The blue plaque on a building in South Street, Mayfair, which was once the headquarters of the Rank Organisation. It was a delight to pick my old Morris Minor up and it didn’t take me long to drive from Colchester to Basildon where I was greeted by the three young ladies in my life. Sarah,Continue reading “Walking into a lion’s den and out again with a smile on my face”
Tag Archives: Sooty
Longed-for letter boosts my spirits as we catch up with some old friends
As the tour went on it seemed as though every day there was something new, though none of it quite as bad as those few horrific minutes in the cinema when a Polish actress made use of her natural assets to kill a man. As Dickens said: “They were the the best of times; theyContinue reading “Longed-for letter boosts my spirits as we catch up with some old friends”
Christmas past and Christmas present, what now lies ahead?
Christmas came and now its gone. All packed away for another year. In many ways Christmas remains the same except gradual changes creep in year on year and my Christmas of 2022 is very different from the early ones I can remember in the 50s. Nowadays we start preparing for Christmas in the New Year,Continue reading “Christmas past and Christmas present, what now lies ahead?”
Horror that followed us from town to town
When I left Basildon at the end of summer 1974 I did not know if I would ever be back. My move from there, initially, to the other side of the country was to create a breathing space, not just for me but also for someone who had become close. Initially my only contact wouldContinue reading “Horror that followed us from town to town”
At long last I found ‘Uncle Howard’
Have you ever had that niggling little memory which has lost a piece of itself in that labyrinth we call the mind? It’s only a tiny bit missing but it makes all the difference to what you are trying to remember. I retrieved one of those bits tyesterday and I had been hunting for itContinue reading “At long last I found ‘Uncle Howard’”
All good friends and jolly good company as we get set to tour
The fortnight at Harry’s home in Child Okeford was not only for preparing for the tour, making sure everything was in perfect condition and packed properly in the Sooty van (some fragile items were to travel in the back of Harry’s Range Rover), it was also to give us time to get to know oneContinue reading “All good friends and jolly good company as we get set to tour”
Frantic fortnight as we get ready to take Sooty, Sweep and Soo on tour
After the first week at Harry’s place, a very busy time all round, it was time to make the master show tape with all the sounds and music for the show. The recording studio was the Corbetts’ living room and the musicians were the Corbett sons, David and Peter (the latter known professionally as MatthewContinue reading “Frantic fortnight as we get ready to take Sooty, Sweep and Soo on tour”
Lazy Sunday afternoon as I head off South to begin a brand new life
A Sunday drive in late summer from North Wales to Dorset, in a 1950s green Morris Minor, is one of the most relaxing journeys I can think of. Well I found it relaxing on that sunny day in 1974. It was just as well that I have always found driving myself from A to BContinue reading “Lazy Sunday afternoon as I head off South to begin a brand new life”
Who needs to run away to the circus I found my place in a puppet show
My father was a good man. He didn’t lay down the law when I was growing up, instead he led by example. He was gentle and considerate, I never heard him swear and he only shouted at me once – I deserved it. There is one piece of advice he gave me in my teensContinue reading “Who needs to run away to the circus I found my place in a puppet show”
Fun and frolics at the theatre when uppity stars get their comeuppance
Meanwhile back in Basildon . . . After the few days of excitement at the National Union of Journalists’ ADM in Wexford things seemed very quiet back at work. My personal life was still going well at this stage. Quite a lot of it centred on the Basildon Arts Centre, some of it as anContinue reading “Fun and frolics at the theatre when uppity stars get their comeuppance”
Robin's Nest 