Good day to you!
I’ve had a busy month of walking – I am doing March the Month for Prostate Cancer UK – 11,000 steps a day.
I’m joining thousands of people, across the nation, committing to walk or wheel 11,000 steps a day throughout March.
I’m doing it for more than 11,000 dads, brothers, grandads, partners and mates who die from prostate cancer every year.
PLEASE SUPPORT AND DONATE HERE
A few pics from my walks….
With the March 15th return to the stage for Lucifer’s Love Child approaching like a speeding train, our manager, Rupert, has the band doing the rounds for media promotion.
Yesterday we were in the delightful studios at Penistone FM for a chat with David Higgins
Take a listen to us below…. it includes me doing the weather!
Greetings!
Just wanted to take a break from learning lines and let you know I’ll be on stage March 15th, in a new play, The Boys Are Back Int’ Tarn, written by local legends Lee Pollard and Paul Athorne.
30 years after they last performed together, Yorkshire based rockers: Jimmy, Malc, Briggsy and Gordon are planning a new album and world tour.
After their 1980 s hit single “You Make it Hard to Love You” was used in a popular Viagra commercial, the band have attracted a new generation of fans. All they must do now to enjoy their second chance at fame is set aside dodgy prostates, chiropodist’s appointments and even an adopted Gorilla and they’re on their way.
Join us as the band return to the recording studio accompanied by their long-time manager Rupert and Thomas, the mysterious new sound engineer. What could
possibly go wrong?
I’m playing Rock God, ace axeman BRIGGSY!
It’s a great cast, and we are having lots of fun bringing these rockers to life, so grab a ticket, get out your old Rock T-Shirts, and come along for the ride.
I’m reading a lovely monologue for Message In A Bottle, Saturday Oct 21, 15:00 – 18:00 BST at Theatre Deli, Sheffield.
I can’t give anything away, but it’s a great piece of writing.
Stand by your wireless!
A piece I wrote and performed will be featured on Radio Sheffield’s BBC Upload Show tonight, October 6th, between 8-10pm.
It’s a piece some regular readers may be familiar with, but tonight it blows off into the wider community.
UPDATE – Here’s my Clip! Thanks Host Mick Rowe!
Delighted that BLACK DARUMA has a World Premiere Friday night at Spirit of Independence Festival in Sheffield.
From filmmakers Fionn and Toby Watts, this movie has Maximum Wattage!
A really unique horror film, I hope you can see it!
Struggling with unemployment and a lack of purpose in life, Ryan impulsively buys a Japanese ‘luck’ doll at a local emporium and takes it home to his girlfriend, hoping his fortunes might change. Reluctant to entertain his wishful thinking and annoying pranks with the Doll, Louise finally persuades Ryan to throw the Doll away. But somehow the Doll reappears and tension in the house grows as circumstances for Ryan go from bad to worse.
Cast : David Castleford, Julie Higginson, Louise O’ Leary, Madeline Percival, Richard Galloway, Rowe David McClelland, Ruth Langrick
A lovely evening with the crew who made it, and a very appreciative audience for a very emotional film. I cried at myself. 
CHANGING TIDES has two more Cinema screenings coming up… Please check it out if you can.
It’s late in the evening, the last day of August, the last day of meteorological summer.
September 1st tomorrow.
Time to start thinking about putting the shorts away, and wearing jeans and long trousers again. Argh!
But I have good reason to dress up a bit! I have two movie premieres coming up in September. And tickets go on sale Sept 1st!
Hope to see you in a cinema soon!
Dx
From Writer / Director / Producer Kathryn Georghiou, and based on a true story, Changing Tides is a film about end-of-life alcoholism and finding hope in unexpected places.
Written & Directed by
Kathryn Georghiou
Starring
Natasha Cottriall and Rowe David McClelland
Bea, a broke 22-year-old domestic carer has a new patient, an old, angry, alcoholic at the end of his life. After a turbulent start the two form an unlikely bond that changes both their lives forever.
CHANGING TIDES is loosely based on my dad and I during the latter part of his life. He was an alcoholic, and that’s what killed him at the young age of 58.
The female character, Bea, a young, cocky domestic carer who has better things to do with her time.
Aiden is bloated and yellowing, looking older than his age because he’s been lost at the end of a bottle for many years. First they fight. Control is power. But when the realities of alcoholism force Bea to be the care giver, Aiden is forced to accept. This shifts their roles and instead of spoiling for war, they gradually bond over chips and sarcasm, and fall into parent and child friendship. Aiden vows to change, but it’s not that easy when you’ve been living drink to drink for so long. Stopping altogether in an uncontrolled environment can only make things worse. And it does. First the psychosis. Then the fatal discovery when Bea arrives the next day. When Aiden is finally freed from his self-imposed prison, Bea is on a rollercoaster of emotions. Leaving his house for the last time, she realises there is hope. He’s at peace. And she’s glad she knew him.
Changing Tides will have a limited cinema release before an exclusive run at film festivals for approximately one year. After that it will be made available on streaming platforms.
The cinema screenings are part of a four film ‘Made in Blackpool’ event, an evening celebrating four short films made in Blackpool by House of Tales and Out of the Ark Productions.
General release tickets go on sale on 1st September.
Full details / buy tickets here:
https://www.thisishouseoftales.com/screenings
If you have been affected by a parents drinking or you’re worried about someone who is, get in touch with Nacoa (National Association of Children of Alcoholics – https://nacoa.org.uk/), who are an excellent UK charity that provide help and support for everyone affected by a parent’s drinking, young and old.
Black Daruma is a uniquely shot film, told entirely from the perspective of a doll. Made by local filmmakers, Fionn and Toby Watts, the film will have its world premiere at the Spirit of Independence Festival in Sheffield, Sept 29th.
Struggling with unemployment and a lack of purpose in life, Ryan impulsively buys a Japanese ‘luck’ doll at a local emporium and takes it home to his girlfriend, hoping his fortunes might change. Reluctant to entertain his wishful thinking and annoying pranks with the Doll, Louise finally persuades Ryan to throw the Doll away. But somehow the Doll reappears and tension in the house grows as circumstances for Ryan go from bad to worse.
Cast : David Castleford, Julie Higginson, Louise O’ Leary, Madeline Percival, Richard Galloway, Rowe David McClelland, Ruth Langrick
Premiere – Friday September 29th, Showroom Cinema, Sheffield – Tickets available here – https://www.showroomworkstation.org.uk/black-daruma-soi
Crikey, it’s March and my last update was back in August last year.
My apologies dear reader. It’s sort of a mix of there being no news, and too much news, so I will try and update a bit. So – Work first – then my life….
Winter is generally a quiet time in my line of work, as TV and Film tends to wind down a bit.
I did some theatre in September, with Dead Earnest Theatre, in a production of The Ratcatcher, part of the Festival Of The Mind in the Spiegeltent in the centre of Sheffield.
I’ve done some voice work too, on a wonderful series for Vanitas Arts, a new jazz based audio drama series titled Persons of Interest – four audio drama podcasts based on the lives of prominent jazz artists who are Black and Queer: Gladys Bentley, Josephine Baker, Ken Snakehips Johnson and Ada Bricktop Smith. You can listen to these as they’re released here, or through your favourite Podcast sources.
My voice has also featured on a new story on the Geostories App: Freyda Skald of Jorvik.
The Jorvik GeoStory is about magic, myth and mystery as a young woman’s life is transformed after an encounter with a legendary Viking Seeress, Gudrun. Developed in partnership with The Jorvik Viking Centre and supported by Arts Council England, the story begins in Coppergate, York.
Launched at the 2023 JORVIK VIKING FESTIVAL in February, it features Augmented Reality images that come to life as you are transported back to Jorvik in the Year 960 and into magical Viking Realms.
Freyda Skald of Jorvik is free to listen to and can be accessed in the GeoStories Library by downloading the GeoStories app on the App Store and Google Play or by scanning the QR Code on the flyer below.
2022 ended wonderfully. I met an amazing woman.
Just when you feel like there is no one out there for you, that you should just maybe give up on the idea of romance. That a hand blindly fishing around in the Quality Street tin for a wrapped chocolate may be the most exciting thing to happen over Christmas.
Beverley is much nicer than a Quality Street Strawberry Cream or a Purple One.
She’s an author, writer, coach, entrepreneur, single mum, and much, much more – and things are quite lovely. We laugh, sing, cuddle, and kiss a lot.
You can find her here or at The Writers Workshop.
Or read her latest Grief blog update here – Swimming Through Clouds: A journey of love and loss. I am mentioned in the latest update.
The Writers Workshop is an amazing resource for you writers out there, with workshops, motivation sessions, mentoring, live events, retreats, masterclasses, and much more.
It’s very affordable, and the sessions are either in person or online. Take a look
Inspired by being with this amazing Writer Woman, I have started writing more myself, and I’ve even dug out some older pieces to tinker with. I will share some of my new stuff at the end of this update.
BIRTHDAY
My birthday arrived in January. It wasn’t unexpected of course.
I decided on a trip to Edinburgh for my birthday treat, as I’d never visited before.
So it was the Castle, Royal Mile, Haggis Neeps and Tatties, Deep Fried Mars Bars, and a walk up Arthur’s Seat.
And I slipped walking back down from Arthur’s seat, hurting my own seat, a bang on the Coccyx. It’s still painful now.
VISITORS
My Brother John and his daughter Modena visited from Canada in January. Our birthday’s are 4 years and a day apart. So it was lovely to catch up, have family time, and a drink or two with old friends.
COVID HITS
Damn! After avoiding the lurgy since the very beginning, Covid hit the house at the end of January.
Mum and I are both fully vaccinated, so it could have been worse.
I was pretty miserable with it for a few days, but bounced back.
Mum is 90, so it has hit her harder. Though now testing negative, she has ended up in hospital, but we hope she will be home again soon. Keep everything crossed.
As I mentioned, Beverley has inspired me to write more. And to be public about it.
So here’s a couple of recent pieces.
It’s bin day
Wind day
Bins blown over everywhere
Regardless of colour
Black, brown, blue
On it’s side, lid flapping like a puppet mouth
Spewing garbage like a politician
Pizza crusts
Used wipes
Eeeeuw I don’t even know what that is
But it’s not nice
Dogs try to sniff. No!
Home we rush with chilled ears through streets awash with flotsam and jetsam
Bin day
Wind day
It’s Bin Day again
Wind day again
Blue Bins put out to stand street-side
Like Bobbies in a row
Guarding our road like sentry’s on duty
But blue bins are slender
Thinner than Grey and Brown
And with contents of cardboard and paper
There’s no weight to hold it down
So blue bins blow, off they go
Like drunken revellers
Until they trip off the kerb
And they’re down, rolling around, regurgitating contents
Prescription copies, old bills, egg boxes, dozens of Amazon cardboard envelopes, pizza boxes, cardboard sleeves off yogurt containers, magazines, newspapers
Almost no bins left to empty now
Contents blow freely
Twisting and turning
Escaping down the road
Hiding in gardens and under cars
Bin lorry comes, empties the few still standing, then blue bins left on the pavement
Empty now, lighter and giddy, they wheel around
Throwing themselves down once more
They roll around like pigs in muck
It’s bin day again
Wind day again
A man down the road has a DeLorean.
Yes, that sporty stainless steel car made famous in the Back to the Future franchise.
On our road. Just parked there on the street. Under a tree.
Hardly ever moves it, it sits there, falling blossoms gathering at the base of the windscreen.
Which must block his air intakes because he often puts a sheet of plastic over the air vents in autumn.
That fancy rear cover over the engine compartment. Tied down with a length of tatty rope.
And what of the owner?
No Marty McFly or Doc Brown here.
A mild mannered chap, dresses conservatively, slacks and sweaters. Silver framed glasses, greying blonde hair parted to one side.
His other car, his daily drive, parked behind the DMC – a silver Ford Focus.
Seen him in the paper shop. Buys two loaves. Appears to be single. And heard Linda in the shop ask about his mother.
So why? Why a DeLorean? The dream car of the 80’s, sitting outside a Sheffield semi?
He hardly ever moves it. If he does then it’s MOT time, though he did park it around the corner for a few days when they repaved the street.
I often stand beside it when I’m walking the dogs. They seem to have a fascination with it, they sniff the alloy rims and custom rubber tyres. Where has it been to gather smells so interesting to canine olfactory organs?
Then, this morning, walking back from the paper shop, the rumble of an engine.
Not a normal rumble.
He’s sat in the drivers seat – on the left of course, it’s American – giving it an occasional monthly turnover to keep it running, circulate the juices that keep the beast alive.
Or is he?
Is there more to Mr Normal. Is he actually from the future? Holding out on Holdings Rd, keeping watch over the steel city, his DeLorean the Time Machine that brought him here, and his lifeboat to return him home.
Are those “sitting there running the engine” times really to keep it roadworthy?
Or perhaps he’s generating some time clock energy, rewinding us all to correct something that shouldn’t have happened.
But I still remember you. And what we said last night. That can’t be rewound by Mr Future.
So, we are good.
No objection raised by the Time Panel, no temporal anomaly created, we can go on.
And how can we say no to the future?
So, I think that’s just about all the interesting stuff.
There’s more of course, but my instagram and Twitter Feeds may fill in the gaps for you.
Wishing you all love, prosperity, and the fall of this evil Tory government.
D x
I’m delighted to have a voice part in this wonderful project – The story of The Bakewell Witches. A slice of history I hadn’t known before.
Download the app and you can take a real-life – or virtual – historic tour of Bakewell.
Search for the GeoStories app in your favourite app store!
Last year I did some voice work for an animation, Everyday Life with IBS.
I discovered the final version last week, and here it is… A fascinating insight into the life of those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Many thanks to Dead Earnest Theatre, Fettle Animation, and University of Sheffield.
And cast mates Melanie Crawley and Nadia Emam.
There’s more voice work to come…. Another animation – and an audio soap! Stay tuned.