1.
Order of the British Empire
–
There is also the related British Empire Medal, whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. Recommendations for appointments to the Order of the British Empire were at first made on the nomination of the United Kingdom, the self-governing Dominions of the Empire, nominations continue today from Commonwealth countries that participate in recommending British honours. Most members are citizens of the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth realms that use the Imperial system of honours and awards. Honorary knighthoods are appointed to citizens of nations where the Queen is not head of state, occasionally, honorary appointees are, incorrectly, referred to as Sir or Dame – Bill Gates or Bob Geldof, for example. In particular, King George V wished to create an Order to honour many thousands of those who had served in a variety of non-combatant roles during the First World War, when first established, the Order had only one division. However, in 1918, soon after its foundation, it was divided into Military. The Orders motto is For God and the Empire, at the foundation of the Order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. In 1922, this was renamed the British Empire Medal, in addition, the BEM is awarded by the Cook Islands and by some other Commonwealth nations. The British monarch is Sovereign of the Order, and appoints all members of the Order. The next most senior member is the Grand Master, of whom there have been three, Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales, Queen Mary, and the current Grand Master, the Duke of Edinburgh. The Order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross,845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the number of members of the fourth and fifth classes. Foreign recipients, as members, do not contribute to the numbers restricted to the Order as full members do. Though men can be knighted separately from an order of chivalry, women cannot, and so the rank of Knight/Dame Commander of the Order is the lowest rank of damehood, and second-lowest of knighthood. Because of this, Dame Commander is awarded in circumstances in which a man would be created a Knight Bachelor, for example, by convention, female judges of the High Court of Justice are created Dames Commander after appointment, while male judges become Knights Bachelor. The Order has six officials, the Prelate, the Dean, the Secretary, the Registrar, the King of Arms, the Bishop of London, a senior bishop in the Church of England, serves as the Orders Prelate. The Dean of St Pauls is ex officio the Dean of the Order, the Orders King of Arms is not a member of the College of Arms, as are many other heraldic officers. From time to time, individuals are appointed to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of the junior post-nominal letters
2.
Exmouth
–
Exmouth /ˈɛksməθ/ is a port town, civil parish and seaside resort in East Devon, England, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe. In 2011, it had a population of 34,432 making Exmouth the 5th most populous settlement in Devon, byzantine coins dating back to c. 498–518, with the mark of Anastasius I, were retrieved on the beach in 1970, more recent human occupation of Exmouth Point can be traced back to the 11th century, when it was known as Lydwicnaesse, the point of the Bretons. The town appears on the century Peutinger Map one of only 15 British towns, the two ecclesiastical parishes, Littleham and Withycombe Raleigh, that make up the town of Exmouth today can be traced to pre-Saxon times. The name of the town derives from its location at the mouth of the River Exe estuary, in 1240 an area known as Pratteshuthe was sold to the mayor and citizens of Exeter. This was the site of the ferry dock and over time the name evolved first into Pratteshide. The original site is marked by an area outside the Glenorchy United Reformed Church close to the Magnolia Shopping Centre. The roads in and out of the area were in a poor state, a more permanent dock was built in 1825, replacing a series of apparently seasonal docks first noted on maps from 1576 as The Docke. New docks designed by Eugenius Birch were opened in 1868, the area adjacent to the docks once housed a thriving community of some 125 chalets built on the shoreline. These have been replaced by a marina complex known as Exmouth Quay. Human habitation was restricted by the exposed position on the estuary – civilisation took a hold in a greater. The town began to develop in the 13th century, morin Uppehille owned the land, granting part of it to John the Miller who in turn built a windmill, and earned his living on the exposed point, aided by the prevailing south-west winds. The windmill, the dock and a small settlement of farms began to develop into Exmouth. Sir Walter Raleigh sailed on many of his voyages from Exmouth Harbour, the town established itself during the 18th century and is regarded as the oldest holiday resort in Devon. Visitors prevented from visiting Europe by the turmoil in France were attracted by the views. Exmouth was renowned as a destination for the wealthy to recover their health, notable visitors in this time included Lady Byron and her daughter Ada Lovelace. Exmouth was also the residence of Lady Nelson, the wife of Lord Nelson. She is buried in Littleham Churchyard, high class tourism remained steady for a number of years
3.
Devon
–
Devon, also known as Devonshire, which was formerly its common and official name, is a county of England, reaching from the Bristol Channel in the north to the English Channel in the south. It is part of South West England, bounded by Cornwall to the west, Somerset to the northeast, combined as a ceremonial county, Devons area is 6,707 km2 and its population is about 1.1 million. Devon derives its name from Dumnonia, which, during the British Iron Age, Roman Britain, the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain resulted in the partial assimilation of Dumnonia into the Kingdom of Wessex during the eighth and ninth centuries. The western boundary with Cornwall was set at the River Tamar by King Æthelstan in 936, Devon was constituted as a shire of the Kingdom of England thereafter. The north and south coasts of Devon each have both cliffs and sandy shores, and the bays contain seaside resorts, fishing towns. The inland terrain is rural, generally hilly, and has a low density in comparison to many other parts of England. Dartmoor is the largest open space in southern England at 954 km2, to the north of Dartmoor are the Culm Measures and Exmoor. In the valleys and lowlands of south and east Devon the soil is fertile, drained by rivers including the Exe, the Culm, the Teign, the Dart. As well as agriculture, much of the economy of Devon is linked with tourism, in the Brittonic, Devon is known as Welsh, Dyfnaint, Breton, Devnent and Cornish, Dewnens, each meaning deep valleys. One erroneous theory is that the suffix is due to a mistake in the making of the original letters patent for the Duke of Devonshire. However, there are references to Defenascire in Anglo-Saxon texts from before 1000 AD, the term Devonshire may have originated around the 8th century, when it changed from Dumnonia to Defenascir. Kents Cavern in Torquay had produced human remains from 30–40,000 years ago, Dartmoor is thought to have been occupied by Mesolithic hunter-gatherer peoples from about 6000 BC. The Romans held the area under occupation for around 350 years. Devon became a frontier between Brittonic and Anglo-Saxon Wessex, and it was absorbed into Wessex by the mid 9th century. This suggests the Anglo-Saxon migration into Devon was limited rather than a movement of people. The border with Cornwall was set by King Æthelstan on the east bank of the River Tamar in 936 AD, the arrival of William of Orange to launch the Glorious Revolution of 1688 took place at Brixham. Devon has produced tin, copper and other metals from ancient times, Devons tin miners enjoyed a substantial degree of independence through Devons Stannary Parliament, which dates back to the 12th century. The last recorded sitting was in 1748, agriculture has been an important industry in Devon since the 19th century
4.
Hampstead
–
Hampstead, commonly known as Hampstead Village, is an area of London, England,4 miles northwest of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath and it has some of the most expensive housing in the London area. The village of Hampstead has more millionaires within its boundaries than any area of the United Kingdom. The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon words ham and stede, which means, and is a cognate of, the growth of Hampstead is generally traced back to the 17th century. Trustees of the Well started advertising the medicinal qualities of the waters in 1700. Although Hampstead Wells was initially most successful and fashionable, its popularity declined in the 1800s due to competition with other fashionable London spas, the spa was demolished in 1882, although a water fountain was left behind. Much luxurious housing was created during the 1870s and 1880s, in the area that is now the ward of Frognal & Fitzjohns. Much of this remains to this day. The large Victorian Hampstead Library and Town Hall was recently converted and extended as a creative industries centre, on 14 August 1975 Hampstead entered the UK Weather Records with the Highest 155-min total rainfall at 169 mm. As of November 2008 this record remains, Hampstead became part of the County of London in 1889 and in 1899 the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead was formed. The borough town hall on Haverstock Hill, which was also the location of the Register Office, Hampstead is part of the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency, formed at the 2010 general election. It was formerly part of the Hampstead and Highgate constituency, since May 2015 the area has been represented on Camden Council by Conservative Party councillors Tom Currie, Oliver Cooper and Stephen Stark. The area has a significant tradition of educated liberal humanism, often referred to as Hampstead Liberalism, michael Idov of The New Yorker stated that the community was the citadel of the moneyed liberal intelligentsia, posh but not stuffy. As applied to an individual, the term Hampstead Liberal is not synonymous with champagne socialist, the term is also rather misleading. As of 2016, all the component wards of Hampstead elect a full slate of Conservative councillors, the bridge pictured is known locally as The Red Arches or The Viaduct, built in fruitless anticipation of residential building on the Heath in the 19th century. The largest employer in Hampstead is the Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, George Martins AIR recording studios, in converted church premises in Lyndhurst Road, is a current example, as Jim Hensons Creature Shop was before it relocated to California. It was recently restored by Notting Hill Housing Trust, notable and longstanding are La Gaffe, Gaucho Grill, Jin Kichi, Tip Top Thai, Villa Bianca and, in May 2016, Patara. Hampsteads rural feel lends itself for use on film, an example being The Killing of Sister George starring Beryl Reid
5.
John Alderton
–
John Alderton is an English actor who is best known for his roles in Upstairs, Downstairs, Thomas & Sarah, Wodehouse Playhouse, Little Miss, Please Sir. and Fireman Sam. Alderton has often starred alongside his wife, Pauline Collins, Alderton was born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, the son of Ivy and Gordon John Alderton. He grew up in Hull where he attended Kingston High School, Alderton first became familiar to television viewers in 1962, when he played Dr Moone in the ITV soap opera, Emergency – Ward 10. He married his co-star, Jill Browne, but they later divorced, in 1972 he appeared with Hannah Gordon in the BBC comedy series My Wife Next Door which ran for 13 episodes, and for which he won a Jacobs Award in 1975. He then transferred to another top-rated ITV series when he played Thomas Watkins and he was a subject of the television programme This Is Your Life in 1974 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews. He made his first stage appearance with the company of the Theatre Royal, York in August 1961. After a period in repertory, made his first London appearance at the Mermaid, November,1965, as Harold Crompton in Spring and Port Wine, at the Aldwych, March 1969, played Eric Hoyden in the RSCs production of Dutch Uncle. At the Comedy Theatre, July 1969, played Jimmy Cooper in The Night I Chased the Women with an Eel. At the Howff, October,1973, played Stanley in Punch and Judy Stories, at the Shaw, January 1975, played Stanley in Pinters The Birthday Party. At the Apollo, May 1976, played four parts in Ayckbourns Confusions, from 1989 to 1992, he starred in the series Forever Green as the character Jack Boult, and appeared in the film Clockwork Mice in 1995. Alderton played against his wife Pauline in Mrs Caldicots Cabbage War in 2002 and made something of a comeback in the 2003 film, then, in 2004 he played a role in the BBC series of Anthony Trollopes He Knew He Was Right. Also in 2004 Alderton starred in the first series of ITV 1s Doc Martin in an episode entitled Of All The Harbours In All The Towns as sailor John Slater and he played Christopher Casby in the 2008 BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens Little Dorrit. He married actress Jill Browne in 1964 but they later divorced, in 1969, he married actress Pauline Collins and they had three children, a daughter and two sons. Alderton is also the stepfather of Collins daughter Louise, John Alderton at the Internet Movie Database John Alderton John Aldertons appearance on This Is Your Life
6.
Sarah Moffat
–
Sarah Moffat, also known as Sarah Delice and Clémence Dumas, is a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah. She was portrayed by Pauline Collins, Sarah was the daughter of Albert Moffat and Marianne Dumas, who said she was the granddaughter of Alexandre Dumas, and she was baptised Clémence Moffat. Her parents had met at the Theatre Royal in 1879, and she had two younger siblings, a brother Charlie, who was born in 1887, and a sister called Sophia. Charlie, whom she had to spend time in her childhood looking after due to his ill health, died in the final days of 1899. At the age of 6, she first went on the stage with the help of Agnes Hewitt, the manager of the Olympic Theatre in Drury Lane, and earned three shillings a week. Her father, who was sacked from many due to drunkenness. Her mother committed suicide days later, and they were buried in a double funeral. Clémence soon got work at a tailors, but when a member of staff tried to assault her, she was rescued by a pastor. She had to leave there, in 1900, after the pastor, Martin Blackwood, offered her marriage and wanted her to beat him. After wandering the streets of London trying to find somewhere to stay, she caught pneumonia and was taken in by a spiritualist medium called Lydia Pagenell, who lived in Bloomsbury. She then worked as Miss Pagenells assistant for three and a half years until someone reported them for fraud, and they were sent to Holloway Prison in October 1903. Miss Pagenell died weeks later in prison, while Clémence was released on 1 November and she then went to Pratts, an agency for domestic servants, who sent her to Eaton Place. When she arrived at 165, Eaton Place, she rang the front door bell, moments later, in the morning room, she was being interviewed by Lady Marjorie. Lady Marjorie said Clémence was not a name and renamed her Sarah. Sarah had problems fitting into service as an under house parlourmaid, when Hudson and Mrs. Bridges made her write out a passage from the Bible, she was forced to reveal she was illiterate. She quickly struck up a friendship with head house parlourmaid, Rose, in June 1904, Richard Bellamy commissioned a painter, Guthrie Scone, to paint his wife. Sarah was sent to deliver Lady Marjories dresses to his studio, two months later, in August, while the family and senior servants were away, the junior servants all dressed up as the family. This ended in disaster when James came back and found all in the morning room
7.
Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series)
–
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British television drama series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, set in a large townhouse in Edwardian, First World War and interwar Belgravia in London, the series depicts the lives of the servants downstairs and their masters—the family upstairs. Great events feature prominently in the episodes but minor or gradual changes are also noted, the series stands as a document of the social and technological changes that occurred between 1903 and 1930. Upstairs, Downstairs was originally an idea by two friends, Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins, for a comedy called Behind the Green Baize Door. It would focus on two housemaids, played by Marsh and Atkins, in a country house in the Victorian era. They soon added a family upstairs, as Marsh recognised Servants have to serve somebody, in summer 1969, they took this idea to Sagitta Productions, which was run by John Hawkesworth and John Whitney. They soon removed the element, changed the setting to a large townhouse in Edwardian London. It was first offered to Granada Television in Manchester, but they declined as they already had a period drama, called A Family at War, about to start. However, Stella Richman, the Controller of Programmes at London Weekend Television, saw potential, and in April 1970, the first series was commissioned. Characters were then developed, but when Alfred Shaughnessy, an old friend of John Hawkesworth, was called in as script editor, honor Blackman was short-listed for the role of Lady Marjorie and George Cole for that of the butler, Hudson. The programme took many names, including Two Little Maids in Town, The Servants Hall and it was called 165 Eaton Place until just before the production of the first episode when it was changed to Upstairs, Downstairs, following a suggestion from John Hawkesworth. Eventually the network had a space in its schedule at the time of Sunday nights at 10,15. They chose Upstairs, Downstairs, and with no promotion of the show, however, audiences steadily grew and the series became a hit. The stories depict the lives of the wealthy Bellamy family, who reside at 165 Eaton Place in Londons fashionable Belgravia, and their servants. The household is led by Lady Marjorie Bellamy, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Southwold, and her husband Richard Bellamy MP and they married despite the objections of her parents and set up house at 165 Eaton Place, one of several London properties owned by Lord Southwold. Richard and Lady Marjorie Bellamy have two children, James and Elizabeth, who are, respectively, in their early twenties and late teens when the series starts in 1903. In 1912, James ill-fated wife Hazel becomes the new mistress of the house, the original servant staff comprises the authoritarian butler Mr. Angus Hudson, cook Mrs. The first and second series span the period 1903 to 1910, in 1903, Sarah Moffat applies for a job as under-house-parlour maid for the Bellamy family, pretending to be of French nobility but soon revealed to be illiterate, English, and with no work history
8.
Thomas & Sarah
–
Thomas & Sarah is a British drama series that aired on ITV in 1979. A spin-off from the BAFTA Award-winning series Upstairs, Downstairs, it stars John Alderton, in October 1977, John Hawkesworth was commissioned to write a synopsis for the programme, and it was filmed from September 1978 to March 1979. The writers, many of whom had worked on Upstairs, Downstairs, were Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham, Alfred Shaughnessy, Jeremy Paul, Anthony Skene, Alick Rowe and Angharad Lloyd. Thomas & Sarah follows the adventures of Thomas Watkins, the chauffeur, and Sarah, Sarah is pregnant, and according to their last episode of Upstairs, Downstairs they have married, but according to Thomas & Sarah they never got round to it. The last minutes of the first series saw Sarah mourning at a graveside, the public reaction to the series was good enough to have a second series commissioned, and some location work was filmed in July 1979. However, a strike at ITV meant work was halted and never finished, the location work has since been wiped. The names of four of the episodes are known, Where Theres A Will, For Richer, For Poorer, Favours, again, these were written by Terence Brady & Charlotte Bingham and Jeremy Paul. Like Upstairs, Downstairs, novelisations of the series were written, the first book, titled simply Thomas & Sarah, was published in 1978 by Sphere Books and covers the first seven episodes of the programme. The second book, titled Thomas & Sarah, Two for a Spin, was published by Sphere Books. Both books were written by Mollie Hardwick, who wrote many Upstairs, Downstairs books. Thomas & Sarah was released in Region 2 by VCI in 2004 and this followed releases of all episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs by VCI in similar packaging. VCI stopped making copies of the DVDs in 2005, the whole series was released by Network DVD on 16 April 2007, Network having previously released all episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs. A&E Home Video released the series on DVD in Region 1 on 27 April 2004. There is no DVD commentary from either Alderton or Collins or surviving cast or crew, richard Marson, Inside UpDown - The Story of Upstairs, Downstairs, Kaleidoscope Publishing,2005 Thomas & Sarah at the Internet Movie Database synopsis at AllMovie
9.
Shirley Valentine
–
Shirley Valentine is a one-character play by Willy Russell. Taking the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife, it focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad. When her best friend offers to pay for a trip-for-two to Greece, she packs her bags, leaves a note on the door in the kitchen. In Greece, with just an effort on her part. Commissioned by the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, the play premiered in 1986, two years later it opened in Londons West End at the Vaudeville Theatre, with Pauline Collins directed by Simon Callow. After eight previews, the Broadway production, with Collins again directed by Callow, opened on 16 February 1989 at the Booth Theatre, ellen Burstyn replaced Collins later in the run, and Loretta Swit starred in a US national tour in 1995. From 26 March -8 May 2010, as part of the Willy Russell season at the Menier Chocolate Factory, a West End transfer of the Menier Chocolate Factory production ran at the Trafalgar Studios from 20 July -30 October 2010. Meera Syal reprised her role as Shirley, a 30th Anniverary Tour, starring Jodie Prenger will run in the UK from March 2017 to November 2017. Prenger was met with rave reviews, Russell, Willy, Shirley Valentine and One for the Road. ISBN 0-413-18950-3 Shirley Valentine at the Internet Broadway Database
10.
Drama Desk Award
–
Broadway productions were excluded until the 1968–69 award season. The awards are considered a significant American theatre distinction and they debuted the presentations of the Vernon Rice Awards. The name honors the New York Post critic Vernon Rice, who had pioneered Off-Broadway coverage in the New York press, the name was changed for the 1963–1964 awards season to the Drama Desk Awards. In 1974, the Drama Desk became incorporated as a not-for-profit organization, in 1975, the Drama announcement of winners included the nominees as well. The Drama Desk has more than 100 members, including critics, reporters and editors who cover New York theater. Membership consists of two categories, Active membership and Participating Membership, all of the Drama Desk officers and Nominating Committee members perform their various services for the organization on a voluntary basis. The Nominating Committee generally meets twice a month to discuss the many eligible shows members are responsible for seeing and they then nominate the productions on which the entire membership will vote. What sets the organization apart is that the awards are voted on by people only without any vested interests in the results. Previous winners include Bernadette Peters, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, over the last 36 years, the Drama Desk Awards have contributed to the ongoing success of major stars, playwrights and designers, while also identifying newcomers. The Drama Desk was the first New York theater organization to give awards to talents such as Edward Albee, Wendy Wasserstein, plays like Driving Miss Daisy, Other Peoples Money, Steel Magnolias, and The Boys in the Band built momentum with the help of Drama Desk wins. In 2010 William Wolf was announced as the President of Drama Desk, the current managing executive producer of the Drama Desk Awards is Gretchen Shugart, and the president of the Drama Desk is Charles Wright. David Barbour is chairperson of the nominating committee, in keeping with its original mission, the organization sponsors guest panel luncheons with theater professionals. Panels address topics of current interest, covering the season on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway, with the aim of prompting informative and stimulating discussion
11.
Shirley Valentine (film)
–
Shirley Valentine is an award-winning 1989 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert. When her flamboyant friend Jane wins a trip for two to Greece, Shirley uncharacteristically puts herself first and accepts her invitation, upon arrival Jane immediately abandons her for a holiday romance with a fellow passenger from their flight, leaving Shirley to set out on her own. She begins to see her fellow holidaymakers through new eyes, as she genuinely enjoys Greece while they want English food, Costas promises not to try to seduce her, while nonetheless bolstering her self-confidence in her own attractiveness. Enjoying the day out, Shirley decides to swim in the sea and she realizes that she doesnt want Costas to keep his promise. They kiss and later on the boat have very intense sex, on her return, Jane believes that Shirley has fallen in love with Costas, but Shirley reveals to the camera that shes fallen in love with the idea of living. She spends more time with Costas, and at the turns back. Costas is shocked to see Shirley after her departure, but she says she wants a job and is not upset at catching him in the act, shirleys husband, who was angry and confused at her departure, waits for her return with a large armful of flowers. Shirley becomes more content with her new life and she also becomes a great success with narrow-minded holiday makers who want the same food as in Britain. Finally their son tells Joe to go and get her instead of just phoning, receiving a telegram about Joes arrival, Costas makes excuses and leaves for the day, while Shirley is unperturbed. Shirley, wearing sunglasses and now feeling like a different person, is sipping wine by the sea in the sunset, Joe doesnt recognise her and walks past until she calls him back. The film ends with the two drinking wine by the sea, leaving open the question of how the matter resolved, pancras Station in London, and on the island of Mykonos in Greece. The films theme song, The Girl Who Used to Be Me, was written by Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Bergman, and Marilyn Bergman and performed by Patti Austin. In various versions of the film, as modified for distribution, child viewing, and television, jow Brown of the Washington Post called the film an uncommonly warm, relaxed little movie. He continued, The storys a bit of whimsy, but it affords a great many comfortable and comforting laughs. Variety called the film uneven but generally delightful and Pauline Collins irresistible, radio Times rated the film four out of five stars and added, Lewis Gilbert manages to retain the best of Willy Russells theatrical devices. While opening out the action to embrace a big-screen atmosphere, the supporting cast, particularly Bernard Hill as Collinss Neanderthal husband, is equally convincing, with only the hammy Conti striking a momentary false note. Russells script as surely as if a magicians clumsy assistant had pointed a finger at a secret trapdoor. Ms. Collins brings as much energy and warmth to the role as ever, roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times likewise rated the film one star, calling it a realistic drama of appalling banality
12.
Golden Globe Award
–
Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign. The annual ceremony at which the awards are presented is a part of the film industrys awards season. The 74th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film, the 1st Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best achievements in 1943 filmmaking, was held in January 1944, at the 20th Century-Fox studios. Subsequent ceremonies were held at venues throughout the next decade, including the Beverly Hills Hotel. In 1950, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association made the decision to establish an honorary award to recognize outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry. Recognizing its subject as a figure within the entertainment industry. The official name of the award became the Cecil B. In 1963, the Miss Golden Globe concept was introduced, in its inaugural year, two Miss Golden Globes were named, one for film and one for television. The two Miss Golden Globes named that year were Eva Six and Donna Douglas, respectively, in 2009, the Golden Globe statuette was redesigned. It was unveiled at a conference at the Beverly Hilton prior to the show. The broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards, telecast to 167 countries worldwide, generally ranks as the third most-watched awards show each year, behind only the Oscars, gervais returned to host the 68th and 69th Golden Globe Awards the next two years. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the 70th, 71st and 72nd Golden Globe Awards in 2015, the Golden Globe Awards theme song, which debuted in 2012, was written by Japanese musician and songwriter Yoshiki Hayashi. On January 7,2008, it was announced due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The ceremony was faced with a threat by striking writers to picket the event, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was forced to adopt another approach for the broadcast. In acting categories, Meryl Streep holds the record for the most competitive Golden Globe wins with eight, however, including honorary awards, such as the Henrietta Award, World Film Favorite Actor/Actress Award, or Cecil B. DeMille Award, Barbra Streisand leads with nine, additionally, Streisand won for composing the song Evergreen, producing the Best Picture, and directing Yentl in 1984. Jack Nicholson, Angela Lansbury, Alan Alda and Shirley MacLaine have six awards each, behind them are Rosalind Russell and Jessica Lange with five wins. Meryl Streep also holds the record for most nominations with thirty, at the 46th Golden Globe Awards an anomaly occurred, a three way-tie for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
13.
Academy Awards
–
The various category winners are awarded a copy of a golden statuette, officially called the Academy Award of Merit, which has become commonly known by its nickname Oscar. The awards, first presented in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, are overseen by AMPAS, the awards ceremony was first broadcast on radio in 1930 and televised for the first time in 1953. It is now live in more than 200 countries and can be streamed live online. The Academy Awards ceremony is the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony and its equivalents – the Emmy Awards for television, the Tony Awards for theater, and the Grammy Awards for music and recording – are modeled after the Academy Awards. The 89th Academy Awards ceremony, honoring the best films of 2016, were held on February 26,2017, at the Dolby Theatre, in Los Angeles, the ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and was broadcast on ABC. A total of 3,048 Oscars have been awarded from the inception of the award through the 88th, the first Academy Awards presentation was held on May 16,1929, at a private dinner function at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with an audience of about 270 people. The post-awards party was held at the Mayfair Hotel, the cost of guest tickets for that nights ceremony was $5. Fifteen statuettes were awarded, honoring artists, directors and other participants in the industry of the time. The ceremony ran for 15 minutes, winners were announced to media three months earlier, however, that was changed for the second ceremony in 1930. Since then, for the rest of the first decade, the results were given to newspapers for publication at 11,00 pm on the night of the awards. The first Best Actor awarded was Emil Jannings, for his performances in The Last Command and he had to return to Europe before the ceremony, so the Academy agreed to give him the prize earlier, this made him the first Academy Award winner in history. With the fourth ceremony, however, the system changed, for the first six ceremonies, the eligibility period spanned two calendar years. At the 29th ceremony, held on March 27,1957, until then, foreign-language films had been honored with the Special Achievement Award. The 74th Academy Awards, held in 2002, presented the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, since 1973, all Academy Awards ceremonies always end with the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Academy also awards Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, see also § Awards of Merit categories The best known award is the Academy Award of Merit, more popularly known as the Oscar statuette. The five spokes represent the branches of the Academy, Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers. The model for the statuette is said to be Mexican actor Emilio El Indio Fernández, sculptor George Stanley sculpted Cedric Gibbons design. The statuettes presented at the ceremonies were gold-plated solid bronze
14.
Forever Green
–
Forever Green is a television programme originally broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom from 1989 to 1992. It was made for London Weekend Television by Picture Partnership Productions, freddy suffers from asthma, which Harriet believes could be due to the city pollution, and after a serious attack begins to think leaving the city could be the best treatment available. Soon after, a letter arrives advising Harriet of an inheritance from one of her old patients and it only takes one visit to persuade them to move. The 18 episodes contain plots dealing with their adapting to life in the country and touches on themes, alternative healing. The Boult familys country home, Meadows Green Farm, is said to have been in the Cotswolds. For example, the address of Geoff Bates Handcross Garage is Handcross, Somerset. The exact location of the house is at Tunley, two miles southeast of Bisley, near Sapperton, Gloucestershire, a scene in the first episode of series two was filmed at Furze Platt Senior School in Berkshire. Lady Patricias house is Nether Winchendon House in Nether Winchendon, Buckinghamshire, originally filmed as three series, broadcast of the second series was delayed by coverage of the Gulf War and series 2 and 3 were shown as a continuous twelve-episode second series in 1992. Series 1 was originally released by Granada Ventures Ltd on VHS, all episodes have since been released on DVD by Network DVD. The first series was re-released on a set in June 2009. The remaining twelve episodes were released as a three-disc Series 2 DVD in April 2010, later in 2010, a five-disc set of all eighteen episodes was released The series was originally conceived and written by Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham for LWTV and Picture Partnerships. They did, however, retain format and copyright in the series, down to Earth Forever Green at the Internet Movie Database Forever Green at TV. com
15.
City of Joy (film)
–
City of Joy is a 1992 French-British drama film directed by Roland Joffé, with a screenplay by Mark Medoff. It is based upon the novel of the name by Dominique Lapierre. The film stars Patrick Swayze, Om Puri and Shabana Azmi, Hasari Pal is a rural farmer who moves to Calcutta with his wife and three children in search of a better life. The Pals do not get off to a good start, They are cheated out of their rent money and thrown out on the streets. But the determined family refuses to give up and eventually finds its place in the poverty-stricken city. Meanwhile, on the end of Calcutta, Max Lowe. However, he encounters misfortune as soon as he arrives, after being tricked by a young prostitute, he is roughed up by thugs and left bleeding in the street without his documents and valuable possessions. Hasari comes to Maxs aid and takes the doctor to the City of Joy, a slum area populated with lepers and poor people that becomes the Pals new home. Max spends a lot of time in the neighborhood, but he not want to become too involved with the residents because he is afraid of becoming emotionally attached to them. He soon, however, is coaxed into helping his friends by a strong-willed Irish woman. Eventually, Max begins to fit in with his fellow slum-dwellers, there are many around him whose lives are much worse, but they look on each day with a hope that gives new strength to the depressed doctor. Patrick Swayze as Max Lowe Om Puri as Hazari Pal Pauline Collins as Joan Bethel Vishal Slathia as Joey Barton Shabana Azmi as Kamla H, Pal Ayesha Dharker as Amrita H. Pal Santu Chowdhury as Shambu H, Pal Imran Badsah Khan as Manooj H. Pal Shyamanand Jalan as Mr.7 million in the United States, critically, the film received mixed reviews, with a 57% rotten rating on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes. White savior narrative in film City of Joy at the Internet Movie Database City of Joy at Rotten Tomatoes City of Joy at Box Office Mojo
16.
Paradise Road (1997 film)
–
Paradise Road is a 1997 American/Australian war film that tells the story of a group of English, American, Dutch and Australian women who are imprisoned by the Japanese in Sumatra during World War II. It was directed by Bruce Beresford and stars Glenn Close as Adrienne Pargiter, the film opens with a dance at the Cricket Club in Singapore. Wives and husbands, soldiers and socialites are enjoying a night of dancing, libations, the scene is happy and carefree, but the film continues to unfold and it soon becomes known that a war is raging right outside the doors. Paradise Road is set during the time of World War II, when a bomb explodes right outside the club, it becomes known that the Japanese have advanced beyond defensive lines. The women and children are collected and carried off by a boat to a safer location. A few hours out, the boat is bombed by Japanese fighter planes, the place on which they land is the island of Sumatra. The women are found by a Japanese officer, Captain Tanaka and they are then taken to a prison camp in the jungle. The three women are reunited with the rest of the women and children from the boat, at the prison camp, there are women of all nationalities including Dutch, English, Irish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Australian, and they all come from many levels of society. Some of the women are nuns, some are nurses, and some are socialites, the women are forced to bow to the Japanese officers and its flag. The women must endure torture and hard labor while trying to remain positive, many believe the war would end soon and their husbands or soldiers will come looking for them. Nonetheless, the conditions are brutal, and many face sickness. The women have been at the camp for two years now. Adrienne Pargiter, a graduate from the Royal Academy of Music, the orchestra finally performs for the entire camp, even the officers stop to listen to the vibrant music. However, the only works as motivation for so long. After some time, the women are moved to a new location where they remain for the duration of the war. The war ends and the women rejoice for their freedom, the film closes on a scene of the last performance by the vocal orchestra. The vocal orchestra performed over 30 works from 1943-1944, the original scores survived the war and are the basis for the music performed in the film. In 1997, many of the survivors were still alive during the making of the film and contributed to the inspiration for Paradise Road
17.
Albert Nobbs
–
Albert Nobbs is a 2011 British-Irish drama film directed by Rodrigo García and starring Glenn Close. The screenplay, by Close, John Banville, and Gabriella Prekop, is based on a novella by George Moore and they also received Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Makeup. The novella had been adapted as a play titled The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs in which Close starred Off-Broadway in 1982. Albert Nobbs works with extreme dedication as a butler in 19th-century Ireland. Assigned as female at birth, and initially raised as a girl, Albert has been secretly saving money to buy a tobacco shop to gain some measure of freedom and independence. Meanwhile, recently unemployed Joe Mackins arrives at the hotel to repair the boiler, flirtatious maid Helen Dawes is attracted to him, and they become lovers. However, Joe soon shows himself to be an alcoholic bully, at this time, a Mr. Hubert Page, who was tasked with painting the hotel, discovers Alberts secret, only to reveal that he is keeping the very same secret about himself. Albert visits Hubert at his home and meets Cathleen, who lives with him as his wife. Albert tells Hubert the story of his life, born a bastard and then abandoned, Albert was raised and educated in a convent before being kicked out after the death of Mrs Nobbs, Alberts mother. One night, aged 14 and still presenting as female, Albert was brutally gang-raped, immediately afterwards, after hearing there was a need for waiters, Albert bought a suit, was interviewed and was hired, and began his life with a male identity. Alberts former name is not revealed, believing Helen may be the ideal wife to run a shop with, Albert asks her to walk out. She refuses, but Joe, believing that Albert will give Helen money that could help the pair emigrate to America and she agrees to this approach, allowing Albert to buy her expensive gifts. Helen is uncomfortable with Albert and the arrangement that Joe forced her to make, Albert tells Helen about long-kept plans to buy a shop, though she only wants to leave Ireland for America. A typhoid epidemic breaks out in Dublin, and when some staff fall ill, customers avoid the hotel, Albert becomes infected but recovers, while Helen discovers she is pregnant with Joes child. Joe is terrified, fearing he will become like his abusive father, Albert goes to Huberts home and learns that Cathleen died, leaving Hubert devastated. As a tribute to her, Albert and Hubert don dresses Cathleen made, though both at first are extremely uncomfortable, they eventually enjoy spending the day together dressed as women. They take a walk along the beach where Albert, feeling free, but a stumble and fall bring Albert back to reality
18.
Quartet (2012 film)
–
Quartet is a 2012 British comedy-drama film based on the play Quartet by Ronald Harwood, which ran in Londons West End from September 1999 until January 2000. It was filmed late in 2011 at Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire, the film is actor Dustin Hoffmans directorial debut. The plot takes place in Beecham House, a retirement home for professional musicians. Reg, Wilf and Cissy are retired opera singers who worked together in the past, among other residents are Cedric Livingstone, a former director. All the guests in the retirement home continue to be engaged in their professions in one way or the other. Finances threaten closure of the home but proceeds from a gala concert on Verdis birthday hold hope for a continuation of the place. However, Cedric has become rather desperate because some of the most prominent singers have either died or decided not to participate at all. Reg, Wilf and Cissy were in the cast of a highly rated recording of the opera Rigoletto. This version is very prominent among opera buffs as THE Rigoletto of the post-war era, one day, Reg is shocked to find his former wife Jean Horton, the missing soprano of the Rigoletto recording, turning up to live at Beecham House. Reg is angry not to have been warned as their parting was on very sour terms, at first Jean tries unsuccessfully to mend things with Reg. In the ensuing conversations her infidelity arises, as well as her past marriages, enchanted with the idea, they persuade Reg to overcome his objections to performing with Jean again. However, she is harder to persuade as she vowed never to sing again after retiring, Jean apologises and is finally persuaded to sing in the quartet from Rigoletto, after learning that Anne Langley will be singing Vissi darte from Tosca. During her conversation with Cissy, Jean expresses regret for all her past bad behaviour towards Reg, just as the recital is about to start, the director of the home is amazed at the energy displayed by the guests of the home. The idea of rehearsing and playing before an audience brings life back to them, leading her to the conclusion that old age, as they are about to enter the stage, Reg asks Jean to marry him again, and once on stage she whispers her acceptance. Mackinnon then approached a number of co-producers and directors, and eventually contracted the producer Finola Dwyer, sadly, Mark Shivas died four years before the film was completed. The story of Quartet is based at Beecham House, a retirement home for musicians, Hedsor House in Buckinghamshire was used as the location of Beecham House. Several scenes were filmed at St Nicholas Church, Hedsor, much of the supporting cast is made up of actual musical stars of the past, as illustrated by then-and-now photos during the closing credits. Dustin Hoffman said Harwood was inspired by the 1984 documentary Toscas Kiss to write the play on which the movie is based
19.
Liverpool
–
Liverpool is a major city and metropolitan borough in North West England.24 million people in 2011. Liverpool historically lay within the ancient hundred of West Derby in the south west of the county of Lancashire and it became a borough from 1207 and a city from 1880. In 1889 it became a county borough independent of Lancashire, Liverpool sits on the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary and its growth as a major port is paralleled by the expansion of the city throughout the Industrial Revolution. Along with general cargo, freight, raw materials such as coal and cotton, the city was also directly involved in the Atlantic slave trade. Liverpool was home to both the Cunard and White Star Line, and was the port of registry of the ocean liner RMS Titanic and others such as the RMS Lusitania, Queen Mary, and Olympic. The city celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2007, and it held the European Capital of Culture title together with Stavanger, Norway, several areas of Liverpool city centre were granted World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 2004. The Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City includes the Pier Head, Albert Dock, tourism forms a significant part of the citys economy. Liverpool is also the home of two Premier League football clubs, Liverpool and Everton, matches between the two being known as the Merseyside derby, the world-famous Grand National horse race takes place annually at Aintree Racecourse on the outskirts of the city. The city is home to the oldest Black African community in the country. Natives of Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians and colloquially as Scousers, a reference to scouse, the word Scouse has also become synonymous with the Liverpool accent and dialect. Pool is a place name element in England from the Brythonic word for a pond, inlet, or pit, cognate with the modern Welsh. The derivation of the first element remains uncertain, with the Welsh word Llif as the most plausible relative and this etymology is supported by its similarity to that of the archaic Welsh name for Liverpool Llynlleifiad. Other origins of the name have suggested, including elverpool. The name appeared in 1190 as Liuerpul, and it may be that the place appearing as Leyrpole, in a record of 1418. King Johns letters patent of 1207 announced the foundation of the borough of Liverpool, the original street plan of Liverpool is said to have been designed by King John near the same time it was granted a royal charter, making it a borough. The original seven streets were laid out in an H shape, Bank Street, Castle Street, Chapel Street, Dale Street, Juggler Street, Moor Street, in the 17th century there was slow progress in trade and population growth. Battles for the town were waged during the English Civil War, in 1699 Liverpool was made a parish by Act of Parliament, that same year its first slave ship, Liverpool Merchant, set sail for Africa. Since Roman times, the city of Chester on the River Dee had been the regions principal port on the Irish Sea
20.
Sacred Heart High School, Hammersmith
–
Sacred Heart High School is a Catholic secondary school and sixth form with academy status for girls, located in Hammersmith, London, England. Sacred Heart is a girls school for ages 11-18, located in Hammersmith. The former convent only accepts girls of the Catholic faith and a uniform is obligatory for all girls during the seven years at Sacred Heart, approximately 900 girls attend the school. As of September 2014, the headteacher is Mrs Marian Doyle, the school was founded by nuns of the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1893. One of the buildings is named after the orders founder Madeleine Sophie Barat. It is built on a site with a long Catholic tradition dating back to 1609. In 1869 Archbishop Manning decided to convert the convent into a seminary, by January 1876 John Francis Bentley, the architect of Westminster Cathedral, had completed the plans for the current Tudor styled buildings. By July 1884 the seminary was complete, consisting of a chapel, library, school, refectory, common room and upwards of sixty study bedrooms for staff and students. In 1948 the convent school was reorganised as a grammar school, continuing as a grammar school. The school received its first comprehensive intake in 1976, gradually becoming comprehensive one year at a time until 1981 and it had around 550 girls in 1980. From 1990, it was the responsibility of Hammersmith and Fulham, and since 1991 the headteacher has been Christine Carpenter, apart from the twenty years as a seminary in the late nineteenth century, this site has a 330-year tradition of contributing to the education of young women. The school building was designed by John Francis Bentley, also responsible for Westminster Cathedral, in 1993 Cardinal Basil Hume, Archbishop of Westminster, visited the school for a Mass to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The school was awarded beacon school honors, and in 2005 it became a specialist school in Mathematics, from September 2006, the school has improved nutrition by taking away the chocolate vending machines and not allowing girls to bring in that kind of food. Fruits and vegetables should be eaten during lunch, a new fruit juice machine has been introduced. The school raises large amounts of each year for various charities around the world. On 1 March 2012, Sacred Heart High School officially gained academy status, from September 2013, the school has a sixth form. The school has achieved a lot of A*s in the GCSEs and for brighter pupils, for some girls, in year 9, they will start to work on their Maths GCSEs. It gets exceptionally good GCSE results, Kathryn Blair, daughter of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Cherie Booth, QC
21.
Royal Central School of Speech & Drama
–
The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906 to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a constituent of the University of London in 2005 and its prominent alumni include Laurence Olivier, Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench, michael Grandage, a Central graduate and artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse, has now been appointed President. Elsie Fogerty founded The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art at the Royal Albert Hall in 1906, Fogerty was a specialist in speech training and held a firm belief in the social importance of education. She was committed to advancing the study of theatre as an academic discipline, in 1957 the school moved from the Royal Albert Hall, having acquired the lease of the Embassy Theatre at Swiss Cottage and its associated buildings. By 1961 three distinct departments had been established within Central, the stage department was running its three-year course for actors, with alumni including Laurence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft already a part of its history, and a two-year course for stage managers. The teacher training department was preparing students for its own diploma, which was a teaching qualification. That diploma had been instituted in 1912 as a result of Fogertys campaign for the recognition of drama and drama teaching as subjects worthy of academic study. By this time, the school was as known for its speech therapy department as for its work in training actors, in 1972 Central became grant-aided by the Inner London Education Authority. In 1989 it was incorporated as an education college in its own right. Central had been offering degrees since 1986, firstly validated by the Council for National Academic Awards, in 2004 the Privy Council granted the Central the power to award its own taught degrees. In 2005 students from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art transferred to Central after a 100-year history of significant contributions to stage, in the same year, the school was designated as the Higher Education Funding Council for Englands Centre for Excellence in Training for Theatre. With effect from September 2005 Central became a college of the University of London, apart from its notable alumni, who include Laurence Olivier, Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench, Cameron Mackintosh, Harold Pinter, Jason Isaacs and James Fox, the school has had some notable staff. It is entitled to use it in official documentation, although it continues to be referred to as Central. The schools Patron, HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent, played a role in recommending the institution for the adjective, the schools theatre is located inside the new building which was awarded a BREEAM rating of very good. Deputy Principal / Deputy CEO / Clerk to Governors, Deborah Scully, prior to joining Central, Deputy Principal and Professor of Theatre, Simon Shepherd, joined Central in 2001. Previously a Professor of Drama at Goldsmiths, University of London, and before that Professor of Drama at the University of Nottingham, which he left in 1996. Dean of Studies and Professor of Sound, Ross Brown, formerly a painter, then a composer, performer and sound designer in theatre. Director of Research, Robin Nelson, is a member of the IFTR’s Theatre
22.
Windsor, Berkshire
–
Windsor is a historic market town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the residences of the British Royal Family. The town is situated 23 miles west of Charing Cross, London,7 miles south east of Maidenhead and it is immediately south of the River Thames, which forms its boundary with its ancient twin town of Eton. Windlesora is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the name originates from old English Windles-ore or winch by the riverside. By the late 12th century the settlement at Windelsora was renamed Old Windsor, the early history of the site is unknown, although it was almost certainly settled some years before 1070 when William the Conqueror had a timber motte and bailey castle constructed. The focus of royal interest at that time was not the castle, however, from about the 8th century, high status people started to visit the site occasionally, and possibly this included royalty. From the 11th century the sites link with king Edward the Confessor is documented, after the Conquest of 1066 royal use of the site increased, probably because it offered good access to woodlands and opportunities for hunting – a sport which also practised military skills. Windsor Castle is noted in the Domesday Book under the entry for Clewer, although this might seem strange, it occurred because plans for the castle had changed since 1070, and more land had been acquired in Clewer on which to site a castle town. This plan was not actioned until the early 12th century, King Henry married his second wife at Windsor Castle in 1121, after the White Ship disaster. The settlement at Old Windsor largely transferred to New Windsor during the 12th century,1170, under Henry II, following the civil war of Stephens reign. At about the time, the present upper ward of the castle was rebuilt in stone. It had a merchant guild from the early 13th century and, under patronage, was made the chief town of the county in 1277. Somewhat unusually, this gave no new rights or privileges to Windsor. Windsors position as town of Berkshire was short-lived, however. Wallingford took over this position in the early 14th century, as a self-governing town Windsor enjoyed a number of freedoms unavailable to other towns, including the right to hold its own borough court, the right of membership and some financial independence. The town accounts of the 16th century survive in part, although most of the once substantial borough archive dating back to the 12th century was destroyed, probably in the late 17th century. New Windsor was a significant town in the Middle Ages. Its prosperity came from its association with the royal household
23.
West End theatre
–
West End theatre is a common term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of Theatreland in and near the West End of London. Along with New York Citys Broadway theatre, West End theatre is considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London, in 2013, ticket sales reached a record 14.4 million, making West End the largest English speaking audience in the world. Famous screen actors frequently appear on the London stage, helen Mirren received an award for her performance as the Queen on the West End stage, and then stated, theatre is such an important part of British history and British culture. Theatre in London flourished after the English Reformation, the first permanent public playhouse, known simply as The Theatre, was constructed in 1576 in Shoreditch by James Burbage. It was soon joined by The Curtain, both are known to have been used by William Shakespeares company. In 1599, the timber from The Theatre was moved to Southwark and these theatres were closed in 1642 due to the Puritans who would later influence the interregnum of 1649. After the Restoration, two companies were licensed to perform, the Dukes Company and the Kings Company, performances were held in converted buildings, such as Lisles Tennis Court. The first West End theatre, known as Theatre Royal in Bridges Street, was designed by Thomas Killigrew and built on the site of the present Theatre Royal and it opened on 7 May 1663 and was destroyed by a fire nine years later. It was replaced by a new designed by Christopher Wren and renamed the Theatre Royal. Outside the West End, Sadlers Wells Theatre opened in Islington on 3 June 1683. Taking its name from founder Richard Sadler and monastic springs that were discovered on the property, it operated as a Musick House, with performances of opera, as it was not licensed for plays. In the West End, the Theatre Royal Haymarket opened on 29 December 1720 on a site north of its current location. The Patent theatre companies retained their duopoly on drama well into the 19th century, by the early 19th century, however, music hall entertainments became popular, and presenters found a loophole in the restrictions on non-patent theatres in the genre of melodrama. Melodrama did not break the Patent Acts, as it was accompanied by music, initially, these entertainments were presented in large halls, attached to public houses, but purpose-built theatres began to appear in the East End at Shoreditch and Whitechapel. The West End theatre district became established with the opening of small theatres and halls. South of the River Thames, the Old Vic, Waterloo Road, the next few decades saw the opening of many new theatres in the West End. It abbreviated its name three years later, the theatre building boom continued until about World War I
24.
Passion Flower Hotel (film)
–
Passion Flower Hotel is a 1978 coming of age comedy film directed by André Farwagi. It is a adaptation of the novel Passion Flower Hotel and stars Nastassja Kinski as one of the schoolgirls. Curious American girl Deborah Collins arrives at the St. Claras Boarding School in Switzerland, the school headmistress wants to use Deborah as a tool to discipline the other girls but she is revealed to be more experienced and daring in sexual matters. The girls now plot to lose their virginity with the boys in the school across the lake. After Deborah finally has sex with Frederick Sinclair in a setting, she is expelled. She informs the headmistress that she will tell everyone that the school is run by teachers if she expels the other girls. She departs on a train after kissing Frederick goodbye
25.
Doctor Who
–
Doctor Who is a British science-fiction television programme produced by the BBC since 1963. The programme depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called The Doctor and he explores the universe in a time-travelling space ship called the TARDIS. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Accompanied by a number of companions, the Doctor combats a variety of foes, while working to save civilisations, the show is a significant part of British popular culture, and elsewhere it has gained a cult following. It has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series, the programme originally ran from 1963 to 1989. There was an attempt to revive regular production in 1996 with a backdoor pilot. The programme was relaunched in 2005, and since then has been produced in-house by BBC Wales in Cardiff, twelve actors have headlined the series as the Doctor. The conceit is that this is a Time Lord trait through which the character of the Doctor takes on a new body, each actors portrayal differs, but all represent stages in the life of the same character and form a single narrative. The time-travelling feature of the means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet. The current lead, Peter Capaldi, took on the role after Matt Smiths exit in the 2013 Christmas special The Time of the Doctor, in 2017, Capaldi confirmed he would be leaving at the end of the tenth series. Doctor Who follows the adventures of the character, a rogue Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. He fled from Gallifrey in a stolen TARDIS – Time and Relative Dimension in Space – a machine which allows him to travel across time, the TARDIS has a chameleon circuit which normally allows the machine to take on the appearance of local objects as a disguise. However, the Doctors TARDIS remains fixed as a blue British police box due to a malfunction in the chameleon circuit, the Doctor rarely travels alone and often brings one or more companions to share these adventures. His companions are usually humans, as he has found a fascination with planet Earth, as a Time Lord, the Doctor has the ability to regenerate when his body is mortally damaged, taking on a new appearance and personality. The Doctor has gained numerous reoccurring enemies during his travels, including the Daleks, the Cybermen, and the Master, another renegade Time Lord. Doctor Who first appeared on BBC TV at 17,16,20 GMT, eighty seconds after the programme time,5,15 pm. It was to be a weekly programme, each episode 25 minutes of transmission length. Discussions and plans for the programme had been in progress for a year, writer Anthony Coburn, story editor David Whitaker and initial producer Verity Lambert also heavily contributed to the development of the series
26.
The Faceless Ones
–
The story concerns a race of identity-stealing aliens known as the Chameleons. It sees the departure of Michael Craze and Anneke Wills as the Doctors companions Ben Jackson, only two of the six episodes are held in the BBC archives, four remain missing. The TARDIS materializes on the runway of Gatwick Airport, the Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie emerge only to discover that they are in the path of an oncoming plane. They see a security officer coming for them, so they split up to flee him, Airport security confiscates the TARDIS after thinking the police are playing a practical joke on them. Polly ducks in the Chameleon Tours agency hangar, where she sees Spencer kill another man and report to his superior, Polly flees, and runs into the Doctor and Jamie. After telling them what she saw, she brings them to the hangar and they examine the body and the Doctor notes that the victim was electrocuted by a weapon that cant possibly exist on Earth at that time. They leave to find someone in authority, and Blade captures Polly without the Doctor or Jamie noticing and he hides her along with the corpse before Jamie and the Doctor return with sceptical airport authorities. Alone again, Spencer revives an alien, a green humanoid with prominent veins. Nurse Pinto brings in unconscious air traffic controller Meadows, and connects him to the alien, the alien transforms into a doppelganger of Meadows, and goes to his airport job. Polly exits from a newly landed plane, but rejects the Doctor and Jamie, at the Chameleon kiosk, they meet Samantha Briggs, a young Liverpudlian, searching for her brother. On a Chameleon youth tour, he sent a postcard from Rome, breaking in, the trio find fake postcards from missing tourists, and a monitor of the Tours hangar. The Doctor sees Ben find Polly suspended comatose in a cabinet, then himself gets caught and frozen by Blade. The Doctor escapes and goes alone to the hangar and tells Jamie and they meet Detective Inspector Crossland investigating the disappeared Chameleon customers, and realize the first body was his missing partner, DI Gascoigne. The Doctor finds only comatose Meadows and returns to demonstrate the freezing gun to the Airport Commandant, Blade points the ray gun at Crossland to stop him boarding the next flight, and shows him that all the passengers have vanished. Spencer attacks Jamie and Samantha, but they escape, Jamie steals Samanthas ticket and boards. Samantha finds Spencer instead of the manager, he ties her up for Pinto to duplicate. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Commandant learn from other airports that Chameleon passengers never arrive, Blade eliminates a pursuing RAF fighter and diverts Jamies plane up to dock in a vast alien craft. When an airsick Jamie emerges from the toilet, he finds the passengers miniaturised in drawers, blades assistant Ann catches him, and traps him in a room with two misshapen aliens
27.
The Liver Birds
–
The Liver Birds is a British sitcom, set in Liverpool, North West England, which aired on BBC1 from April 1969 to January 1979, and again in 1996. The show was created by Carla Lane and Myra Taylor, the two Liverpudlian housewives had met at a local writers club and decided to pool their talents. Lotterby had previously worked with Eric Sykes and Sheila Hancock, Carla Lane wrote most of the episodes, Taylor co-writing only the first two series. The pilot was shown in April 1969 as an episode of Comedy Playhouse, dressed in the best 1970s fashions, they looked for romance in a loose female equivalent of The Likely Lads. The pilot and Series 1 starred Pauline Collins as Dawn and Polly James as Beryl Hennessey, in Series 2, Nerys Hughes debuted as Sandra Hutchinson, replacing Dawn for the rest of the programmes run. The Beryl-and-Sandra pairing is regarded as the programmes best period. Beryl was the common one, while Sandra was soft-spoken and more refined, due to the influence of her snobbish. Carla Lane drew on her own mother for the character – Mrs. Hutchinson, im sure she was my mother. Beryls common mother was played by Sheila Fay, future Emmerdale actor Elizabeth Estensen as Carol Boswell replaced Beryl from Series 5 onwards. The title comes from the given to two sculpted birds perched on top of the Royal Liver Building at Pier Head in the city of Liverpool. Michael Mills, who commissioned the series, came up with the title, the Scaffold—a pop group including Mike McCartney, poet Roger McGough and John Gorman of Tiswas fame—sang the title song. The title sequence for series one also exists but in poor quality, by the time Polly James was available again, Pauline Collins had moved to LWTs Upstairs, Downstairs. Impressed with Nerys Hughes reading he offered her the part of Sandra, the first episode of the second series aired on 7 January 1971. The actresses got on well together, the rapport between Polly and myself was fairly instant. It happened in a twinkling really said Nerys Hughes later, and Polly James added and we learned our lines sipping Pernod milkshakes. Following the second series, Myra Taylor, who missed her family and they had no idea how a woman thought, Lane said later, and Nerys Hughes observed, They werent empathetic, they were. voyeuristic. They were, tonally, not the same, conceded the producer and this writing arrangement finished at the end of the third series. Carla Lane became sole writer for the fourth series and she felt it was now time for the Liver Birds to start thinking about longer-term relationships with men
28.
ITV (TV network)
–
ITV is a commercial TV network in the United Kingdom. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990 its legal name has been Channel 3, to distinguish it from the analogue channels at the time, namely BBC1, BBC2. ITV is a network of channels that operate regional television services as well as sharing programmes between each other to be displayed on the entire network. In recent years, several of companies have merged so currently the fifteen franchises are in the hands of two companies. With the exception of Northern Ireland, the ITV brand is the used by ITV plc for the Channel 3 service in these areas. In Northern Ireland, ITV plc uses the brand name UTV, STV Group plc, uses the STV brand for its two franchises of central and northern Scotland. The origins of ITV lie in the passing of the Television Act 1954, the act created the Independent Television Authority to heavily regulate the industry and to award franchises. The first six franchises were awarded in 1954 for London, the Midlands, the first ITV network to launch was Londons Associated-Rediffusion on 22 September 1955, with the Midlands and North services launching in February 1956 and May 1956 respectively. Following these launches, the ITA awarded more franchises until the country was covered by fourteen regional stations. Following the 1993 changes, ITV as a network began to consolidate with several companies doing so to save money by ceasing the duplication of services present when they were all separate companies. The ITV Network is not owned or operated by one company, since 2016 the fifteen licences are held by two companies, with the majority held by ITV Broadcasting Limited, part of ITV plc. The network is regulated by the media regulator Ofcom who is responsible for awarding the broadcast licences, the last major review of the Channel 3 franchises was in 1991, with all operators licences having been renewed between 1999 and 2002 and again from 2014 without a further contest. However, due to amalgamation of several of companies since the creation of ITV Network Limited. Approved by Ofcom, this results in ITV plc commissioning and funding the network schedule, all licensees have the right to opt out of network programming, however many do not due to pressures from the parent company or because of limited resources. The network also needs to produce accessible output containing subtitles, signing, in exchange for this programming, the ITV network is available on all platforms free to air and can be found at the top of the EPG of all providers. Since the launch of the platform in 1998, all of the ITV licensees have received gifted capacity on the terrestrial television platform. At present, the companies are able to broadcast additional channels and all choose to broadcast the ITV plc owned ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and CITV in their region. UTV and STV previously broadcast their own services – UTV2 in Northern Ireland and S2 in central and northern Scotland – until 2002, the broadcasters all make use of the Digital 3&4 multiplex, shared with Channel 4
29.
This Is Your Life (UK TV series)
–
This is Your Life is a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews from 1955 until 1964, michael Aspel then took up the role of host until the show ended in 2003. It returned in 2007 as a special presented by Trevor McDonald. In the show the host surprises a special guest, before taking them through their life with the assistance of the big red book, both celebrities and non-celebrities have been victims of the show. The show was originally broadcast live, and over its run it has alternated between being broadcast on the BBC and on ITV, the surprise element was a very important part of the show, if the guest heard about the project beforehand, it would be immediately abandoned. The British version of the show was launched in 1955 on the BBC and was first presented by Ralph Edwards to the first victim, Eamonn Andrews, the scriptwriter for the first 35 episodes was Gale Pedrick. It ended in 1964 when Andrews moved to Associated British Corporation, the only other occasion during Andrews presentational run where he was not the presenter was in 1974 when he was the subject a second time, and the show was presented by David Nixon. Michael Aspel became presenter after Andrews died in 1987, the show returned to the BBC in 1994 but was still produced independently by Thames Television. The programme was axed again in 2003, at first, the show was always broadcast live, later, programmes were sometimes pre-recorded. The show returned in June 2007 on ITV for a special programme hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald with guest Simon Cowell. The new edition was co-produced by ITV Productions, STV Productions, TIYL Productions, Click TV and Ralph Edwards Productions. Ant & Decs Saturday Night Takeaway featured a return of This is Your Life to celebrate Ant & Decs 25 years together, michael Aspel returned as host alongside Ashley Roberts. Lynn Redgrave, in December 1996, was caught while taking her bow in her show on stage at the Haymarket Theatre. Bob Hope and Dudley Moore have been the subjects of two-part editions of the programme. Both were broadcast over two weeks, clive Mantles profile included a post-credits sequence where he thanked the audience for coming. Footballer Danny Blanchflower turned down the red book in February 1961, author Richard Gordon was asked in 1974 and, like Bill Oddie in 2001, he initially turned it down, but changed his mind and appeared on the show. Actor Richard Beckinsale was a feature on the show shortly after his 31st birthday, in 1996, the Sunday Mirror reported that a planned show for Cockney comedy actor Arthur Mullard was pulled after researchers contacted his eldest son. The same report featured claims that Mullard had terrorised his family and had abused his daughter for many years
30.
Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War
–
Mrs Caldicots Cabbage War is a British comedy-drama film from 2002, directed by Ian Sharp and starring Pauline Collins, John Alderton and Peter Capaldi. It is based on a 1993 novel with the name by Vernon Coleman. Derek also gets her to sign over her house to him, however, she doesnt like it at the nursing home and shows her frustration. After having been medicated by the staff to stay calm, she finally incites her fellow inmates to revolt, the film premiered in June 2002 at the International Filmfest Emden, where it came second in the competition for the Bernhard Wicki Price. A few weeks later, it participated in the Moscow International Film Festival, the film had its first wide cinema release in United Kingdom and Ireland, where it opened on 31 January 2003. Database Mrs Caldicots Cabbage War at the British Board of Film Classification
31.
The Saint (TV series)
–
The Saint is an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It was based on the literary character Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in the 1920s and he was played by Roger Moore. Simon Templar was essentially a Robin Hood who stole from criminals and his nemesis was Chief Inspector Claude Teal who considered Templar a common criminal no matter whom he stole from. As a result of the performance in the US of the first two black-and-white series in first-run syndication, NBC picked up the show as a summer replacement in its evening schedule in 1966. The programme therefore ended its run with both trans-Atlantic prime time scheduling and colour episodes and it also proved popular beyond the UK and US, eventually airing in over 60 countries, and made a profit in excess of £350m for ITC. With almost 120 episodes, the programme is exceeded only by The Avengers as the most productive show of its genre produced in the UK. As with The Avengers, the episodes were originally broadcast in the UK in black and white. Roger Moore had earlier tried to buy the rights to the Saint books himself and was delighted to be able to play the part. Moore eventually became co-owner of the show with Robert S. Baker when the show moved to colour, most of the wardrobe Moore wore in the series was his own. He was reportedly offered the role of 007 at least twice during the run of the series, in one early episode of the series, another character actually mistakes Templar for Bond. Moore had a few recurring co-stars, especially Ivor Dean, who played Templars nemesis, in three early episodes, Teal had been played by Campbell Singer, Norman Pitt and Wensley Pithey, Dean featured from the episode Iris onward. When in France, Templar had a relationship with Colonel Latignant. Latignant is depicted as being even less competent than Teal, and is even keener than Teal to find Templar guilty - even though Templar repeatedly helps him solve the case, unlike Teal, Latignant did not appear in Charteriss novels. In all, Inspector Teal featured in 26 episodes and Colonel Latignant in six, the Saint began as a straightforward mystery series, but over the years adopted more secret agent- and fantasy-style plots. It also made a switch from black-and-white to colour production midway through its run. The early episodes are distinguished by Moore breaking the fourth wall, with the switch to color, this was replaced by simple narration. Invariably, the pre-credits sequence ended with someone referring to the Saint by name - Simon Templar, at this point, some episodes such as Iris broke away from this formula and had Templar address the audience for the entire pre-credits sequence, setting up the story that followed. Many episodes were based upon Charteriss stories, although a percentage of original scripts were used as the series progressed
32.
The Wednesday Play
–
The Wednesday Play is an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured. The series gained a reputation for presenting contemporary social dramas, the series was suggested to the BBCs Head of Drama Sydney Newman, by the corporations director of television Kenneth Adam after his cancellation of the two previous series of single plays. Newman had been persuaded to join the BBC following the success of the similar programme Armchair Theatre, the Wednesday Play succeeded in meeting this aim, and the BBC quickly developed the practice of stockpiling six or seven Wednesday Plays in case there were problems with individual works. Intended as a vehicle for new writers, several careers began thanks to the series, Television programmes had a much shorter lead time in this era, and Dennis Potters first four accepted television plays were shown during the course of 1965. In the first half of 1966 a series of 26 Wednesday Plays were produced by Peter Luke, the playwright, the other OConnor/Leonard work was The Retreat. These two plays starred Milo OShea and Jack McGowran, Cathy Come Home by Nell Dunn and Jeremy Sandford was offered to the Luke/Benedictus team who passed it on to Tony Garnett. Garnett was quickly seen as capable of delivering plays which would gain much publicity for the BBC. Director Ken Loach made ten plays in all for The Wednesday Play series, the latter began Loachs 13 year collaboration with Tony Garnett as his producer, although Garnett had been closely involved with Up the Junction as well. Plays like Up the Junction though were controversial among more conservative viewers, the Clean-Up TV campaigner Mary Whitehouse accused the BBC of portraying promiscuity as normal in Up the Junction and The Wednesday Play as featuring Dirt, Doubt and Disbelief. The writer on television Anthony Hayward quoted Garnett in 2006, Mary Whitehouse was on the prowl, which was an added frisson, the drama documentary approach was criticised by television professionals who thought it was dishonest. In a Sunday Telegraph article published before its first repeat transmission Grace Wyndham Goldie complained that Cathy Come Home deliberately blurs the distinction between fact and fiction, have a right to know whether what they are being offered is real or invented. Loach has admitted that e were very anxious for our plays not to be considered dramas but as continuations of the news which preceded The Wednesday Plays slot. The last three years of the strand were predominantly produced by Irene Shubik and Graeme MacDonald, by time the BBC Drama head Sydney Newman had left the BBC. Highlights from this include several plays by David Mercer such as In Two Minds and Lets Murder Vivaldi and Potters Son of Man. Suffering from declining audience figures, the run of The Wednesday Play ended in 1970 when the day of transmission changed, and it is regarded as one of the most influential and successful programmes to be produced in Britain during the 1960s, and is still frequently referenced and discussed. The Ken Loach material has resurfaced in a Ken Loach at the BBC set, however, as with much British television of this era, many episodes are lost, leaving 76 surviving in the Archives out of 170 transmitted. Oxford, Oxford University Press / British Film Institute, the Wednesday Play site with history and individual episodes listed Encyclopedia of Television TV Cream website The Wednesday Play at BBC Programmes
33.
Armchair Theatre
–
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation and its franchise successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. Armchair Theatre filled a Sunday-evening slot on ITV, Britains only commercial network at the time, in contemporary dramas were the most common form. The original producer of the series was Dennis Vance, who was in charge for the first two years, in its early years the series drew heavily on North American sources. The first play, The Outsider, was a drama adapted from a stage play by Dorothy Brandon. Reportedly Vance had a preference for classical adaptations, though some of these—such as a version of The Emperor Jones by the American dramatist Eugene ONeill—were not conservative choices, Vance was succeeded by Sydney Newman, who was ABCs Head of Drama from April 1958. The perils of live transmission caught up with the team on 28 November 1958. Whilst Underground was being broadcast, a key actor suddenly collapsed and died, Television dramas were usually adaptations of stage plays, and invariably about upper classes. I said Damn the upper classes - they dont even own televisions. It was one of the earliest British television plays to have race as a theme. )Owens play was the first of a trilogy transmitted during 1959 and 1960, which was completed by After the Funeral and Lena, O My Lena. Even so, Pinter once estimated that his stage play The Caretaker, enjoying its first run at the time, saville worked on more than forty episodes in the series, while Mullers wife in his later years, the actress Billie Whitelaw, had a part in eleven episodes. Newmans three-and-a-half-season involvement in Armchair Theatre concluded at the end of December 1962 and he was succeeded by Leonard White, an early producer of The Avengers, and in Armchair Theatres last years Lloyd Shirley was the series producer. A holdover from the Newman era, Clive Extons legal satire The Trial of Dr Fancy, was among the first television plays on ITV to be suppressed. The deliberately absurd and savage play was a break on Extons part from the social realism of which he had grown tired. The programme controller at ABC, Brian Tesler, explained the change of heart. When the play was recorded we felt that people might fail to appreciate the compassion which underlies the irony in Mr Extons play. Another play from this period was not so lucky, the Blood Knot, a two-hander by the South African writer Athol Fugard with apartheid as its theme, was never scheduled. The programme occasionally spun off ideas into full-blown series such as Armchair Mystery Theatre, hosted by Donald Pleasence, a 1962 adaptation of John Wyndhams short story Dumb Martian, scripted by Clive Exton, was a deliberate showcase for the spin-off science fiction anthology Out of This World
34.
Play for Today
–
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration, a handful of these plays, including Rumpole of the Bailey and The Blackstuff, subsequently became television series in their own right. The strand was a successor to The Wednesday Play, the 1960s anthology series, popular works screened in anthology series on BBC2, like Willy Russells Our Day Out, were repeated on BBC1 in the series. The producers of The Wednesday Play, Graeme MacDonald and Irene Shubik, Shubik continued with the series until 1973 while MacDonald remained with the series until 1977 when he was promoted. Later producers included Margaret Matheson and Richard Eyre, in its time, Play for Today featured contemporary social realist dramas, historical pieces, fantasies, biopics and occasionally science-fiction. Most pieces were written directly for television, but there were also occasional adaptations from other forms, such as novels. Several prominent directors also featured, including Stephen Frears, Alan Clarke, Michael Apted, Mike Newell, Roland Joffe, Ken Loach, Lindsay Anderson, and Mike Leigh. Some of the best remembered plays broadcast in the strand include Edna, certain other well known plays, including Pendas Fen, Nuts in May, were commissioned by David Rose of the BBCs English Regions Drama department based in Birmingham. Some installments in the series were spun off into full-blown series, other offshoots were Gangsters, and a single series of science fiction-based plays styled as Play for Tomorrow. Towards the end of the run, three set in Northern Ireland were written by Graham Reid. Known as the Billy Plays, they starred Kenneth Branagh as Billy Martin in his first acting role following his graduation from RADA, scum and Brimstone and Treacle were eventually transmitted, although in the meantime both had circumvented their withdrawal by being re-made as cinema films. The series as a whole was viewed with suspicion by rightwing commentators, of particular note was the criticism of the public expenditure on the Queens Silver Jubilee in the plays The Price of Coal and The Spongers. The programme officially ended in 1984, although there was one further series not broadcast in its name but in its replacement name Screen One. The general trend in 1980s television production was away from one-off plays and towards a concentration on series. A new programme publicised as a return of Play for Today, but under the title of The Evening Play, was announced at the beginning of March 2006. Jan Moir in The Daily Telegraph wrote in support of Spacey, saying the British loved Play for Today once, a good piece of drama looks at the human condition, and tells us something we should know about ourselves. Armchair Theatre ITV Playhouse Play for Tomorrow Theatre 625 The Wednesday Play Evans, oxford University Press / British Film Institute
35.
Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)
–
Tales of the Unexpected is a British television series which aired between 1979 and 1988. Each episode told a story, often with sinister and wryly comedic undertones, the series was made by Anglia Television for ITV with interior scenes recorded at their Norwich studios whilst location filming mainly occurred across East Anglia. The theme music for the series was written by composer Ron Grainer, although similar in theme and title, the show is not related to the American anthology television series, Quinn Martins Tales of the Unexpected, which ran for one season in 1977. The series originally adapted various stories from Roald Dahls anthology books, Dahl introduced most of his own stories himself, giving short monologues explaining what inspired him to write them. Unlike other horror anthologies such as The Twilight Zone, Tales of the Unexpected features no supernatural or fantasy elements, although many of Dahls stories are left open to the readers interpretation, the television series usually provided a generally accepted conclusion. This is exemplified in the story The Landlady, the version of which only hints at character Billys fate. Later episodes were set in different locations outside the United Kingdom, the second series featured four episodes from other writers. The title reflected this change when it became Tales of the Unexpected – Introduced by Roald Dahl – Dahl ceased providing introductions for episodes after the programme had reached series three. The third and fourth series featured two episodes apiece adapted from Dahl stories and a fifth, entitled The Surgeon, featured in the series in 1988. The series was cancelled in 1988, after the ninth series, non-Dahl stories included episodes adapted from stories by W Somerset Maugham. The Colonels Lady starring Pauline Collins and Joss Ackland was number one in the evening ITV ratings, in the US, John Houseman succeeded Dahl as the opening narrator. All series have released on DVD. Dahl had hosted a similar series for the American CBS network called Way Out in 1961. It was similar in concept and themes to The Twilight Zone and it used some stories which would later be adapted for Tales of the Unexpected. Intro to Tales of the Unexpected Tales of the Unexpected at the Internet Movie Database Tales of the Unexpected at TV. com Way Out in the Internet Movie Database Tales of the Unexpected Episode Guide
