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Boyz Unlimited
''Boyz Unlimited'' is a British comedy series, which aired on Channel 4 from 5 February to 12 March 1999. A six-part satire about the music industry, the show featured Nigel Gacey ( Frank Harper), a career criminal, giving himself a year to form his own boy band and his attempts to do so. It was produced by Hat Trick Productions and credited as being written by Richard Osman. Ratings and critical reception were both poor, and the programme was not recommissioned; David Walliams would later claim that his experiences caused both him and Matt Lucas to refuse to work with Hat Trick on subsequent projects for many years, and Osman's experiences would cause him to lose confidence in his writing ability. Background, production, and plot In the 1990s, boybands were popular, with acts such as New Kids on the Block, Take That, Boyzone, and 911 achieving success during this period. GMTV attempted to enter the market with its own boyband, The One, and '' 2point4 Children'' broadcast a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Osman
Richard Osman (born 28 November 1970) is an English television presenter, producer, and novelist. He is the creator and former co-presenter of the BBC One television quiz show ''Pointless''. He has presented the BBC Two quiz shows ''Two Tribes (game show), Two Tribes'' and ''Richard Osman's House of Games'', and been a team captain on the comedy panel shows ''Insert Name Here'' and ''The Fake News Show''. He has also made appearances on British comedy Panel show, panel shows including ''Would I Lie to You?'' and ''QI''. Osman worked at Hat Trick Productions before becoming creative director of the television production company Endemol UK, producing shows including ''Prize Island'' for ITV (TV network), ITV and Deal or No Deal (British game show), ''Deal or No Deal'' for Channel 4. He is the author of the bestselling ''Thursday Murder Club (series), Thursday Murder Club'' mystery novels. Early life and education Osman was born on 28 November 1970, in Billericay, Essex, to Brenda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2point4 Children
''2point4 Children'' is a BBC Television sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porters, a seemingly average, working-class London family whose world is frequently turned upside-down by bad luck and bizarre occurrences. The show was originally broadcast on BBC One from 1991 to 1999, and ran for eight series, concluding on 30 December 1999 with the special episode "The Millennium Experience". The show is regularly repeated in the UK. In Australia showings are on UKTV. The name of the show comes from the stereotypical average size of a typical nuclear family in the UK at the time of the writing of the first series. The show regularly picked up audiences of up to 14 million throughout the 1990s, with an average of between 6 and 9 million. The final episode was viewed by 9.03 million people. Lead actor Gary Olsen died in 2000, effectively ruling out a return of the show for any further series. Plot summary The Porters are a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bryan Elsley
Bryan Elsley (born 17 May 1961 in Dalkeith, Midlothian) is a Scottish television writer, best known for the co-creation of E4 teen drama '' Skins'' with his son, Jamie Brittain. Other television dramas include ''Rose and Maloney'', '' The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star'', ''The Crow Road'', '' Dates'', and '' Kiss Me First''. Early life and education Elsley attended Dalkeith High School before going on to read English and History at the Alcuin College, University of York in York, England, where he graduated with a B.A. in 1982. Career While a student at the University of York, Elsley met and collaborated with Harry Enfield. They created a comedy duo, "Dusty and Dick", and performed a sell out show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Elsley took up a career in theatrical writing, and then pursued television writing after parting from Enfield. For three years, Elsley was artistic director of Pocket Theatre Cumbria, which was based at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was published on Saturday 26 March 2016, leaving only the online edition. The daily edition was named National Newspaper of the Year at the 2004 British Press Awards. ''The Independent'' won the Brand of the Year Award in The Drum Awards for Online Media 2023. History 1980s Launched in 1986, the first issue of ''The Independent'' was published on 7 October in broadsheet format.Dennis Griffiths (ed.) ''The Encyclopedia of the British Press, 1422–1992'', London & Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1992, p. 330. It was produced by Newspaper Publishing plc and created by Andreas Whittam Smith, Stephen Glover and Matthew Symonds. All three partners were former journalists at ''The Daily Telegraph'' who had left the paper towards the end of Lord Hartwell' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those who work in theatre and the performing arts. History The first edition of ''The Stage'' was published (under the title ''The Stage Directory – a London and Provincial Theatrical Advertiser'') on 1 February 1880 at a cost of three old pence for twelve pages. Publication was monthly until 25 March 1881, when the first weekly edition was produced. At the same time, the name was shortened to ''The Stage'' and the publication numbering restarted at number 1. The publication was a joint venture between founding editor Charles Lionel Carson and business manager Maurice Comerford. It operated from offices opposite the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Carson, whose real name was Lionel Courtier-Dutton, was cited as the founder. His wife Emily C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phil Harding (producer)
Philip James Harding (born 1957) is an English Record producer, music producer, Audio engineering, audio engineer, remixer, academic and author. Harding started in the music industry aged 16 at London's Marquee Studios in 1973, where he got to work as an assistant engineer under the guidance of top producers on albums for artists such as Elton John, Kiki Dee and Barry Blue. As Harding's career progressed, a long list of credits began to accumulate, with artists as diverse as The Clash, Killing Joke, Toyah Willcox, Amii Stewart and Matt Bianco, all taking advantage of Harding's fast-growing reputation as a top engineer. The very first band Harding worked with was Killing Joke where he was a young in-house engineer. By 1984, a newly formed production team at The Marquee – Stock Aitken Waterman – was added to the list. Harding engineered and mixed their first chart successes, Divine (performer), Divine and Hazell Dean, and their breakthrough international hit and first No. 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Mulville
James Thomas Mulville (born 5 January 1955) is an English comedian, comedy writer, producer and television presenter. He is best known for co-founding (in 1986) the British independent television production company Hat Trick Productions with Denise O'Donoghue and Rory McGrath (who left in 1992). In 2003, Mulville and O'Donoghue, as co-founders of Hat Trick, were listed in ''The Observer'' as two of the 50 funniest people in Britain. Early career Brought up in Walton, Liverpool, Mulville attended Alsop High School, a local comprehensive. He began his career as an actor and writer for the Cambridge Footlights, whilst reading French and Classics at Jesus College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, Mulville met Rory McGrath with whom he both performed and wrote. He became president of Cambridge Footlights in 1977 and after graduating, went on to work for BBC Radio comedy for four years, producing shows such as ''Injury Time'' (1980–1982) and '' Radio Active'', before moving to television ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Howard Donald
Howard Paul Donald (born 28 April 1968) is an English singer, songwriter, drummer, pianist, dancer, DJ and record producer. He is a member of the pop group Take That. He was also judge on the German reality talent show ''Got to Dance'' from 2013 to 2014, during a Take That-hiatus. Early life Donald grew up in Droylsden with his older brothers Colin and Michael and his younger sister Samantha. He went to Littlemoss High School in Droylsden, gaining no GCSEs, and trained for three years as a vehicle painter, on the Youth Training Scheme (YTS). A budding DJ, his musical interests were largely informed by his brother Colin's vinyl collection, and included electronic acts such as Kraftwerk, John Foxx, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Gary Numan. As a teenager Donald became interested in dancing and frequented the burgeoning breakdancing circuit in the Greater Manchester area, where he would first come into contact with future bandmate Jason Orange. He auditio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, having written fifteen number-one singles (twelve with Take That, two solo, one with the Robbie Williams song "Candy") and twenty-four top-ten hits. As a solo artist, he has had three number-one singles, six top-ten singles and three number-one albums, and has additionally had seventeen top-five hits, twelve number-one singles and eight number-one albums with Take That. Barlow has also served as a judge on the television talent shows '' The X Factor UK'' (2011–2013), '' Let It Shine'' (2017) and '' Walk the Line'' (2021). Barlow has received six Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the award for Outstanding Services to British Music. Barlow was appointed an Officer of the Order of the Briti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suede (band)
Suede (known as the London Suede in the United States) are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1989 by singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Justine Frischmann, and bassist Mat Osman. Drawing from glam rock and post-punk, Suede were labeled "The Best New Band in Britain" by ''Melody Maker'' in 1992, attracting significant attention from the British music press. The following year, their debut album, ''Suede (album), Suede'', reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the fastest-selling debut album in nearly a decade. It won the Mercury Music Prize and helped propel 'Britpop' as a musical movement, though the band distanced themselves from the label. The recording sessions for their second album, ''Dog Man Star'', were tumultuous, ending with guitarist and songwriter Bernard Butler leaving after conflicts with the other members. Guitarist and songwriter Richard Oakes (guitarist), Richard Oakes replaced him and joined the band just before the accompanying tou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mat Osman
Mathew David Osman (born 9 October 1967) is an English musician and author, best known as the bassist in the rock band Suede. Osman and singer Brett Anderson are the only two remaining founding members left in Suede, and perform along with drummer Simon Gilbert, who has also appeared on any Suede albums. Osman is also a writer; he has written two novels and contributed to various publications. He is the brother of presenter and author Richard Osman. Biography Osman was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, but was raised mainly in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Osman's younger brother is the presenter and author Richard Osman. In 1986 he gained A-levels in economics, sociology and political studies. He studied at the London School of Economics where in 1989, he was awarded a BSc in Politics. Osman met future Suede lead singer Brett Anderson in Haywards Heath, and they played together in early garage bands such as The Pigs and Suave And Elegant. Osman co-wrote some o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mash And Peas
''Mash and Peas'' was a parodic sketch show written by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. Their first television work together, it originally aired on Paramount Comedy 1 and Channel 4 between 1996 and 1997. The episodes were repeated before the channel's relaunch in 1999. The programme is made up of parodies of various television genres, introduced by the childish and incompetent Danny Mash (Lucas) and Gareth Peas (Walliams). Edgar Wright directed and long-standing collaborator Paul Putner appeared throughout. Episode guide 1. "Kids TV" * Parodies of ''Play Away'', Tony Hart, ''Jackanory'' and '' Why Don't You?'' specifically, each with a hidden agenda - such as oppressive Christianity or existential terror - or some surprising surrealism coming to the fore. 2. "American Sitcoms" * Parodies of American sitcoms, both domestic ''('A Puppet Lives In My House')'' and blue-collar ''('My Cousin Is English')''. A sketch filmed but dropped for reasons of taste was a parody of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
