Watch: Warren Mitchell Interview from 1970

I've been trawling through the fascinating archives BBC South Today have very kindly made available online and it's a treasure trove of classic clips from times past. I've already brought you rare clips with Carry On faces such as Kenneth Williams, Jack Douglas and Terry Scott and today it's the turn of the actor Warren Mitchell.

Although Warren Mitchell remains best known for his long running role as Alf Garnett in Till Death Us Do Part, he had a long career on stage and screen in many diverse, deeply challenging role. A colourful figure who was a million miles from the comedy character he came to play, Warren made a memorable cameo in the slave auction sequence in the 1964 comedy, Carry On Cleo.

Anyway the clip available here comes from a 1970 interview with the BBC. I hope you enjoy it.


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Whatever Happened To ... Dandy Nichols?

 

I realised the other day that I had never written a blog about that celebrated character comedy actress, the late Dandy Nichols. Famed for her many years playing Else, the "silly moo" in Johnny Speight's legendary BBC comedy, Till Death Us To Part, Dandy enjoyed a long and varied career. Her Carry On contribution may have been brief but it still means she's worthy of a blog all of her own.

Dandy joined the Carry On gang in 1967, the year after rising to fame in Speight's sitcom. Playing the grumbling wife of Sid James' hospital patient, Nichols is glorious in a couple of short scenes which see her moan on about her dreadful life. Sid plugs in his headphones, barely uttering a word which makes Dandy's scenes joyous monologues. Beautiful but sadly all too brief, sadly Dandy didn't make another Carry On. The height of the films' success saw her also at her peak, working on Till Death Us Do Part from 1966 until 1975 alongside Warren Mitchell, Una Stubbs and Tony Booth. Dandy is so recognisable and defined by the character of Else however in the original BBC pilot Else was played by Gretchen Franklin (famous as Ethel in EastEnders). When the series was commissioned, Franklin was in a play and her contract could not be broken so Nichols was cast. 

The idea was revived for one series in 1981, over on ITV with the title Till Death... this series added Patricia Hayes to the cast while Una Stubbs reprised her role as Rita for a few episodes. However the BBC later revived the series again in 1985 with the new title In Sickness and in Health. Again starring Mitchell and Nichols, the cast also included the likes of Pat Coombs, Arthur English and Harry Fowler. Sadly, Dandy only appeared in the first series and was now mainly seen in a wheelchair due to ill health. The series continued until 1992, six years after Dandy had sadly passed away.

Dandy was born Daisy Sander in Fulham in May 1907. She bagan her working life in a factory before taking acting and diction lessons. She was spotted in a charity show and started working in rep. The war years saw Dandy (adopted as her stage name - it was a childhood nickname) doing office work before joining ENSA (Entertainments National Service Assocation). After the war she began acting professionally on stage and in films. Her big screen debut was in Hue and Cry in 1947. Some of her most notable early films included roles in The Winslow Boy, Nicholas Nickleby, The Fallen Idol and Mother Riley Meets the Vampire. Later films included Ladies Who Do, Georgy Girl, Doctor in Clover, The Birthday Party, Help!, O! Lucky Man, Confessions of a Window Cleaner (as Robin Askwith's mother Mrs Lea) and another Askwith film, Lindsay Anderson's Britannia Hospital in 1982. Dandy only appeared in the first Confessions film with her role recast with On The Buses actress Doris Hare for the remaining three films.

 

On television, Dandy starred opposite the wonderful Alastair Sim in The Generals Day. She also made appearances in The Tea Ladies, Bergerac, The Trouble with Lillian and The Bagthorpe Saga. One of Dandy's most successful stage roles was that of Marjorie in David Storey's 1970 play, Home. Set in a mental asylum, Home starred John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Mona Washbourne. Directed by Lindsay Anderson, Home premiered at The Royal Court theatre in London before transferring to Broadway with the same cast. Later in the run, Dandy's part was played by Jessica Tandy. The original British cast also filmed the play for broadcast in the Play For Today slot on television in 1972. 

Dandy Nichols was married to a newspaper editor, Stephen Bagueley Waters from 1942 until their divorce in 1955. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Nichols was dogged by ill health but continued working right up until her death at the age of 78 in February 1986. A gifted actress, many of Dandy's performances are still remembered and cherished over thirty years after her death.

 

 

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Actor Warren Mitchell dies aged 89

The actor Warren Mitchell, known to millions as the star of the classic, controversial sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, has died at the age of 89.

Mitchell, who played legendary bigot Alf Garnett, was a star of stage and screen for decades.  To Carry On fans, he is known for his cameo role as one of the slave auctioneers Marcus and Spencius in the classic 1964 comedy, Carry On Cleo.

Although Warren Mitchell was known to many as a serious stage actor, the winner of Olivier Awards in 1979 and 2004, he will always be best remembered for the role of Alf Garnett. He played the role originally between 1965 and 1975, before reprising it again in the 1980s for In Sickness and in Health. Written by Johnny Speight, the series quickly gained notoriety but always legions of fans. Co-starring with Anthony Booth, Una Stubbs and the wonderful Dandy Nichols, Warren Mitchell entered television history.

As with many of his generation, Warren continued to act into old age, appearing regularly on stage in a diverse range of productions. Warren Mitchell was a highly versatile actor and another sad loss. 

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Carry On Avenging!

What else do you do on a rain soaked day on holiday in England? No, you don't stage a beauty contest and take on Augusta Prodworthy! You sit indoors and watch back to back episodes of The Avengers, that's what. 

I love classic British television series from the 60s and 70s. Even when they are a bit cheap, a bit rubbish or just downright weird, they are nearly always jam packed with recognisable character actors and well-known faces from the acting world, often years before they became big names. Britain has always had a wonderful tradition of producing reliable character actors, something the Carry Ons cashed in on frequently! The Avengers, featuring crime fighting gent Steed (the late great Patrick Macnee) and an assortment of female assistants (Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, Linda Thorson and much later, Joanna Lumley). Together they took on a range of weird and wonderful assignments. There is always a sense of the absurd about The Avengers and it's all joyously camp swinging sixties nonsense!

So how many Carry On actors appeared in The Avengers? Well as it happens, loads! 

We must start with Julie Stevens, who played Gloria in Carry On Cleo. Cleo was Julie's only film role, however she would make her name as a star of many children's television shows. Julie was one of the original Avengers side-kicks, playing Venus Smith opposite Steed between 1962 and 1963. Julie alternated for a year with Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale. 

Fenella Fielding appeared in the 1964 episode The Charmers, playing the role of Kim Lawrence. It was rumoured that Fenella had been considered for the role of Cathy Gale, which eventually went to Honor Blackman. Fenella co-starred with another actor who appeared in a Carry On, Warren Mitchell. Mitchell, who had a cameo in Cleo, appeared in a total of four episodes of The Avengers. Also appearing in this episode was regular Carry On supporting actor, Brian Oulton.

Carry On favourite Angela Douglas also appeared in two episodes of The Avengers. Angela first appeared as Beth Wilkinson in the very first series back in 1961 and then returned in 1969 to play Miranda. Co-starring alongside Angela in that 1961 episode was regular Carry On character player Norman Chappell, who clocked up a total of six Avengers appearances.

In 1965, Carry On legend Liz Fraser guest starred as Georgie Price-Jones in The Avengers episode The Girl From Auntie. Liz played Steed's assistant for one week, although Diana Rigg's Mrs Peel did make an appearance. This episode also co-starred the wonderful Bernard Cribbins, in the first of two cameo roles in the series. 

Patsy Rowlands, a beloved star of nine classic Carry On films, played the guest role of Thelma in the 1969 episode Love All. Patsy co-starred with a couple of other well-known Carry On faces in Terence Alexander (Regardless) and Brian Oulton (Nurse, Constable, Cleo, Camping).

There are just far too many Carry On actors to name in one blog but here are a few more who cropped up in the weird and wonderful world of The Avengers: 

Anthony Baird (Spying & also Joan Sims' boyfriend); Eric Barker; John Bluthal; Ray Brooks; Patrick Cargill; Kenneth Cope; David Kernan; Gertan Klauber; David Lodge; Terence Longdon; Victor Maddern; Michael Nightingale; Jon Pertwee; Anthony Sagar; Carole Shelley; Frank Thornton; Wanda Ventham; Brian Wilde and Ian Wilson. 

And that's not an exhaustive list!

So go on, check out some classic British television and look out for some familiar Carry On faces! If you spot any get in touch and let me know! 

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