Linda’s Blog

And now I hear they are to name a theatre after Dame Judy Dench. Hooray. 

No one more deserving.

She is one of the greatest actresses ever born. There isn’t anything she can’t do, or any character she can’t play. She is also one of the nicest people ,with absolutely no airs and graces about her. Dame Judy, you rock.

I have my fingers crossed very tightly, that our next theatre to be named will be Dame Maggie Smith. The likes of her we will not see again. A wonderful, quirky, and cream of our crop, actress who has left behind legends of work across comedy to drama.

Also, I am loving the fact, we are getting theatres named after our female genius’. There are still too many named after our greats in our male actors. So, let us be sure to keep this even, and let’s now argue for a Dame Maggie Smith theatre. Anyone know who to write to? My pen is at the ready.

I was so happy to see Dame Gillian Lynne honoured with a theatre in her name. (The New London Theatre). I am only sad that the honour came after her death. It would have been nice for her to see how appreciated her input into British theatre was, both in Staging scenes and as a choreographer. 

Personally, in my days at the Royal Shakespeare, I was lucky enough to train under her for nine months. She was a tough taskmaster, but she turned out amazing choreography. It was in a production of the nineties thirties stage play, Once in a Lifetime, written by Moss and Hart, that I was fortunate enough to workwith her. We had an extremely long dance routine at the end of the play with tap and jazz and all sorts in it. She got us to the standard required, and I will forever be grateful that she taught me to look after my body by never giving up exercise.

Among her many credits she choreographed Cats, and Nicolas Nickleby.

She so richly deserved her damehood and the the naming of a theatre in her honour.

May she rest in peace, and good luck to her, teaching all our wonderful actors who are up there and went before her, to tap dance.

It is now Autumn. I have been very busy, but am getting very disheartened about having to do self-tapes for auditions. These all started in covid days, and are now a norm in our industry. You are sent a script and have to learn it, and then film yourself, or get someone else to film you doing it. In the old days we could meet the director and chat and they would tell us what they wanted. I preferred that, but everything changes and auditioning certainly has. One day it may all change back, and I certainly hope that day comes around.

I was so pleased to see Jane Seymour starring in a new crime series, currently on the box. I am sure I speak for every actress my age when I say how hard it is still to get work was in television and film as one gets progressively older. The media is snowed under with stories about ageism and yet our industry still doesn’t like older actresses. I am not going to complain too loudly, as I think we are on our way to better days, there are more female directors than ever there was when I was young, and more technical operators are female, however there is still a long way to go. So ladies, let us keep going, let us keep trying, and for those of us that can, let us keep creating great roles for older women.

I was delighted to see that lovely Jane Seymour is starring in a new crime series

Saying hello to 2023 and goodbye to 2022 feels a relief for me. I am praying that this year will be kinder to our industry and we won’t lose so many greats from our big show business family to that big show in the sky.

I am not going to name all the wonderful performers who left us last year, for fear of missing anyone out. But I would like, here in print, to speak briefly about the ones that I knew well, or worked with. In my way I feel that will keep them and their talents alive.

I worked for a long time in the West End play Dirty Linen, written by Tom Stoppard, with the wonderful John Chalice playing one of the leads. He was a great mate and a very fine actor. I watched his rise to fame from there, it was so richly deserved and he has left us too soon.

Barry Cryer, I had worked with when I was employed as an actress on on the Radio four repertory company. I was lucky and very proud to do many voice overs for Sorry I haven’t a Clue. I also knew Barry personally, through both our close association with the Grand order of Rats and Ratlings, which we were both members. He was one of the cleverest and funniest performers I ever knew.

I toured with Cannon and Ball for six months in their first stage play. We laughed all the time, they were a great double act, and I adored working with them. Bobby was also a very fine straight actor. RIP Bobby. my heart goes out to Tommy. Their song, Together we’ll be OK, will live in my heart.

I can hardy bare to write the names Anna Karen, and Ruth Madoc, in this list. They were two of my very, very close friends and I will miss them both forever. Thank you both for your kindness, loyalty and your true friendship, I will never never forget everything you did for me. And on behalf of your millions and millions of fans, to both of you: ‘thank you for all the laughter and joy you brought through ON the Buses and HiDeHi.’

Let us now look to 2023. I pray that big show in the sky is fully cast, and our industry has a valuable year, with no exits.

Finally, I wish everyone reading this a very happy and healthy New Year.

This is my latest book. It has had excellent reviews, I am very relieved to say. Available on Amazon.  It is a DCI Banham and DI Grainger mystery, featuring an arsonist on the loose and a new member of the team, who knows who the arsonist is, but daren’t say for fear of putting her career in jeopardy.

OCTOBER 20: Yes, it’s true isn’t it? Only how many shopping days until Christmas! And what a year it’s been.
Today I feel really thrilled that someone has finally got something right. The actor David Suchet(He played Poirot, in case you need reminding), has been awarded a knighthood. I worked with him as a young actress in the RSC. He was my workshop leader, and I was in the RSC production on Once in a Lifetime, with him, and taught me so much. He is one on the genius’ of our business and his knighthood is so well deserved. Hooray for this.

May 2020: So we are in lockdown. The government has said we can work from home or go back to work if we can’t. I can write, but I can’t do any acting, as contact is only within 2 metres of another person. And all my after dinner talks and festival hosting etc is cancelled. However, this time will pass and I am using mine to write more and keep my acting craft up to scratch. My latest book The Terror Within, is doing well, I am delighted to say, and I have had a lot of lovely letters from readers saying they are enjoying it. I so love to hear from readers. I hope everyone out there is finding things to do within this difficult time. A good time for spring cleaning, or if you have dogs, you can get longer walks than usual. On my web Caninesinkent.co.uk I am going to explore some lovely walks and will write about them on there. Also another thing I have been doing is having a clearcut. I hate clutter, so I am bagging up anything I don’t use and making loads of bags of stuff to be delivered to charity shops as soon as they re-open. Fortunately the weather is good, so loads of reading too, out in the garden, Sadly my hubby suffers terrible with hay fever, so he sits inside the open conservatory doors and sneezes! Stay well everyone.

 

June 2019: I Had such an interesting afternoon hosting a panel from the award winning Jack the Ripper two-part series. MY panel included the immensely  interesting, and fascinating David Wickes, the director of the film. He had researched the killer so thoroughly and brought so many views before us. Also the actors Gary Shail, Hugh Fraser, and George Sweeney, all played leading roles and could have been the Ripper.  Many thanks to Misty Moon Productions for producing such a fascinating talk, and to the Cinema Museum for having us. There is a Jack the Ripper Society if anyone is interesting learning more on this infamous murderer.

 

 

I Had such an interesting afternoon hosting a panel from the award winning Jack the Ripper two-part series. MY panel included the immensely interesting, and fascinating David Wickes, the director of the film. He had researched the killer so thoroughly and brought so many views before us. Also the actors Gary Shail, Hugh Fraser, and George Sweeney, all played leading roles and could have been the Ripper. Many thanks to Misty Moon Productions for producing such a fascinating talk, and to the Cinema Museum for having us. There is a Jack the Ripper Society if anyone is interesting learning more on this infamous murderer.