Bovey Traces

This was a commissioned article for the theatre programme of the Comedy Theatre Company's production of dinnerladies (2011). Victoria Wood has been the nation's favourite name for over a quarter of a century. Ever since she made her television debut in 1974 on ITV talent show  New Faces , she has been delighting audiences with her wry eye for the foibles of everyday life, filtered through well-drawn characters and rich dialogue, which led one  Guardian  critic to describe her as "the lovechild of Alan Bennett and Pam Eyres". Wood first made a name for herself performing comic songs on the BBC consumer affairs series  That's Life  in 1976. Although the songs would remain part of her repertoire (most famously, 'The Ballad of Barry and Freda'), Wood's background as a drama undergraduate led her to write her first play,  Talent , which was adapted by Granada TV in 1979. Two more plays,  Nearly a Happy Ending  and  Happy Since I Met You , s...

This was a commissioned article for the theatre programme of Phoenix Theatre's production of Bend It Like Beckham (2015). As well as his skills on the football pitch, David Beckham is world-renowned as a style icon. Whether on the ball or at the ball, Becks has given us some bold (and bald) fashion choices over the years. Curtains For England After becoming a crucial part of the Manchester United and England teams in 1996–1997,   with his bendy free kicks, pinpoint crosses and goals from the halfway line. It was all beginning to gel for Becks – including his heavily gelled ‘curtains’ hairstyle. By the time the 1998 World Cup in France arrived, his barnet was blonde; but he saw a different colour – red – when he got sent off in England’s match against Argentina. Going For A Sarong When Becks flew to France, his new fiancée, Victoria Adams (aka ‘Posh Spice’), travelled along with him. The Spice Girl supported Becks at all of England’s matches, and the couple were spotted at ...

This was a c ommissioned article for the touring theatre programme of Theatre Royal Bath and Rose Theatre Productions' production of Stones in His Pockets (March–July 2019). From its breathtaking countryside and colossal cliffs to its quaint villages and bustling capital city, Ireland has provided film-makers over the years with a ready-made set. Hollywood in particular has been a regular visitor, with everything from Technicolor romances to intergalactic epics filmed on location in the Emerald Isle. The first Hollywood film to be shot in Ireland (and indeed outside the USA) was Sidney Olcott’s A Lad From Old Ireland (1910), marketed by the Kalem Film Company of New York as a “great trans-Atlantic drama”. A Canadian American of Irish descent, Olcott drew on his own experience as an emigrant to play the part of a poor Irish farmer who dreams of a better life in the USA. The film’s authenticity came not only from the eschewing of typical Irish stereotypes (the labourer and the dom...

This was a co mmissioned article for the theatre programme of the 2012 tour of John Chapman's play Dry Rot . The Big Three Cheltenham Gold Cup Held annually around St Patrick’s Day, the Cheltenham Festival is Britain’s most prestigious national hunt race meeting. The Gold Cup championship race was established in 1924 and is second only to the Grand National in terms of prize money. Bookies' favourite: Arkle (winner 1964–1966). Photo finish: Arab Boy, the horse that saved The Belles of St Trinian’s (1954) . Ascot Gold Cup Held annually in June, Royal Ascot is the social event of the horseracing calendar. Introduced in 1807, the Gold Cup is held traditionally on the third day, known as ‘Ladies' Day’, and as much focus is on the female attendees' flamboyant hats as on the flat racing. Bookies' favourite: Yeats (winner 2006–2009). Photo finish: Dover, the horse given ‘colourful’ encouragement by Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (1964). The Grand National Held annuall...

This was a co mmissioned article for the theatre programme of Manchester Opera House’s production of  & Juliet  (September–October 2019). Since 1999, Max Martin has written or co-written no fewer than 22 American number-one hits and stands only third to John Lennon and Paul McCartney when it comes to topping the US charts. So, how did this unassuming and interview-shy producer and songwriter become the go-to guy for the world’s biggest artists looking for a bombastic banger or brilliant ballad? Born Max Karl Sandberg in Stockholm in 1971, he changed his surname to White and by the 1990s was fronting the rock band It’s Alive. The group landed a record deal with fellow Swede Denniz PoP’s Cheiron record label before they disbanded in 1995. However, PoP had noticed Max’s songwriting nous and became his mentor, rechristening him Max Martin. Max and Denniz were then contacted by label Jive about working with their new American boy band, the Backstreet Boys. Initially finding suc...

This is an article about Dick Turpin that I wrote remotely at the start of lockdown during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. It was a commission from John Good Ltd, where I was working at the time, and intended for use as a stock article for any Dick Turpin-based pantomime programmes. In the highwaymen hall of fame, one name stands (and delivers) above the rest – Dick Turpin. Legend cuts a figure dressed elegantly in a tricorn hat, frock coat and riding boots atop his loyal mare, Black Bess; a dashing and daring knight of the road, who held up swooning ladies' stagecoaches with gallantry and defied authority with derring-do. In reality, Dick Turpin was far from being fine and dandy. He was a ruthless and violent criminal, who robbed, killed and tortured innocent people unscrupulously – a stark contrast to the gentleman thief of legend. Richard Turpin was born in Hempstead in Essex in 1705, the fifth of six children born to John Turpin and Mary Elizabeth Parmenter. Little is known about h...