Tag: Born

Victoria Monks Appears at the Empire Theatre

Victoria Annie Monks, born in Blackpool on 1 November 1882, was a prominent music hall singer in the early 20th century. During the Edwardian era and the First World War, she gained recognition for performing and recording popular songs such as Take Me Back to London Town and Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home? The daughter of optician Andrew Thomas Monks, she was educated in both England and Belgium. Her early performances were recorded in the Blackpool Gazette & Herald on 13 August 1897, where she was billed as “Little Victoria” at the Empire, Blackpool. She made her London debut… Read more »

Caroline O’Neill Appears in Endeavour

Caroline O’Neill, born on 13 December 1961 in Blackpool, is a British actress with an extensive career spanning television, film, and theatre. Best known for her roles in Endeavour (2012), Queer as Folk (1999), and Robin Hood (2006), she also made a lasting impression on soap audiences as Andrea Clayton in Coronation Street. Her career in television has been remarkably diverse, with appearances in over 80 different series. She has featured in Poirot, Doctors, All Creatures Great and Small, Casualty, Doc Martin, Happy Valley, Whitechapel, Holby City, The Inbetweeners, The Bill, Heartbeat, Fat Friends, EastEnders, Peak Practice, Birds of a… Read more »

Joseph-Warren Plant Joins Emmerdale

Joe-Warren Plant, born on 12 April 2002 in Blackpool, is a British actor best known for his role as Jacob Gallagher in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He has played Jacob since 2010, beginning his time on the show at the age of eight. His portrayal has earned him three nominations for Best Young Performance at the British Soap Awards in 2014, 2019, and 2021. Raised in Poulton-le-Fylde with his parents, Steph and Warren Plant, he developed an early interest in acting and was enrolled at Scream Theatre School in Blackpool from the age of four. He later attended Baines… Read more »

Wayne Michaels’ Bungee Stunt in James Bond Film Goldeneye

Wayne David Michaels, born on 22 January 1959 in Blackpool, is an English stuntman and stunt arranger known for his work in film and television. He attended Millfield School from 1972 to 1977 and has been married to fellow stunt performer Tracey Eddon since 1990, with whom he has one child. He is best known for performing the iconic bungee jump in the opening sequence of the James Bond film GoldenEye. The 220-metre jump, filmed at the Verzasca Dam in Switzerland, was voted the best movie stunt of all time in 2002 and set a record for the highest bungee… Read more »

Tom Rolinson Lands Role in Top CBBC Show

Tom Robinson, born on 25 May 1997 in Blackpool, is a television actor best known for his role as Ash Newman on the CBBC children’s series 4 O’Clock Club. He grew up in Thornton and attended Cardinal Allen High School in Fleetwood. In 2012, he was selected from over 900 hopefuls to play Ash, securing a main role in the popular CBBC show. Robinson starred alongside Khalil Madovi in 4 O’Clock Club, a series centred around school life and music, and later appeared in its spin-off series The 4 O’Clock Files. His character, Ash, was best friends with Josh and… Read more »

Christine McGuinness Becomes Miss Liverpool

Christine McGuinness, born Christine Martin on 20 March 1988 in Blackpool, is an English model, television personality, and former beauty queen. She gained recognition as a cast member on The Real Housewives of Cheshire, appearing between 2018 and 2020, and has since featured on various television programmes, including The Real Full Monty and The Games. In 2021, she took part in a BBC documentary alongside her then-husband, Paddy McGuinness, to raise awareness about autism. Her early life was marked by challenges, including sexual abuse by a family member and her father’s struggle with heroin addiction. She pursued a career in… Read more »

Danny Howard Wins BBC Radio 1 Role as Superstar DJ

Danny Howard, born on 14 July 1987 in Blackpool, is a British DJ, dance music producer, and the current host of Radio 1’s Dance Party. He studied sport and exercise science at Edge Hill University, where he also began developing his career as a DJ. During his time at university, he held a residency at The Syndicate, one of the UK’s largest nightclubs, based in Blackpool. Following his studies, he spent three months DJing for Ministry of Sound in Egypt, gaining further experience in the industry. Howard’s breakthrough came in August 2011, when he won the BBC Radio 1 Superstar… Read more »

Rosie Timpson Lands Role in Poirot

Rosie Timpson, born in 1957 in Blackpool, is a British actress known for her work in television throughout the late 20th century. She is perhaps best recognised for her role as Miss Deloy in the 1989 episode The King of Clubs from Agatha Christie’s Poirot. Her television career includes appearances in popular British dramas and sitcoms. In 1992, she played Mary Toolan in A Touch of Frost, followed by a role as Maureen Wood in an episode of Peak Practice the next year. She also made guest appearances in sitcoms such as The Brittas Empire in 1991, where she played… Read more »

June Tripp Lands Role in Alfred Hitchcock Film

June Tripp, born June Howard-Tripp on 11 June 1901 in Blackpool, was a British-American actress best known for her work on stage and in silent films. Often credited simply as June Tripp, she primarily performed in revue theatre but also appeared in several films, most notably starring opposite Ivor Novello in Alfred Hitchcock’s silent thriller The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927). In March 1929, she married John Alan Burns, 4th Baron Inverclyde, and moved to Castle Wemyss. She was mentioned as “Topsy” in Inverclyde’s account of his travels aboard the steam yacht Beryl around the Mediterranean that… Read more »

Hamish Hamilton Directs 82nd Academy Awards & Super Bowl Halftime Show

Hamish Hamilton, born Mark Hamilton on 8 April 1966 in Blackpool, is a British film and television director known for his work on some of the world’s biggest live events. Since 2010, he has directed the Super Bowl halftime show annually and has also been at the helm of prestigious productions such as the Academy Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards, and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics. His career has seen him collaborate with major music artists, including Mariah Carey, Eminem, Madonna, The Who, and U2. Hamilton began his career at BBC Scotland, where he… Read more »