Tag: Celebrities

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 »

Gary Miller – Born to Teach, Play Football and Sing

Gary Miller, born Neville Williams on 3 May 1924 in Blackpool, was a popular singer and actor during the 1950s and 1960s. His passion for show business emerged early, often distracting him from his schoolwork and even influencing his wartime service in the Royal Navy, where he combined active duty with performing in concert parties. After the war, a grant allowed him to pursue a university degree in languages, but he left to focus on singing full-time. Over the years, he worked as a schoolteacher, interpreter, yachtsman, footballer, and cricket coach for Blackpool. He also owned a 20-acre property near… Read more »

Lesley Daine Stars with Sir John Mills

Lesley Daine was born ‘Lesley Dainty’ on 20 May 1947 in Blackpool. She was an actress, best known for ‘Without a Clue’ (1988) and ‘The Family Way’ (1966), the latter being a film featuring music by Beatle Paul McCartney. The film also starred Sir John Mills with his daughter Hayley Mills. The two clips below show Lesley Daine appearing in the 1970s drama series ‘Within These Walls’. But she also appeared in ‘Coronation Street‘ in two roles: firstly in August 1976 as stripper Josie Steel; and she returned to the programme as Irene Sherratt, an old school friend of Audrey Potter, who attended… Read more »

Molly Wright Wins London Film Critics Circle Award

Molly Florence Wright is an actress who was born 20 March 1996 in Blackpool. For her debut film Apostasy (2017), she was named Young British/Irish Performer of the Year in 2018 by the London Film Critics’ Circle and nominated for two British Independent Film Awards. On television, she is known for her role in the BBC drama ‘The A Word’ (2016–2020). Wright attended Blackpool Sixth Form College and took the Foundation Acting course at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA). She joined an extras agency and made her television acting debut when she starred in the BBC One… Read more »

Bunny May was off to a Good Start with Enid Blyton

Bunny May was born ‘Bernard Lawrence May’ in 1940 in Blackpool. He was an actor, perhaps best known for EastEnders (1985), Up Pompeii! (1969), Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em (1973) and for the first episode of Going Straight (1985) (see full episode below). He was also in Coronation Street from September to October 1963 and played Ethel Tyson’s nephew Jim Pickup. He began his career as a teenager on BBC children’s television in the early to mid-1950s, but later moved into adult roles in series such as Emergency-Ward 10, The Chem. Lab. Mystery, The Liver Birds, Crown Court, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave… Read more »

Robert Lawrenson Lands Role in SyFy’s Sanctuary

Robert Lawrenson was born in Blackpool on 12 November 1971. He is an actor, film editor and director, perhaps best known for his role of Declan MacRae in the SyFy TV show Sanctuary (2008) – where he appeared for three series, and Underworld Awakening (2012). He began acting as a child in musical theatre, and went on to study acting in York, and performed in theatre in York, and in several productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Lawrenson played P.C. Glaister and a police officer in Coronation Street from 2002 to 2007. He also appeared in Crossroads, Holby City, Heartbeat,… Read more »

Legend Sir Bill Beaumont Joins Fylde Rugby Club

Sir Bill Beaumont, born on 9 March 1952, in Chorley, Lancashire, is a distinguished figure in rugby union, celebrated for his contributions both on and off the field. He was also a one-club player who joined Fylde Rugby Club as a 17-year-old in 1969, then retiring in 1982 due to an injury. He earned 34 England caps, 21 as captain, led the side to the Grand Slam in 1980, and captained the 1980 British Lions tour to South Africa. Post-retirement, Beaumont remained a prominent figure in rugby as a broadcaster, and columnist. As a player, he earned 34 caps for England between… Read more »

John Lennon’s Three Fleetwood Summers

John Lennon lived in Fleetwood for three Summers from 1947 to 1949, just nine miles north of Blackpool. The image below shows him in the front garden of 90 The Esplanade, a large corner house facing the marina in Fleetwood. The background image shows the house as it is today. Lennon’s Aunt Elizabeth ‘Mater’ Parkes was just widowed and working at this address as a live-in housekeeper with her son Stanley, John’s cousin and ‘big brother’. There are several posts on the timeline showing John Lennon’s connection to Blackpool: John Lennon’s Father’s Home in Blackpool, Cynthia Lennon – Born in Blackpool, The… Read more »

Sonny Flood Lands Role in Hollyoaks

Sonny Flood, born on 18 November 1989 in Blackpool, was educated at Rossall School near Fleetwood, where he excelled academically. In 2006, he achieved ten GCSEs, all graded A or A*, followed by four A grades at AS level in English Literature, History, Media Studies, and Philosophy in 2007. The following year, he attained an A in English Literature and a B in History at A2 level, opting to focus on just two subjects to balance his studies with his acting commitments on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. A devoted Blackpool FC supporter, he appeared on Sky Sports’ Soccer… Read more »