Thomas Kelman Fleming, FRSAMD (29 June 1927 – 18 April 2010) was a Scottish actor, director, and poet, and a television and radio commentator for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Early life

Fleming was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and attended Daniel Stewart's College, where the performing arts centre was renamed in his honour shortly after his death.

Career

Acting career

His acting career began in 1945. His first professional performance was in Robert Kemp's ''Let Wives Tak Tent'' in 1947. Along with Kemp and Lennox Milne, he co-founded the Gateway Theatre in Edinburgh in 1953. In August 1958, he played Lord Weir in the Gateway's Edinburgh International Festival production of R.J.B. Sellar's adaptation of

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

's novel, '' Weir of Hermiston''. In October 1961, he played

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

in the Gateway's production of Robert Kemp's ''Master John Knox''. In 1962, he joined the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

. That year he played the title role in William Gaskill's production of ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' (), also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in British Iron Age, Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concer ...

''. In 1965, he founded a company at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. His film roles included a supporting part as the Catholic priest John Ballard in the period drama ''

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

'' (1971). On television, he played the title role in the 1956 BBC children's series ''Jesus of Nazareth''. In 1983, he played the part of Lord Reith, the BBC's first Director General, in a two-part BBC production written by Roger Milner, entitled simply ''Reith''. In 1985, he played the title role in the Scottish Theatre Company's production of

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's '' Life of Galileo''. He played the title role in John Purser's play '' Carver'', first broadcast by

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

on 31 March 1991.

Directing career

Fleming was the director of

The Scottish Theatre Company The Scottish Theatre Company was started in 1980 under the direction of Dundee-born actor Ewan Hooper who had revived the Greenwich Theatre, London in 1969, but for most of its 8 years it was directed by his successor Tom Fleming (actor), Tom Fl ...

for most of its years in the 1980s. He directed the company in the Edinburgh Festival production of Sir David Lyndsay's '' Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaites'', staged at the Assembly Hall in 1986.

Presenting career

He was a commentator for the BBC telecast of the

Edinburgh Military Tattoo The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, and artistic performance teams on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the capital of ...

from 1966 until 2008. He was the BBC commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest 1972 in Edinburgh. He was a commentator on

television coverage of state events, and provided commentary outside Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. He commentated on the annual National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph between 1966 and 1988,and for BBC Radio undertaking commentary for The Cenotaph Service in 1991, 1992 and 1993 and the outside broadcast of the Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of The Battle of Britain as well as royal weddings and funerals, for example the ceremonial funerals of Princess Diana and the

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

. He also read the script of the famous soliloquy of Sir Richard Dimbleby at the Lying in State of King George VI at a Service in Westminster Abbey to mark the placement of Sir Richard Dimbleby in Poets Corner. This was at the special request of David and Jonathan Dimbleby. The service was broadcast live on BBC Radio Four. (Prod. David France).

Plays

* ''Miracle at Midnight'', a nativity play staged by the Edinburgh Gateway Company in December 1958

Honours and awards

He was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1980 and a Commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

in 1998. Fleming also received an Honorary Doctorate from

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

in 1984.

Personal life and death

Fleming, who never married, was organist,

lay preacher A lay preacher is a preacher who is not ordained (i.e. a layperson) and who may not hold a formal university degree in theology. Lay preaching varies in importance between religions and their sects. Overview Some denominations specifically disco ...

, secretary and reader at the Canonmills Baptist church in Edinburgh. After a long illness he died in St Columba's Hospice in Edinburgh on the night of Sunday 18 April 2010, aged 82.

Television

References

External links

*
The Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott ClubObituary in 'The Scotsman'Obituary in 'The Guardian'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleming, Tom 1927 births 2010 deaths Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire Theatre in Scotland Male actors from Edinburgh Royal Shakespeare Company members Scottish male stage actors Scottish television presenters Scottish theatre directors People educated at Stewart's Melville College 20th-century Royal Navy personnel Military personnel from Edinburgh Royal Navy sailors