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- Michael Sundin was an English actor, puppeteer, dancer, and trampolinist from Low Fell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. He was better known as one of the presenters of the children's program "Blue Peter" from 1984 to 1985. He was fired under controversial circumstances.
Sundin initially became known as a champion trampolinist. He reportedly won five British titles and one world title in trampolining tournaments. He decided to follow a career in show business, making his stage debut in a 1980 version of the Christmas pantomime "Jack and the Beanstalk".
Sundin found work as both an actor and a dancer. From 1982 to 1983, he portrayed the acrobatic kitten Bill Bailey in the musical "Cats" (1981). The musical was loosely based on the poetry collection "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" (1939) by T. S. Eliot, and depicted sentient cats competing for a chance at rebirth.
In 1984, Sundin was hired as in-suit performer for the dark fantasy film "Return to Oz" (1985). The film was a loose adaptation of the fantasy novels "The Marvelous Land of Oz" (1904) and "Ozma of Oz" (1907) by L. Frank Baum. Sundin was chosen to portray the sentient robot Tik-Tok, one of the film's main characters. He operated the character's body, while Tim Rose remotely-operated the head and Sean Barrett voiced the character. While Sundin was preparing for this role, his casting attracted considerable press attention. Television producer Biddy Baxter invited him to audition for a position as one of the presenters of "Blue Peter". Sundin passed the audition, and was chosen to replace Peter Duncan. His debut episode was broadcast in September 1984.
Sundin made his last appearance as a television presenter in late June 1985. His contract was not renewed following the end of the season. The production team claimed that Sundin "had little rapport with the viewers", but Baxter also reported that both parents and viewers had complained that Sundin was too effeminate. The press had recently outed Sundin as a gay man, which was thought to be the undeclared reason for his firing. Biddy Baxter later claimed in an interview that Sundin was fired because "children didn't like him", not because of his sexuality. The controversy over the perceived discrimination was covered in the tabloid press.
After portraying Tik-Tok "Return to Oz", Sundin was chosen to portray the March Hare in the drama film "Dreamchild" (1985). In the film, the elderly Alice Liddell finds herself becoming the center of attention at the centenary of Lewis Carroll's birth. Her memories of her long-gone friend and potential suitor are juxtaposed with hallucinations of meeting both a ghostly Carroll and the characters from Wonderland.
Sundin subsequently had his last film appearance in the adventure film "Lionheart" (1987). In the film, a group of orphans attempt to join the crusading army of Richard the Lionheart, King of England (1157-1199, reigned 1189-1199), while evading a slave trader who wants to sell them as slaves. The film combined events from the Third Crusade (1189-1192) and the Children's Crusade (1212).
Sundin fell ill in 1988, and was hospitalized in 1989. In July 1989, he died at the Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne. He was only 28-years-old at the time of his death, and he was the first among the presenters of "Blue Peter" to die. The British press initially attributed his death to liver cancer. Later press reports indicated that Sundin had contracted the virus HIV/AIDS, and died due to the infection. - Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Brian Johnson was born on 5 October 1947 in Dunston, Gateshead, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Iron Man (2008), Maximum Overdrive (1986) and The Avengers (2012). He is married to Brenda. He was previously married to Carol.- Andrew Hayden-Smith was born on 5 November 1983 in Gateshead, Newcastle, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Doctor Who Confidential (2005), Hollyoaks (1995) and Byker Grove (1989).
- Sammy was born in Gateshead and played in several local bands including 'Pigmeat'. In 1973 he and other local actors setup the 'Live Theatre Company' in Newcastle.
However, Sammy was best known as the lovable Stick in the Hit BBC series Spender (1991). - Actor
- Transportation Department
Alan Snell was born in 1938 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Red Fury (1984), The Likely Lads (1976) and When the Boat Comes In (1976). He died on 22 January 2018 in Killingworth, North Tyneside, England, UK.- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
- Additional Crew
Rachel Clark was born on 11 July 1981 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. Rachel is a cinematographer, known for Dune (2021), Black Panther (2018) and World War Z (2013).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Justin McDonald is an award winning actor, writer and producer originally from Tyneside in the north east of England. He received a scholarship to attend Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London, where he gained a BA in Acting. He went on to complete his studies early to play a series lead in the prime-time ITV drama 'Distant Shores'.
Since then, McDonald has continued to work as an actor in film, television, theatre and radio. His screen work has seen him playing leading roles in many acclaimed television productions and feature films. In 2023 he won a prestigious Royal Television Society Award for best actor in a drama performance for his work on BFI film 'FIST'.- Actress
Evelyn Hope was born on 11 March 1904 in Gateshead, Durham, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Ivanhoe (1913), Single Life (1921) and Across the Atlantic (1914). She was married to Boris Karloff and Tom Helmore. She died on 1 June 1993.- Norah Fulton was born on 16 October 1909 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983), Spender (1991) and The Stars Look Down (1974). She died on 6 June 2005 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK.
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Often described as a footballing "genius", and cited by his former teammate Chris Waddle in 2018 as England's last "real creative midfield player", Paul Gascoigne, usually referred to simply as "Gazza", started his career at Newcastle United, where he played in 92 games and scored 21 goals. He then went to the London club Tottenham Hotspur, where he also played in 92 games and scored nearly as many goals, 19 in total.
It was while at Tottenham that he was first called up to the England squad by manager Bobby Robson. He was a key member of England's 1990 FIFA World Cup team that reached the semi-finals, which was the best run of an England team since they won the 1966 World Cup. He became something of a national hero during the tournament due to his sparkling performances, with Bobby Robson later saying that he had been the best young player of the tournament (although FIFA disagreed, awarding that honour to Yugoslavia's Robert Prosinecki). However, Gascoigne was recognized as England's star of the tournament when he finished fourth in the Ballon d'Or for 1990 behind Lothar Matthäus, Salvatore Schillaci and Andreas Brehme, while no other English player made it into the top ten.
The next few years were a barren spell for England under the management of Robson's successor Graham Taylor, with an exit at the group stage of Euro '92 (which didn't feature Gascoigne due to injury) and failure to even qualify for the 1994 World Cup, which led to Taylor's sacking. However, between 1995 and 1998, Gascoigne had his best goalscoring spell while at the Scottish club Rangers, scoring 30 goals in 74 games. In 1996, England manager Terry Venables, who had previously managed Gascoigne at Tottenham, included him in the England squad for Euro '96, which was being held at home. Gascoigne won acclaim for a brilliant goal against Scotland and for his role in the astounding 4-1 defeat of the Netherlands, although he also narrowly missed an incredible chance to score a winning goal against Germany in the semifinal when he lunged for the ball in front of the goal and just failed to connect. England eventually lost the game in a penalty shootout following a miss from Gareth Southgate and Germany went on to the final, which they won against the Czech Republic.
The next England manager, Glenn Hoddle, controversially decided not to include the 31-year-old Gascoigne in the England squad for the 1998 World Cup, citing his lack of fitness, and this marked the end of his England career, in which he played a total of 57 games and scored ten goals. He also left Rangers in 1998, moving to Middlesbrough, although he was no longer in his previous form, scoring just four goals in 41 games for the club. He also made 32 appearances for Everton between 2000 and 2002, and finished his career at Burnley, Gansu Tianma in China and Boston United.
Despite never winning a major tournament with the national team, Gascoigne remains one of England's most iconic footballers and has been interviewed numerous times about his career, including for Piers Morgan's Life Stories (2009), Alan Shearer's Euro 96: When Football Came Home (2016) and Bobby Robson: More Than a Manager (2018).- Wincey Willis was born Florence Winsome Leighton in Gateshead, County Durham in 1948.
The name Florence was soon dropped in favour of Winsome - shortened to Wincey - a named she loved. When she married husband Malcolm Willis the names ran together so well she still uses his surname some 15 years after her divorce. She was employed variously in the travel industry, acting as a courier and guide before finding work as a record plugger. This lead to her first broadcasting experience as a radio presenter, from where she progressed to Weather presenting for Tyne Tees Television. Domiciled in the Barnard Castle area she also indulged her other passion, which was to rescue and re-home various wild and domestic animals. At one time she had a menagerie of approaching 100 creatures of varying sorts, a subject on which she would eventually publish a book.
In May 1983, Greg Dyke, then Programme Editor for the struggling TV-am was searching for new faces to prop up the failing morning show. He sought unknowns who'd make an impact, even recruiting a friend's aerobics instructor as the exercise presenter. A clip of Willis' presenting the weather was sent to him and he hired her immediately. As he commented at the time, she was more famous for the things that went wrong on her show than for slick presentation, and nobody really cared about the weather anyway. Her weather slot was immediately prior to the half hourly news bulletins and she found she was given anything between 15 seconds and three minutes (with little notice as to which it would be) to fill depending on how long previous interviews and items had lasted. Remarkably it worked. Popular with both audience and colleagues her role began to grow and other features and gimmicks were added, until the arrival of Bruce Gyngell in 1984. Seeking to drag the whole show upmarket, and reduce expenditure to the minimum he could get away with Willis gradually found herself being marginalised within TV-am. However this ironically coincided with expanding horizons elsewhere. Treasure Hunt (1982) came along in 1985 and riding her fame she was offered a deal to write a book, and sponsor a children's board game. Neither was spectacularly successful, but kept her name firmly in the public eye. The usual round of 'B' list games shows and chat shows also meant that she was instantly recognisable anywhere in the UK and abroad. Her haircut was perhaps her most distinctive feature. Spectacularly streaked blonde, it was relatively short and spiky on top and long to the back. Definitively the ultimate 'Mullet' as they were known in the 1980s. She was rewarded with the 'Head of the Year Award' in 1986, a year that perhaps marked the peak of her fame.
In the summer of 1987 after a disagreement with Gyngell about her role within the programme she walked out: noting with some irony that as she was clearing her desk, her replacement was already being feted on the canal bank outside TV-am's studios. While TV-am and Bruce Gyngell then embarked on their terminal progress through industrial disputes and ill-judged franchise bids, Willis also saw her public exposure steadily decline. Although she continued to appear on Treasure Hunt, it too would disappear as a show in 1989 leaving her with no regular appearances.
Her involvement with animals had continued through the 1980s and she was active in supporting many animal charities, including sponsoring 'St Tiggywinkles' hospital for injured animals. Gradually this work took over and in the early 1990s she left the UK to go Greece for an extended period living and working in a turtle sanctuary. She has since returned to the UK, and has become known for reading and writing poetry. - Michael McNally was born in 1963 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Coronation Street (1960) and Stanton Blues (1998).
- Bobby Pattinson was born on 21 July 1935 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He is an actor, known for I Didn't Know You Cared (1975), The Cuckoo Waltz (1975) and When the Boat Comes In (1976).
- Richard Steele was born on 15 November 1926 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963), Coronation Street (1960) and Special Branch (1969). He was married to Sylvia Burrows. He died on 30 April 2004 in Hackney, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Producer
Craig Ian Pearson is a British Actor, with English and Irish Heritage, born on the 22nd November 1982, in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England.
He returned to acting in 2019, and since he has appeared in several Feature Films as well as a steady stream of Film Shorts, Stage Productions, TV Pilots, Music Videos and Commercials.
He has trained with 'The Actors Forge' in his hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne for over four years and has appeared in the annual Durham Fringe Festivals in 2021 & 2022.
He is known for 'The King Of Spades' (2020), 'The Clocktower' (2021), 'Finding Your True Self' (2022), 'Tinseltown' (2022), 'Do As I Say' (2022) and can be seen in the upcoming films 'Bet On Dwight', 'A New Breed Of Criminal' and 'Commercium' (All 2023)
He has worked alongside many known industry names and has been seen by some of the UK's top casting directors. He is currently not represented by an agency, but actively looking.
He has two daughters and is engaged to his long term partner.- Marcus Bentley was born on 4 October 1967 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1995), Finney (1994) and Crazyhead (2016). He is married to Julie. They have three children.
- Dorothy Greener was born on 16 October 1917 in Gateshead, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Cauliflower Cupids (1970), Lux Video Theatre (1950) and Camera Three (1955). She died on 6 December 1971 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Vernon Drake was born on 11 June 1896 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Z Cars (1962), When the Boat Comes In (1976) and Dad's Army (1968). He died on 20 March 1987 in Kensington, London, England, UK.
- Actor
- Producer
John Steele was born on 4 February 1941 in Gateshead, Durham, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Slade in Flame (1975), The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood (1965) and Anak ng dagat (1991).- Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Brian Routh was born in 1948 in Gateshead, County Durham, England, UK. He is an actor and writer, known for UHF (1989), The Spirit of '76 (1990) and Cinemax Comedy Experiment (1985). He was previously married to Patricia Wells-Routh, Karen Finley and Nina Sobell.- Alan Mason was born on 11 February 1931 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Doctor Who (1963), The Avengers (1961) and The Wednesday Play (1964). He was married to Diana Bishop. He died on 25 December 2015 in London, England, UK.
- Producer
- Writer
- Sound Department
Andrew T. Smith was born on 28 January 1987 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He is a producer and writer, known for Nebula-75 (2020), Thunderbirds (2015) and Cartoon Carnival (2021).- Actor
- Producer
Phil K. Matthews was born on 4 January 1981 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for A Dinner of Herbs (2000), Byker Grove (1989) and Like Mother, Like Daughter (2014).- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
Alex Glasgow was born on 14 October 1935 in Low Fell, Gateshead, County Durham, England, UK. He was a composer and writer, known for Flambards (1979), The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970) and Trinity Tales (1975). He was married to Paddy Wallace. He died on 13 May 2001 in East Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia.- Actor
- Producer
- Editor
British born and American raised, Henry Phillip Thompson grew up in Florida, spending most of his youth at the local AMC watching as many movies as he could. On his 6th birthday he saw 'who framed Roger Rabbit' and on that day he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up; a cartoon character. He later learned the film was fictional and decided he wanted to write and direct and create worlds of his own.
During his early teens, trouble at home forced Henry to drop out of school and leave home. Living with friends and on the street, he taught himself as best he could, reading and watching all the movies he could.
At 18 he moved to England with his mother (The first time he'd been there since he was 2 years old) and started a new life. For several years he worked as a self taught Graphic Artist and Web designer, but he never lost his lust for filmmaking. In 2006 he founded Eze as Pi Productions LTD and started work on his first feature film.
Self financed, Walk Away, was filmed over two years for just under 30,000 pounds. As of January 2013 Walk Away is in Post Production and expected to be finished by Summer 2014, just awaiting some final funds.
He has also produced several short films and continues to write and strive toward making more feature films.- Andrew Davison was born on 11 April 1997 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Acheron (2016).
- Director
- Actress
- Writer
Megan Lilias Kane is a Newcastle-based film and stage actress.
Best known for Underdogs Collective (2019), Megan is best known for her extensive performances in theatre but is also a talented director, having directed and co-directed a few professional audio dramas and short films which she has also performed in.- Charlotte Jayne is a British actress based in the North East of England. Charlotte decided from a young age that she wanted to pursue acting due to being around it a lot when her mother performed.
Charlotte joined a youth theatre group in secondary school while attending weekend classes with Reavley Theatre School. After taking a break from acting to pursue different job roles, Charlotte returned to acting in 2019. This led to her enrolling at Newcastle College to complete her BA in Acting in which she achieved a First Class Honours.
Charlotte currently attends weekly classes with The Actors Forge in Newcastle and is represented by 23 Talent Management. - Dan Dobson was born on 3 January 1985 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Gamekeeper (2019), Give Them Wings (2021) and Orcus (2022).
- Joshua Bowes was born on 13 March 2002 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Little Fishes (2020).
- Chris Korhonen was born on 11 May 1983 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK.
- Music Department
Scambler was born on 4 April 1975 in Gateshead, England, UK. He is known for Where Eagles Fly (2011).- Actress
- Additional Crew
Sylvia Nelis was born on 1 April 1887 in Dunston, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Mozart (1936). She died in 1973 in Bromyard, Herefordshire, England, UK.- Cecil McGivern was born on 22 May 1907 in Fellling, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. Cecil was a writer, known for Great Expectations (1946) and Blanche Fury (1948). Cecil died on 30 January 1963 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.
- Gavin Hetherington was born on 7 May 1992 in Gateshead, England, UK.
- Lempriere Hammond was born on 30 September 1918 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Scenes from Twelfth Night and Macbeth (1948), For the Children (1946) and Scenes from Twelfth Night and Macbeth/II (1948). He died in 1996 in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, UK.
- Stephen Mark Scott was born on 6 November 1990 in Gateshead ,England. He is an actor, known for Blockheads in Britain (2022), Muse (2017) and Family 2 (2017).
- Derek Conway was born on 15 February 1953 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Burnouts (2024), Celebrity Five Go To... (2011) and The Sunday Programme (1994). He has been married to Colette Lamb since October 1980. They have three children.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Kenny Craddock was born on 18 April 1950 in Gateshead, Durham, England, UK. He was a composer and actor, known for Chilly Dogs (2001), Joking Apart (1991) and The Love Child (1987). He was married to Sue Sweeney. He died on 30 May 2002 in near Monchique, Portugal.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Hilton Craig was born in November 1926 in Gateshead, Durham, England, UK. He was a cinematographer, known for Girls of the Latin Quarter (1960), The Long Haul (1957) and Solution by Phone (1954). He died on 4 November 2012 in Chichester, West Sussex, England, UK.- Transportation Department
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Helen Bone was born on 19 April 1966 in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, UK. She is known for Left Behind: The Movie (2000), Hidden Agenda (1999) and Say Nothing (2001). She died on 8 May 2017 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
John Wilson was born in 1972 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He is known for Beyond the Sea (2004), Gormenghast (2000) and BBC Swingin' Christmas (2010).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Teddy Knox was born on 12 July 1894 in Gateshead, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Music Box (1957), O-Kay for Sound (1937) and Gasbags (1941). He was married to Clarice Mayne. He died on 1 December 1974 in Devon, England, UK.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
George Leybourne was born on 17 March 1842 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. George is known for George of the Jungle (1997), Going in Style (2017) and Chaplin (1992). George died on 15 September 1884 in Islington, London, England, UK.- Additional Crew
- Music Department
- Sound Department
Alan Rogan was born on 15 February 1951 in Gateshead, Newcastle, England, UK. He is known for Unplugged (1989), Concert for George (2003) and In the Attic with Pete Townshend & Friends (2009). He was married to Linda Davison. He died on 3 July 2019 in London, England, UK.- Norman Hunter was born on 29 October 1943 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. He died on 17 April 2020 in England, UK.
- Kevin Owens was born on 27 October 1981 in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. Kevin is a writer, known for The Hard Sell (2004).
- John Capstaff was born on 24 February 1879 in Gateshead, England. John was a director, known for Kodachrome Two-Color Test Shots No. III (1922). John died on 31 January 1960 in San Diego County, California, USA.