Rare Billy Connolly documentary Big Banana Feet is undergoing restoration for a DVD and Blu-ray release, courtesy of the BFI.
Billy Connolly is unquestionably one of the most beloved stand-up comedians to ever grace the stage.
An alternative comedian before the term existed, Connolly was playing folk clubs with the likes of Jasper Carrott and Richard Digance in the early 1970s. Eventually, his patter between songs became so popular, Connolly ditched the music and became a stand up comic full time.
He has consistently been voted amongst the best stand up comedians on history by peers and public alike. He undertook his final tour, High Horse, in 2016 and published his latest autobiography, Windswept And Interesting, in 2021.
1975 was a landmark year for Connolly, as it marked the first of many appearences on Michael Parkinson’s chat show. The same year, a documentary called Big Banana Feet was filmed. It’s title came from the huge,...
Billy Connolly is unquestionably one of the most beloved stand-up comedians to ever grace the stage.
An alternative comedian before the term existed, Connolly was playing folk clubs with the likes of Jasper Carrott and Richard Digance in the early 1970s. Eventually, his patter between songs became so popular, Connolly ditched the music and became a stand up comic full time.
He has consistently been voted amongst the best stand up comedians on history by peers and public alike. He undertook his final tour, High Horse, in 2016 and published his latest autobiography, Windswept And Interesting, in 2021.
1975 was a landmark year for Connolly, as it marked the first of many appearences on Michael Parkinson’s chat show. The same year, a documentary called Big Banana Feet was filmed. It’s title came from the huge,...
- 2/5/2024
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
For millions of music fans of all ages, The Beatles are without a doubt rock’s most influential group. The band, comprised of John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr, broke boundaries and created bold new sounds that reverberate to this day. Behind the scenes, members of the band didn’t always get along – and this occasional tension led to a long-standing myth that Lennon once discredited Starr’s drumming skills. As it turns out, however, this rumor just doesn’t hold water, with internet sleuths figuring out that Lennon never actually made the remark in the first place.
John Lennon is often credited with making a joke at Ringo Starr’s expense
#Otd in #1964, #TheBeatles continued filming opening scenes for A Hard Day’s Night at Marylebone Station in London following the first shoot on the 5th April. pic.twitter.com/H3xdM840ZX
— The Beatles (@thebeatles...
John Lennon is often credited with making a joke at Ringo Starr’s expense
#Otd in #1964, #TheBeatles continued filming opening scenes for A Hard Day’s Night at Marylebone Station in London following the first shoot on the 5th April. pic.twitter.com/H3xdM840ZX
— The Beatles (@thebeatles...
- 4/27/2023
- by Christina Nunn
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
In the first episode of 90s-set ITV drama Quiz, a group of men are devising a game show. Provisionally titled Cash Mountain, it involves players doubling their money with each correct answer on their way to the summit. Concerned that the concept’s too old-fashioned, a Birmingham accent comically suggests, “We could set it on an actual mountain. Like, a little one? Wales?”
Cash Mountain didn’t go down the Welsh Outward Bound route but stuck to its questions-and-cash simplicity to become global smash hit Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? That Brummie voice belonged to Steve Knight (played in Quiz by Keir Charles). He was one of the three creators credited with devising the quiz show that was later struck by the “Coughing Major” cheating scandal so brilliantly dramatised in James Graham’s play and TV adaptation.
In the nineties, Knight and his writing partner Mike Whitehill worked at TV production company Celador.
Cash Mountain didn’t go down the Welsh Outward Bound route but stuck to its questions-and-cash simplicity to become global smash hit Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? That Brummie voice belonged to Steve Knight (played in Quiz by Keir Charles). He was one of the three creators credited with devising the quiz show that was later struck by the “Coughing Major” cheating scandal so brilliantly dramatised in James Graham’s play and TV adaptation.
In the nineties, Knight and his writing partner Mike Whitehill worked at TV production company Celador.
- 2/16/2022
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
British actress Lucy Davis is best known for her comedic chops. You may have seen her in Shaun of the Dead or on the FX comedy series Better Things. But you probably know her as receptionist Dawn Tinsley on the U.K. version of The Office (you know -- the original version). “It brought new things into my life, opportunities that I hadn’t had before, doors opened that hadn’t opened before,” Davis tells Et of the role that first brought her fame.
Today, the 44-year-old Brit is taking on a new kind of role as Etta Candy, sidekick and best friend to Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince, in the upcoming superhero film Wonder Woman. Davis' take on the role marks the first time Etta is making an appearance in a live-action feature film.
News: Lynda Carter and Gal Gadot Embrace at 'Wonder Woman' Red Carpet – See the Pics!
“She’s a woman...
Today, the 44-year-old Brit is taking on a new kind of role as Etta Candy, sidekick and best friend to Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince, in the upcoming superhero film Wonder Woman. Davis' take on the role marks the first time Etta is making an appearance in a live-action feature film.
News: Lynda Carter and Gal Gadot Embrace at 'Wonder Woman' Red Carpet – See the Pics!
“She’s a woman...
- 5/26/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Just when you thought you'd seen all the glitz and glamour at the Spectre premiere in London last night - little did you know there was an alternative red carpet screening happening over 100 miles away in Birmingham...
The city's Cineworld at the NEC's Resorts World complex celebrated its opening by premiering the Sam Mendes-directed movie, which saw glittering guests such as Celebrity Big Brother winner James Hill and runner-up Austin Armacost, and former Towie stars Maria Fowler and Abigail Clarke gracing the red carpet.
Other stars included Danielle Lloyd and her new partner Michael O'Neill, former footballer Dion Dublin, Ex on the Beach star Jemma Lucy and comedian Jasper Carrott.
Meanwhile in the capital, the official world premiere was given the royal seal of approval with the attendance of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry.
007's Daniel Craig also posed on the red carpet along with co-stars Christoph Waltz,...
The city's Cineworld at the NEC's Resorts World complex celebrated its opening by premiering the Sam Mendes-directed movie, which saw glittering guests such as Celebrity Big Brother winner James Hill and runner-up Austin Armacost, and former Towie stars Maria Fowler and Abigail Clarke gracing the red carpet.
Other stars included Danielle Lloyd and her new partner Michael O'Neill, former footballer Dion Dublin, Ex on the Beach star Jemma Lucy and comedian Jasper Carrott.
Meanwhile in the capital, the official world premiere was given the royal seal of approval with the attendance of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry.
007's Daniel Craig also posed on the red carpet along with co-stars Christoph Waltz,...
- 10/27/2015
- Digital Spy
Cast your minds back to 2002 - a time when Pop Idols didn't need to have The X Factor, Fifty Shades of Grey were just colours on a paint sampler chart and David Beckham was a mere international superstar rather than global megastar.
Bend It Like Beckham, with a modest estimated budget of £3.7 million, opened that same year and became a critical and commercial success - breaking box office records and scoring BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations, as well as making household names of many of its stars.
As the cast continues preparing for the West End stage adaptation of Gurinder Chadha's screen hit ahead of previews on May 15, find out what the movie's ensemble cast went on to achieve - including who is coming back for the musical...
Parminder Nagra (Jess Bhamra)
Nominated for Best Newcomer at the Empire Awards on the back of the movie's success, Parminder went...
Bend It Like Beckham, with a modest estimated budget of £3.7 million, opened that same year and became a critical and commercial success - breaking box office records and scoring BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations, as well as making household names of many of its stars.
As the cast continues preparing for the West End stage adaptation of Gurinder Chadha's screen hit ahead of previews on May 15, find out what the movie's ensemble cast went on to achieve - including who is coming back for the musical...
Parminder Nagra (Jess Bhamra)
Nominated for Best Newcomer at the Empire Awards on the back of the movie's success, Parminder went...
- 3/22/2015
- Digital Spy
Jim Davidson has criticised the BBC for having a left-wing bias and said that there isn't enough working class comedy on TV anymore.
The Celebrity Big Brother winner and stand-up comic, who hosted primetime BBC shows such as The Generation Game and Big Break in the '90s, said that modern TV is dominated by university-educated talent.
Watch Jim Davidson talk about political correctness, the BBC and Dappy:
"The BBC are all lefties really. If you sliced the BBC in half, the Guardian newspaper would fall out," he told Digital Spy.
"There was a time when I was growing up, when comedy came from the working class streets of the big cities. Billy Connolly, me, Jasper Carrott, Jethro. All working class lads. And now, they all come from universities and all us old guys are old hat."
Davidson added: "And who is the worst? Me. Since Bernard Manning died,...
The Celebrity Big Brother winner and stand-up comic, who hosted primetime BBC shows such as The Generation Game and Big Break in the '90s, said that modern TV is dominated by university-educated talent.
Watch Jim Davidson talk about political correctness, the BBC and Dappy:
"The BBC are all lefties really. If you sliced the BBC in half, the Guardian newspaper would fall out," he told Digital Spy.
"There was a time when I was growing up, when comedy came from the working class streets of the big cities. Billy Connolly, me, Jasper Carrott, Jethro. All working class lads. And now, they all come from universities and all us old guys are old hat."
Davidson added: "And who is the worst? Me. Since Bernard Manning died,...
- 1/7/2015
- Digital Spy
Feature Duncan Bowles 26 Jun 2013 - 06:49
Duncan chats to the director of the new Jason Statham movie about, well, Jason Statham, among other things
Hummingbird (aka Redemption) sees Steven Knight make his feature film directorial debut after several decades in the film and television industry. He’s probably best known in the UK for writing the '90s TV comedy show The Detectives, which starred Jasper Carrott and Robert Powell (which he also directed a few episodes of). Hummingbird marks the third part of his dark side of London trilogy, with Dirty Pretty Things being the first and the David Cronenberg directed Eastern Promises, the second.
Hummingbird revolves around a homeless ex-veteran, Joey Jones (played by our man Statham) who’s given a second chance at a new life, helped in part by his unlikely alliance with a nun, Christina (Agata Buzek). It’s a surprising film in many ways,...
Duncan chats to the director of the new Jason Statham movie about, well, Jason Statham, among other things
Hummingbird (aka Redemption) sees Steven Knight make his feature film directorial debut after several decades in the film and television industry. He’s probably best known in the UK for writing the '90s TV comedy show The Detectives, which starred Jasper Carrott and Robert Powell (which he also directed a few episodes of). Hummingbird marks the third part of his dark side of London trilogy, with Dirty Pretty Things being the first and the David Cronenberg directed Eastern Promises, the second.
Hummingbird revolves around a homeless ex-veteran, Joey Jones (played by our man Statham) who’s given a second chance at a new life, helped in part by his unlikely alliance with a nun, Christina (Agata Buzek). It’s a surprising film in many ways,...
- 6/25/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Steve Knight is a man who enjoys taking concerns such as immigration, cultural differences and whether Robert Powell and Jasper Carrott can be an efficient law-keeping team and turning them into effective dramas and thrillers (okay, not the Powell and Carrott bit, but he did co-create silly sitcom The Detectives). His latest script is Closed Circuit, which John Crowley has now brought to the screen. Check out the trailer over at Apple’s site.Circuit finds lawyers Martin (Eric Bana) and Claudia (Rebecca Hall) thrown together when they’re assigned to be the defence team for an accused terrorist following a bombing in a London market.As if the high-profile case weren’t enough, the pair also used to be a couple, which creates an extra layer of tension. But they soon learn that their history isn’t what should worry them: it’s their uncertain futures, because a lot...
- 6/2/2013
- EmpireOnline
Jason Statham is not normally the man you might expect to see in a Steve Knight drama about London’s seedy underbelly. But then, Knight’s scripts – as directed in the past by the likes of Stephen Frears and David Cronenberg – have always boasted a little edge and violence. So it somehow seems more natural for The Stath to star in Knight’s directorial debut, Hummingbird. Check out the trailer. We say “debut” even though Knight called the shots on a few episodes of Jasper Carrott/Robert Powell police spoof series The Detectives, but then this is a little bit different.Hummingbird finds Statham as Joseph “Joey” Jones, a former Special Forces soldier who tries to avoid a court martial and ends up homeless on the street.Looking to get himself sorted once more, Joey breaks into a rich businessman’s apartment and attempts to re-invent himself. But once more...
- 3/24/2013
- EmpireOnline
As a genre in television, the sitcom is in a nice little rut: it’s main concern is families with bumbling dads and mouthy teenage kids, or wacky antics in an office somewhere. But some sitcoms are altogether more bizarre. On the one hand we’ve got sitcoms that deliberately try to break away from sitcom conventions with different settings and characters like Red Dwarf. On the other hand, there are some sitcoms that miss the target of being unconventional by a wide margin and just end up looking… stupid. Here are 10 ridiculous sitcoms you won’t believe ever got made.
10. All About Me (BBC One, 2002 – 2004)
What’s It About?
The domestic lives of Colin Craddock (Jasper Carrott) and his second wife Rupinder (Meera Syal in Series One and Nina Wadia in Series Two and Three).
Why Is It So Ridiculous?
I know I’m running the risk of being...
10. All About Me (BBC One, 2002 – 2004)
What’s It About?
The domestic lives of Colin Craddock (Jasper Carrott) and his second wife Rupinder (Meera Syal in Series One and Nina Wadia in Series Two and Three).
Why Is It So Ridiculous?
I know I’m running the risk of being...
- 1/9/2013
- by James T. Cornish
- Obsessed with Film
Lucy Davis didn’t realise she had something in common with Elvis. But so it transpires. Just like the King (of myth, anyway, and it’s a great story), Davis once unwittingly entered a competition… as herself… Exactly how did that happen?
“I went along to audition for a commercial, and there were all these girls there with blonde, straight hair, asking me ‘Did you get a brief?’” she remembers.
Lucy Davis was bemused when she had to compete against a load of Dawn-a-likes, without realising
“I hadn’t had any sort of brief. I asked them what they’d been told, and it was ‘Come as Dawn from The Office’. A bit embarrassing, really.”
But at least victory was in the bag, surely, with what one might call a convincing head start? “Nope, I didn’t get it,” she laughs.
Which is strange to hear, because Davis is safely...
“I went along to audition for a commercial, and there were all these girls there with blonde, straight hair, asking me ‘Did you get a brief?’” she remembers.
Lucy Davis was bemused when she had to compete against a load of Dawn-a-likes, without realising
“I hadn’t had any sort of brief. I asked them what they’d been told, and it was ‘Come as Dawn from The Office’. A bit embarrassing, really.”
But at least victory was in the bag, surely, with what one might call a convincing head start? “Nope, I didn’t get it,” she laughs.
Which is strange to hear, because Davis is safely...
- 10/5/2012
- by Caroline Frost
- Huffington Post
Mrs Brown's Boys was the only bright spark in BBC One's comedy lineup last night. The Brendan O'Carroll sitcom averaged 4.67m (18.6%) at 9.30pm, despite a dreadful lead-in from David Jason's The Royal Bodyguard, which slumped to 2.94m (11.7%). Now in its third week, Royal Bodyguard has lost over 4 million fans, having premiered with 7.1m on Boxing Day. Jasper Carrott's return to stand-up, in The One Jasper Carrott, was seen by 3.4m (13.4%) at 8.30pm. Elsewhere, series four of Lynda La Plante's Above Suspicion opened with 6.31m (25.1%) on ITV1 at 9pm, adding 256k (1.4%) on +1, prior to which 8pm documentary Cornwall with Caroline Quentin interested 3.83m (15.1%) and 147k (0.6%) on timeshift. BBC Two's University Challenge educated 2.99m (11.7%) at 8pm, then the audience dropped (more)...
- 1/10/2012
- by By Paul Millar
- Digital Spy
Cast your brain box back in time to April 2011, where we brought word that Eastern Promises writer Steve Knight had worked up a script called Hummingbird that he intended to make his directorial debut. Things have moved on apace as he’s now got the cash to make the movie and Jason Statham locked in to star.The Stath will play a former Special Forces soldier who has found himself sucked into London’s grimy criminal underworld (fertile territory for Knight, it would seem). But when he gets the chance to take on another identity, he embraces it, and becomes an avenging angel looking to take down wrongdoers.Im Global is aboard to stump up the $20 million to make the movie, which Knight will shoot early next year in the city. It won’t actually be his first directing credit, though: he also shot a few episodes of Jasper Carrott...
- 11/2/2011
- EmpireOnline
Jasper Carrott has surprised a small audience at a club in Birmingham as he made his comeback on the comedy stand-up scene. The comedian was trying out new material at the Laffacino Cabaret Night in preparation for a new BBC One show titled The One. Comic Freddie Farrell told the Daily Express that Carrott did not disappoint in the surprise gig. "It was amazing to see him in such a small venue. He blew the roof off," Farrell said. Venue owner Rachel Sambrooks added: "I met him at a gig a while ago. He gave me a call and asked if he could come down but I wasn't sure he was going to turn (more)...
- 9/12/2011
- by By Tom Eames
- Digital Spy
He’s already had quite the career as a scriptwriter, but now Dirty Pretty Things/Eastern Promises scribe Steve Knight is looking to turn director for one of his own screenplays with Hummingbird.Shine Pictures has picked up an option on the script, which, while it might sound like a coming-of-age drama about a precocious young girl, is actually about a former special services soldier who turns criminal."I believe the story is timely and the characters are drawn from a city full of broken lives and sudden opportunities,” Knight tells Variety. "It is about redemption and love in a rarely seen urban underworld, and even the romance is forbidden."Knight is looking for a cast now and is set to kick off shooting in the autumn.It’s just the latest step for a man who got his start writing for Jasper Carrott, and has since segued into working...
- 4/11/2011
- EmpireOnline
"The Mentalist" star Owain Yeoman has split from his actress wife Lucy Davis. Welsh hunk Yeoman wed Davis, best known for her role in the British version of "The Office", in 2006 in a lavish ceremony at London's St. Paul's Cathedral. However, the pair has decided to separate after four years of marriage.
In a joint statement, they say, "We have separated but are on good terms and would kindly ask for our privacy to be respected during this time." According to Britain's Mail on Sunday, Davis hinted that the couple was trying to make its marriage work, telling reporters, "All I can say is that we are not over." Davis is the daughter of British comedian Jasper Carrott.
Insiders say that Carrott and his wife Hazel have been "towers of strength" to Lucy, "It's been tough but Lucy's lucky to have wonderful parents who have helped her get through this.
In a joint statement, they say, "We have separated but are on good terms and would kindly ask for our privacy to be respected during this time." According to Britain's Mail on Sunday, Davis hinted that the couple was trying to make its marriage work, telling reporters, "All I can say is that we are not over." Davis is the daughter of British comedian Jasper Carrott.
Insiders say that Carrott and his wife Hazel have been "towers of strength" to Lucy, "It's been tough but Lucy's lucky to have wonderful parents who have helped her get through this.
- 2/28/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
The Mentalist star Owain Yeoman has split from his actress wife Lucy Davis.
Welsh hunk Yeoman wed Davis, best known for her role in the British version of The Office, in 2006 in a lavish ceremony at London's St. Paul's Cathedral.
However, the pair has decided to separate after four years of marriage.
In a joint statement, they say, "We have separated but are on good terms and would kindly ask for our privacy to be respected during this time."
According to Britain's Mail on Sunday, Davis hinted that the couple was trying to make its marriage work, telling reporters, "All I can say is that we are not over."
Davis is the daughter of British comedian Jasper Carrott.
Welsh hunk Yeoman wed Davis, best known for her role in the British version of The Office, in 2006 in a lavish ceremony at London's St. Paul's Cathedral.
However, the pair has decided to separate after four years of marriage.
In a joint statement, they say, "We have separated but are on good terms and would kindly ask for our privacy to be respected during this time."
According to Britain's Mail on Sunday, Davis hinted that the couple was trying to make its marriage work, telling reporters, "All I can say is that we are not over."
Davis is the daughter of British comedian Jasper Carrott.
- 2/27/2011
- WENN
Fresh from its victory over Disney's ABC network, Celador sets sights on firm that set up Us deal for Millionaire
The London-based television production company Celador, which created the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, is considering suing the powerful Hollywood talent agency William Morris for acting improperly in negotiating a deal that brought the hit format onto Us screens in 1999.
Celador is flush from victory after winning $269m (£178m) in damages last week from Disney's ABC network, which airs the Us version of Millionaire. After a six-year legal battle, Celador successfully persuaded a Californian jury that it was fiddled out of a fair share of profits from the show, which is still re-run five days a week on coast-to-coast television.
An original sale of the game show format to Disney was negotiated 11 years ago on Celador's behalf by William Morris, a huge talent empire which represents clients...
The London-based television production company Celador, which created the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, is considering suing the powerful Hollywood talent agency William Morris for acting improperly in negotiating a deal that brought the hit format onto Us screens in 1999.
Celador is flush from victory after winning $269m (£178m) in damages last week from Disney's ABC network, which airs the Us version of Millionaire. After a six-year legal battle, Celador successfully persuaded a Californian jury that it was fiddled out of a fair share of profits from the show, which is still re-run five days a week on coast-to-coast television.
An original sale of the game show format to Disney was negotiated 11 years ago on Celador's behalf by William Morris, a huge talent empire which represents clients...
- 7/11/2010
- by Andrew Clark
- The Guardian - Film News
Celador investors awarded unpaid royalties in damages but Us entertainment giant may appeal against ruling
The British creators of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? won $269m (£178m) in damages from the Disney entertainment empire in a Us court after a six-year battle over unpaid royalties.
After three days of deliberation, a jury decided that Disney's ABC network had cheated Celador International out of its entitlement to a 50% share in profits from the American version of the show, which airs five days a week on coast-to-coast television and has proven hugely lucrative.
Celador's founder, the multi-millionaire producer Paul Smith, hailed the verdict, which came in a courtroom in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, as a victory for a small company over a multinational.
"This is money to which we're entitled and Disney endeavoured to avoid paying it. I'm delighted we're going to get it," Smith told the Guardian. "It's been debilitating and it's been very,...
The British creators of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? won $269m (£178m) in damages from the Disney entertainment empire in a Us court after a six-year battle over unpaid royalties.
After three days of deliberation, a jury decided that Disney's ABC network had cheated Celador International out of its entitlement to a 50% share in profits from the American version of the show, which airs five days a week on coast-to-coast television and has proven hugely lucrative.
Celador's founder, the multi-millionaire producer Paul Smith, hailed the verdict, which came in a courtroom in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, as a victory for a small company over a multinational.
"This is money to which we're entitled and Disney endeavoured to avoid paying it. I'm delighted we're going to get it," Smith told the Guardian. "It's been debilitating and it's been very,...
- 7/8/2010
- by Andrew Clark
- The Guardian - Film News
Jasper Carrott has claimed that he can't wait for the new series of Itv gameshow Golden Balls to start.
The presenter said he found the psychological aspects of the programme intriguing, arguing that it was more about "self esteem" than "greed".
He said: "Whilst Golden Balls could be perceived to be about greed, for me its most striking aspect is people's extreme concern . . .
The presenter said he found the psychological aspects of the programme intriguing, arguing that it was more about "self esteem" than "greed".
He said: "Whilst Golden Balls could be perceived to be about greed, for me its most striking aspect is people's extreme concern . . .
- 4/18/2008
- by Alex_Fletcher_imdb_@digitalspy.co.uk (Alex Fletcher)
- Digital Spy
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