:: This article first appeared on the Express & Star's website on June 13th 2008 ::
It is hard to think of Paul Nicholas as a veteran. But at 62, the actor is relishing the wide variety of roles that maturity and experience brings.
He has done it all – starred in the West End, appeared on TV dramas, directed plays, played in a rock band, appeared in the UK charts and even played the part of a demented killer in a classic horror film – since his career started in the late 1960s. Where most people would recognise him from is playing the part of Vince in the BAFTA Award-winning BBC TV series Just Good Friends, but even that is a drop in the ocean of his incredibly long career.
Now he is preparing to wow the city by playing the classic baddie Captain Hook in the Grand Theatre’s Peter Pan pantomime this winter – just the kind of stage he loves.
“You’re right, I’ve done a lot,” he said. “I haven’t got a favourite out of the stage, television or films, but out of them all, I just love being able to perform in front of a crowd. That’s what I did when I started off as a teenager in Paul Dean & The Dreamers, and that’s what I’m doing now; I’m going out and showing people what I can do. With TV there is a lot of hanging around, so while I enjoy doing it, the stage has been good to me in a very different way. I get a great buzz from performing live.”
Born in Peterborough, he said growing up in the 1950s, with black and white TVs and everything closed on a Sunday was what convinced him to try to make a career out of showbiz. Growing up in Watford, his band travelled the country to support The Savages, who were the backing band for the rockers Screaming Lord Sutch. It was the start of a career that saw him release a series of singles before getting into stage performing. His big chance came and he grabbed it, winning the main role in the original production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which led to roles in dozens of plays.
“It was a great time,” he said. “Suddenly, there I was, having this great career and having fun. The Savages had this act where a band member played Jack the Ripper on stage and pretended to rip my heart out. It was so theatrical, but it really summed up what I was all about, and when I started to star in theatre shows, I loved it. Even in that horror film Blind Terror I enjoyed myself, even though in the film all you can see for most of it is my feet. It has me chasing this girl and you only see my face right at the end of it. With the stage work, the TV and the music, it was an incredible time really.”
His pop career produced three top 10 singles in the 1970s, but he wanted to land a high-profile TV role to take his career to the next level. In 1983, BBC TV sitcom Just Good Friends was looking for a suitable actor to play a wisecracking bookmaker who had an on-off relationship with a girl called Jan. He got the role as Vince, and even sang the theme tune. It made him a household name and led to numerous more TV roles and stage performances in the West End.
He said: “It was a good show. I still like it, and the great thing about Just Good Friends is that the writing was so good. When the writing is that good, it makes it so much easier for the actors.”
Now living with his 59-year old wife Linzi in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, he says all of his six children have moved out, including the youngest, 22-year old Carmen. “Being in showbiz, you quickly realise it means time away from your family but I’m hoping to commute while I am here in Wolverhampton. It’s a great place because I remember being here last year for 42nd Street, but because we work late and need to prepare in the daytime, it doesn’t give us much time apart from the morning to see it. I’ll be looking around the place but I want to get home and see my wife too.”
Joining him for the Peter Pan panto are comedy duo The Krankies, who are playing sidekicks Captain and Mate, while Peter Pan is played by Jack Montgomery, the youthful star of Torchwood and Primeval. More than 38,000 tickets have been sold for Peter Pan, which runs from December 6 to January 25.
Monday 27 October 2008
Friday 24 October 2008
Grand prank capped the lot for Krankies!
:: This story first appeared on the Express & Star's website on June 21st 2008 ::
Little Jimmy Krankie almost appeared on Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre stage without his trademark cap after the son of a celebrity friend hid it backstage. The practical joke was revealed on ITV’s Loose Women.
During the programme, The Krankies – alias Janette and Ian Tough – spoke of their love of panto. The pair, who are both aged 61, will be back at the Grand this year for Peter Pan after a successful run last Christmas with Dick Whittington. Janette said: “We were in Wolverhampton last year, and we will be back there again this year.”
She raised a laugh from the show’s studio audience when she told of how Loose Women host, actress Denise Welch, came to the city to see last year’s pantomime with her young son Louis.
The cheeky tot stole Janette’s trademark red cap just before she was about to take to the stage.
She said: “I was ready to go on stage and I said ‘Where’s my red cap?’ I had a blow-up bed that I had got from Argos and Louis had put it right down the side of the bed.” Both Krankies were forced to carry out a frantic search of their dressing room, finding the cap with just moments to spare.
The pair, who are veterans of stage and TV shows such as Crackerjack, were a big hit at the Grand panto. Janette, who stands at 4ft 5in, said she used the blow-up bed to rest on between shows during the gruelling run. The husband-and-wife partnership are about to go on the road to seaside resorts with the Best of British Variety tour. Janette said The Krankies would be touring the country with entertainers including magician Paul Daniels and entertainer Frank Carson before coming back to Wolverhampton for this year’s star-studded pantomime.
The couple looked tanned, having just returned from Australia where they spend around six months of the year at their home on the East Coast. They said they always took off Down Under after the panto for a break before returning to work the summer season in this country.
More than 16,000 tickets have already been snapped up to see Peter Pan at the Grand. The show will star showbiz favourite Paul Nicholas and will also be a return to the Grand for Nicholas, who performed there last year in the musical comedy 42nd Street.
Peter Pan will be at the theatre in Lichfield Street from December 6 to January 25. Tickets can be booked on 01902 429212 or on-line at www.grandtheatre.co.uk
Little Jimmy Krankie almost appeared on Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre stage without his trademark cap after the son of a celebrity friend hid it backstage. The practical joke was revealed on ITV’s Loose Women.
During the programme, The Krankies – alias Janette and Ian Tough – spoke of their love of panto. The pair, who are both aged 61, will be back at the Grand this year for Peter Pan after a successful run last Christmas with Dick Whittington. Janette said: “We were in Wolverhampton last year, and we will be back there again this year.”
She raised a laugh from the show’s studio audience when she told of how Loose Women host, actress Denise Welch, came to the city to see last year’s pantomime with her young son Louis.
The cheeky tot stole Janette’s trademark red cap just before she was about to take to the stage.
She said: “I was ready to go on stage and I said ‘Where’s my red cap?’ I had a blow-up bed that I had got from Argos and Louis had put it right down the side of the bed.” Both Krankies were forced to carry out a frantic search of their dressing room, finding the cap with just moments to spare.
The pair, who are veterans of stage and TV shows such as Crackerjack, were a big hit at the Grand panto. Janette, who stands at 4ft 5in, said she used the blow-up bed to rest on between shows during the gruelling run. The husband-and-wife partnership are about to go on the road to seaside resorts with the Best of British Variety tour. Janette said The Krankies would be touring the country with entertainers including magician Paul Daniels and entertainer Frank Carson before coming back to Wolverhampton for this year’s star-studded pantomime.
The couple looked tanned, having just returned from Australia where they spend around six months of the year at their home on the East Coast. They said they always took off Down Under after the panto for a break before returning to work the summer season in this country.
More than 16,000 tickets have already been snapped up to see Peter Pan at the Grand. The show will star showbiz favourite Paul Nicholas and will also be a return to the Grand for Nicholas, who performed there last year in the musical comedy 42nd Street.
Peter Pan will be at the theatre in Lichfield Street from December 6 to January 25. Tickets can be booked on 01902 429212 or on-line at www.grandtheatre.co.uk
Monday 20 October 2008
Young 'Jack' takes over pantomime role!
Qdos Pantomimes, the producers of Peter Pan at Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre, has announced that Jack Montgomery, who played the role of ‘young’ Captain Jack Harkness in the hit BBC sci-fi series Torchwood, will replace Aston Merrygold as Peter Pan.
As well as his role in Torchwood, 16 year old Jack Montgomery, who hails from the Midlands, has appeared on the ITV series Primeval and in the West End productions of The Sound of Music, where he played Kurt Von Trapp; Mary Poppins (as Michael Banks) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the role of Jeremy Potts.
Jack Montgomery takes over the role of Peter Pan from Aston Merrygold, a member of the group JLS, who have made it to the X Factor Finals.
Jonathan Kiley, Executive Producer of Peter Pan, said:"We are delighted to have secured the very talented Jack Montgomery to play the role of Peter Pan at the Grand Theatre this Christmas and he is looking forward to working with Paul Nicholas and the rest of the cast."We wish Aston, who has worked with Qdos Pantomimes in our productions of Peter Pan in Belfast and Cardiff, and JLS, every success on the X Factor finals and pursuing their dreams."
Iain Watkins, Grand Theatre Marketing Manager, added: "We're looking forward to a truly magical pantomime this year and Jack is an exciting addition to the cast."
The cast of Peter Pan, one of the country’s biggest Christmas shows, is led by PAUL NICHOLAS in the role of the villainous Captain Hook. Paul is familiar for his many stage roles in the West End and on tour and became a household favourite for his role as Vince in the BAFTA award-winning BBC television series Just Good Friends. Paul was recently seen in the ITV daytime programme, The Royal Today.
Ensuring everyone has a fan dabi dozi time at the Grand Theatre will be THE KRANKIES, who make a triumphant return to the theatre following their hilarious antics in last year’s record-breaking production of Dick Whittington.
A cast of 30, which includes local children as the ‘lost boys’, together with West End performers will bring the magical story of Peter Pan to life in spectacular style in a production packed with an abundance of comedy, stunning sets and costumes and amazing ‘flying’ sequences.
Peter Pan runs at the Grand Theatre from Saturday 6 December 2008 to Sunday 25 January 2009. Tickets, which are selling at a record rate, can be booked online at www.grandtheatre.co.uk or at the Box Office on 01902 429212.
As well as his role in Torchwood, 16 year old Jack Montgomery, who hails from the Midlands, has appeared on the ITV series Primeval and in the West End productions of The Sound of Music, where he played Kurt Von Trapp; Mary Poppins (as Michael Banks) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the role of Jeremy Potts.
Jack Montgomery takes over the role of Peter Pan from Aston Merrygold, a member of the group JLS, who have made it to the X Factor Finals.
Jonathan Kiley, Executive Producer of Peter Pan, said:"We are delighted to have secured the very talented Jack Montgomery to play the role of Peter Pan at the Grand Theatre this Christmas and he is looking forward to working with Paul Nicholas and the rest of the cast."We wish Aston, who has worked with Qdos Pantomimes in our productions of Peter Pan in Belfast and Cardiff, and JLS, every success on the X Factor finals and pursuing their dreams."
Iain Watkins, Grand Theatre Marketing Manager, added: "We're looking forward to a truly magical pantomime this year and Jack is an exciting addition to the cast."
The cast of Peter Pan, one of the country’s biggest Christmas shows, is led by PAUL NICHOLAS in the role of the villainous Captain Hook. Paul is familiar for his many stage roles in the West End and on tour and became a household favourite for his role as Vince in the BAFTA award-winning BBC television series Just Good Friends. Paul was recently seen in the ITV daytime programme, The Royal Today.
Ensuring everyone has a fan dabi dozi time at the Grand Theatre will be THE KRANKIES, who make a triumphant return to the theatre following their hilarious antics in last year’s record-breaking production of Dick Whittington.
A cast of 30, which includes local children as the ‘lost boys’, together with West End performers will bring the magical story of Peter Pan to life in spectacular style in a production packed with an abundance of comedy, stunning sets and costumes and amazing ‘flying’ sequences.
Peter Pan runs at the Grand Theatre from Saturday 6 December 2008 to Sunday 25 January 2009. Tickets, which are selling at a record rate, can be booked online at www.grandtheatre.co.uk or at the Box Office on 01902 429212.
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