I hope you’re all keeping well during these strange continuing times.
Last year I was in a play called The Sylvia Swing, a touching piece about loss and loneliness. Playwright Melanie Hopkinshas adapted the stage version to be performed online, and it went live Friday night.
Take a look at the results below. A lovely piece – and feels apt for these times.
The Lockdown Log…
So, Lockdown 2 is over and we are now in Tier 3 (again) – or T3.2 as I think of it.
I passed the days of Lockdown 2 doing a daily log update with a max running time 2:20, so I could post to Twitter.
I’m keeping up with the Log now we’re in T3.2, hopefully through to Christmas at least. Link below is for the YouTube Playlist for the Nov/Dec videos… Take a look, I walk the dogs, eat breakfast, drink coffee and spend time at the computer…. Exciting times.
Catch up on MOCKDOWN! for Sunday Aug 30th, as I chat with my guests about lockdown life – and coping with the new normal.
This week… Film Director Jack Spring, and Star Trek Yorkshire’s Joshua Note!!
JOSHUA NOTE – Actor, writer, presenter – formed a Star Trek Yorkshire fan group that’s now helping people struggling during this global pandemic through the Sick Bay…
JACK SPRING – Film director, former hot-tub salesman and part time international warlord. Made his directional debut aged just 19 with ‘Destination: Dewsbury‘ (I was in it) – we’ll find out what he’s up to now…
Actor, Extra, Model, Influencer, Writer / Director, Other Film & Stage Crew, TV Presenter, Radio Presenter.
Joshua Note has written children’s fiction since he was a child, and has finally decided to send his work out into the world with the help of his editor.
He used to work in tech, and still designs apps and new concepts for fun things.
He’s working on a video game design with his colleagues from Australia and The United States.
He also used to interview people across the whole spectrum of the arts on his podcast The Note Show, and has just relaunched it.
He is a mental health advocate, and supports Bipolar UK by fundraising and raising awareness of the condition.
He’s deeply interested in Psychology, Music and Games.
Formed Star Trek Yorkshire – an online fan group that is already helping people struggling through pandemic through the Sick Bay.
JACK SPRING Film director, former hot-tub salesman and part time international warlord.
Jack is one of the World’s most exciting feature emerging film directors. Having made his directional debut aged just 19 with ‘Destination: Dewsbury‘. After becoming one of WME’s youngest ever directorial signings, Spring is currently working on his second feature film; ‘Three Day Millionaire’, which is due to shoot in late 2020. He is also due to shoot his debut two TV projects throughout 2020. Spring is based in London, UK but is regularly floating in foreign bars.
An eccentric director known for his ‘big, hyper-real characters’ and ‘fast paced, all you can eat’ style, Spring’s work stands out as some of the most amusing in British Cinema.
“Jack Spring represents the next generation of superstar British directors.” — DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD “The humour is crass and the jokes come faster than a pubescent teens first hand job.” — ALEX CLEMENT, CRITIC
MOCKDOWN! streams live on Sunday evenings at 8pm (UK) on my Actor Facebook Pageand on my YouTube Channel. There are also occasional Mockdown Confidential shows on Tuesday evenings.
Previous shows are on my Actor page, and are also available as a Playlist on YouTube
MOCKDOWN! sometimes features video clips which are not owned by myself, they are found on YouTube, etc, and are used during the show to demonstrate my guest’s work. No infringement is intended.
Had a great MOCKDOWN show Sunday night, with three fantastic guests…
Emmerdale actor TONY AUDENSHAW, was here to chat about how his shed kept him busy during lockdown…
Actor, writer, singer, social media star, and Lockdown SitCom creator FANNI COMPTON…
And we travelled to France to chat to my friend DOMINIC RAINFORD – he’s done panto, opera, Scooby-Doo and Shakespeare – now he’s entertaining the crowds at Disneyland Paris.
IF THE VIDEO ABOVE IS NOT AVAILABLE – PLEASE WATCH ON FACEBOOK LINK BELOW…
Back next Sunday for more! Stay safe me hearties!
D x
GUEST INFO:
Tony Audenshaw attended Guildford School of Acting, Tony enjoyed a few years acting and directing T.I.E. and filling multiple roles at Thorpe Park, theme park in the summers.
A few pantos at Oldham Coliseum and a load of commercials for the likes of Barclays Bank, Quorn and Tetleys Beer led to bits on Brookside and parts in other popular telly and the films Going Off Big Time and Ken Loach’s Raining Stones. And he’s played Bob Hope in Emmerdale since 2000.
A lover of variety and light entertainment he was thrilled to do Stars in Their Eyes twice (Kenny Rogers and Roy Wood) and appear on the likes of Blankety Blank, Family Fortunes, Harry Hills TV Burp, The Chase and Celebrity Mastermind.
He’s been singing with the covers band White Van Man since 2001, contributing regularly as ‘Tony’s Trials’ to the Running Podcast Marathon Talk, is a keen birdwatcher and helps run a weekly community quiz in his hometown New Mills, Derbyshire. Guest Links: Tony Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonysTrials Tony In The Shed YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTzmZ05_P-3yK6PGUbR-Lyg
Fanni Compton is an Actress, Writer, Social Media Creator & Recording Artist based in the North West. Her dreams of becoming a prima ballerina were dashed when she was told that her ankles were too weak.
She then tried her hand at varying jobs, but it didn’t take long for her to realise that she was on the wrong path– graduated Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2010. Since then he’s done hundreds of sketches and monologues for Social Media, started her music career andhas a Television Comedy Pilot in post production entitled Nowhere Close. And she’s made full use of the 2020 Pandemic to develop an Online Sitcom called Lockdown Lifeline. Guest Links: Fanni Music website: www.fannicomptonmusic.com Fanni YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCJU6ZsSSC22CyM2hQ43B7Dw
Dominic Rainford – Raised in Blackpool, Dominic trained in Musical Theatre at LSMT (London School of Musical Theatre). Since then he’s had a varied career going from Panto to the English National Opera. Scooby-Doo to Shakespeare. Dungeon creature to Drag Queen and has now swapped one tower for another as he’s living and working in France at Disneyland Paris. Guest Link: Dominic Twitter: @DommyPoppins
MOCKDOWN! streams live on Sunday evenings at 8pm (UK) on my Actor Facebook Pageand on my YouTube Channel. There are also occasional Mockdown Confidential shows on Tuesday evenings.
Previous shows are on my Actor page, and are also available as a Playlist on YouTube
MOCKDOWN contains video clips which are not owned by myself, they are found on YouTube, and used during the show to demonstrate my guest’s work.
No infringement is intended.
Had a lovely chat last night with my Mockdown Confidential guest, Andria Hill-Lehr.
Actor, Writer, Educator, Traveller, I met Andria in Nova Scotia – now she’s in Old Scotia – Edinburgh, Scotland.
Our chat covered, theatre, the arts, a WW2 hero, Andria’s books, future projects, Canada, mice, and living through Lockdown in Edinburgh.
Andria Hill-Lehr is a freelance writer and author of two non-fiction books:Mona Parsons: From Privilege to Prison, from Nova Scotia to Nazi Europe (Nimbus Publishing, 2017) and A Mother’s Road to Kandahar(Pottersfield Press, 2008).
She is also a Registered Counselling Therapist and entertaining public speaker offering informative workshops on a variety of topics, including mental wellness in the workplace, pre-retirement preparation (not a finance workshop), humour, conflict, change, and stress.
Had a great chat with two lovely people on Sunday night.
We talked Lockdown, theatre and telly stuff, poetry, and Tenby in Wales!
My guests were both actors, each with over 40 years experience in the business…. CHARLES DALE and KATE RUTTER… [Guest info below video]
GUESTS
CHARLES DALE, he’s done it all, English Shakespeare Company, West End, Broadway. Coronation Street (Dennis Stringer), Casualty (Big Mac) and many other bits of general TV shouting. Several films that have disappeared without trace… He’s now become a Lockdown Poet… Charles Dale Twitter
KATE RUTTER, actor in Theatre, Film, TV and Radio. Films include Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake, Mike Leigh’s Peterloo and The Full Monty. She’s appeared in many television dramas including His Dark Materials, Scott and Bailey, Cold Feet, Affinity, Silent Witness, DCI Banks, Clocking Off, Fat Friends, Queer as Folk and many more. She’s appeared in all the major continuing dramas, most recently as Coronation Street‘s tough cop, D.S Sam Beckett. Kate Rutter Twitter
Coming up this weekend, join me and two special guests as we chat about the world of entertainment during these strange pandemic days…
This week, two actors, each with over 40 years experience in the business….
First up, CHARLES DALE, he’s done it all, English Shakespeare Company, West End, Broadway. Coronation Street (Dennis Stringer), Casualty (Big Mac) and many other bits of general TV shouting. Several films that have disappeared without trace… He’s now become a Lockdown Poet…
And KATE RUTTER, actor in Theatre, Film, TV and Radio. Films include Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake, Mike Leigh’s Peterloo and The Full Monty. She’s appeared in many television dramas including His Dark Materials, Scott and Bailey, Cold Feet, Affinity, Silent Witness, DCI Banks, Clocking Off, Fat Friends, Queer as Folk and many more. She’s appeared in all the major continuing dramas, most recently as Coronation Street‘s tough cop, D.S Sam Beckett.
We’ll chat about the impact Lockdown has had on their lives and work, and what they’re up to now.
Jonathan Kydd An actor. But also does voice stuff and makes films and videos and write songs. Written three musicals and a variety of hour long shows featuring comedy bands and a number of video blogs, mostly about football. Also does cartoons. Was a dinosaur in Toy Story that time forgot, and all the voices in Bangers and Mash, and in Mr Bean, and Noddy, and Dennis the menace, and hilltop hospital, etc… He also made two comedy short films and a lot of videos. Podcasts about football as well. His father, great British actor Sam Kydd, made over 280 films and thousands of tellies 1946 to his death in 1982. Sam played cockneys and Irishmen, despite being quite posh having gone to Dunstable Grammar. Jonathan found an unpublished autobiography of his dad’s career 1946 to 1970 in his mum’s loft and is editing it. It’s almost finished. He’s also going to make a documentary about his dad’s career. He has all the home videos, 300 stills, a mass of letters and scripts and diaries. As well as the book. Official Web Site Twitter The Rudy Vees
Andy Whitaker You may know Andy by his professional name, Andy Moore, in his role as PC Mike Swirling in the BAFTA-winning soap Emmerdale… He has a vast musical history and is about to make his own film…
Having started out as a musician in The Sun and the Moon with The Chameleons front-man Mark Burgess and Chameleons Drummer John Lever, went into acting at the age of 35 in the 90’s telling himself it was a less age prejudice profession.After all, they always want granddads in films and TV shows.
After doing the rounds in rep and theatre in education, he got my first telly part as an Amnesiac who thinks that he is Kevin Keegan in the BBCs The Cops in 1998, was a series regular in Dream Team for Sky One, played the obligatory red herring in The Bill and the role of Sean Wakefield in Coronation Street under Alan Wareing’s direction – that lead to his current role as PC Mike Swirling under Alan Wareing’s direction. Andy Moore Facebook Page Twitter More about Andy’s Music –
MOCKDOWN! streams live Sunday evenings at 8pm (UK) on my Actor Facebook Page.
Past shows are on my Actor page, and are also available as a Playlist on YouTube
I hope you’re all staying safe and well, despite the best efforts of our government…
Had another fun MOCKDOWN! show last night.
This week’s guests…. Brothers from Other Mothers – and a Sister-in-Law too….
The wonderful trio, STEVE GARTI, JOHN & MARIA ATHERLEY… [Guest details below the video…]
We chat about how Lockdown has impacted on them, and what they’re up to now.
MY GUESTS
STEVE GARTI, actor, musician – Acting Credits include The full monty, The Cops, Ashes to Ashes, all the soaps, Brassic. And Broken with me and Sean Bean! Did years on the club circuit with various bands and was Billy Pierce’s drummer during the late 80’s. A professional cook. Proud dad to his son James who with his partner has recently gifted him a grandson. https://twitter.com/SteveGarti • http://limemanagement.tv/talent/steve-garti/
And John’s partner, MARIA ATHERLEY, an Army brat apparently, studied hospitality management and worked in hospitality and HR, but in recent years has embraced her spiritual side and co-founded The Karma Hub, offering a variety of Yoga, meditation and sound therapies…. http://www.karmahub.co.uk/ • https://www.facebook.com/thekarmahub/
MOCKDOWN! streams live Sunday evenings at 8pm (UK) on my Actor Facebook Page.
Past show are on my Actor page, and are also available as a Playlist on YouTube
I really enjoyed Episode 5 of MOCKDOWN! last night… This week – A Comedy Special!
I was joined by three special guests to chat about the world of live comedy during these strange times… Will we still be laughing after the Covid Crisis?
PAUL BALLO BALLINGTON – “The singing plumber” from Dinnington, Sheffield. Specialising in Comedy songwriting. The two things I love the most in life (apart from family, Football & beer) are music and making people laugh. So, I thought, why not try and combine the two – so I did!! It all began in 2012 when I wrote a song called “Ten Pints of Carling” which took off way more than I expected. Since then I have written many more similar songs that many people can relate to. Numerous national and local TV & Radio performances – invited to perform Yorkshire themed “Tour de Yorkshire” song “Get on yer bike” at the opening ceremony in York. Written songs for charity – including raising over £800 for PACT & Bluebell Wood with a Christmas song, which also featured on local and national radio. Also write and record songs for special occasions – resulted in writing bespoke birthday songs – and also writing and performing a best man speech, bride speech and Father of the bride speech!! Ballo Facebook Page
SHAUN DAVID DOANE – BIG SHAUN has been singing in Sheffield bands for 30 years, including Ravager, 2 til 10, Sharp Cuts, Sikorski, The Koenig, Go Galleon, Tiny Barbara’s Surf Club and of course the Everly Pregnant Brothers. A funny man whose talent also embraces DJing, compering and comedy, Shaun is very Yorkshire, very Sheffield, and very gobshite!
ADAM RUSHTON is a promoter and comedy agent. Having previously spent five years in the Royal Navy, Adam started his journey in comedy on the stage before hanging up his mic four years ago and forming A Rush Of Laughter Management. His roster boast acts such as Tanyalee Davis, Gareth Richards, Njambi McGrath & Ignacio Lopez Web Site • Twitter
I’m currently enjoying a post-show Brewdog beer after another thoroughly enjoyable episode of Mockdown!
Lovely guests this week…
Fiona Egan and Scott Worsfold Fiona is an actress and presenter, mum of two, and co founder of the PantoEverAfter panto company. Professional actress for 25 years and been doing panto for 22 years, with the exception of one year when I had a baby. First was Marley’s Ghost a musical adaptation of Scrooge, that’s where she met Scott at Cragrats Theatre Holmfirth, which sadly no longer exists.
20 years later they decided to create their own pantomime, and hence the company was born. Workwise, it’s theatre, TV, film, corporate, touring, outdoor, voice over, like most actors you name it, they’ve done it.
They have two venues where they produce pantomime. The Viaduct theatre Halifax, home of Northern Broadsides and The Marsden Mechanics Hall, Huddersfield. www.pantoeverafter.co.uk • Twitter
Liam Gerrard
Liam is a BAFTA nominated actor who’s work includes Peterloo with Mike Leigh, Death defying Acts, Coronation St, Hollyoaks, and more. His theatre work includes a lot of Shakespeare, from Midsummer Night’s Dream at work at Sheffield Crucible to Northern Broadsides and international tours for the BSC. He appeared in the 4-hander Miss-Julie alongside Maxine Peake at the Manchester Royal Exchange. Other theatre work includes SJT, New Vic, Hull Truck, Oldham Coliseum, Soho Theatre, Edinburgh Lyceum, Traverse, Theatre by the Lake, the Dukes, Salisbury Playhouse, Nottingham Playhouse, The Lowry, Derby Playhouse and many more.
He is also a voiceover actor and has narrated over 100 audiobooks, and can be heard daily on radio / television commercials. Earlier this year he won an Earphones award for his narration of H.G. Wells anthology of short stories (volume 1) and is a 4x One Voice Award nominee, as well as an Audio and Sovas nominee.
When not performing he is a magician and magic / illusion consultant to theatre companies.
In 2018 he established the Sheffield equity branch and he is the secretary of the branch www.liamgerrard.co.uk • Twitter
Melanie Hopkins
Melanie is a Sheffield born and based professional actress, writer and theatre maker/event organiser. Described as a “one woman army”, Melanie has single-handedly set up her own event; “Sheffield Monologue Showcase (SMS),” that premiered last March, with lots of feedback of it’s success. Melanie is also known for writing for the stage with her most note-worthy piece “The Sylvia Swing” performed at the York Theatre Royal’s Take Over Festival. Two pieces of her comedy writing have since also appeared on BBC Radio’s Upload Festival during lockdown. www.melaniejhopkins.com • Twitter
