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1-11 of 11
- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Richard Rodney Bennett was an eclectic composer of serious orchestral works, jazz songs and music for stage and screen. Of the former, his most famous compositions include a First Symphony, a piano concerto and four string quartets. Among the latter are scores for operas, such as the dramatic "The Mines of Sulphur" and the more light-hearted and satirical "A Penny for a Song". Born into an artistic family (his mother was a pianist and composer, his father a writer of children's books), Bennett wrote a cantata, "Put Away the Flutes", while still in his early teens. He enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music in London in 1953, graduating three years later. He subsequently continued his studies under the avant garde French composer/conductor Pierre Boulez in Paris, eventually becoming adept at fusing jazz and serial techniques, in addition to mastering jazz piano.
Comfortable in varied genres, some of his best film music is strongly jazz tinged, notably The Wrong Arm of the Law (1963) and Billion Dollar Brain (1967). Other well-known scores include the romantic, melodic themes for Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and Murder on the Orient Express (1974), the latter two garnering both Oscar and Grammy Award nominations ("Orient Express" also winning a BAFTA). From 1979, Bennett was based in New York, where his Second Symphony had been commissioned by Leonard Bernstein eleven years earlier (Bernstein eventually became one of his referees for a green card, Stephen Sondheim, another). Bennett's predilection for jazz was given free reign in the 1990's, when he began to play jazz piano in cabaret, including at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London and a season at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel, invariably accompanied by vocalists Claire Martin or Marian Montgomery. He had also held the international chair of composition at the Royal Academy of Music from 1994 to 2000.- Actor
- Composer
David Malin was born on 10 June 1957 in Broadstairs, Kent, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for The Modernista (2003), John Le Mesurier: It's All Been Rather Lovely (2012) and The Unforgettable John Le Mesurier (2001). He was married to Susan Griffiths. He died on 15 September 2017 in Ramsgate, Kent, England, UK.- Writer
- Actor
- Script and Continuity Department
Frank Muir was born on 5 February 1920 in Broadstairs, Kent, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for The Seven Faces of Jim (1961), The Frost Report (1966) and Bachelor in Paris (1952). He was married to Polly McIrvine. He died on 2 January 1998 in Thorpe, Surrey, England, UK.- Edward Heath was born in 1916 in Broadstairs, Kent. His father was a carpenter, his mother was a maid and his background was very modest. He attended Balliol College at Oxford, where he earned a second-class degree in philosophy, politics and economics. He got active in Conservative Party politics while at Oxford, but opposed Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement.
He served in the military during World War II, in the Royal Artillery. After the war, he entered the Civil Service in the Ministry of Aviation. In 1950, he was elected Conservative MP for Bexley. He would represent that constituency for more than fifty years. His rise through the ranks was rapid, being appointed a junior whip in 1951 and was promoted to Chief Whip in 1955. He was appointed Minister of Labour in 1959. He was also appointed Lord Privy Seal in 1960 and President of the Board of Trade in 1963.
The Conservative Party lost the 1964 election and its leader, Alec Douglas Home, stepped down shortly thereafter, but not after changing the leadership election rules, which made it easier for the rank and file to win the leadership. Edward Heath was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 1965, being the first commoner to lead the party. Edward Heath then went on to unexpectedly win the 1970 General Election for the Conservative Party on the 'Selsdon Platform', calling for more aggressive pro-growth economic policies.
Edward Heath's tenure as Prime Minister was very turbulent. His main accomplishment was to admit Britain into the European Community, which it joined in 1973. That was about his only major accomplishment as Prime Minister. The rest of Heath's time in office was not so happy. His Chancellor of the Exchequer, Iain McLeod, died within a month of winning the election and his successor, Tony Barber, was not nearly as capable. His Minister for Education, Margaret Thatcher, proved extremely capable, but attracted controversy when she abolished free milk in the schools, earning her the name 'Margaret Thatcher, the Milk Snatcher.'
Edward Heath's efforts to tame the power of trade unions did not match the rhetoric. The Industrial Relations Act did not deliver on its promises to curb trade union abuses. Northern Ireland was a source of continuing trouble. British soldiers fired on unarmed civilians in the Londonderry Massacre in 1972. The violence and disorder in Northern Ireland got so bad that Heath was forced to suspend the local government there and impose direct rule from London.
Back in Britain, the government caved before a miner's strike in 1972, after especially violent clashes between striking miners and police at Saltley Coke Depot; the police were withdrawn 'for their own protection' but it was a victory for the Miners' Union and thereafter, they had the power to make or break governments in Britain. Britain, like the rest of the Western World, was badly affected by the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973, but Britain was especially hard-hit as the miners struck again. Heath put the country on a three-day workweek to conserve energy, and break the will of striking miners. This backfired and hurt Heath's government more.
In early 1974, Heath called an election on the question of 'Who Governs Britain?' The electorate had lost confidence in Heath and it showed. The election of February 1974 was inconclusive. The Conservative Party lost its majority in Parliament. The Labour Party won the most seats, but not a majority--therefore, it could not really form a government. But Ted Heath was no longer Prime Minister and he handed power over to Harold Wilson in March 1974. Because the result of the February 1974 election was so inconclusive, another election was soon called for October.
Labour won the October 1974 election by a tiny majority. This did not make Heath look good; he had lost three out of four elections. The mood of the Conservative Party was intense rage. Yet none of the Conservative Party establishment dared to cross him. However, Margaret Thatcher, his Minister of Education did challenge Heath for the party leadership in the next party election. On February 4, 1975, she defeated him in the party leadership election. Heath won only 119 votes to Margaret Thatcher's 130, but he had lost his grip on the party. He resigned as Leader of the Conservative Party on February 11, 1975, having handed it over to Margaret Thatcher.
From that point on, Heath refused to serve in the Shadow Cabinet or the front benches. Heath never recovered from his defeat, settling for being a glowering presence on the back benches of Parliament. He remained in Parliament for another twenty-five years. In late-1990, he flew to Iraq in an effort to bring about a diplomatic solution to the Invasion of Kuwait and met with Saddam Hussein; he was unable to persuade Saddam Hussein to pull out of Kuwait, though he did return home with a handful of British hostages.
In 1992, Edward Heath became the longest-serving MP in Parliament and thus became Father of the House, a position he held until he retired from Parliament in 2001 at the ripe old age of 85. Edward Heath was a lifelong bachelor. He never married. Politics was his main interest, but he had other hobbies which included sailing yachts and music. His favorite instruments to play were the piano and the organ. Edward Heath died at age 89 in 2005. - Antoinette Cellier was born on 23 June 1913 in Broadstairs, Kent, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Dear Octopus (1943), Pride and Prejudice (1938) and Assassin for Hire (1950). She was married to Bruce Seton. She died on 18 January 1981 in Chelsea, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Music Department
David Legge MBE (1947 - 16 January 2012), known as Dave Lee, was a British comedian known for his work in pantomimes around Kent and his work on television. Lee also founded his own charity (Happy Holidays) to help disadvantaged children. During his lifetime, it raised £2 million for many of Kent's sick, disabled and under-privileged children to enjoy holidays and outings with their families. In the 2003 New Year Honours, Lee was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for services to the community in Kent. On the 10th of January 2012, Canterbury announced that Lee would be given the Freedom of the City. Lee died six days later of pancreatic cancer, age 64. His funeral was held at Canterbury Cathedral on the 30th of January 2012 with an attendance of 1200, including actors Shaun Williamson, Shane Richie & John Altman, & fellow comedians Joe Pasquale, Jim Davidson, Bobby Davro, Richard Digance, as well as the Lord Mayor of Canterbury. He received the Freedom of the City posthumously. A bronze statue of Lee was unveiled outside the Marlowe Theatre in May 2014.- Kenneth MacLeod was born on 6 January 1927 in Broadstairs, Kent, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Lilli Palmer Theatre (1955), Stand by to Shoot (1953) and BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950). He was married to Diane Hart. He died on 31 January 2003 in the UK.
- Writer
- Script and Continuity Department
- Music Department
Alec Grahame was born on 22 September 1926 in Broadstairs, Kent, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Friday Show (1960), Cocktails in the Kitchen (1954) and Showtime (1959). He died on 18 August 2001 in England, UK.- Walter Lindsay was born on 21 August 1888 in Broadstairs, Kent, England, UK. He was an actor, known for For Valour (1937). He died in 1957 in Fulham, London, England, UK.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Jennifer Vyvyan was born on 13 March 1925 in Broadstairs, Kent, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Talk to Her (2002), The Turn of the Screw (1959) and Gilbert and Sullivan (1953). She was married to Leon Crown. She died on 5 April 1974 in London, England, UK.- Peter Benson was born in 1956 in Broadstairs, Kent, England, UK. Peter is a writer, known for The Levels (1996).