Robin Hawdon

Robin Hawdon:

Robin Hawdon is probably much better known as a writer than as an actor, with his witty comedies - don't say farces - still widely performed all around the world. 'The Mating Game' was his first hit play, a smash in the West End with Terry Scott as the playboy with the gadget-packed apartment. 'Don't Dress for Dinner' is a later and even bigger success, set in a wealthy couple's French farmhouse retreat.

But I'd like to just give a little salute to Mr Hawdon's acting career before all that, a brief arc from uncredited obscurity to the lower stratosphere of sex symbol stardom.

An early uncredited role in the UK sci-fi classic 'The Day
The Earth Caught Fire' (1961) with Leo McKern

With his effortless good looks, there were a few lightweight parts on offer, such as the the breezy 'We Joined the Navy' (1962) with Kenneth More, brooding crime stuff like 'Human Jungle', 'Suspense' and 'Armchair Mystery Theatre', and the semi-successful soap opera 'Compact'.     

With a very physical Eleanor Bron and a rather frustrated
Dudley Moore in the magisterial 'Bedazzled' (1967)

He plays Randolph the harp teacher in the millionaire segment of the fab 'Bedazzled' (1967), with whom Stanley Moon's beloved Margaret Spencer gets 'hot and sticky and.. Randy, we must have a swim'...        

Getting the drop on Jason King (Perer Wyngarde)
in an episode of 'Department S'

Robin Hawdon in a UFO episode from 1970 'The Psychobombs',
seen here in classic string-vest Skydiver uniform

Television work around this time included 'Department S', 'The Adventurer' and 'Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)' with the added bonus (for TV cultists) of an appearance in Gerry Anderson's 'UFO' as a Skydiver pilot. The remainder of the 70s saw a mixture of comedy and drama, but by this time the playwright was enjoying more success than the actor. 

You can spot Robin Hawdon in dramas ranging from the BBC spy series 'The Man Who Was Hunting Himself'', to 'The Main Chance', the Victorian potboiler 'Wives & Daughters', and 'New Scotland Yard'. 

      

In the BBC spy drama 'The Man Who Was

H

unting Himself' (1972)

 

There was some comedy casting too, 'The Frankie Howerd Confessions', 'The Liver Birds', 'Robin's Nest', and a leading role in Alex Shearer's 'Spasms' and the ensuing slightly misfiring series 'Chalk and Cheese' with Michael Crawford, in which he played the straight man to Crawford's proto-slacker. Maybe audiences found it hard to buy into a cynical man-of-the-world who still sounded a bit like Frank Spencer.  It wasn't a big success and the series ended in 1979, with Hawdon soon to forsake acting to concentrate fully on his writing career.

'Robin's Nest' with Richard O'Sullivan

'Chalk and Cheese'

His later film career is also short but interesting. There was the shoddy and absurd 'sexy sci-fi' nonsense of 'Zeta One' (1969), with the unlikely mix of James Robertson-Justice and Charles Hawtrey and an invasion of alien pop-art dollybirds. Hawdon's turn as the male lead is workmanlike, given the circumstances, but also lacking in sparkle. The Hammer-produced prehistoric adventure 'When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970) is better, even with all its outrageous anachronisms, including immaculately coiffured and scantily furred cavewomen, never mind the Brontosauruses. At least there's Patrick Allen bellowing manfully and lots of primitive urges, even before you get to the stop-motion special effects of giant crabs and dinosaurs. These were good enough to see the film nominated for an Oscar, although it was beaten out in the end by 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' (1970). Who knew?      

As the perfectly groomed 60s/70s caveman, in the Hammer
stop-motion romp 'When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth (1970)

Although it's his writing that has made his name and his money, that's an interesting CV of enjoyable performances. So, a salute, then. And well deserved.    

Robin Hawdon-imdb

John Nettleton

John Nettleton: 

† Feb  5 1929 – July 12 2023

A stalwart interpreter for the viewing public of the blandly powerful faces of the establishment, John Nettleton is probably most associated with the role of Sir Arnold Robinson, the civil service grandee in 'Yes Minister', and he appeared as a Tory MP in the equally satirical (if rather broader) political comedy 'The New Statesman'. 

In 'The Avengers' episode, 'The See-Through Man'

Among his well-remembered roles in television are those in 'The Avengers' ('The See-Through Man', in the Diana Rigg era, and 'The Rotters' with Linda Thorson), and in several other cult adventure properties of the time such as 'The Champions', 'Department S' and later 'The Protectors'. 'Doctor Who' fans may remeber him as the Reverend Ernest Matthews in the 1989 story Ghost Light, while mystery TV obsessives might cite his turns in 'The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes', 'Tales Of The Unexpected', 'Haunted', 'Shadows' and 'Out Of The Unknown. He also graced popular favourites from 'Minder' and 'The Professionals' to 'Rumpole Of The Bailey' and 'The Adventures Of Black Beauty'. And let us not forget the authoritative voiceovers for Valerie Singleton's 'Blue Peter: Special Assignment' historical and factual programmes.

With Celia Imrie in a religious skit on
'Victoria Wood: As Seen On TV' 

In middlebrow TV drama, he brought his patrician demeanour to the screen many times and can be seen as Francis Bacon in 'Elizabeth R', 'The Country Wife' , 'Brideshead Revisited', 'The Flame Trees of Thika', 'The Citadel', 'Martin Luther, Heretic', 'Longitude' and 'Kingdom'. Other smaller comedy turns, which rather pale beside his 'Yes, Minister' years, include 'Please Sir!', 'If It Moves File It', 'Doctor at Large' and 'Brass'. 

Production still from the ABC series 'Haunted' from 1968

Born in 1929, John Nettleton is now into his 90s and, I hope, enjoying a pleasant retirement.
[edit 12/7/23 - John Nettleton has sadly passed on since this salute was first uploaded. Guardian obit is here]
   

John Nettleton-imdb

Edward De Souza

Edward De Souza:
Debonair De Souza approached male lead status in the early '60s, appearing in the Hammer films ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ (1962) and ‘The Kiss of the Vampire’ (1962), followed by 'Jules Verne's First Men In The Moon' ( 1964), but somehow he missed that particular boat and moved into character roles, in which he has been a consistent fixture across more than five decades.  There have been a number of relatively high profile film appearances. In 1977 he played Sheik Hosein in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me' and is seen in the fantasy drama ‘The Golden Compass’ (2007).

Propping up the bar of the Rovers Return in 'Coronation Street'

Television, however, has been his bread and butter, with comedy playing a surprisingly large part. From 1961 to 1966, he starred in the sitcom 'Marriage Lines' with Richard Briers and Prunella Scales.  de Souza played the role of Afonso in One Foot in the Grave One Foot in the Algarve (1993). He also appeared in 'Not In Front Of The Children' with Wendy Craig, as well as the underrated office comedy, 'The Squirrels' and the television version of 'After Henry' (1989–90).

In 'Kiss Of The Vampire' (1962)

In TV drama, he was solicitor Bonny Bernard in the first series of ‘Rumpole of the Bailey’ (1978), and in 1982 he appeared in the final ‘Sapphire & Steel’ adventure as "The Man". Farrington. Earlier, he took the part of Soveral (the Portuguese Ambassador to Britain) in ‘Edward the Seventh’, and joined the British soap opera Coronation Street as Colin Grimshaw, in 2008 and 2009. To this we can add a sprinkling of cult fodder stretching from 'The Saint', 'The Avengers', and 'Department S' to 'Strangers' and 'The Sweeney'. Latterly you might catch him in 'Doctors', the 2012 version of 'The Borgias', or 'New Tricks'.  

In the Wednesday Play 'The End Of Arthur's
Marriage', with the late Ken Jones

 Trivial treat: In 1965, he appeared as the lead in the Doctor Who story Mission to the Unknown – the only story ever broadcast in the series not to feature the Doctor in any capacity. He took on Valentine Dyall’s trademark role as the ominous sounding 'Man in Black' on BBC Radio 4 between 1988 and 1992.

Not quite stealing the limelight in 'Kiss Of A Vampire' (1962)

Edward De Souza-imdb

Bridget Brice

Bridget Brice:

A great choice for a role needing some glamour but with a confident, business-like edge, Ms Brice may be familiar as Cowley's secretary from 'The Professionals', or from some other cop shows of the '70s including 'Z-Cars' and 'The Sweeney'.  

Damsel in distress in 'Department S'

Further TV appearances include 'Department S' and three different characters in the long-running private detective series, 'Public Eye' starring Alfred Burke. In addition to those Euston Films secretary roles, she also appears in 'Doctor at Sea', 'Doctor in Charge', 'Howard's Way', 'Coronation Street', 'Man at the Top' with Kenneth Haigh, and was memorable as Sal Hawke, a criminal mistress-mind in 'Dick Turpin' with Richard O'Sullivan. She also has the distinction of playing the unlikely girlfriend, Pippa, in 'Sorry!', who finally rescues Ronnie Corbett's timid Timothy Lumsden from his manipulative mother.         

With Richard O'Sullivan in 'Dick Turpin'

Movie-wise you can catch her, uncredited, among the British talent in Mel Brooks' 'The Twelve Chairs' (1970), the ecologically apocalyptic 'No Blade of Grass' (1970), and forgotten caper movies 'Loophole' (1981) and 'Real Life' (1984), as well as a fleeting role in the movie version of 'George & Mildred' (1980). 

With a dashing Frank Langella in 'The Twelve Chairs' (1970)

Bridget Brice-imdb

Lee Montague

Lee Montague:

† Oct 16 1927 – March 30 2025

The faintly mysterious and baleful good looks of veteran actor Lee Montague did net him a couple of leading man roles but his long career is mostly one of solid supporting performances. He was born in London, from a liberal Jewish background, but in the days before political correctness (perhaps calling it cultural respect would make it less of a Daily Mail bugbear – probably not) he was often cast in 'more exotic' roles. From a number of Japanese officers, as in 'Camp On Blood Island' (1958), or in TV's 'The Baron', to a string of Spaniards, Russians, Greeks, Mexicans, Chinese and points between.

The inscrutable face of the Orient in 'The Baron'

The golden age of British TV in the '60s gave him plenty of work, including 'Danger Man', 'The Baron', and 'Department S', alongside lots of Wednesday plays and weightier series. In the '70s and '80s he crops up in 'Quiller', 'The Sweeney', 'Jesus of Nazareth' (as the prophet Habbukuk), and 'Space 1999'. He was also the star of the not-much-remembered ITV football comedy 'Feet First'.             

In 'How I Won The War' (1967).

As the composer's father in 'Mahler' (1974)

In the cinema, he appears in a string of '50s and '60s war pics, including: 'Silent Enemy' (1958), 'Foxhole in Cairo' (1960), and the Richard Lester satire 'How I Won the War' (1967), memorably teaching army drill to John Lennon, Roy Kinnear and Ronald Lacey. Other movie jobs include 'Moulin Rouge' (1952), 'Billy Budd' (1962),  'Mahler' (1974), 'The Best Pair of Legs in the Business' (1975), and 'Silver Dream Racer' (1980).

Trivia: (Yes, I know it's all trivia.) He was the very first storyteller on the BBC's long-running children's programme 'Jackanory'.             


Lee Montague - imdb

Tony Selby

Tony Selby:

† Feb 26 1938 – Sep 5 2021

A perennial chirpy cockney tough-nut, well-suited to any kind of petty criminal and henchman, as well as bin men, hard coppers, lorry drivers and of course the sadistic Corporal Marsh in the grimly amusing National Service comedy 'Get Some In!'. Film roles include parts in classics like 'Alfie' (1966), 'Villain' (1971), and 'Witchfinder General' (1968), but he found his niche in TV. 'Catweazle', 'Callan', 'Minder', 'Doctor Who' and 'Department S' is just scratching the surface. Saw him drinking in the Dog & Duck in Soho a few times; his wheezily sarcastic voice and frizzy barnet are unmistakable.

Tony Selby - imdb profile