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The Comedians (1971 TV Series)
''The Comedians'' is a British television show of the 1970s (later reprised in the mid-1980s and early 1990s) produced by Johnnie Hamp of Granada Television. The show gave TV exposure to nightclub and working men's club comedians of the era, including Russ Abbot, Jim Bowen and Bernard Manning, many of whom went on to enjoy mainstream success in the 1980s. Filmed before a live audience in Manchester, comics each performed 20-minute sets, which were then edited together into half-hour shows featuring up to thirteen stand-up comics. Working men's clubs were numerous in Britain, especially in the North of England and have been a useful training ground for artists, especially comedians. Most of these clubs are affiliated to the CIU (Working Men's Club and Institute Union) founded in 1862 by the Rev. Henry Solly. There are also political clubs, as well as Servicemen's Clubs affiliated to the Royal British Legion. ''The Comedians'' began as an experiment for Granada TV and was popu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russ Abbot
Russell Allan Abbot (born Russell Allan Roberts; 18 September 1947) is an English musician, actor and comedian. Born in Chester, he first came to public notice during the 1970s as the singer and drummer with British comedy showband the Black Abbots, later forging a prominent solo career as a television comedian with his own weekly show on British television. Continuing his musical career as a solo artist, Abbot released several charting singles and albums. His career has continued with a shift into more mainstream serious acting in television shows, series, and stage productions. Career As a drummer/backing singer, Abbot joined the Black Abbots (founded by Robert Turner) in Chester during the mid-1960s and they released several singles to modest chart success on minor labels in the early 1970s. The band only signed their first major recording contract in 1977, putting out a series of comedy singles and one live album (Abbot now taking lead vocals) before disbanding in 1980. Su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Melba
Paul Melba (born Francis Staunton; 1936 – 11 August 2020) was an English comedian and impressionist, known as a star of the ITV (TV network), ITV impressions show ''Who Do You Do?'' and as one of the first comics to appear on ''The Comedians (1971 TV series), The Comedians.''Lewisohn, Mark (1998). ''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy''. BBC Books. p. 816. Early life He grew up in Huyton, Lancashire (now Merseyside). His father was a comedian under the stage name Sandy Franks. After leaving school, Frank Staunton joined the Royal Marines Reserve, before returning home and deciding on a show business career under the name Paul Melba. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Working Men's Club
Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families. History The first working men's club opened in 1857 in Reddish, Reddish Working Men's Club is still located on Greg Street, and was established for the workers of Victoria and Albert Mill. Wisbech Working Men's Club & Institute was formed in 1864 in Wisbech, Isle of Ely, and moved to its present site in 1867. It was once the most financially successful of all the clubs in England, with over 1,300 members in 1904. Working men's clubs provided a framework for members to engage in a range of political, educational, or recreational activities. Despite the original educational ambitions, most working men's clubs are now mainly recreational. Typically, a club would have a room, often referred to (esp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ITV (TV Network)
ITV, legally known as Channel 3, is a British free-to-air public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television network. It is branded as ITV1 in most of the UK except for central and northern Scotland, where it is branded as STV (TV channel), STV. It was launched in 1955 as Independent Television to provide competition to BBC Television (established in 1936). ITV is the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990, it has been Legal name, legally known as Channel 3 to distinguish it from the other analogue channels at the time: BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 4. ITV was, for decades, a network of separate companies that provided regional television services and also shared programmes among themselves to be shown on the entire network. Each franchise was originally owned by a different company. After several mergers, the fifteen regional franchises are now held by two companies: ITV plc, which runs ITV1, the ITV1 cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ITV Granada
ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ABC Weekend Television was its weekend counterpart. Granada's parent company Granada plc later bought several other regional ITV stations and, in 2004, merged with Carlton Communications to form ITV plc. Granada Television was particularly noted by critics for the distinctive northern and "social realism" character of many of its network programmes, as well as the high quality of its drama and documentaries. In its prime as an independent franchisee, prior to its parent company merging with Carlton Communications to form ITV plc, it was the largest Independent Television producer in the UK, accounting for 25% of the total broadcasting output of the ITV network. Granada Television was founded by Sidney Bernstein, Baron Bernstein, Sidney B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Granada Studios
Granada Studios was a television studio complex and events venue on Quay Street in Manchester, England, with the facility to broadcast live and recorded television programmes. The studios were the headquarters of Granada Television from 1956 to 2013. After a period of closure, five of the six studio spaces reopened in 2018. The studios are the oldest operating purpose-built television studios in the United Kingdom pre-dating BBC Television Centre by five years. They were previously home to the world's longest-running serial drama, ''Coronation Street'', as well as other long-running shows such as the quiz show '' University Challenge'' and the current affairs documentary series '' World in Action''. As well as being the oldest television studios in the United Kingdom, the studios also held the Beatles' first television performance in 1962 and the first general election debate in 2010. Until 2010, the main building, Granada House, had a red neon "Granada TV" sign on the roof, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnnie Hamp
Johnnie Hamp (sometimes referred to as John Hamp, or Johnny Hamp) is a British television producer, now retired. He is responsible for the early British television appearances of such acts as the Beatles, Burt Bacharach, Cannon and Ball, Paul Daniels, comedian Woody Allen and singer Lisa Stansfield as Head of Light Entertainment with Granada Television. Biography Early life and 1960s television As a small boy he toured variety theatres as a stooge to his father, a magician known as the Great Hampo. In 1949 he won several talent contests with his own act, a Danny Kaye Tribute, and then toured with The Brian Michie Discoveries Show. In 1950 he was conscripted for two years service in the Royal Air Force. During the 1950s he trained as a Granada cinema manager in Kingston, moving to the group's flagship venue at Tooting to handle a 1953 Frank Sinatra concert. He presented many more, firstly with Johnnie Ray, Guy Mitchell and Frankie Laine, and later with Tommy Steele, Cliff Richar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Wilson (comedian)
Lee Wilson (31 July 1938 – 3 June 2013) was an English comedian best known for his performances on the ITV Television show '' The Comedians''. He attended King's Hill School, Wednesbury and served in Malaya with the Cheshire Regiment of the British Army where he was in an entertainment troupe. After winning talent contests as a singer and forming a band called The Kingsford Four, he added comedy to his act. He then won ''New Faces'' in 1976. Wilson later performed on cruise ships for P&O and became an after-dinner speaker. He died of pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ... on 3 June 2013, at the age of 74. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charlie Williams (comedian)
Charles Adolphus Williams, Order of the British Empire, MBE (23 December 1927 – 2 September 2006) was an English professional association football, footballer who was one of the first Black British, black players in British football after the Second World War,Stephen Bourne (writer), Bourne, StephenObituary ''The Guardian'', 4 September 2006. Later he became Britain's first well-known black stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian.Obituary ''The Times'', 4 September 2006. He became famous from his appearances on Granada Television's ''The Comedians (1971 TV series), The Comedians'' and Associated TeleVision, ATV's ''The Golden Shot'', delivering his catchphrase, "me old flower" in his broad Yorkshire accent. Early life and football career Williams was born in Royston, South Yorkshire, Royston, a small mining vi ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roy Walker (comedian)
Robert "Roy" Walker (born 31 July 1940) is a television personality and comedian from Northern Ireland, who worked for many years as both a television presenter and comedy actor. He is best known as the original host of the game show ''Catchphrase'' between 1986 and 1999, and as one of the stars of the comedy showcase '' The Comedians''. Early life Born in Belfast, as a teenager Walker performed in the Francis Longford Choir, then worked as a riveter in the Harland and Wolff shipyard. He was the Ireland champion hammer thrower for three years, and represented Ireland internationally. He spent a short time as a comedy partner of James Young before serving seven years in the British Army. Walker first started work aged 12. By the end of the 1960s, he was running a pawn shop whilst working in the evenings as the compère at the Talk of the Town club in Belfast. The Troubles, a continuing threat of violence between political groups in Northern Ireland, was ongoing at this time. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Shane
Paul Shane (19 June 1940 – 16 May 2013) was a British actor and comedian. He was known for his television work, in particular for playing Ted Bovis in the 1980s BBC sitcom ''Hi-de-Hi!''. Early life Shane was born on 19 June 1940 as George Frederick Speight, in Thrybergh, near Rotherham, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. After leaving school in 1955, he was a miner at Silverwood Colliery until he suffered double Spinal disc herniation, herniated discs after slipping on soap in the pithead baths in 1967, being pensioned from the coal mines as a result. Two years later he became a professional entertainer. He already had ten years' experience as a part-time entertainer in pubs and clubs in south Yorkshire. Career Shane's first appearance, as a singer, was at the Grafton pub — now demolished — in St Ann's Road, Rotherham. His first club booking was at St Ann's Club in Rotherham, for 30 shillings. His transformation from singer to comedian was gradual, starting with his versi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Roper
George Francis Roper (born Furnival; 15 May 1934 – 1 July 2003) was an English comedian, best known for his appearances in the long-running UK television series ''The Comedians (1971 TV series), The Comedians''. Early history Roper was born in Liverpool to a working-class family of Irish descent, to parents who were staunchly Roman Catholic. In conversation with the writer Ken Irwin in 1972, he remarked that "the rough and ready upbringing of Catholics in Liverpool brings out the humour in a family": He's another comic who has known poverty. There were five children in the Roper family, three girls and two boys. Dad saw a lot of life – he was a window cleaner. 'Times were hard when I started at school, in the early war years,' says George. 'We never went without, but a jam butty was often a meal'. Two of Roper's great-uncles were popular stars of the British Music hall, Music Hall: Johnnie Cullen of the comedy team Cullen and Carthy, and George Sanford of the dance act ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
