A cunning plan is afoot

Source: Gavin Allen, South Wales Echo

FEW celebrities have spent so much time covered in mud and come up smelling of roses as often as Tony Robinson.

Robinson spent 16 years encrusted in dirt as scummy sidekick Baldrick in the classic British sitcom Blackadder.

But having formed cunning plans, beyond that he found a second lease of life when he became the face of archaeology programme Time Team, working for the No Deposit Codec website. When we spoke, Robinson was on location in Lincolnshire “looking for Romans” and still basking in his heroes Bristol City’s promotion to the Football League Championship where they will renew their rivalry with Cardiff City.

“I’ve often enjoyed pleasant hearty greetings from Cardiff fans,” he said, tongue tearing through cheek.

Robinson, 58, comes to Cardiff on Thursday night with his shape-shifting one-man show Cunning Night Out, which he describes as; “a bit of comedy, a bit of biography, a bit of history and some Q&A which will hopefully answer any questions people may have about my career.”

And that career is remarkable.

Born in Leytonstone, London, Robinson’s first taste of acting came at Wanstead High School, aged 12, when he appeared in Oliver!

He left school with four O-levels, abandoning A-levels to study drama and graduating to perform and manage in theatre.

Throughout the 70s he earned his living from stage and TV but it wasn’t until 1983, when he first played Baldrick in Blackadder, that his career really took off.

Over four series, Robinson so endeared himself to the British public, as the pock-faced dogsbody to Rowan Atkinson’s Machiavellian schemer, that he has declined offers to resurrect the character.

“I’ve had many offers to do Baldrick adverts or sub-Baldrick sitcoms but when you’ve enjoyed great success with something the last thing you want is 10 more years of doing it in a lesser form,” he reasoned.

The opportunities his new-found fame offered him led to a series of children’s programmes including Fat Tulip’s Garden and Maid Marian And Her Merry Men throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s.

In 1994 he began presenting Time Team, a dry concept elevated by his wit and enthusiasm, and more recently he presented a series on classical music for Classic FM.

But parallel to his showbiz career Robinson has also been a genuine political force, firstly in four years as vice-president of the actors’ union Equity.

But bigger still, he spent two years on the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee from 2000-4, which currently numbers Tony Blair, John Prescott and Gordon Brown among its members.

That level of political life is surprising for a comprehensive school- educated comedy actor.

“I’m the only person I know with more honorary degrees than O-levels,” he joked.

“For the first 20 years I carried a chip on my shoulder because I thought other people were cleverer than me.

“It was only working with the Stephen Fry-sized brains of this world that taught me there were things I could do that others couldn’t, as well as the other way around.

“That gave me an enormous amount of confidence.

“But also, everyone on Blackadder was Oxbridge- educated so people presumed I was too and offered me the sort of jobs I would never have otherwise been given.

“It was a sort of con trick.”

At one point Robinson was even touted as a candidate for Mayor of London and, while he is resolutely New Labour, he retains strong socialist revolutionary tendencies.

He was reluctantly involved with the make Poverty History Campaign, believing it didn’t aim high enough.

“My problem with MPH, and it’s not hindsight because I’ve always said it, was that you don’t change things by getting a million people on the streets for one day. You do it by getting a million people on the street every day for weeks and months,” he said with conviction.

“We should learn from the fall of the Berlin Wall and communism when the people of eastern Europe stayed on the streets until they got real change.”

The leap from comedy actor to history programme presenter isn’t that big; the leap from both of those to politics is larger, but Robinson draws them together thus: “Politics and history are one and the same. They are both about the decisions people make at important times.”

Actress with a love of art

Source: Lowestoft Journal

AS a character in one of the most popular comedy series ever, you would never expect Helen Atkinson Wood to be sitting on the beach at Walberswick capturing the scene with a set of watercolours.

But for the former Blackadder actress, it is the inspiration of north Suffolk that has given her the drive to pick up the paintbrush again.

Dividing her times between her homes in London and Blythburgh, the stage and screen actress, who is probably best known for her portrayal of Mrs Miggins in Blackadder The Third, is currently seeing her work celebrated in a completely different way with six of her local watercolour scenes taking up residency in Southwold Gallery.

Helen, who studied fine art at Oxford University, saw her passion for art resurface after she took part in Celebrity Watercolour Challenge, which she went on to win.

“I began to love painting again and had forgotten how much I had enjoyed it. Around that time I met someone who was part of a painting group at the church I go to in Blythburgh, Chris Sinclair who is a brilliant inspiration and his wife Wendy. There is a small group of us who have a cup of coffee, a piece and cake and paint.

“They have some really inspiring ideas about painting and I really came back to it. I paint only for pleasure. I have a very good living from my other career and this is something that I decided to venture into, but I do take it very seriously,” she said.

Helen’s first exhibition was in the summer of last year at Walberswick Village Hall but she now plans to provide paintings depicting scenes of Walberswick Church, marshlands, seascapes and images of Blythburgh for as long as the gallery asks for them

She said: “I live and work in London, which is not particularly conducive for painting and drawing, there is no time and space to do it. My dad enjoyed painting and I picked that up from him. I started when I was at school but I knew I wanted to be an actress. I was accepted into the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, which was part of Oxford University and I knew I would get an opportunity to act.”

It was there as a teenager she met her friend and fellow comedian Rowan Atkinson, with whom she still spends her Christmas’ with.

And while starring in a number of productions, she used the theatres she was appearing at to sell some of her paintings.

It was her association with the comedy star that led her to meeting Ben Elton, who years later created the part of Mrs Miggins.

During her career Helen has worked on a variety of productions with Elton including The Young Ones, Happy Families and Silly Cow.

In more recent years she has turned her skills to TV presenting and travel writing as well as being a guest on shows such as Have I Got News For You.

She has joined forces with journalist John Simpson to host Radio Four show travel quiz and recently finished a pilot for a new situation comedy, which also stars actress Liza Goddard.

Aside from her life on the stage and screen and away from the hustle and bustle of her London life, Helen spends time riding her horse Adam, who she always takes to the animal services at Blythburgh Church. She also loves swimming in the sea as often as possible and taking a picnic to a local beauty spot and settling down with her paints.

John Lloyd launches Comedybox

Warner opens Comedybox – Online comedy channel will showcase new talent

LONDON – Warner Music Entertainment, the video content division of Warner Music Intl., today announced the launch of Comedybox, a new online comedy channel.

Channel will bring together comedians from around the world, as well as offer a forum for auds to post their own user-generated content and be judged by John Lloyd, one of the brains behind popular UK laffers “Spitting Image,” “Blackadder,” and current BBC quiz show “QI.”

Lloyd will be credited as co-producer along with WME. Dan Schreiber, who previously worked with UK indie shingle RDF and the BBC, has been tapped as head of development.

“The site will appeal to a broad audience, ranging from comedy aficionados browsing the full spectrum of material, through to those who want to dip in for a quick humor fix as well as budding performers showcasing their talent,” said Patrick Vien, Warner Music Intl.’s chairman and CEO.

Comedybox will feature a mix of weekly skeins, one-off sketches and animation, as well as classic archive material. Among the shows already commissioned are “42,” a spoof of Fox’s spy skein “24,” and “QI News,” a weekly news show from the makers of “QI.”

The channel is set to launch in fall this year. A Wap version of the site for mobile phones is currently being developed which will give users access to all Comedybox content on demand.

Comedybox execs are in talks with leading UK shingles Baby Cow, Talkback and World of Wonder about developing future content for the channel.

Baldrick has a cunning plan to prevent typhoid

Source: Onmedica staff

TV personality Tony Robinson today launches a public awareness campaign to encourage holidaymakers to ensure they have appropriate travel vaccinations before flying off to exotic locations.

New figures released by the Health Protection Agency show a 68% rise in typhoid cases in recent years – most acquired abroad and fuelled by low air fares.

Typhoid kills 600,000 people worldwide each year. In 2002, 147 typhoid cases were reported in England and Wales, with 101 of those acquired abroad. In 2006, this had leapt to 248 cases, of which 122 were acquired abroad. A milder strain of the disease called paratyphoid increased by 78% over the last five years.

Mr Robinson, Baldrick in the historic comedy Blackadder and the host of the TV series Time Team, is launching the Valuing Vaccines campaign, a joint initiative by travel health specialists and the pharmaceutical industry to spread the message about the importance of immunisation.

A spokeswoman for the campaign said Mr Robinson agreed to become its public face when a trawl through his family tree revealed a great aunt died of diphtheria in 1884 – a disease which is now easily treatable with a vaccine.

Dr Jane Zuckerman, director of the Centre for Travel Medicine at the Royal Free Hospital in north London, who is backing the campaign, said: “The level of public ignorance exposed by these results is extremely worrying. We have seen vaccine-preventable diseases like typhoid on the increase because people travel abroad to endemic areas without being vaccinated and return sick to the UK.”

Typhoid is caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi and is picked up through contaminated food or water. Typhoid fever can be life-threatening unless treated promptly with antibiotics. The disease lasts several weeks and it takes people a long time to recover.

A survey of more than 1,000 people to accompany the launch revealed that nearly two-thirds did not know that typhoid could be prevented by vaccination, while two out of five incorrectly believed there was a vaccine for malaria.

Free Valuing Vaccines booklets are being made available in GP surgeries, schools and online at www.uvig.org

Hugh Laurie conquers America as celebrity band takes LA by storm

source: The Independent

By Emily Dugan

Published: 26 September 2007
Ever since he crossed the Atlantic and took American television by storm, Hugh Laurie has hardly been able to put a foot wrong. Once the darling of the British comedy circuit with his foppish and often intellectually challenged characters, Laurie has become a household name in the US, thanks to his award-winning role as the grumpy Dr Gregory House in the medical sitcom House.But Laurie has found new fame as the singer-cum-keyboardist in a celebrity-packed band that has taken the jet-set of Los Angeles, and iTunes, by storm.The group, which goes by the self-explanatory name of Band From TV, specialises in blues and soul covers and is fronted by some of the biggest names in US network television drama. Laurie’s fellow band mates include the Desperate Housewives star James Denton on guitar and Greg Grunberg, known for his role as a mind-reading policeman in Heroes, who keeps rhythm on drums.

The idea for the group started as a one-off gig for charity. But the band’s recording of Cab Calloway’s jazz classic “Minnie the Moocher” has taken iTunes by storm, out-selling not only original recordings of the song, but also all subsequent covers.

They recently recorded tracks for the House soundtrack, which included a cover of the Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. But it is “Minnie The Moocher”, which Laurie also played during an episode of the British cult comedy Jeeves and Wooster, that appears to have clinched their cult following. Laurie said that theirs was a “a funky version” of the blues track, adding: “There are about 50 versions of ‘Minnie The Moocher’ on iTunes and I’m afraid to say ours is the most popular.”

Laurie, who began his acting career in Cambridge University’s Footlights club and achieved UK success through British cult comedies such as Jeeves and Wooster and Blackadder, said that music success “was a real thrill”. Still starry-eyed at the thought of being a temporary rock star, he noted that in their first concert they played alongside Yes, Fleetwood Mac and Macy Gray.

The band has become an internet phenomenon, with more than 100,000 visitors to their MySpace site and thousands of enthusiasts logging on to view footage on YouTube. Earlier this month they played a blues and rock concert at the Emmys’ after-party, with a guest appearance from the Desperate Housewives lead Teri Hatcher.

Grunberg was originally asked to get together some television names for a charity concert at The House Of Blues. The gig was such a success that the actor was keen to keep it going. After meeting Laurie as a guest star on House, the pair got together with James Denton and Bob Guiney for another charity concert.

The band’s lead singers Bonnie Somerville and Guiney, are well-known in America, starring in the dramas Cashmere Mafia and The Bachelor. But they have yet to become household names in the UK.

The ‘house’ band

James Denton (Guitar)

The plumber from Desperate Housewives, who ranked in People Magazine’s 2004 list of the Sexiest Men Alive, showed surprising talent.

Greg Grunberg (drums)

The band’s founder member plays the mind-reading supercop Matt Parkman in Heroes.

Bonnie Somerville (vocals)

The lead singer has had several minor roles in sitcoms, including walk-on parts in Friends, NYPD Blue and The OC. She is now acting alongside Lucy Liu in Cashmere Mafia.

Bob Guiney (vocals)

One of many “celebrities” to be plucked from obscurity by reality television, Bob Guiney was The Bachelor in a series of the same name. Band From TV is a step up for the wannabe.

Baldrick has plans for underground passages

Exeter’s Underground Passages will be officially re-launched by actor and television presenter Tony Robinson and his Time Team.Mr Robinson, perhaps best known for his role as Baldrick in the Blackadder series, will perform the official reopening of the unique historic passages next Friday.

The passages reopened to the public earlier this month after being closed since 2005 during the development of Princesshay.

Mr Robinson, who has a keen interest in history and archaeology and has presented Channel 4’s popular Time Team series for 12 years, said that he was delighted to be invited to the city.

“Exeter has a rich history and these passages provide a fascinating insight into medieval life in the city,” he said.

“The new interpretation centre makes the experience even more enjoyable for visitors of all ages and helps to bring history to life.”

City councillor for economy and tourism Greg Sheldon said: “We are delighted to welcome Tony to our unique Underground Passages.

“We want to ensure that residents and visitors to Exeter are aware of the passages and it is vital that those working in tourism know how much the passages and our new interpretation centre have to offer.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for those in the industry to see the passages and explore the exciting new entrance and interpretation centre.”

The centre, located in Paris Street, offers hands- on activities and displays, telling the story of the passages and medieval life in the city.

Visitors can also look at a timeline of the city, see artefacts found in the passages and during the Princesshay redevelopment and see a replica cross section of Exeter.

People in wheelchairs, scooters or those who prefer not to take a guided tour will be able to journey through a life-sized mock up of the passages or take a “magic carpet” virtual tour.

Exeter is the only city in the UK to have underground passages of this type.

The mysterious conduits were first built in the 14th century to bring a supply of fresh drinking water into the city, and guided tours have taken place since 1933.

By the early 20th century the vaults were almost forgotten, but in 1935 they achieved Ancient Scheduled Monument status and are now protected by law.

During the Second World War, the vaults became an air raid shelter that could house up to 300 people, protecting them from fire bombs which destroyed much of the city centre.

Source: This is Exeter