1.
Gavin Richards
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Gavin Richards is an English actor, writer and director. He is best known for adapting, directing and starring in the West End production of Dario Fos Accidental Death of an Anarchist. He also played Captain Alberto Bertorelli in the BBC sitcom Allo Allo. from 1987 to 1989, Gavin was born in Tufnell Park, Islington, north London. His mother was Margaret Richards, who worked for years as an assistant to Hugh Binkie Beaumont. She went on to become secretary to Roy Strong at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Gavin attended the Burleigh Road School in Tufnell Park and later the Quintin Grammar School in St Johns Wood. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 1964–66 and he began his professional career with five years in repertory theatres in Leicester, Manchester, Bolton and Liverpool. Richards has worked as an actor, director and writer in theatre, television and he is most familiar for his portrayal of Terry Raymond in the BBC TV series EastEnders, appearing in over 300 episodes. He also played Captain Alberto Bertorelli in the TV comedy hit Allo Allo. in which he appears in thirty episodes. His television credits include roles in Coronation Street, Hi-de-Hi. The Bill, Lovejoy, Minder, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, Between the Lines and he co starred with Robert Powell in Hannay, with Leigh Lawson in Kinsey, Michael Kitchen in The Reporters and with Rowan Atkinson in Full Throttle. He also starred in the series Annies Bar, Driving Ambition, Hardwicke House, Mike & Angelo and many other programmes. He has appeared in films, amongst others, with Robin Williams in Being Human, with Oliver Reed and Glenda Jackson in Michael Apteds Triple Echo and he also starred in the production for Channel 4 TV in the UK. Gavin played Face in Griff Rhys Joness production of The Alchemist at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith and he worked as a guest artist on the BBC/SPP TV co production of Kidnapped, and the TVNZ production of The Lost Children, both shot entirely in New Zealand. Gavin has performed at the London Palladium in the production of Allo Allo. He directed Shane Connaughtons first play, Jenny at the Roundhouse, London, belt & Braces also produced Brechts Mother Courage. In 1989 he played Brian in the British Gas Public Information Film about the dangers of a gas leak, the production was then remounted in the UK at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. The production also played in Blenheim, Invercargill, Whangarei, Tauranga, Theatre South is the only professional theatre company in Malrborough. Past productions include a workshop production, The Hole in the Sky
2.
Louise Raymond
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Louise Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Carol Harrison from May 1998 to April 1999. Louise is the mother of the characters Tiffany and Simon Raymond. She is featured most prominently in a storyline about adultery. The plot is the catalyst for the death of Tiffany. Harison left the role in 1999, scriptwriters allegedly felt that the character had left to go following Tiffanys departure. Louise arrives in Albert Square in May 1998, just in time to halt the proceedings of her husband Terry s marriage to Irene Hills. Although their marriage had ended in many years ago, Terry is still legally married to Louise and had refused to grant her a divorce in order to get out of paying the settlement. Louise had left both her children, in their teens, in the custody of their drunken and abusive father, both Tiffany and Simon find it difficult to cope with their mothers sudden reemergence, but Louise manages to win them round. After reuniting with her children, Louise decides to move to Walford, mainly to support Tiffany, Louise seems to dislike Grant initially, she tries to convince Tiffany not to go back to him. Grant is desperate to save his marriage in order to close to his daughter, Courtney. Over subsequent meetings, it becomes evident that Grant and Louise are attracted to each other, Louise initially denies her feelings, embarking on a fling with Gianni di Marco to put Grant off. However, on the night of her 40th birthday, the inevitable happens and Grant, the next day, Louise is wracked with guilt, which is compounded by the fact that Tiffany has decided that she wants to reunite with Grant. In order to spare her daughters feelings, Louise keeps the affair secret, Louise is attacked in November of that year and it is Grant who comes to her rescue, which nearly leads to them having sex a second time, stopped only by Simons unexpected appearance. Panicking, Grant declines to tell Tiffany about Louises attack, fearing that Louise will be likely to confess their affair in her emotional state. When Louise finds out that Grant has attempted to keep her away from her, she goes round to The Queen Victoria public house to confront him. However, a distraught Tiffany hears their conversation over the baby monitor. Upon realising that her mother has betrayed her with her husband, moments before she is about to depart, Grant accosts her and an argument culminates in Tiffany falling down the stairs and being hospitalised. After Tiffany recovers, she refuses to have anything more to do with Louise, after setting Grant up as the perpetrator of her accidental fall, she tries to leave Walford again but is run-over and killed by Frank Butcher on New Years Eve 1998 before she can leave
3.
Irene Raymond
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Irene Constance Ethel Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Roberta Taylor. Introduced in 1997 as the matriarch of the Hills family, Irene remained in the serial until 2000 and her departure storyline was filmed on-location in Spain, where she ends her marriage to Terry. Irene is the ex-wife of Ted Hills and the mother of Sarah and Tony Hills. She comes to stay with her children after she was fleeced out of her divorce settlement by a conman and her children are initially hostile to her for being absent for so many years, as is her sister-in-law Kathy, who resents her for her treatment of her brother. The ceremony takes place in 1998, but just as Terry is about to say I do, his first wife, Louise, halts the proceedings by announcing that she and Terry are still married. Irene is furious and humiliated, but Terry manages to win her round, despite this hitch, Irene goes on to marry Terry, secretly at a registry office, after his divorce from Louise has been finalised. Together, Terry and Irene run the grocery store, The First Til Last. Things reach a low when Irene starts going through menopause in 1999. She often gets severely emotional, depressed, and irritated, particularly with Terry, Terry is incapable of doing anything right in Irenes eyes at this time. Irenes restless nature means that she begins to tire of married life with Terry and in 1999, after continual chasing. Troy is considerably younger than Irene, and although he makes her special and desirable, Troy is only playing the field. Irene refuses to believe Rosa however and the affair continues, things reach a head on Christmas Day in 1999. Terry discovers a watch that Irene had got engraved for Troy, Terry is hurt, but his angst is directed at Troy and not Irene. After sending Irene on an errand, he confronts Troy and evicts him without his wife knowing, when Irene returns she is devastated to learn that Troy has gone. Terry forgives Irene, but the marriage is strained and Irene is never fully content or happy with her life after Troys departure. Irene is over the moon but her joy soon turns to rage when she discovers that Terry has invited fellow Walford residents Frank and Peggy Butcher, as well as Roy and Pat Evans. Whilst on holiday, Terry begins to despair over Irenes obvious unhappiness with their marriage and her complaints about her dull life in Walford. In an attempt to call her bluff he sets Irene up with a car, gives her a wad of money and suggests that she leave there and then
4.
Simon Raymond
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Simon Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Andrew Lynford. Simon is introduced in 1996 as the brother of Tiffany Mitchell. His relationship with the bisexual character Tony Hills featured a gay kiss that caused controversy in the UK, Simon remained in the serial until 1999, at which time it was mutually agreed between Lynford and executive producer Matthew Robinson, that the character had run its course. The character was given an ending, reuniting with his former boyfriend Tony to travel Europe. Simon arrives in Walford in 1996 when he comes in search of his sister Tiffany, after his relationship with his partner, Howard. Their father Terry is an alcoholic, while their mother Louise had abandoned them when they were young. Simon becomes close to Tiffanys boyfriend Tony Hills, who had earlier been secretly confused about his sexuality, however, while on a trip to Blackpool, Tony is unable to control his urges any longer and kisses Simon. Simon eventually gets to the point where he has had enough of Tonys denials and unpleasantness and that night, after having packed his bags earlier in the day, Simon tells Tony of his intentions, and in response Tony begs him to stay. Simon demands to be given a good reason why he should do so. Then follows a torturous discussion during which Tony eventually admits his homosexuality and his love for Simon, after which they cuddle, Tiffany comes home, discovers them in the act of kissing, and flees the house hysterically with Tony and Simon running after her. Tiffany finds it difficult to forgive her brother but they reconcile when Tiffany settles down with Grant Mitchell. Simon and Tony stay together for a while, and Simon even reconciles with his father and mother, Simon initially works on Sanjay Kapoor s market stall selling clothes, then later for his sisters best friend Bianca Jackson. Simons idyll is shattered, however, when he finds out that Tony had sex with the female singer Frankie Pierre, as well as his work colleague, angry and devastated, Simon ends the relationship. An old friend from Manchester, Jonathan, gets in touch when he is helping another friend, Chris, although Simon initially thinks they are a couple, it becomes clear that Chris is taking a shine to Simon, with some not so subtle flirting. After breaking up with Tony, Simon immediately starts seeing Chris, even though Chris wants and it is while he and Chris are on holiday with Tony and some other Walford residents, that Simon and Tony realise that they still have feelings for each other. The main reason for the holiday is for Simon and Chris to sort out their relationship and they do, Simon ends it as he doesnt love Chris. When Tiffany is killed in a car accident on New Years Eve 1998, Simon has a nervous breakdown and blames Tiffanys husband Grant for her death. This culminates in Simon abducting his sisters baby, Courtney, and taking her to Peacehaven, after much abusive ranting, Grant and Tony persuade Simon to hand Courtney back and Simon is taken home to recover
5.
Tiffany Mitchell
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Tiffany Dawn Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Martine McCutcheon from 1995 until 1998. The character was created by the writer, Tony Jordan and she was introduced as a school friend of Bianca Jackson and became a prominent and popular character during her tenure due to a combustible relationship with the soaps landlord, Grant Mitchell. McCutcheon quit the role in 1998 in order to pursue a musical career, producers made the controversial decision to kill the character off, an act that McCutcheon publicly criticised as she had hoped to return at some stage. A book released in 1998, documenting Tiffanys time in the soap, was a number one bestseller, Tiffany is the only daughter of Terry and Louise Raymond. Louise abandoned Tiffany and her older brother Simon when they were children, Tiffany attended school with Bianca Jackson and Natalie Price where she was a popular student. As a teenager, Tiffany had an affair with her teacher and became pregnant by him, Tiffany arrives in Walford in January 1995 to visit Bianca. After finding work as a barmaid at The Queen Victoria public house and she clashes with landlord Grant Mitchell, and one night their disagreement leads to passion. A few months later, she reveals to Grant her father caused her to miscarry, he comforts her, when sober, they both agree not to repeat this and Tiffany begins dating Tony Hills. They move in together and the relationship blossoms until Tiffany discovers she is pregnant, although she knows there is a possibility her child is Grants, she decides to claim her baby is Tonys. It is not until Tiffany discovers Tony kissing her brother, Simon, devastated, Tiffany tells Grant he is her babys father. Determined to raise the child, Grant whisks Tiffany away to Paris in November 1996 for a quick wedding, Tony refuses to believe Grant is the father and subsequent fights ensue, with Tiffany staunchly denying Tony has claim to her unborn baby. Living with Grant proves difficult for Tiffany, Grant refuses to allow Tiffany to socialise or drink alcohol, fearing that it may harm his unborn child. After Grant witnesses Tiffany having a cocktail, he is incensed, Tiffany threatens to leave him and Grant almost attacks her but is stopped by Lorraine Wicks. Lorraine consoles a distraught Tiffany, who breaks down and admits that Grant may not be her babys father, Lorraine tries to convince Tiffany to tell Grant the truth, but Tiffany decides against it and continues to keep up the pretence. Meanwhile, Lorraine begins to make her real intentions towards Grant clear, on Christmas Eve 1996 she and Grant kiss and on New Years Eve, Lorraine informs Grant there is a possibility Tiffanys baby is not his. Grant reacts by throwing a pregnant Tiffany out and their separation allows Grant to embark on a relationship with Lorraine, destroying Tiffany. Tiffany gives birth to baby Courtney by Caesarean section in March 1997, however it does not last and he is soon denouncing that the child is his. Tiffany is forced to get a paternity test, which reveals Grant is Courtneys father, Tiffany is allowed to stay at the Vic so Grant can keep his daughter close
6.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own
