An Actors Life For Me

1991 - United Kingdom

Robert Neilson (John Gordon-Sinclair) is an actor who dreams of being a star - alas, the best he has achieved so far is the face of Doberman Aftershave in a TV commercial. Nevertheless, Robert is convinced that stardom is only an audition away. Keeping his feet on the ground is girlfriend Sue (Gina McKee) and his dependently unreliable agent Desmond (Victor Spinetti). Even so, Robert dreams of starring alongside the likes of Hollywood's rich and famous.

This six episode series was developed for television by Paul Mayhew-Archer from his own BBC Radio 2 series. Gordon-Sinclair reprised the role he played on radio (although the character's name was Robert Wilson) but Sue was originally played by Caroline Quentin and Desmond by Gary Waldhorn. After the single series finished it returned to radio.

Published on November 27th, 2018. Noel Onely.

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Play and Single Dramas

Firecrackers (1964)

December 11th, 2018

1960s comedy that was heavily influenced by the classic Will Hay comedy Where's That Fire? that had been shot twenty-five years earlier at the same Elstree studio.

Benidorm (2007)

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The premise for Benidorm is a simple one as it follows a selection of characters on their holiday at an all-inclusive hotel in sunny Spain, called the Solana. There are sex-mad swingers, dodgy dealers, arguing couples, dysfunctional families and everything in between. Disaster never seems to be far down the road.

The Misfit (1970)

January 6th, 2019

Having returned from a colonial life in Malaya to an England he longer recognised Basil Allenby-Johnson, "the Alf Garnett of the middle classes", takes a verbal swing at feminism; permissive and undisciplined youth; age prejudice by employers; student demos; the press; and the health service.

Here's Harry (1960)

December 21st, 2018

Well meaning but bumbling complainer tries to take on a world of bureaucracy.

Misleading Cases (1967)

January 6th, 2019

Roy Dotrice played the part of the doddering but astute eternal litigant Albert Haddock, who would enter the courtroom to debate a variety of moral issues with pleas that referred back to forgotten or outdated laws.

For the Love of Ada (1970)

December 13th, 2018

Gentle comedy series of the boy-meets-girl variety with a unique twist in that the boy and girl in question were both in their seventies.

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