enhance their acts. Stand-up comedy is often performed in clubs, bars and pubs, nightclubs. Outside of live performance, stand-up is often distributed commercially via television, DVD, CD, in stand-up comedy, the feedback of the audience is instant and crucial for the comedians act. Audiences expect a stand-up comic to provide a stream of laughs. Will Ferrell has called stand-up comedy hard, lonely and vicious, a stand-up comedy show may involve only one comedian, or feature a headline or a showcase format. This is followed by one or two middle or featured acts, who perform 15- to 20-minute sets, followed by a headliner who performs for longer, a showcase format may still feature an MC. Bringer shows are another opportunity for amateur performers, the performer must bring a specified number of paying guests in order to get stage time. The guests usually have to pay a charge and there is often a minimum number of drinks that must be ordered. These shows usually have a showcase format and this type of show gives comedians better exposure than open mics because there is usually better audience turnout and industry professionals sometimes go to watch. Different comedy clubs have different requirements for their bringer shows, gotham Comedy Club in New York City, for example, usually has ten-person bringers, while Broadway Comedy Club in New York City usually has six-person bringers. As the name implies, stand-up comedians usually perform their material while standing, stand-up comedy has its origin in classic Parrhesia in 400 BC used for cynics and epicureans in order to tell the reality without censorship. Stand-up comedy in the United Kingdom began in the halls of the 18th and 19th centuries. The heavy censorship regime of the Lord Chamberlains Office required all comedians to submit their acts for censorship, the act would be returned with unacceptable sections underlined in blue pencil. The comedian was then obliged not to deviate from the act in its edited form, the rise of the post-war comedians coincided with the rise of television and radio, and the traditional music hall circuit suffered greatly as a result. By the 1970s, music hall entertainment was virtually dead, alternative circuits had evolved, such as working mens clubs. The alternative comedy scene began to evolve
4.
Television
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Television or TV is a telecommunication medium used for transmitting moving images in monochrome, or in color, and in two or three dimensions and sound. The term can refer to a set, a television program. Television is a medium for entertainment, education, news, politics, gossip. Television became available in experimental forms in the late 1920s. After World War II, a form of black-and-white TV broadcasting became popular in the United States and Britain, and television sets became commonplace in homes, businesses. During the 1950s, television was the medium for influencing public opinion. In the mid-1960s, color broadcasting was introduced in the US, for many reasons, the storage of television and video programming now occurs on the cloud. At the end of the first decade of the 2000s, digital television transmissions greatly increased in popularity, another development was the move from standard-definition television to high-definition television, which provides a resolution that is substantially higher. HDTV may be transmitted in various formats, 1080p, 1080i, in 2013, 79% of the worlds households owned a television set. Most TV sets sold in the 2000s were flat-panel, mainly LEDs, major manufacturers announced the discontinuation of CRT, DLP, plasma, and even fluorescent-backlit LCDs by the mid-2010s. In the near future, LEDs are gradually expected to be replaced by OLEDs, also, major manufacturers have announced that they will increasingly produce smart TVs in the mid-2010s. Smart TVs with integrated Internet and Web 2.0 functions became the dominant form of television by the late 2010s, Television signals were initially distributed only as terrestrial television using high-powered radio-frequency transmitters to broadcast the signal to individual television receivers. Alternatively television signals are distributed by cable or optical fiber, satellite systems and. Until the early 2000s, these were transmitted as analog signals, a standard television set is composed of multiple internal electronic circuits, including a tuner for receiving and decoding broadcast signals. A visual display device which lacks a tuner is correctly called a video monitor rather than a television, the word television comes from Ancient Greek τῆλε, meaning far, and Latin visio, meaning sight. The Anglicised version of the term is first attested in 1907 and it was. formed in English or borrowed from French télévision. In the 19th century and early 20th century, other. proposals for the name of a technology for sending pictures over distance were telephote. The abbreviation TV is from 1948, the use of the term to mean a television set dates from 1941
5.
Improvisational theatre
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Improvisational theatre exists in performance as a range of styles of improvisational comedy as well as some non-comedic theatrical performances. It is sometimes used in film and television, both to develop characters and scripts and occasionally as part of the final product. Improvisational techniques are used extensively in drama programs to train actors for stage, film. However, the skills and processes of improvisation are used outside of the context of performing arts. It is sometimes used in psychotherapy as a tool to gain insight into a persons thoughts, feelings, the earliest well documented use of improvisational theatre in Eastern history is found in the Atellan Farce of Africa 391 BC. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, commedia dellarte performers improvised based on an outline in the streets of Italy. Some people credit American Dudley Riggs as the first vaudevillian to use audience suggestions to create improvised sketches on stage, Spolin influenced the first generation of modern American improvisers at The Compass Players in Chicago, which led to The Second City. Her son, Paul Sills, along with David Shepherd, started The Compass Players, following the demise of the Compass Players, Paul Sills began The Second City. They were the first organized troupes in Chicago, and the modern Chicago improvisational comedy movement grew from their success. Many of the current rules of comedic improv were first formalized in Chicago in the late 1950s and early 1960s, initially among The Compass Players troupe, which was directed by Paul Sills. From most accounts, David Shepherd provided the vision of the Compass Players. Mike Nichols, Ted Flicker, and Del Close were her most frequent collaborators in this regard, during this time, Forsberg trained many of the performers who went on to star on The Second City stage. Simultaneously, Keith Johnstones group The Theatre Machine, which originated in London, was touring Europe and this work gave birth to Theatresports, at first secretly in Johnstones workshops, and eventually in public when he moved to Canada. Toronto has been home to a rich improv tradition, in 1984, Dick Chudnow founded ComedySportz in Milwaukee, WI. Expansion began with the addition of ComedySportz-Madison, in 1985, the first Comedy League of America National Tournament was held in 1988, with 10 teams participating. The league is now known as World Comedy League and boasts a roster of 24 international cities, in San Francisco, The Committee theater was active in North Beach during the 1960s. It was founded by alumni of Chicagos Second City, Alan Myerson, when The Committee disbanded in 1972, three major companies were formed, The Pitchell Players, The Wing, and Improvisation Inc. The only company that continued to perform Closes Harold was the latter one and its two former members, Michael Bossier and John Elk, formed Spaghetti Jam in San Franciscos Old Spaghetti Factory in 1976, where shortform improv and Harolds were performed through 1983
6.
Comedian
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A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, a comedian who addresses an audience directly is called a stand-up comic. Since the 1980s, a new wave of comedy, called alternative comedy, has grown in popularity with its more offbeat and this normally involves more experiential, or observational reporting, e. g. Alexei Sayle, Daniel Tosh, Louis C. K. and Malcolm Hardee. Many comics achieve a cult following while touring famous comedy hubs such as the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, the Edinburgh Fringe, often a comics career advances significantly when they win a notable comedy award, such as the Edinburgh Comedy Award. Comics sometimes foray into other areas of entertainment, such as film and television, however, a comics stand-up success does not guarantee a films critical or box office success. Comedians can be dated back to 425 BC, when Aristophanes and he wrote 40 comedies,11 of which survive and are still being performed. Aristophanes comedy style took the form of satyr plays, the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare wrote many comedies. A Shakespearean comedy is one that has an ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeares other plays. Charles Chaplin was the most popular comedian of the first half of the 20th century. He wrote comedic silent films such as Modern Times and The Kid and his films still have a major impact on comedy in films today. One of the most popular forms of comedy is stand-up comedy. Stand-up comedy is a monologue performed by one or more people standing on a stage. Bob Hope was the most popular comedian of the 20th century. Other noted stand-up comedians include George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Louis CK, another popular form of modern-day comedy is talk shows where comedians make fun of current news or popular topics. Such comedians include Jay Leno, Conan OBrien, Daniel Tosh, Chris Hardwick, Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, a third form of modern-day comedy is television programs in which many comedians band together to make skits, such as Saturday Night Live. These shows often receive high ratings, likely because many comedians band together to create jokes, one of the most successful comedians is Ellen Degeneres, who has parlayed her comic career into film, television shows, and hosting major media events. In 1986, Ellen DeGeneres appeared for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson since she began gaining popularity as a comic in the 1980s. Johnny Carson, who launched many contemporary comics careers, would invite them to join him on the couch for one-on-one conversation after their set
7.
The Fast Show
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The Fast Show, known as Brilliant in the US, is a BBC comedy sketch show programme that ran from 1994 to 1997, with specials in 2000 and 2014. It was one of the most popular shows of the 1990s in the UK. The shows central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir, other significant cast members included Paul Shearer, Rhys Thomas, Jeff Harding, Maria McErlane, Eryl Maynard, Colin McFarlane and Donna Ewin. It was loosely structured and relied on character sketches, recurring running gags and its innovative style and presentation influenced many later series such as Little Britain and The Catherine Tate Show. The show was released on VHS, DVD and audio CD, some of its characters, Ron Manager, Ted and Ralph, Swiss Toni and Billy Bleach have had their own spin-off programmes. It also produced two national tours, the first in 1998, with the cast of the BBC surrealist comedy quiz show Shooting Stars, Charlie Higson announced on 5 September 2011 that The Fast Show would return for a new online only series starting 14 November. The premiere date was changed later to 10 November, the Fast Show was the brainchild of Paul Whitehouse and friend and writing partner, Charlie Higson, Higson had previously enjoyed some success in the UK as a musician in the band The Higsons. After meeting through a friend, comedian Harry Enfield invited Whitehouse to write for him. Whitehouse in turn asked Higson to help him out and these series also featured numerous appearances by future Fast Show cast members Caroline Aherne, Simon Day, Mark Williams and Rhys Thomas. The Fast Show was a working title disliked by both Whitehouse and Higson but it went unchanged through production and eventually remained as the final title, many characters were never given any official name, with their sketches being written to give their catchphrase as the punchline of each sketch. Examples include Anyone fancy a pint, a sarcastic elderly woman played by Weir. and has since become a reality thanks to UK TV chef Jamie Oliver. However, the intent of this character is broader, and portrays how often football pundits have little to say of any real substance. Paul Whitehouse said that Ron Manager was based on ex-Luton Town, Arthur Atkinson is a composite of Arthur Askey and Max Miller. The theme tune was Release Me, a song which had been a hit for pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck, in the first series it was performed over the opening credits by Whitehouse in the guise of abnormally transfiguring singer Kenny Valentine. In subsequent series, the tune appeared in the closing credits. The show featured characters and sketches. Some of the prominent recurring characters/sketches are, Unlucky Alf. He often predicts an unfortunate, but obvious, event, only to encounter an event as he tries to avoid the first problem
8.
Men Behaving Badly
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Men Behaving Badly is a British sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang and his flatmates Dermot Povey and it was first broadcast on ITV in 1992. A total of six series were made, along with a Christmas special, in the last ever episode, Dorothy is pregnant with Garys baby and gives birth in their flat. The series was filmed in and around Ealing in west London, the setting, however, is implied to be south London and many references are made to Surrey. It was produced by Hartswood Films, and Thames Television co-produced the first two series for ITV. They also assisted with production of the series onwards that aired on the BBC. Men Behaving Badly became highly successful after being moved to a slot on BBC1. It has won the Comedy Awards best ITV comedy, and the first National Television Award for Situation Comedy, a BBC article suggests that Gary and Tony were a reaction against the onset of the caring, sharing new man. It appeared to revel in a politically incorrect world of booze, burps, critics Jon Lewis and Penny Stempel have stated that the show allowed male viewers to indulge in vicarious laddism, whilst allowing female viewers to ridicule the bad but lovable Tony and Gary. They further commented that it was also a genuine sitcom in that the humour came from the characters, Simon Nye remarked, I dont do mad, plot-driven farragoes. You have to allow your characters time to talk, the show has been repeated on BBC One, Dave, and Gold, and all six series are available on DVD. Gary manages an office selling burglar alarms for a dead-end company and his staff of aging employees are the meek George and lifelong spinster Anthea, who regularly drive him to frustration with their old-fashioned views. Tony stumbles through a range of jobs including modelling, bar work, Dorothy is an intelligent and mature nurse. She and Gary frequently split up and are occasionally unfaithful, Tony has many girlfriends but his true feelings are for Deborah, whom he initially just wants to have sex with, but quickly falls in love with. Deborah is often disappointed by Tonys juvenile behaviour, but can see his good side. The two finally end up in a relationship in series 6, Gary Strang – Gary is an unconventional hero who operates a security sales office with two old-fashioned middle-aged subordinates. He also owns the flat that he shares with Dermot, Gary is a man in his thirties, and enjoys talk of girls and indulges in lager and a perpetual childhood with best friend Tony. Gary frequently makes a fool of himself, foolishness that is exploited by his girlfriend Dorothy
9.
Didsbury
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Didsbury /ˈdɪdzbəri/ is a suburban area of Manchester, England. It lies on the bank of the River Mersey,4.5 miles south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 26,788, historically a part of Lancashire, there are records of Didsbury existing as a small hamlet as early as the 13th century. Its early history was dominated by being part of the Manor of Withington, Didsbury was described during the 18th century as a township separate from outside influence. In 1745 Charles Edward Stuart crossed the Mersey at Didsbury in the Jacobite march south from Manchester to Derby, Didsbury was largely rural until the mid-19th century, when it underwent development and urbanisation during the Industrial Revolution. It became part of Manchester in 1904, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was formed in Didsbury in 1889. In the 13th century Didsbury was variously referred to as Dydesbyre, Dydesbiri, Didsbury, the church was named St James Church in 1855. It underwent major refurbishment in 1620 and again in the 19th century, a parsonage was built next to one of the two public houses that flanked the nearby village green, Ye Olde Cock Inn, so-called because of the cockfighting that used to take place there. The parsonage soon gained a reputation for being haunted, servants refused to sleep on the premises, Local alderman Fletcher Moss bought the house in 1865, and lived in it for more than 40 years. In 1902, he installed wrought iron gates at the entrance to the parsonages garden, the parsonage became a museum, now closed, but the gardens are still open to the public. The area around St James Church has the highest concentration of listed buildings in Manchester, the Royalist commander, Prince Rupert, stationed himself at Didsbury Ees, to the south of Barlow Moor. It is also likely that Bonnie Prince Charlie crossed the Mersey at Didsbury in 1745, in the Jacobite march south from Manchester to Derby, Jewish immigrants started to arrive in Manchester from the late 18th century, initially settling mainly in the suburbs to the north of the city. From the 1890s onwards, many of them moved to what were seen as the more sophisticated suburbs in the south, such as Withington, the influx of Jewish immigrants led to West Didsbury being nicknamed Yidsbury and Palatine Road, a main road through West Didsbury, Palestine Road. The line closed in 1967, although Didsbury station building remained standing until its demolition in the 1980s, the station clock and water fountain have survived, dedicated to local doctor and campaigner for the poor, Dr. J. Milson Rhodes. Arriving at 5,30 am, Paulhan beat the British contender, Claude Grahame-White and this was the first powered flight into Manchester from any point outside the city. Two special trains were chartered to the built but unopened Burnage Station to take spectators to the landing. Paulhans progress was followed throughout by a train carrying his wife, Henri Farman. Afterwards his train took the party to a reception given by the Lord Mayor of Manchester in the Town Hall
10.
Preston, Lancashire
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Preston /ˈprɛstən/ is a city and the administrative centre of Lancashire, England. The district obtained city status in 2002, becoming Englands 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth IIs reign, Preston has a population of 114,300, the City of Preston district 132,000 and the Preston Built-up Area 313,322. The Preston Travel To Work Area, in 2011, had a population of 420,661 compared to 354,000 in the previous census. Preston and its area have provided evidence of ancient Roman activity. The Angles established Preston, its name is derived from the Old English meaning priests settlement, in the Middle Ages, Preston was a parish and township in the hundred of Amounderness and was granted a Guild Merchant charter in 1179, giving it the status of a market town. Textiles have been produced since the century when locally produced wool was woven in peoples houses. Flemish weavers who settled in the area in the 14th century helped develop the industry, in the early-18th century, Edmund Calamy described Preston as a pretty town with an abundance of gentry in it, commonly called Proud Preston. Sir Richard Arkwright, inventor of the frame, was born in the town. The most rapid period of growth and development coincided with the industrialisation and expansion of textile manufacturing, Preston was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, becoming a densely populated engineering centre, with large industrial plants. Preston is recorded in the Domesday Book as Prestune in 1086, various other spellings occur in early documents, Prestonam, Prestone, Prestona, Presteton, and Prestun. The modern spelling occurs in 1094,1176,1196,1212 and 1332, the towns name is derived from Old English Presta and Tun, the Tun of the Presta. During the Roman period, Roman roads passed close to what is now the centre of Preston. For example, the road from Luguvalium to Mamucium crossed the River Ribble at Walton-le-Dale, 3⁄4 mile southeast of the centre of Preston, at Withy Trees,1 1⁄2 miles north of Preston, the road crossed another Roman road from Bremetennacum to the coast. An explanation of the origin of the name is that the Priests Town refers to a set up by St Wilfrid near the Ribbles lowest ford. This idea is supported by the similarity of the Paschal lamb on Prestons crest with that on St Wilfrids, when first mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book, Preston was already the most important town in Amounderness. When assessed for tax purposes in 1218 –19 it was the wealthiest town in the whole county and it is the only Guild still celebrated in the UK. Before 1328 a celebration had been held on an irregular basis, after this, there were breaks in the pattern for various reasons, but an unbroken series were held from 1542 to 1922. A full 400 year sequence was frustrated by the cancellation of the 1942 Guild due to World War II, the expression every Preston Guild, meaning very infrequently, has passed into fairly common use, especially in Lancashire
11.
GCE Ordinary Level
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The O Level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced as part of British educational reform alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous A-level in England, Wales and those three jurisdictions replaced O Levels gradually with General Certificate of Secondary Education and International General Certificate of Secondary Education exams over time. The Scottish equivalent was the O-grade, both CIE and OCR have Cambridge Assessment as their parent organisation. The Cambridge O Level has already been phased out, however, in Bangladesh, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations under the board of British Council. In Brunei, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations, additionally, the Mathematics subject previously offered an exam paper and a syllabus unique to Brunei, but this has since been retired and the regular syllabus used worldwide is offered. This is equivalent to secondary education now, in India, Cambridge International Examinations GCE Ordinary Level qualifications are offered at private and international schools as an alternative to the conventional Indian School Certificate. In Malaysia, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations, in Mauritius, the O Level qualification is awarded as part of the School Certificate, which is awarded upon successful completion of Form V in secondary school. The O Level examinations are conducted by the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate. A number of subjects, including English Language, English Language, History, Mathematics, Mathematics, offer exam papers, additionally, the subject of Art and Design, the offering of which is restricted to a limited geographic region, is available in Mauritius. The GCE O Level qualification is offered in Pakistan by the CIE, O Level qualification has become a replacement for the matriculation qualification offered by the Government boards of education. Due to the costs associated with O Level qualifications, their reach is limited to middle to elite class families. It is common knowledge that the CIE qualification are more rigorous than their alternatives that exist in the country, in 2011, Zohaib Asad achieved grade A in a record 28 O-level examinations when a student of the Beaconhouse School System. In Seychelles, the O Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Examinations, some subjects are unique to Seychelles or have a format, curriculum, or syllabus that is unique to Seychelles. In Singapore, the O Level qualification is offered jointly by Cambridge International Examinations, a number of subjects previously offered exam papers and syllabuses unique to Singapore, but these have since been retired or planned to be phased out. After taking O-levels, some Singapore students go on to GCE Advanced Level exams, the GCE Ordinary Level qualification is offered by the British council of Sri Lanka School. Before, this qualification was offered by Cambridge International Examinations. The GCE Ordinary Level qualification is offered by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council, before, this qualification was jointly offered by Cambridge International Examinations and the Ministry of Education in Zimbabwe. The O Level qualification was previously awarded in the Caribbean, the O Level qualification was previously awarded in Hong Kong, along with the Hong Kong version of the A Level qualification
12.
Manchester Metropolitan University
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Manchester Metropolitan University is a public university located in Manchester, England. It was established in 1970 as Manchester Polytechnic and gained university status in 1992 and its headquarters and central campus are in the city of Manchester, and there are additional facilities in Cheshire. The university has its roots in the Manchester Mechanics Institution and the Manchester School of Design, Manchester Metropolitan University receives approximately 52,000 applications every year, making it the second most applied-to university in the UK after the University of Manchester. It is the fifth largest university in the UK in terms of student numbers, the university is home to the Manchester School of Art and the Manchester School of Theatre. The university developed from mergers of various colleges with various specialisms, including Technology, Art and Design, i. e. Manchester Mechanics Institution and Manchester School of Design. Later, Schools of Commerce, Education and Domestic Science were added along with colleges at Didsbury, Crewe, Alsager and the former Domestic and Trades College, latterly Hollings College. The painter L. S. Lowry attended Manchester School of Art in the years after the First World War where he was taught by the noted impressionist Adolphe Valette and it became Manchester Polytechnic in 1970. On 1 January 1977, the merged with the Didsbury College of Education and Hollings College. In 1987 the institution became a member of the Northern Consortium. Having previously been a local authority institution, the became a corporate body on 1 April 1989. It was granted university status as Manchester Metropolitan University by the Privy Council on 15 September 1992 under the provisions of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, the university absorbed Crewe and Alsager College of Higher Education on 1 October 1992 and the Manchester School of Physiotherapy in 2004. Manchester School of Physiotherapy, The Manchester School of Physiotherapy was an education institution based in Manchester. It provided undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes within Physiotherapy and additionally offered NVQ level qualifications for unqualified Physiotherapy Support Workers, the School of Physiotherapy was affiliated to the Victoria University of Manchester and all degree level courses were validated and conferred by this institution. The School was officially formed in 1991, through the amalgamation of the Manchester Royal Infirmary, from these two institutions it can date its history back to 1911 and during the 1980s via its M. R. I. Routes, became the first NHS School of Physiotherapy to offer an undergraduate honours degree programme. The academic building consisted of two large raked lecture theatres, a number of rooms, a gymnasium, seminar rooms, a library, office facilities. In 2004 the Manchester School of Physiotherapy officially joined the Manchester Metropolitan University and it was at this point the last NHS School of Physiotherapy to join a UK higher education institution. It subsequently became the Department of Health Professions and is based at the Birley Fields Campus of MMU in Hulme
13.
Steve Coogan
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Stephen John Coogan is an English actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, screenwriter, and producer. He began his career in the 1980s, working as a voice artist on the puppet show Spitting Image. In the early 1990s, he began creating comic characters. In 1999, he co-founded the production company Baby Cow Productions and he featured in several television series, which earned him three BAFTA nominations and two wins for Best Comedy Performance. A feature-length film, Alan Partridge, Alpha Papa, was released in 2013, Coogan grew in prominence within the film industry in 2002, after starring in The Parole Officer and 24 Hour Party People. He was also an actor in the animated comedy films Despicable Me 2 and its prequel Minions. Coogan has also branched out into dramatic roles, with What Maisie Knew. He co-wrote, produced, and starred in the film adaptation Philomena, which earned him a Golden Globe and BAFTA nomination and he has been cast in the lead role for the ABC television pilot Doubt and the Showtime drama Happyish. On 22 November 2011, Coogan, along with Hugh Grant, Coogan was born in Middleton, Lancashire in 1965. He is the fourth of seven born to Kathleen, a housewife, and Anthony Coogan. He was raised Roman Catholic, in a working class family and his mother is Irish-born, from Mayo, and his father is of Irish descent. He attended Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School and he has stated that he had a happy childhood, and in addition to having four brothers and two sisters, his parents fostered children on a short-term basis. Coogan had a talent for impersonation, and wanted to go to drama school, Coogan began his career as a comic and impressionist, performing regularly in Ipswich, before working as a voice artist for television advertisements and the satirical puppet show Spitting Image. His most prominent characters developed at this time were Paul Calf, a working class Mancunian. He appeared as a presenter on the television comedy The Day Today, before hosting his own chat show. In 1997, Partridge returned in the sitcom Im Alan Partridge, which was followed by a series in 2002. Partridge featured in Coogans 2008 stand-up tour, a feature-length film, Alan Partridge, Alpha Papa, was released in 2013. Paul Calf first began as a character named Duncan Disorderly in Coogans early stand-up routines, Calf first came to wider public notice in 1993, with several appearances on Saturday Zoo, a late-night variety show presented by Jonathan Ross on Channel 4
14.
Spitting Image
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Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. The series was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Independent Television over 18 series which aired on the ITV network, the series was cancelled in 1996, after viewing figures declined. ITV had plans for a new series in 2006, but these were scrapped after a dispute over Ant & Dec puppets used to host Best Ever Spitting Image, Martin Lambie-Nairn proposed a satirical television show featuring caricature puppets created by Peter Fluck and Roger Law. The idea for the series was rejected by many in the industry, who thought it would only be suitable for children, but the series was finally accepted for development and first broadcast in 1984. English comedy writer and National Lampoon editor Tony Hendra, was brought in as a writer, Fluck, Hendra brought in John Lloyd, producer of Not The Nine OClock News. They were joined by Jon Blair, a documentary producer and they then hired Muppet puppeteer Louise Gold. Development was funded by Clive Sinclair, the puppets, based on public figures, were designed by Fluck and Law, assisted by caricaturists that included David Stoten, Pablo Bach, Steve Bendelack and Tim Watts. The episodes included musical parodies by Philip Pope and later Steve Brown, the first episode of Spitting Image, in 1984, aired with a laugh track, apparently at the insistence of Central Television. This episode was shown to an audience before transmission. In the early years of the show, Spitting Image was filmed in the zone at London Docklands. Impressionist Steve Nallon recalls that they were able to get away with no health and safety, there were no extractor fans, it was quite Dickensian. In later series, Spitting Image was recorded at Centrals studios in Nottingham with last minute additions being recorded at the Limehouse Studios at Canary Wharf, London. Before the first episode was broadcast, the parodies of the Royal Family were cut, as a courtesy to the Duke of Edinburgh, the scenes were however all reinstated in later episodes. The series had been scheduled to have 13 episodes but was cut back to 12, rob Grant and Doug Naylor were then brought in as head writers to save the show. By 1986, under their supervision, Spitting Image had become popular, however, Grant and Naylor subsequently left to create Red Dwarf for BBC2. Spitting Image had a dispute with the Independent Broadcasting Authority in 1985. When Margaret Thatcher resigned in November 1990, her successor was John Major, the producers dressed Major, skin and all, in shades of grey. They invented an affair between him and Virginia Bottomley, the show added animated sketches from 1989 and again from 1994
15.
ITV Granada
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ITV Granada is the Channel 3 regional service for North West England. The licence for the region has been held by ITV Broadcasting Limited since November 2008 and it is the largest independent television-franchise producing company in the UK, accounting for 25% of the total broadcasting output of the ITV network. It had been held by Granada Television, which was founded by Sidney Bernstein and this was the only surviving company of the original four Independent Television Authority franchisees from 1954, Granada Media Group merged with Carlton Communications to form ITV plc in 2004. It covers Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, northwestern Derbyshire, part of Cumbria, on 15 July 2009, the Isle of Man was transferred to ITV Granada from ITV Border. Broadcasting by Granada Television began on 3 May 1956 under the North of England weekday franchise and it was marked by a distinctive northern identity, and used stylised letter G logo forming an arrow pointing north, often with the tagline Granada, from the north. Granada plc merged with Carlton Communications to form ITV plc in 2004 after a duopoly had developed over the previous decade, Granada Television Ltd still legally exists. Along with most other companies owned by ITV plc, it is listed on www. companieshouse. gov. uk as a Dormant company. Other companies listed are Granada Television International and Granada Television Overseas Ltd, the North West region is regarded as ITVs most successful franchise. The Financial Times and The Independent once described Granada Television, the franchise holder. Nine Granada programmes were listed in the BFI TV100 in 2000, some of its most notable programmes include Coronation Street, Seven Up. The Royle Family, The Jewel in the Crown, Brideshead Revisited, World in Action, University Challenge, notable employees have included Paul Greengrass, Michael Apted, Mike Newell, Jeremy Isaacs, Andy Harries, Russell T Davies and Leslie Woodhead. Granada Television, a subsidiary of Granada Ltd, originated in Granada Theatres Ltd and it was founded in Dover in 1930 by Sidney Bernstein and his brother Cecil. The company was incorporated as Granada Ltd in 1934 and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1935 and it is named after the Spanish city of Granada. Channel 59 from Winter Hill and started broadcasting in colour in the Autumn of 1969, the Bernsteins became involved in commercial television, a competitor to the cinema chains. Bernstein bid for the North of England franchise, which he believed would not affect the companys largely southern-based cinema chain, in 1954, the Independent Television Authority awarded Granada the North of England contract for Monday to Friday, with ABC serving the same area on weekends. The North and London were the two biggest regions, Granada preferred the North because of its tradition of home-grown culture, and because it offered a chance to start a new creative industry away from the metropolitan atmosphere of London. Compare this with London and its suburbs—full of displaced persons, and, of course, if you look at a map of the concentration of population in the North and a rainfall map, you will see that the North is an ideal place for television. Bernstein selected a base from Leeds and Manchester, Granada executive Victor Peers believed Manchester was the preferred choice even before executives toured the region to find a suitable site
16.
24 Hour Party People
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24 Hour Party People is a 2002 British comedy-drama film about Manchesters popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom, the film was entered into the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. It begins with the rock era of the late 1970s and moves through the 1980s into the Madchester scene of the late 1980s. The main character is Tony Wilson, a reporter for Granada Television. The narrative largely follows his career, while covering the major Factory artists, especially Joy Division and New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column. The film is a based on a combination of real events, rumours, urban legends. The fourth wall is broken, with Wilson frequently commenting on events directly to camera as they occur, at one point declaring that he is being postmodern. The actors are often intercut with real contemporary concert footage, including the Sex Pistols gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall, in 1976 television presenter Tony Wilson sees the Sex Pistols perform at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall for the first time. Inspired, Wilson starts a series of punk rock shows at a Manchester club. Wilson founds a record label, Factory Records, and signs Joy Division as the first band and he hires irascible producer Martin Hannett to record Joy Division, and soon the band and label have a hit record. In 1980, just before Joy Division is to tour the United States, Joy Division rename themselves New Order and record a hit single, Blue Monday. Wilson opens a nightclub, The Haçienda, business is slow at first, Wilson signs another hit band, Happy Mondays, led by Shaun Ryder, and the ecstasy-fuelled rave culture is born. Despite the apparent success, Factory Records is losing money, every copy of Blue Monday sold loses five pence, as the intricately designed packaging by Peter Saville costs more than the singles sale price. Wilson pays for New Order to record a new album in Ibiza and he pays for the Happy Mondays to record their fourth studio album in Barbados, but Ryder spends all the recording money on drugs. When Wilson finally receives the finished album, he finds that Ryder has refused to record vocals, at the Haçienda, ecstasy use is curbing alcohol sales and attracting gang violence. While smoking marijuana on the roof of Haçienda after its closing night, the film holds a Metacritic score of 85/100. Roger Ebert gave it four out of four stars, the film was nominated for the Palme dOr at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. The soundtrack to 24 Hour Party People features songs by artists associated with Factory Records who were depicted in the film
17.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the worlds largest arts festival, which in 2016, spanned 25 days and featured 50,266 performances of 3,269 shows in 294 venues. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Edinburgh, Scotlands capital and it is an open access performing arts festival, meaning there is no selection committee, and anyone may participate, with any type of performance. The Fringe has often showcased experimental, challenging or controversial works that might not be invited to a more conservative arts festival, the Fringe board of directors is drawn from members of the Festival Fringe Society, who are often Fringe participants themselves – performers or administrators. Elections are held once a year, in August, and Board members serve a term of four years, the Board appoints the Fringe Chief Executive, who is currently Shona McCarthy and assumed the role in March 2016. The Chief Executive operates under the chair, currently Professor Sir Timothy OShea, the Fringe started life when eight theatre companies turned up uninvited to the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival in 1947. With the official festival using the major venues, these companies took over smaller. Seven performed in Edinburgh, and one undertook a version of the morality play Everyman in Dunfermline Abbey, about 20 miles north. These groups aimed to take advantage of the large assembled theatre crowds to showcase their own alternative theatre, although at the time it was not recognised as such, this was the first Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This meant that two defining features of the future Fringe were established at the very beginning – the lack of invitations to perform. I am afraid some of us are not going to be at home during the evenings. The word fringe had in fact used in a review of Everyman in 1947. Late night revues, which would become a feature of Fringes, the first one was the New Drama Groups After The Show, a series of sketches taking place after Donald Pleasences Ebb Tide, in 1952. Among the talent to appear in early Fringe revues were Ned Sherrin in 1955, due to many reviewers only being able to attend Fringe events late night after the official festival was finished, the Fringe came to be seen as being about revues. It was a few years before an official programme for the Fringe was created. John Menzies compiled a list of shows under the title Other Events in their omnibus festival brochure and this was funded by participating companies and was entitled Additional Entertainments, since the name Fringe was still not yet in regular usage. It also used a strange cover motif, a first attempt was made to provide a central booking service in 1955 by students from the university, although it lost money, which was blamed on those who had not taken part. Formal organisation progressed in 1959, with the formation of the Festival Fringe Society, the push for such an organisation was led by Michael Imison, director of Oxford Theatre Group. A constitution was drawn up, in which the policy of not vetting or censoring shows was set out, nineteen companies participated in the Fringe in that year
18.
Stewart Lee
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Stewart Graham Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer, director and musician. He made his name in the mid-1990s as one half of the radio duo Lee and Herring, alongside Richard Herring, a success followed through with extensive touring to build up a live following. After a return to the circuit, and through BBC and Channel 4 specials and series, Lee has rebuilt an audience. Lee remains a significant draw in UK stand up, in recent years, Lee has been successful in selling out large venues including the ICC in his home city of Birmingham as well as larger venues in London. In December 2011 he won British Comedy Awards for best male television comic, a 2009 article in The Times referred to him as the comedians comedian, and for good reason and named him face of the decade. In June 2012 Lee was placed at number 9 in the Top 100 Most Influential People in UK Comedy and his stand-up features frequent use of repetition, call-backs, nonchalant delivery and deconstruction, a device he often self-consciously refers to on stage. Lee has written reviews for publications including The Sunday Times. Through the early 2000s he was a presenter on Resonance FM. Asked in 2003 what his favourites were, he said Most of my favourites are still going like The Fall, Giant Sand, I listen to a lot of jazz, 60s and folk music but I really like Ms. Dynamite, and The Streets. His debut novel, The Perfect Fool, includes an audio bibliography – a list of recommended listening, Lee mentions that it was his love of the band Giant Sand that first attracted him to visit the Southwestern United States. Lee was born in Wellington, Shropshire and he was adopted as a child and grew up in Solihull in the West Midlands. He attended the public school Solihull School on a part scholarship. As a teenager he suffered from ulcerative colitis and he is married to fellow comic Bridget Christie, with whom he has two children. He is a patron of the British Humanist Association, an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society and his influences include Ted Chippington, Simon Munnery, Kevin McAleer and Johnny Vegas. Having moved to London and begun performing stand up comedy after university, he rose to prominence in 1990. Throughout the late nineties he continued performing solo stand-up and has collaborated with, amongst others, Julian Barratt, Lee returned the favour by going on to direct their 1999 Edinburgh show, Arctic Boosh, which remains the template for their live work. In 2001, Lee published his first novel, The Perfect Fool, in the same year he performed Pea Green Boat, a stand-up show which revolved around the deconstruction of the Edward Lear poem The Owl and the Pussycat and a tale of his own broken toilet. This would later be condensed to focus mainly on the poem itself, in 2007, Go Faster Stripe released a 25-minute edit on CD &10 Vinyl
19.
Richard Herring
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Richard Keith Herring is an English stand-up comedian, comedy writer, podcaster and diarist whose early work includes the comedy double act Lee and Herring. He is described by The British Theatre Guide as one of the leading masters of modern British comedy. His 2016–17 show is a best of tour, drawing from these shows and he has maintained a daily blog called Warming Up without a break since 25 November 2002. His blog is archived by the British Library for purposes of UK documentary heritage, Richard Herring was born in Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire, and grew up in Cheddar, Somerset. He attended The Kings of Wessex School, where his father was the headmaster and this later formed the basis of his 2008 stand-up show, The Headmasters Son. He was a student at St Catherines College, Oxford, where he wrote and he attained a 2,1 in History, though never collected the diploma, making him a graduand of Oxford University. Between 1992 and 2000, Richard was one half of the comedy double act with Stewart Lee. They were probably best known for their work, notably Fist of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy but had been collaborating on stage. With Stewart Lee, Herring wrote material for Chris Morris and Armando Iannuccis On the Hour in 1991, during this time the duo contributed to the creation of the character that was grown into Alan Partridge. In 1992 and 1993, they wrote and performed Lionel Nimrods Inexplicable World for BBC Radio 4, for Radio 1, they wrote and performed one series of Fist of Fun in 1993, remaking it for television in 1995 and 1996. They also hosted a series on Radio 1 in 1994 and 1995, simply called Lee, a final television partnership with Lee, This Morning With Richard Not Judy, ran for 18 episodes over two series was eventually cancelled as a result of BBC management reshuffles. In 2011, Frank Skinner cited Lee & Herring as one of his favourite comedy acts, alongside Laurel and Hardy, The Two Ronnies and Reeves. Herring has written and performed in thirteen one-person shows, eleven of them consecutively, a Herring show typically starts with a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, continues with an extensive UK tour and ends with a recorded performance for DVD. For radio, Herring co-wrote and presented the history based sketch show That Was Then, for television he wrote Al Murrays sitcom Time Gentlemen Please. He also contributed to the series of Little Britain as script editor. There were 10 episodes in total, Herring made weekly appearances on Andrew Collinss BBC Radio 6 Music radio show on Saturday afternoons, where the two would discuss the weeks newspapers. Occasionally he hosted the show in Collinss absence and joined him for the whole of his show on 31 March 2007. Herring was also a panellist on BBC Radio 4 gameshow Banter, in February 2007, filming began on Herrings comedy drama You Can Choose Your Friends
20.
Fist of Fun
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Fist of Fun was a British comedy enterprise, initially a BBC Radio 1 series in 1993 and then a BBC2 television series in 1995. It was written by and starred Lee and Herring, each episode of Fist of Fun consisted of disparate sketches, stand-up comedy segments, dialogues, and situations. It was broadcast at 9pm on Tuesday nights, and was successful, the second series was aired on Friday nights, and although its ratings were relatively good, the show suffered from network interference and poor promotion. The show was not given a series, but Lee and Herring went on to create This Morning with Richard Not Judy. Simon Quinlank, a self-proclaimed Hobby Lion and King of All Hobbies and Duke of Hobby, in each episode, he presents a slot related to his latest invented hobby. He is known for his maniacal laughter, frequent cries of Answer me, and loathing for never-seen rival Neil Petark. He also has a fondness for weak lemon drink, the character reappeared in Lee and Herrings later show This Morning with Richard Not Judy. Rod Hull, a character who claims to be the genuine Rod Hull but is in fact an obvious fraud. He has an obsession with jelly, and has a false arm and he persistently claims that the false arm is real despite the fact that he has an actual real arm tucked inside his shirt. Also played by the actor Kevin Eldon, Peter, a 31-year-old Welsh virgin from Balham who provides lifestyle tips from his unique perspective, usually cheap alternatives to well known recipes. The first series was released in early December 2011 and the series in November 2012 albeit with slight edits made for editorial reasons at the request of the BBC. This included material regarding Princess Diana and Morris Mitchener, whose parents attempted to sue the West Yorkshire playhouse after a production of Peter Pan scared the infant Mitchener. Ironically the material excised from the complete episodes is included as part of the unedited studio sessions presented elsewhere on the DVD set. Fist of Fun. net fansite, includes downloads of their shows and live performances, episode guides. Fist of Fun at the Internet Movie Database Lee and Herring. com Official Stewart Lee website Official Richard Herring website
21.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own
22.
The Rivals
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The Rivals is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts. It was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775, the Rivals was Sheridans first play. At the time, he was a young newlywed living in Bath, at Sheridans insistence, upon marriage his wife Eliza had given up her career as a singer. This was proper for the wife of a gentleman, but it was difficult because Eliza would have earned an income as a performer. Instead, the Sheridans lived beyond their means as they entertained the gentry and nobility with Elizas singing, finally, in need of funds, Richard turned to the only craft that could gain him the remuneration he desired in a short time, he began writing a play. In a short time, however, he completed The Rivals, the Rivals was first performed at Covent Garden, London, on 17 January 1775. It was roundly vilified by both the public and the critics for its length, for its bawdiness and for the character of Sir Lucius OTrigger being a meanly written role played very badly. The actor, Lee, after being hit with an apple during the performance, stopped and addressed the audience, — is it me, or the matter. If he can dispense with flattery, he is sure at least of sincerity, Sheridan also apologised for any impression that OTrigger was intended as an insult to Ireland. Rewritten and with a new actor, Clinch, in the role of OTrigger, indeed, it became a favourite of the royal family, receiving five command performances in ten years, and also in the Colonies. It became a show in the repertoires of 19th Century companies in England. The play is now considered to be one of Sheridans masterpieces, and she was first played by Jane Green. Wealthy, fashionable people went there to take the waters, which were believed to have healing properties, Bath was much less exclusive than London, and hence it provides an ideal setting for the characters. The plot centres on the two lovers, Lydia and Jack. Lydia, who reads a lot of novels of the time. To court her, Jack pretends to be Ensign Beverley, a poor officer, Lydia is enthralled with the idea of eloping with a poor soldier in spite of the objections of her guardian, Mrs. Malaprop, a moralistic widow. Mrs. Malaprop is the comic figure of the play, thanks to her continual misuse of words that sound like the words she intends to use. Lydia has two suitors, Bob Acres, and Sir Lucius OTrigger, an impoverished and combative Irish gentleman
23.
Royal Exchange, Manchester
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The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the bounded by St Anns Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street. The complex includes the Royal Exchange Theatre and the Royal Exchange Shopping Centre, the Royal Exchange was heavily damaged in the Manchester Blitz and in the 1996 Manchester bombing. The current building is the last of several buildings on the used for commodities exchange, primarily but not exclusively of cotton. The first exchange opened in 1729 but closed by the end of the century, as the cotton industry boomed, the need for a new exchange was recognised. Thomas Harrison designed the new exchange of 1809 at the junction of Market Street, Harrison designed the exchange in the Classical style. It had two storeys above a basement and was constructed in Runcorn stone, the cost, £20,000, was paid for in advance by 400 members who bought £50 shares and paid £30 each to buy the site. The semi-circular north façade had fluted Doric columns, the exchange room where business was conducted covered 812 square yards. The ground floor contained the members library with more than 15,000 books. The basement housed a newsroom lit by a dome and plate glass windows, the first-floor dining-room was accessed by a geometrical staircase. The exchange opened to celebrate of the birthday of George III in 1809 and it also contained other anterooms and offices. As the cotton trade continued to expand, larger premises were required, the second exchange was replaced by a third designed by Mills & Murgatroyd, constructed between 1867 and 1874. It was extended and modified by Bradshaw Gass & Hope between 1914 and 1931 to form the largest trading hall in England, the trading hall had three domes and was double the size of the current hall. The colonnade parallel to Cross Street marked the its centre, on trading days merchants and brokers struck deals which supported the jobs of tens of thousands of textile workers in Manchester and the surrounding towns. Manchesters cotton dealers and manufacturers trading from the Royal Exchange earned the city the name, the exchange was seriously damaged during World War II when it took a direct hit from a bomb during a German air raid in the Manchester Blitz at Christmas in 1940. Its interior was rebuilt with a trading area. The top stages of the tower, which had been destroyed, were replaced in a simpler form. Trading ceased in 1968, and the building was threatened with demolition, the building remained empty until 1973 when it was used to house a theatre company
24.
Soldier Soldier
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Soldier Soldier is a British television drama series. The title comes from a song of the same name - Soldier, soldier will you marry me, with your musket, fife. - an instrumental version of which was used as its theme music, created by Lucy Gannon, produced by Central Television and broadcast on the ITV network, it ran for a total of seven series and 82 episodes from 10 June 1991 to 9 December 1997. It featured the lives of a group of soldiers in B Company, 1st Battalion The Kings Fusiliers. Set in the aftermath of the Cold War, it is a dramatisation of army life in the early to mid-1990s. This is perhaps best demonstrated during the series, around 1994. Within the world of Soldier Soldier, the Kings Fusiliers are forced to amalgamate with the Cumbrian Regiment, another fictional regiment, at the time Soldier Soldier was broadcast, the fatality rate was low, with most casualties due to training accidents and suicides. The military as a whole was assigned to performing more peacekeeping missions than actually doing any fighting, as a consequence, the show served well to portray the army, despite the domestic problems that could occur, in a fairly good light. It was their performance of Unchained Melody in an episode of the 4th series that propelled them to stardom, giving them several number one songs, at the end of the fifth series in 1995, both actors left the show. After a decline in viewing figures 1997 saw the decision to end the drama after seven series, TV presenter Chris Kelly wrote and produced some episodes of the series. T. I. Like all fusilier regiments, both the Kings and the Kings Own wear a hackle in its head-dress, this is coloured dark blue over white. During the third series of Soldier Soldier, which took place during the Options for Change military reforms, as a result, the new regiment was named the Kings Own Fusiliers. The cap badge of the Kings Own Fusiliers features the lion surmounting the crown, surmounting the garter band is the traditional flame that indicates a fusilier regiment. As the Kings Fusiliers / Kings Own Fusiliers has no location in its name. In early episodes, the officers discuss the possibility of being amalgamated with other regiments from the Midlands. During Series 1, the possibility of merging or disbanding regiments is discussed, and at point, the Cumbrians. However, given that the series was made in the Midlands by the Central Films division of Central Television, 1st Battalion, Kings Fusiliers Lt Colonel D. Fortune A mild mannered man who is nonetheless a firm disciplinarian, between the 1st & 2nd series, he meets and then marries a journalist
25.
Pilot (Cold Feet)
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Cold Feet is a British television pilot directed by Declan Lowney. It stars James Nesbitt and Helen Baxendale as Adam and Rachel, john Thomson, Fay Ripley, Hermione Norris and Robert Bathurst appear in supporting roles. After filming was completed in 1996 the commissioning network ITV shelved it for a year and it was eventually scheduled for broadcast on the evening of 30 March 1997, as part of the networks Comedy Premieres strand, but overrunning sports coverage delayed it for an hour. Ratings were low and critical reviews were minimal, but positive, critics enjoyed the comedy drama format and praised the writing and performances of the leads. Harries entered Cold Feet in the Montreux Television Festival, where it was awarded the Rose dOr, Adam Williams breaks up with another in a long line of girlfriends and spends the evening at the pub with his friend Pete Gifford. Pete arrives home late, which annoys his wife Jenny, who calculated that night to be the best time for them to conceive a child and she becomes even more frustrated when she sees Pete has brought Adam back, he missed his last bus home. Rachel Bradleys boyfriend Simon Atkinson breaks up with her over dinner after taking a job in Hong Kong, Rachel angrily leaves the restaurant and telephones her friend Karen Marsden, who has just asked her husband David if they can get a nanny to take care of their son Josh. Rachel crashes her car into Adams on a car park. After a brief argument Adam suggests they exchange phone numbers, under the pretence that it is for insurance purposes and she writes hers on his rear windscreen but rain washes it off. Prompted by Pete, Adam spends a day on the car park, in the hope that he and Rachel will cross paths. At a dinner party held by Karen and David, Karen suggests Rachel get out more and they go on a date but Adam is disappointed that Rachel does not want sex. Eventually, he suggests they see a play, which happens to be on at a theatre near his house, the play is dismal but Rachel decides it is time they slept together. Jenny takes another pregnancy test, but it is negative, Adam arrives and recounts his dates with Rachel to her and Pete, telling them he loves Rachel. Following a discussion with Pete about women and commitment, Adam argues with Rachel, seconds later Simon returns, telling Rachel he has turned down the Hong Kong job. After getting locked out the house, Karen interrupts a seminar David is holding, demanding they get a nanny and he relents, embarrassed after being shown up in front of his colleagues. Determined to get Rachel back, Adam goes to Simons flat, Jenny and Pete arrive to find Simon chasing a naked Adam down the street. The fight is interrupted by a policeman, who lists multiple felonies Adam has committed, until Rachel steps forward. She declares her love to Adam and the two leave, Pete and Jenny watch and she tells him her last pregnancy test was positive
26.
British Comedy Awards
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The British Comedy Awards was an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. Jonathan Ross announced that he would not be presenting the 2008 awards, the 2007 show occurred on 6 December 2007, but was not televised due to the 2005 controversy and subsequent investigations. The following years ceremony was shown live on 6 December 2008, Compliance for the show was the responsibility of the ITV Compliance Unit of ITV Network Limited. In June 2010, it was announced that awards were to be broadcast on Channel 4 for three years, which was extended for one more year. Shortly afterwards, the 2010 ceremony was postponed until the 2010 ceremony finally aired in January 2011, in June 2015 Channel 4 announced they would be dropping the ceremony. The 2015 ceremony was cancelled due to a lack of a suitable broadcast partner. A new broadcast partner is being lined up for the 2016 ceremony, at the 2005 British Comedy Awards show, the wrong show received the Peoples Choice Award. Charged by the show with investigating the allegations of irregularities. It was understood that he would be if the recipients were Anthony McPartlin. In order to ensure his attendance, this assurance was given, but it could not be definitively established that Williams involvement led to the wrong winner being announced. Ant & Decs Saturday Night Takeaway did however receive the Peoples Choice Award at the British Comedy Awards 2006, beginning on 26 July 2007, British tabloid newspapers reported the alleged involvement of the British Comedy Awards in the 2007 British television phone-in scandal. ITV announced that they postponed the British Comedy Awards 2007 due to the voting irregularities, in a statement, the company said, Pending conclusion of the investigation, broadcast of the British Comedy Awards 2007 will be postponed. ITV will not make any comment regarding this matter until the conclusion of the investigation. The 2007 awards did take place on 5 December 2007, in early May 2008 Ofcom announced its fining and sanctioning ITV plc in a press release. On 15 August 2008, it was announced that a scandal could have been committed in the award ceremony at the 2004 Awards. Angus Deayton replaced Jonathan Ross as the host of the British Comedy Awards, Ross returned to presenting the awards in 2009. Best Comedy Panel Show, Would I Lie to You, British Comedy Awards at British Comedy Guide
27.
The Independent
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The Independent is a British online newspaper. The printed edition of the paper ceased in March 2016, nicknamed the Indy, it began as a broadsheet newspaper, but changed to tabloid format in 2003. Until September 2011, the paper described itself on the banner at the top of every newspaper as free from party political bias and it tends to take a pro-market stance on economic issues. The daily edition was named National Newspaper of the Year at the 2004 British Press Awards. In June 2015, it had a daily circulation of just below 58,000,85 per cent down from its 1990 peak. On 12 February 2016, it was announced that The Independent, the last print edition of The Independent on Sunday was published on 20 March 2016, with the main paper ceasing print publication the following Saturday. Launched in 1986, the first issue of The Independent was published on 7 October in broadsheet format and it was produced by Newspaper Publishing plc and created by Andreas Whittam Smith, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds. All three partners were former journalists at The Daily Telegraph who had left the paper towards the end of Lord Hartwells ownership, marcus Sieff was the first chairman of Newspaper Publishing, and Whittam Smith took control of the paper. The paper was created at a time of a change in British newspaper publishing. Rupert Murdoch was challenging long-accepted practices of the print unions and ultimately defeated them in the Wapping dispute, consequently, production costs could be reduced which, it was said at the time, created openings for more competition. As a result of controversy around Murdochs move to Wapping, the plant was effectively having to function under siege from sacked print workers picketing outside, the Independent attracted some of the staff from the two Murdoch broadsheets who had chosen not to move to his companys new headquarters. Launched with the advertising slogan It is, and challenging both The Guardian for centre-left readers and The Times as the newspaper of record, The Independent reached a circulation of over 400,000 by 1989. Competing in a market, The Independent sparked a general freshening of newspaper design as well as, within a few years. Some aspects of production merged with the paper, although the Sunday paper retained a largely distinct editorial staff. It featured spoofs of the other papers mastheads with the words The Rupert Murdoch or The Conrad Black, a number of other media companies were interested in the paper. Tony OReillys media group and Mirror Group Newspapers had bought a stake of about a third each by mid-1994, in March 1995, Newspaper Publishing was restructured with a rights issue, splitting the shareholding into OReillys Independent News & Media, MGN, and Prisa. In April 1996, there was another refinancing, and in March 1998, OReilly bought the other 54% of the company for £30 million, brendan Hopkins headed Independent News, Andrew Marr was appointed editor of The Independent, and Rosie Boycott became editor of The Independent on Sunday. Marr introduced a dramatic if short-lived redesign which won critical favour but was a commercial failure, Marr admitted his changes had been a mistake in his book, My Trade
28.
Manchester Evening News
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The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010 and it has an average daily circulation of 52,158, of which 24,560 are fully paid for. The paper was first published in 1868 by Mitchell Henry as part of his Parliamentary election campaign, shortly after the election the newspaper was sold to John Edward Taylor, the son of the founder and owner of the Manchester Guardian, becoming the evening counterpart of the morning newspaper. This is also where Trinity Mirror titles in North West England are printed, despite its evening title, the newspaper began publication of a morning edition in November 2004, a controversial move which brought union members to the brink of strike action over new work rotas. For years the paper was famous for its Football Green edition, after the MEN merged with the rival Manchester Evening Chronicle, its more popular Sporting Pink was adopted as the Football Pink. The Green and Pink names came from being printed in paper of those colours, in the 1970s the Saturday sports paper began using white newsprint, which had become by then the industry standard. The papers were printed in mobile presses inside newspaper vans usually parked near the stadiums, on 2 May 2006 the Evening News dropped the Lite edition in favour of a part-free, part-paid distribution model for the main paper. Copies were free in Manchester city centre, while readers outside that area continued to pay for the paper, in December 2006, the paper also began free distribution at Manchester Airport and hospitals throughout Greater Manchester. In December 2009, the announced that as of January 2010 the paper would no longer be handed out free Monday to Friday in the city centre. Instead they would be handed out free as previously on Thursdays and Fridays, Manchester Metro News—weekly sister paper Official website
29.
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy
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Comic Relief Does Fame Academy is a spin-off of the original Fame Academy show where celebrities students sing as students of the Academy. The programme was launched in 2003 to help raise money for the supported by Comic Relief. Coverage of the show was shown on BBC One, BBC Three, BBC Prime. The series returned in 2005 and again in March 2007 and it was announced by the BBC that Cat Deeley would not return because she was hosting So You Think You Can Dance. However, Patrick Kielty returned with co-host and host of the former spin-off show Claudia Winkleman, the judges then gave their comments on each performance. After all of the students have sung their songs the voting lines opened for two hours. In the results show, the students are told who is safe from the sing-off for that day, after this the judging panel choose which student they wish to save and return to the Academy. Of the remaining two left, the students then vote who they want to stay with them in the Academy, during their time at the Academy the students are given vocal lessons by Carrie Grant and husband David Grant, whilst Kevin Adams leads the dance classes. The first live show took place on 7 March 2003 and lasted until Red Nose Day on 14 March, where the show was presented. Nine British celebrities moved into the Fame Academy, David Grant was a newcomer, as a second voice coach. The same elimination mechanism as the 2002 series, with the teachers putting three on each night, with the public saving one and the students the second. However, in the semi-final with only three left the producers decided to change the student vote to include all expelled students as well as the contestant saved by the public. Will, who was saved by the public, voted to save Kwame, while all six of the students voted to save Ruby. Will was the winner of the show. On 26 February 2005, Comic Relief Does Fame Academy returned for a live airing. Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood and opera star Lesley Garrett were brought in as judges, singing coaches Carrie and David Grant were no longer on the judging panel, but were present during the live shows and were invited to give their views when necessary. The elimination mechanism was the same as the series proper, however Park no longer had a casting vote in the event of the Judges vote being tied. The five remaining students were given a masterclass courtesy of McFly, the series had its fair share of drama and conflict
30.
Blackpool (TV serial)
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Blackpool is a British television musical comedy drama serial, produced in-house by the BBC. It was screened on BBC One as six episodes on Thursday nights at 9pm from 11 November to 16 December 2004. When retransmitted by BBC America in 2005, it was renamed Viva Blackpool, and went on to win a Peabody Award for BBC Worldwide, a sequel in the form of a TV movie was produced by the BBC, also called Viva Blackpool in the UK. It was renamed Viva Blackpool for transmission on BBC America in 2005, also in the cast were John Thomson and Steve Pemberton. This latter device is reminiscent of the style of television playwright Dennis Potter. A sequel that happened to be called Viva Blackpool was produced in the UK, critical reaction to the serial was generally positive, although there were some poor reviews as well. Its audience figures were not spectacular, falling between four and five million viewers, in 2005, it was nominated in the Best Drama Serial category at the British Academy Television Awards, eventually losing out on the Award to Channel 4s Sex Traffic. It did, however, win the Best Miniseries and Grand Prize accolades at Canadas Banff Television Festival, in December 2005, it was announced that it had been nominated in the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film category at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards. It has also released on DVD in the UK, Australia. Singing Detected, Blackpool and the Strange Case of the Missing Television Musical Dramas, journal of British Cinema and Television. Blackpool at BBC Online Viva Blackpool at BBC Online Blackpool at the Internet Movie Database Viva Blackpool at the Internet Movie Database
31.
Flower Pot Men
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The Flower Pot Men is a British childrens programme, produced by BBC television, first transmitted in 1952, and repeated regularly for more than twenty years. The show was the basis for a strip of the same name in the childrens magazine Robin. A reboot of the show called Bill and Ben was produced in 2001, originally, the programme was part of a BBC childrens television series titled Watch with Mother, with a different programme each weekday, most of them involving string puppets. The Flower Pot Men was the story of Bill and Ben, the characters were devised by Freda Lingstrom and Maria Bird. Three later stories were written by Hilda Brabban, the puppeteers were Audrey Atterbury and Molly Gibson. The voices and other noises were produced by Peter Hawkins, Gladys Whitred, the narration for all episodes was done by Maria Bird. The plot changed little in each episode, the programme always took place in a garden, behind a potting shed. The third character was Little Weed, of species, somewhat resembling a sunflower or dandelion with a smiling face. The three were sometimes visited by a tortoise called Slowcoach, and in one particular episode. While the man who worked in the garden was away having his dinner the two Flower Pot Men, Bill and Ben, emerged from the two flowerpots, after a minor adventure a minor mishap occurs, someone is guilty. Which of those two flower pot men, was it Bill or was it Ben, the final punch-line was, and I think the little house knew something about it. The Flower Pot Men spoke their own, highly inflected version of English, called Oddle Poddle, which was invented by Peter Hawkins. At the end of each adventure, they would say bye-bye to each other and this language, like that of the Teletubbies in the 1990s, was criticised for hindering children from learning proper English. Amongst fans there is controversy about whether they actually said Flobbalob and this reboot features the voices of John Thomson, Jimmy Hibbert and Eve Karpf. The series aired in Ireland on RTEjr and formerly aired on CBeebies in 2002-2008, many additions were implemented, A mean female rosebush with two talking buds in the neighbours garden named Rose. A mischievous female prickly plant named Thistle, a female magpie named Pry, obsessed by shiny treasures, often just bottle caps. Slowcoach remains in the series, with few changes to his characteristics and he gets angry at Bill & Ben for ruining his things. A male baby squirrel named Scuff, a male talking tomato named Ketchup
32.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
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Wallace & Gromit, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a 2005 British stop-motion animated comedy drama film, produced by Aardman Animations in partnership with DreamWorks Animation. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is based on the Wallace and Gromit short film series, the film introduces a number of new characters, and features a voice cast including Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes. It is also the only film to win the award. Tottington Halls annual Giant Vegetable Competition is approaching, the winner of the competition will win the coveted Golden Carrot Award. As the event draws close, Wallace finds themselves running out of space to cage the rabbits and he is inspired to create the Mind Manipulation-O-Matic machine to brainwash the rabbits and remove their appetite for vegetables. On his first attempt, a rabbit is stuck to Wallaces head as he uses the machines headpieces, the machine appears to have worked as the rabbit shows no interest in vegetables though appears to have gained some intelligence. They name the rabbit Hutch while Wallace begins rebuilding the device, over the night, several townsfolk report a giant Were-rabbit tried to eat their vegetables. Wallace suspects that Hutch may be the Were-rabbit and keeps him caged up, Lady Tottington holds an emergency town meeting, in which the hunter Lord Victor Quartermaine offers to shoot the Were-rabbit. However, Lady Tottington persuades the rest of the town to continue with Anti-Pestos services, Victor, who really seeks to woo Lady Tottington, becomes jealous of Wallace, and later corners him in the forest. But to Victor and his dog Philips shock, Wallace transforms into the Were-rabbit under the light of the full moon, Gromit, who also witnessed the transformation, lures Wallace back home to protect him. Victor obtains three 24-carrot gold bullets from the reverend to use against Wallace the next evening. The celebration begins the next day, Gromit convinces Wallace that he is the Were-rabbit, and Wallace hides himself away. Lady Tottington, who has come to like Wallace, comes to visit, but when the moon rises, Wallace, beginning to change into a Were-rabbit, shoos Lady Tottington away to avoid seeing him. As she leaves, Victor arrives and attempts to fire on Wallace with the golden bullets, Gromit creates a distraction to allow Wallace, as the Were-rabbit, to escape, the hunter gives chase to Wallace as he heads for the competition. Gromit, with the help of Hutch, plans to sacrifice the giant marrow he had been growing as bait to lure Wallace back to safety, Wallace, as the Were-rabbit, creates chaos at the fair, and Victor eventually runs out of bullets. Desperate, he grabs the Golden Carrot trophy to use as ammo for his blunderbuss, Wallace grabs Lady Tottington and climbs onto one of the towers of Tottington Hall, where she discovers Wallaces connection to the Were-rabbit. Victor gives chase, revealing that he wants to impress Lady Tottington for her money. When Gromit arrives, Philip attempts to prevent him from interfering, leading to the two into a dogfight using aeroplanes taken from a fairground attraction
33.
New Street Law
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New Street Law is a British legal drama television series produced by Red Production Company in association with One-Eyed Dog Ltd for BBC One. The series was created by G. F. Newman and Matthew Hall, Hannah and Freeman play Jack Roper and Laurence Scammel respectively, two barristers heading rival chambers in Manchester. Ropers chamber works in defence, while Scammel—Ropers one-time mentor—works for prosecution, a large supporting cast played members of Roper and Scammels teams. Filming on sets took place at Web Film Studios, Little Hulton, location work was done on the streets of Manchester, Bolton and Rochdale. Other interior locations included the Bolton Masonic Hall, St John Street Chambers in Manchester, although the second series did not air until February 2007, there was only a six-week gap between filming. The first series aired in May and June 2006 in a timeslot on BBC One. The second series was moved to 9 p. m, low ratings saw the last two episodes moved to a 10.40 p. m. timeslot. In July 2007, the cancellation of the series was announced and this left an unresolved cliffhanger from the second series, with the audience left unaware of whether Jack survived a car crash. Acorn Media UK have released both series on DVD in Region 2, in Region 1, Entertainment One have released the entire series on DVD. co. uk New Street Law at the Internet Movie Database
34.
John Hannah (actor)
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John David Hannah is a Scottish film and television actor. He came to prominence in Richard Curtiss Four Weddings and a Funeral and his other film appearances include Sliding Doors and the The Mummy trilogy. His television roles include, Dr Iain McCallum in McCallum, D. I, Holden Radcliffe in Agents of S. H. I. E. L. D. Hannah was born in East Kilbride in Lanarkshire, the youngest of three children, he has two older sisters and his mother, Susan, was a cleaner at Marks & Spencer, and his father, John, a toolmaker. He attended Heathery Knowe Primary School then Claremont High School in East Kilbride, in East Kilbride, he participated in the East Kilbride Rep Theatre Club. At the suggestion of a colleague, he completed his apprenticeship and then attended the highly prestigious Royal Scottish Academy of Music, after graduation, Hannah had parts in theatre productions, films and television, which included leading roles. He broke into the big-time with his appearance as Matthew in Four Weddings, since this breakthrough role, he has played a psychopathic killer alongside Helen Baxendale in Truth or Dare and a mystery-solving pathologist in McCallum. He also starred in the axed U. S. series MDs, as well as making guest appearances in Alias, Carnivàle, in 2006 he starred in the drama series New Street Law. In 2007-08, he played a role in the ITV crime drama Cold Blood. On 24 December 1997, Hannah and Scottish Films producer Murray Ferguson established a company called Clerkenwell Films. Clerkenwells first big production was the Rebus series, including Black And Blue, however, Rebus was later taken in-house by STV Productions, and Hannah was replaced in the leading role in the series by Ken Stott. He is the voice of the Co-operative Group adverts in the UK, more recently he played the part of Quintus Lentulus Batiatus, the owner of a gladiator training house in Spartacus, Blood and Sand, and its prequel, Spartacus, Gods of the Arena. Hannah played the role of scientist Holden Radcliffe in season three of Agents of S. H. I. E. L. D. in 2016. Hannah married actress Joanna Roth on 20 January 1996, the pair met several years before during a studio production of Shakespeares Measure for Measure. In many of his interviews he mentions stories from their relationship and they live in Richmond, London with their two children. Soon after his role as the police officer Franky Drinkall in Out Of The Blue. He was, for a time, a spokesman for Oxfams Cut Conflict Campaign. John Hannah at the Internet Movie Database John Hannah on Mellow Magic
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