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.
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.
During this last lockdown we’ve recorded it, made a video, and now released it just in time for the Festive Season. And we’re using it to raise funds for Yorkshire Children’s Trust. 100% of the funds raised will go straight those who need it and what’s more, it’s serving families in this region! – To donate, click here – https://bit.ly/36plAaE
The Video is below – The single can also be downloaded on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music!
Here’s the Blurb for it..
The U.K’s favourite Singing Plumber, Paul BALLO Ballington always has an annual Christmas song available… But this year it’s something a bit special.
As the nation struggled through the Covid Pandemic, Paul joined up with his mates from “The Yorkshire Teabaggers,” John Atherley and Dave McClelland, to reassure families that Santa would still be calling on them this Christmas.
Recording a song, and shooting a video, isn’t easy when you can’t be in the same room as your bandmates, but the team used technology to put it all together remotely, and the final video is like joining a Zoom call with a bunch of Yorkshire mates. And even Santa himself joins in the call!
And it became a family affair with Paul’s daughter Lana, and John’s wife Maria joining in, along with a cameo from actor Andy Whitaker who plays Policeman PC Swirling on ITV Soap Emmerdale (as Andy Moore) .
The lads wanted to help families who are struggling through the Covid Crisis – and the Yorkshire Children’s Trust seemed like the perfect partner to raise funds for. 100% of the funds raised will go straight those who need it and what’s more, it’s serving families in this region! – To donate, click here – https://bit.ly/36plAaE
The single can also be downloaded on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music!
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.
You need HOPE in this time of global pandemic – and this week I have Bob Hope, Emmerdale actor TONY AUDENSHAW, here to chat about how his shed kept him busy during lockdown…
I have actor, writer, singer, social media star, and Lockdown SitCom creator FANNI COMPTON…
And we’ll travel 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.
They’ll be here to chat about their lockdown experience – and what they have coming up next…
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 aPlaylist on YouTube
MOCKDOWN contains video clips which are not owned by myself, they are found from 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.
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.
Had my first special Mockdown Confidential show on Tuesday.
A spinoff from my Mockdown! Show, this is a more intimate one-to-one chat with a special guest…
This week, Canadian Actor, Writer, Theatre Guru, and family guy, Charlie Rhindress joined me to talk about Lockdown, The Canadian Bubble, his books on Canadian Musical Icons, his Lockdown Streaming show (The Charlie & Heather Show), his acting role in an upcoming TV series based on a Stephen King short story, and all the fun acting stuff we did together over many years.
You need HOPE in this time of global pandemic – and this week I have Bob Hope, Emmerdale actor TONY AUDENSHAW, here to chat about how his shed kept him busy during lockdown…
I have actor, writer, singer, social media star, and Lockdown SitCom creator FANNI COMPTON…
And we’ll travel 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.
