Christopher Sandford

Christopher Sandford:  

 The '60s were remarkable years, fizzing with possibilites, of sudden opportunities and lingering disappointments. Christopher Sandford's story is fascinating in the way it touches obliquely on some pivotal pop-culture moments. Without knowing it, I'd watched him in a number of my favourite films and television programmes, without a glimmer of recognition or connection.

'Coronation Street' Oct 1963, as would-be beat sensation Walter Potts   

Early roles as a teenager included a few TV shows, mostly now lost, and typical light comedies such as the inevitable cruise-ship romp 'Next To No Time' (1958) with Kenneth More and Sid James, and the equally inevitable schoolboy hi jinks of 'A French Mistress' (1960), with James Robertson Justice. But it was his role as Walter Potts, the gormless window cleaner of 'Coronation Street' that brought him to the public's attention. In 1963, as Beatlemania was gathering momentum, the primetime soap's storyline saw Walter transformed into "Brett Falcon" by would-be impresario Dennis Tanner. This neat TV-pop crossover even resulted in a flurry of real-life singles on Decca and Fontana. 

         

His solo album on Transatlantic from the mid-'60s. 

Demonstrating a radio tracking device to
Patrick McGoohan in 'Danger Man'  

He appears in several episodes of 'Danger Man', notably as a Arthur the departmental boffin and as a DJ/agent on a pirate radio station in 'Not So Jolly Roger'. He seems to have been ticking along nicely with the odd part in popular shows of the time, including 'Z-Cars', 'No Hiding Place', 'Public Eye' and 'The Saint'. He also appears in 'Half A Sixpence' (1967) as Tommy Steele's mate Sid, and the BBC adaptation of Dickens's 'Dombey & Son' from 1969.   

Flash bang wallop what a picture.  In 'Half A Sixpence' (1967)
with Tommy Steele (and the late great Julian Orchard). 

As Brett Sinclair's tuneless cousin Onslow, about to get electrocuted in a
'Kind Hearts & Coronets'-influenced episode of 'The Persuaders'    

The '70s presented a new landscape. Sandford's swinging London pop-persona was in demand, but looking increasingly outré in the new decade. He appears in full comedy-mode in 'The Persuaders' Ealing-esque episode 'A Death In The Family' as Roger Moore's groovy duffer of a cousin. On the darker side, he turns up as the brilliantly-named depraved pornographer David Thing  in "Cool It Carol' (1970) a rather grimy, if moralistic, sexploiter with Robin Askwith.        

Great character name. With a curious mix of guest stars in the
Robin Askwith sexploitation movie 'Cool It Carol' (1970)  

Darker still is his slightly chilly turn as Sue's fiancé in the marvellous 'Deep End' (1971), and another rather grim gooseberry role in the obscure Giallo-style 'Die Screaming Marianne' (1971).       

As the fiancé of Sue (Jane Asher) in 'Deep End' (1971)

'Die Screaming Marianne' (1971)

The remainder of the '70s saw relatively few highlights, and in fact there are only six entries on imdb covering the period from 1975 to 2006. He also returned to music with a couple of pastiche comedy records. A modest claim to fame comes from his appearance in the 'Dad's Army' episode 'Time On My Hands' as the German airman dangling from the Walmington-on-Sea town hall clock.  
  

A mixed bag, but some real gems, some terrific oddball stuff and a fascinating story.   

Christopher Sandford-imdb

Robin Parkinson

Robin Parkinson: 
† Oct 25 1929 – May 7 2022

One of the great skills of the character actor is to invest a peripheral role with enough personality to convince as a real individual in a real situation, without interfering with the main action. In British film and television there exists the recurring figure of the dignified but inconsequential little Englander, a small man who may display any blend of timidity, doggedness, thwarted genius, cheerful dullness, determined helpfulness and ennui. Robin Parkinson is something of a master of these roles.

Desmond pledges to help Miss Jones (Frances De La Tour) with her
drink problem, after a 'word-to-the wise' from a jealous Mr Rigsby

It was recalling his appearance as Desmond, the ardent and poetic librarian suitor of Miss Jones in 'Rising Damp' that got me researching Robin Parkinson, whose name I could not have told you before, and which uncovered a long CV of interesting work stretching back to the '50s.        

In the odd espionage caper 'Catch Me A Spy' (1971) 

On the big screen, you might have spotted him as the jeweller in the ring fiasco of 'Billy Liar' (1963), or in 'The Family Way' (1966), the Clements/La Frenais spy spoof 'Catch Me A Spy' (1971), 'Alfie Darling' (1975), or in the movie spin-off of 'George & Mildred' (1980), but it's probably unlikely.

Assisting Terry (James Bolam) with his suit for Bob's wedding
in 'Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?'

It's almost certain, though, that you've seen him in television comedy. Apart from the aforementioned 'Rising Damp', he has been in a panoply of vintage sitcoms, ranging from 'Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?', 'Dad's Army', 'Shelley', 'Moody & Pegg' and 'The Young Ones', to 'The Liver Birds', 'Love Thy Neighbour', 'The Brittas Empire', 'Bless This House', 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum', 'Beryl's Lot' and 'Terry & June'. There are lots more, including taking over the role of Monsieur (It is I...) Le Clerc in the later series of 'Allo Allo', although this was after it had gone from feeble to desperate.

As a chatty cabbie in 'The Professionals'

He also turns up in a lot of sketch comedy and light entertainment. You'll see him in the shows of the Two Ronnies, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Kelly Monteith, Harry Worth, and Peter Serafinovicz. Light dramas, middle-brow classics, cop shows and cosy crime favourites are also his stock in trade. See for instance, 'Clochemerle', 'The Pickwick Papers', 'The Good Companions', Whodunnit', 'All Creatures Great & Small', 'Van Der Valk', 'Softly Softly', 'The Professionals', 'Rosemary & Thyme', to name but a few.

Presenting the face of respectability to be subjected to the cynical
mordant wit of 'Shelley', as played by the late Hywel Bennet  

Then there's children's television, with 'Danger: Marmalade at Work', 'The Tommorow People', and a long-running stint as the soothingly-voiced narrator of the spoon-puppet show for tinies, 'Button Moon'.

Robin Parkinson narrated all the episodes of 'Button Moon'

The 'little man with spectacles' is, or at least was, a mainstay of British entertainment culture, and Robin Parkinson is a maestro at portraying the many nuances of the type. He's also the man forever perplexed by a bunged-up Peter Cleal in the timeless and iconic Tunes commercial. 

Robin Parkinson-imdb

Peter Martin

Peter Martin:
† Dec 1941 - April 19 2023

Distinctive, spud-nosed actor. Played the gaffer looking for building supplies in those 'They've got the Jewson lot!' TV ads from the '90s. Born in Accrington, he has cornered a small part of the market for playing Northerners of various sorts, from canny barmen and no-nonsense farmers to daft ha'porths and confused customers.

In fact, a run through his CV takes you on a whistle-stop tour of Northern comedy and drama since the late '70s. 

He's got a list.

Take for instance: 'The Liver Birds', 'A Bit Of A Do', 'The Gaffer', 'First/Last Of The Summer Wine', 'Dinnerladies' and various other Victoria Wood shows, plus 'The Royle Family', 'Rosie', 'In Loving Memory' and the 'Beiderbecke' trilogy.

Enjoying Christmas with 'The Royle Family'

To this, add a smattering of soaps and light dramas, to whit: 'Emmerdale', 'Coronation Street', 'Bergerac', Dalziel & Pascoe', 'Strangers', and so on...  


Peter Martin-imdb

Jeffrey Segal

Jeffrey Segal:

† Aug 1 1920 – Feb 5 2015

A true veteran actor, born in 1920, who made his film debut in the sympathetic British version of 'Jew Suss' (1934) with Conrad Veidt. Now generally sullied and overshadowed by the antisemitic version made by the Nazis in 1940, it was London-born Jeffrey Segal's only appearance until the late '50s when he began to act for television.  

Not convinced by Commander Straker's accounts in 'UFO'

By the mid-'60s he'd been seen in such popular shows as 'Emergency-Ward 10', 'No Hiding Place', the BBC adaptation of 'Barnaby Rudge', 'The Forsyte Saga', 'Softly Softly' and a single episode of 'Coronation Street'.

As the '60s turned into the '70s, more favoured names of British television were added to his CV; 'Callan', 'UFO', The Power Game', 'Dad's Army', 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum', Are You Being Served?, 'The Sweeney', 'Fawlty Towers' (in 'Gourmet Night' with the horrible kid who wants proper salad cream) and my old favourite 'The Flaxborough Chronicles: Murder Most English'. 

Another dissatisfied customer in 'Are You Being Served?' 

With the '80s came a stint as the Meaker's unfortunate neighbour, Mr Perkins, in the kids' series 'Rentaghost', plus a smattering of period dramas and a roll-call of primetime favourites, including 'Bergerac', 'Minder', Terry & June', and 'Yes Minister', which sounds like a typical '80s evening avoiding homework to those of my generation.  

'A collar stud? I thought they went out with Clement Attlee…'
With George Cole in an episode of 'Minder'.

His most recent outing was in 'Jonathan Creek' in 2003, but I trust he is enjoying a well-deserved retirement after a very long and interesting career. 

As a boy in the British film of 'Jew Süss' (1934)

In 'Dad's Army', as the man from the Ministry, come to
see a demonstration of the Big Wheel secret weapon.

Jeffrey Segal - imdb

Frank Williams

Frank Williams: 

† July 2 1931 – June 26 2022

Forever associated with the role of 'his reverence' Timothy Farthing, the vicar in 'Dad's Army', he has rarely been out of television work since the late '50s. Aside from his stock-in-trade vicars and bishops, he has played academics, clerks, salesmen, a hypnotist and various fusty, odd types in 'The Rutles', 'Z-Cars', 'Adam Adamant Lives!', 'Minder', 'Bergerac' and 'Boon'. Also a stalwart of TV sketch comedy with Morecambe & Wise, Kenny Everett, Jimmy Tarbuck and Dick Emery. Timeless catchphrase: "Oh, do be quiet Mr Yeatman".

Frank Williams - imdb profile

Philip Madoc

Philip Madoc:

† July 5 1934 – March 5 2012

A sort of wild-eyed Welsh Herbert Lom, whose intense glare and dark looks made him something of a shoo-in for a range of sinister roles in British TV of the '60s and '70s. Apart from his comedy star turn as the U-boat captain in 'Dad's Army', he was also in demand for 'The Avengers', 'Man In A Suitcase', lots of 'Doctor Who', 'UFO', 'Jason King', 'Porridge' and 'Randall & Hopkirk, Deceased'. Never really made it big in cinema, but he's in 'The Quiller Memorandum' (1966) and odd British Joan Crawford vehicle 'Berserk' (1967).

Another one gone. The entry above was one I originally posted on Oct 24 2011

Philip Madoc - imdb profile