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Post by fordcapri on Dec 18, 2019 13:43:09 GMT
I remember him primarily from 'Get This!', with Harry Fowler, circa early/mid 1970s.
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Post by fordcapri on Dec 17, 2019 12:53:21 GMT
Paul Ferris from 'The Baron'. I was assuming the Paul Ferris who wrote the music for Witchfinder General and Maroc 7 and who very briefly played bass for the Shadows circa 1970.
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Post by fordcapri on Dec 17, 2019 10:24:15 GMT
Interestingly, Nicky apparently had a 'three year contract to write songs for The Shadows and Cliff Richard'. I can't find any reference to any such songs, but he could, of course, have written under a pseudonym (even the Shads themselves did this on occasion). The musical side of his career is, I'll admit, something that had escaped me. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/dec/16/fawlty-towers-actor-nicky-henson-dies-at-74Here is a single that Nicky wrote and recorded with Paul Ferris. The song was published by Shadamm Music (which was a company formed by the Shadows and song-writers Arnold, Martin, Morrow). www.45cat.com/record/db7935
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Post by fordcapri on Dec 16, 2019 10:22:33 GMT
A great actor, remembered for Witchfinder General and Psycomania and, of course, Fawlty Towers, among other things. I remember seeing him in a play called Season's Greetings, which I thought was good.
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Post by fordcapri on Dec 13, 2019 15:23:07 GMT
35 years later... nice to see that Minder and Arfur are still topical (and essential viewing) in some quarters...
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Post by fordcapri on Dec 11, 2019 19:54:34 GMT
Sorry to hear that... he was a real character. I suspect that many of us remember Lenny Henry impersonating him on TISWAS. Those were great days. Another link to the past gone.
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Post by fordcapri on Dec 5, 2019 12:19:21 GMT
Whilst I hesitate to dare mention this... other contenders for iconic 'riffs' must surely be the intros to Cliff Richard's The Young Ones and Summer Holiday... both played by Hank.
In the case of The Young Ones, Hank's unforgettable repeated seven-note intro must be as well known as the song itself. And the same must surely be true of the repeated seven-note intro to Summer Holiday. I know that some people here are reluctant, to say the least, to hear a good word said about Cliff or his records, but in the case of these two songs, I'd say that the guitarists of the 60s would have been playing these 'riffs' with some enthusiasm at the time! I would also include the amazing intro to Move It... but since that was 1958, I won't!
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Post by fordcapri on Dec 4, 2019 19:52:47 GMT
With regards the Shadows...
If we accept the intro to Apache as being a 'riff', then it must surely be one of the most popular/influential/iconic riffs of the 60s. Although the tune itself was written by Jerry Lordan, it was Hank who came up with the intro.
I would actually put F.B.I. in there as well, or perhaps instead of Man of Mystery. F.B.I. (composed by Marvin, Welch, Harris) has a real solid 'riff' like melody and the tune has been recorded/covered/honoured/played live by so many people over the years. In the 70s the Sweet used to go into it when playing Blockbuster, I think Mott the Hoople (or at the very least, Hunter/Ronson) also recorded a version. And then there was Andrew Lloyd-Webber's 'Variations' LP... which features a tune obviously based on F.B.I. on side 2 of the album and played by Gary Moore! So, in fairness, I think F.B.I. should be on there. Also worth noting that when they were writing some music for the film 'The Boys', the producer or director asked the Shads for something that sounded like F.B.I. - which is what they gave him!
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Post by fordcapri on Oct 16, 2019 20:11:54 GMT
Sorry to hear that. I remember when she was diagnosed with cancer - everyone was rooting for her. Very sad. Same age as me.
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Post by fordcapri on Sept 17, 2019 18:28:38 GMT
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Post by fordcapri on Sept 4, 2019 8:38:59 GMT
Allegedly, Paul Hollywood has been sending begging texts to his ex- (Summer whatever), saying he still loves her, he wants her back and he'll help her in her bid to become a celebrity! I HOPE this is all true! Oh dear! He's already helped her as it is and she's now in a position where she doesn't need the old fool anymore. Can't he see that? And begging an ex to come back never works. (Ahem... apparently). It only drives them further away. And makes you look a complete XXXX. (Apparently.) All in all, yet more apparent proof that Paul Hollywood is indeed... the Biggest Tosser.
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Post by fordcapri on Sept 2, 2019 17:08:00 GMT
Extremely rubbish news. Ford Capri and I were just discussing the Target novelisations in the Dr Who thread yesterday. A very good and prolific writer. RIP TD Yeah. I wonder if people realise just how many kids developed an interest in/love of reading by reading the Doctor Who books - most of which were written by Terrance. His importance shouldn't be underestimated. I read those books prolifically between about 1974 and about 1984. Every summer holiday (and all points in between!) I would be scouring the book shelves in every newsagent or WH Smiths to see if there were any new ones. At one point I definitely had them all, but now I've just got the ones from between '74 and about '79. They sold MILLIONS in their time and I reckon every other house in the UK must have had at least one or two in there somewhere! Even now when I write something, which is very rare, I always think 'how would Terrance Dicks write this?'. I'm going to re-read his 'Day of the Daleks' novelisaton now, as it was the first one I ever got - exactly 45 years ago! Feels like a HUGE part of my childhood has just died. And I'll certainly be watching Moonbase 3 and, in all probability, Horror of Fang Rock (on VHS video!) very, very soon. I shall attach the photo from the BBC website, taken in 2015 in Derby. Really freaks me out to think that he is holding my copy of the Doctor Who Monster Book. I'm freaked out but proud and honoured at the same time. Thank You Terrance. You will never be forgotten.
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Post by fordcapri on Sept 2, 2019 15:32:30 GMT
Yes. I also enjoyed the series Moonbase 3, which he devised with Barry Letts. It was very much the non-sensationalist relative of Space: 1999. I've also got a letter from him here, from 1983, from when he was still working at the BBC as script editor on the Sunday Classic Serial. I doubt that one single person contributed more to Doctor Who, on the writing side, than Terrance Dicks. His influence can never be forgotten. I've just had an incredible shock. I went to the BBC website to read their news story about Terrance's death and the photo they have used was actually taken when I interviewed him in 2015. He is holding MY copy of the Doctor Who Monster Book in his hand in this photo! I can't believe it. This is too surreal for words. www.BBC.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-49555763
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Post by fordcapri on Sept 2, 2019 15:07:16 GMT
I am genuinely very, very, very upset to hear this.
Terrance Dicks was an absolute hero of mine. Two people taught me to read... my dad and Terrance Dicks. I cannot even begin to say how much his books meant to me.
I had the great pleasure of meeting Terrance three times; first of all in Hull in 1983 and then in Derby - the last time being in 2015 when I interviewed him at a Doctor Who event. He took great pleasure in signing all the books that I handed him (for free!) and even offered to sign the poster in the Doctor Who Monster Book! A true hero and one of the people who steered Doctor Who down the right path all those years ago. To this day, I truly believe that the Jon Pertwee era (in truth the Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks era!) was the best - certainly my favourite. Without him as a guiding light and script editor, I'd be willing to bet that those glory days wouldn't have been quite so glorious. And stories such as 'Horror of Fang Rock', 'Brain of Morbius', 'Robot' and 'State of Decay' are among my favourites. He also wrote one of the few decent episodes of Space: 1999 Year Two.
R.I.P. Terrance. Thanks for everything.
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Post by fordcapri on Aug 11, 2019 16:25:00 GMT
Never been in any of them. FTW?! fordcapri, you ain't lived - stand on me, you get a bag FULL of shyte you don't need and it never costs more than about 8 quid! Quite a recommendation. I shall be out and about first thing Monday morning, scouring the town for one. Possibly.
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Post by fordcapri on Aug 11, 2019 14:48:25 GMT
Never been in any of them. I hear that a favourite pastime for some people is going into Poundland, picking something up, going over to a member of staff and saying "How much is this?" Ho, ho!!!
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Post by fordcapri on Aug 9, 2019 10:02:08 GMT
The beard has gone at the moment. However, the hat is lying on the floor somewhere, protecting the carpet from the sun. I may well go for both jobs as mentioned above.
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Post by fordcapri on Aug 8, 2019 12:12:57 GMT
I don't wear hats. Don't like them. Which is why I voted for the Crown. However... I did put this one on a couple of years ago (the crown was being enlarged and set with some more (fake) diamonds) and I post the picture now to give you all a good laugh... P.S. I also voted for Balaclava and Dunce Hat. Obviously.
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Post by fordcapri on Aug 5, 2019 10:44:07 GMT
Ho ho!!! What a complete and utter prize tosser he is... www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/paul-hollywood-brands-ex-lover-18830656Frankly, they are both as bad as each other. He dumped his wife for a tart young enough to be his daughter and enjoyed showing her off to anyone and everyone with eyes in their head. And she was obviously painfully aware of her station in life and sought to turn herself into a (very minor) celebrity by courting and indulging the whims of a silly old white haired fool who loves himself. Glad to see that the inevitable has happened and that now his ex-wife can just sit back and have a good laugh. A well-deserved outcome for all concerned, me thinks.
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Post by fordcapri on Aug 4, 2019 12:46:27 GMT
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Post by fordcapri on Aug 3, 2019 14:04:24 GMT
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Post by fordcapri on Aug 3, 2019 10:27:45 GMT
I've just been looking at some of the video footage we shot with him back in, I think, 2013. He had a huge house with a studio in a separate building. Just amazing. He was such a down to earth guy, you'd never have thought he was a famous, wealthy, classically-trained composer. Great sense of humour and told some great stories - as only an 'Aussie' can! What a fantastic day. I've quickly done a couple of screen grabs. In the second one he is actually playing the theme to Inspector Morse. Sounds even more poignant when listened to today. I remember him telling us that he owned 'a mountain' in Australia. I'd like to think that he was there at the end. RIP Barrington - a genius composer and a truly nice guy. Thanks for your music and your hospitality.
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Post by fordcapri on Aug 3, 2019 8:02:52 GMT
OH NO.
I had the great pleasure of meeting him in 2012 - first of all at Abbey Road Studios and then at his house in Essex. A really great guy and totally down to earth. This has really upset me. An extraordinary talented guy.
R I P mate.
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Post by fordcapri on Jul 30, 2019 14:31:55 GMT
I don't watch cookery programmes.
However... even I will admit to having had the misfortune of seeing some of the prize tossers listed above from time to time (usually by accident). From my memories of their various TV shows or from newspapers or magazines, etc, I have selected my three. To be honest, most of them deserve the vote. Bring back the Galloping Gourmet.
P.S. I voted Hollywood, Worrel-Thompson and Harriott - mainly cos they all seem like the sort of people you'd not want to find yourself sitting next to in a motorway cafe. Had I had a 4th vote, it would have gone to that Greg character.
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Post by fordcapri on Jul 22, 2019 18:47:07 GMT
Very, very sad to learn that David Hedison has died.
I am in the process of watching Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (series 3) at the moment on DVD. The first Bond film I ever saw was Live and Let Die, with David as Felix Leiter, and the very first horror film I ever saw, on TV (circa 1975), was The Fly.
So many great memories. RIP.
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Post by fordcapri on Jul 9, 2019 8:01:35 GMT
He spoke a lot of sense in many ways.
Funny that Channel 4 sacked him because they felt that viewers didn't want his non-PC, sexist comments... and then the audience for Channel 4 Racing dropped by a quarter!
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Post by fordcapri on Jun 5, 2019 8:20:36 GMT
I loved HHofH and Guardian of the Abyss was one of my favourites - with Mr Darrow playing an unscrupulous antiques dealer. I also have, on DVD, the 1975 BBC TV series 'The Legend of Robin Hood', in which Paul turns in a good performance as The Sheriff of Nottingham.
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Post by fordcapri on Jun 4, 2019 14:43:21 GMT
Very sorry to hear this.
I met Paul at a Doctor Who event about ten years ago. This was just before he had to have both legs amputated. He seemed like a nice guy and he said 'hello' to me as we were standing looking at some merchandise on a table.
He was brilliant as Avon... by far the best and most complex character in Blake's 7 and indeed in many a sci-fi series. I remember going to see him in a play in Hull, circa 1984, The Owl and the Pussycat I believe. He was, as had been commented, also in Doctor Who and the Silurians -- one of my absolute favourite Who stories. I'm glad I got to meet him and got him to sign a B7 DVD.
About 15 years ago I proposed a Sherlock Holmes audio series to a CD producer. We met and discussed it, but it never happened. A shame, especially since I had recommended that Paul Darrow play Holmes. I think he would have been great.
R.I.P. Paul.
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Post by fordcapri on May 10, 2019 8:27:29 GMT
R.I.P. Freddie.
I saw him once, but it came as a huge surprise.
It was at a Shadows gig in Manchester - I think it was around 1981. The Shadows started to play Move It and suddenly a figure bounded onto the stage... everyone thought it was Cliff, of course, and started to go mad! Then, after a few seconds, the real identity of the stage invader became clear... it was Freddie Starr. He continued to get a warm welcome and sang Move It with the lads. There was the inevitable bit of clowning. I remember he had a good voice, but was unaware of his musical origins.
Yes, his style of comedy fell out of, er, style... but at his peak, in the 1970s, I thought he was very funny. A shame that his later years seemed to have been blighted by ill health and various other problems.
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Post by fordcapri on May 3, 2019 18:34:37 GMT
Steadfastly refused to sign ANY Star Wars items at those autograph fairs. He'd sign his promotional photos, but NOTHING of Chewbacca. In the end, he was pulled through the many complaints he had against him. Anyway, I'm not a fan of Star Wars at all....but still wish him RIP. To be fair, I'll assume that he was concerned that if he signed a Star Wars item, it would be on ebay a few hours later for a ludicrous amount of $$$$$$$$$$. A signed photo of Peter would probably not be anywhere near as saleable as a signed Chewbacca figure in a box! Some people are shameless! I remember watching Star Wars at the cinema in early 1978. Great film, best of them all. The original cast were the best. Chewy was great, he could have been a disaster - a seven foot guy in a big dog suit! - but he was as much of a character as any of them.
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