|
Kinvig
''Kinvig'' is a 1981 sci-fi comedy television series made by London Weekend Television which ran for one series of seven episodes. It was the only sit-com written by Nigel Kneale who was more famous for creating serious science fiction dramas such as '' Quatermass'' and its sequels, and it was directed and produced by Les Chatfield, with original music by Nigel Hess. Synopsis Ineffectual dreamer Des Kinvig ( Tony Haygarth) runs a rundown little electrical repair shop in the small town of Bingleton where he lives with his mumsy, scatterbrained wife Netta ( Patsy Rowlands) and oversized pet dog Cuddly. One day his shop is visited by the beautiful, sharp-tongued Miss Griffin ( Prunella Gee) who seems at first just another dissatisfied customer. However, after encountering a flying saucer while walking the dog one night, Kinvig discovers she is actually a scantily-clad alien from the planet Mercury who desperately needs the help of the scruffy, bearded Des' "exceptional brain" to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patrick Newell
Patrick David Newell (27 March 1932 – 22 July 1988) was a British actor perhaps best known for playing Mother in '' The Avengers''. Early life and education The second son of Eric Llewellyn Newell, of High Lodge, Hadleigh, Suffolk, an Oxford-educated physician who served as a captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps, Newell was educated at Taunton School and completed his National Service, where a fellow recruit was Michael Caine, before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, alongside Albert Finney and Peter O'Toole. Career Newell began to be seen frequently on TV, usually cast as a fat villain or in comic roles. Given his rotund appearance and ability for playing slightly stuffy types, he was a natural stooge in several comedy shows, first for Arthur Askey, in '' Arthur's Treasured Volumes'' (ATV, 1960), then for Jimmy Edwards in '' Faces of Jim'' (BBC, 1962), with Ronnie Barker also supporting. He was originally cast as one of the inept recruits in the first o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patsy Rowlands
Patricia Amy Rowlands (19 January 1931 – 22 January 2005) was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films series, as Betty Lewis in the ITV Thames sitcom '' Bless This House'', and as Alice Meredith in the Yorkshire Television sitcom '' Hallelujah!''. Early years Rowlands was born in Palmers Green, Middlesex and attended the Sacred Heart convent school at Whetstone. While attending, an elocution teacher spotted her potential and encouraged her to pursue a career in acting. She applied for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and won a scholarship aged 15. Early career Rowlands began her career in the chorus of '' Annie Get Your Gun'', followed by a summer season in Torquay. She then spent several years with the Players' Theatre in London, before making her West End theatre debut in Sandy Wilson's musical '' Valmouth''. Rowlands's other West End credits included ''Semi-Detached'' with Laurence Olivier and directed by Tony Richard ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prunella Gee
Prunella Mary Gee (born 17 February 1950) is an English counsellor, therapist and former actress, best known for her work as an actress in the 1970s and 1980s, and for the role of Doreen Heavey in ''Coronation Street'', a part she first played in 1999. Doreen appeared in 17 episodes before returning as a permanent character in 2002 and 2003. She came back the following year for three episodes, proving to be Gee's final television role. Early life and education The daughter of a businessman living in Rutland, Gee was privately educated at Benenden School, where she was in the year below Princess Anne.Des Wilson, "Six girls heading for stardom" in ''The Observer'' magazine, 1974 volume, p. 524 Wanting to become an actress, she studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, where she won the Spotlight Award for Best Actress in 1972; she then spent six months in repertory performing in works by J. B. Priestley, George Bernard Shaw, William Shakespeare, Georges Feydeau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nigel Kneale
Thomas Nigel Kneale (18 April 1922 – 29 October 2006) was a Manx screenwriter and author, whose career spanned more than 50 years, between 1946 and 1997. Predominantly a writer of thrillers that used science-fiction and horror elements, he was best known for creating the fictional scientist Professor Bernard Quatermass. He has been described as "one of the most influential writers of the 20th century", and as "having invented popular TV". Born in England and raised on the Isle of Man, Kneale studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, beginning his entertainment career with BBC Radio. He won the 1950 Somerset Maugham Award for his short story collection ''Tomato Cain & Other Stories''. Kneale was most active in television, joining BBC Television in 1951; his final script was transmitted on ITV in 1997. His breakthrough as a screenwriter came in 1953, writing the highly successful BBC television serial ''The Quatermass Experiment.'' Kneale's signature chara ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Haygarth
George Anthony Haygarth (4 February 1945 – 10 March 2017) was an English television, film and theatre actor. Life and career After leaving Marlborough College, Liverpool, Haygarth worked unsuccessfully in 1963 as a lifeguard in Torquay, and also tried escapology, equally unsuccessfully. Other jobs included psychiatric nursing and he was an amateur actor before turning professional and appearing in repertory theatre, followed by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Haygarth played a milkman in ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'' and made his film debut in the comedy film '' Percy'' (1971), subsequently playing many roles in police and historical dramas, as well as situation comedies. He was normally cast as a solid, reliable character with a down-to-earth attitude. From 1977 to 1981 he played PC Wilmot in Roy Clarke's series '' Rosie''. He played Milo Renfield in ''Dracula'' (1979) opposite Frank Langella, Donald Pleasence and Laurence Olivier. Haygar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colin Jeavons
Colin Abel Jeavons (born 20 October 1929) is a British retired actor and TV presenter. He is known for his character roles and has worked in theatre, television and film, especially in literary adaptations and roles related to the works of Charles Dickens. He was born in Monmouthshire, Wales. Career Jeavons' started his early career in rep theatre in Birmingham in a production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in 1946, and also worked for such companies as the Bristol Old Vic, Old Vic School of Theatre in London, Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company amongst others. His earliest television role was as Jules Neraud in an episode of the 1956 anthology series of teleplays ''Nom-de-Plume''. Jeavons began appearing in BBC literary adaptation roles including a production of Pride and Prejudice, an association with Dickens productions on BBC Television began in 1959 with ''Bleak House'' as Richard Carstone, and ''Great Expectations'' (for the first time) as Herbert Pocket ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Simon Williams (actor)
Simon Williams (born 16 June 1946) is a British actor known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. Frequently playing upper middle class or aristocratic upper class roles, he is also known for playing Charles Cartwright in the sitcom '' Don't Wait Up'' and Charles Merrick in medical drama ''Holby City''. Since 2014, he has played the character of Justin Elliott in the long-running BBC Radio 4 series ''The Archers''. Early life and education Simon Williams was born in Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in 1946. His parents were the actor Hugh Williams and the actress and model Margaret Vyner. His sister Polly, an actress, married his ''Don't Wait Up'' co-star and friend Nigel Havers. She died in 2004. His brother is the poet Hugo Williams. Williams was educated at Harrow School. He trained in Repertory theatre, repertory at Worthing, Birmingham and Bath, Somerset, Bath, and later joined the Theatre Workshop. Career Williams has appeared on stage in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Science Fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space exploration, time travel, Parallel universes in fiction, parallel universes, and extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial life. The genre often explores human responses to the consequences of projected or imagined scientific advances. Science fiction is related to fantasy (together abbreviated wikt:SF&F, SF&F), Horror fiction, horror, and superhero fiction, and it contains many #Subgenres, subgenres. The genre's precise Definitions of science fiction, definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers. Major subgenres include hard science fiction, ''hard'' science fiction, which emphasizes scientific accuracy, and soft science fiction, ''soft'' science fiction, which focuses on social sciences. Other no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ufology
Ufology, sometimes written UFOlogy ( or ), is the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by people who believe that they may be of extraordinary claims, extraordinary origins (most frequently of extraterrestrial hypothesis, extraterrestrial alien visitors). While there are instances of List of investigations of UFOs by governments, government, List of UFO organizations, private, and fringe science investigations of UFOs, ufology is generally regarded by Skeptical movement, skeptics and Science education, science educators as an example of pseudoscience. Etymology Ufology is a neologism derived from ''UFO'' (a term apparently coined by Edward J. Ruppelt), and is derived from appending the acronym UFO with the suffix ''-logy'' (from the Ancient Greek ''-λογία'' (''-logia'')). Early uses of ufology include an article in ''Fantastic Universe'' (1957) and a 1958 presentation for the UFO "research organization" The Planetary Center. Historical background The roots ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Nicholls (writer)
Peter Douglas Nicholls (8 March 1939 – 6 March 2018) was an Australian literary scholar and critic. He was the creator and a co-editor of ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' with John Clute. Early career Born in Australia's state of Victoria in Melbourne, he spent two decades from 1968 to 1988 as an expatriate, first in the USA, and then the UK. Nicholls' early career was as a literary academic, originally with the University of Melbourne. He first travelled to the USA in 1968 with a Harkness Fellowship in movie making, and has scripted television documentaries. His significant contributions to science fiction scholarship and criticism began during 1971, when he became the first Administrator of the Science Fiction Foundation (UK), a title he had until 1977. He was editor of its journal, ''Foundation (journal), Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction'', from 1974 to 1978. ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' During 1979, Nicholls edited ''The Encyclopedia of Scienc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fandom
A fandom is a subculture composed of Fan (person), fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices, differentiating fandom-affiliated people from those with only a casual interest. A fandom can grow around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like a Media franchise, franchise or an individual celebrity, or encompassing entire hobby, hobbies, genres or fashions. While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an Sports fandom, enthusiastic appreciation for sports. Merriam-Webster's dictionary traces the usage of the term back as far as 1903. Many fandoms are overlapped. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Pringle
David Pringle (born 1 March 1950) is a Scottish science fiction editor and critic. Pringle served as the editor of '' Foundation'', an academic journal, from 1980 to 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective which founded '' Interzone'' in 1982. By 1988, he was the sole publisher and editor of ''Interzone'', a position he retained until he sold the magazine to Andy Cox in 2004. For years, from 1991 to 1993, he also edited and published a magazine entitled ''Million: The Magazine About Popular Fiction''. ''Interzone'' was nominated several times for the Hugo Award for best semiprozine, winning in 1995. In 2005, the Worldcon committee gave Pringle a Special Award for his work on ''Interzone''. Pringle is a scholar of J. G. Ballard. He wrote the first short monograph on Ballard, ''Earth is the Alien Planet: J. G. Ballard's Four-Dimensional Nightmare'' (Borgo Press, 1979) and compiled ''J. G. Ballard: A Primary and Secondary Bibliography'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
