Friday, 18 December 2020

Farewell, Edward of Wickham

 Most people will think of Jeremy Bulloch in his role as Boba Fett, but I remember him best as the leader of the village of Wickham and ally of the outlaws in Robin of Sherwood.


He's just died, aged75.

His son Robbie played Edward's son Matthew of Wickham.

He also appeared in Doctor Who - in the Time Warriors (the story that introduced Sarah Jane Smith) and, even earlier, in The Space Museum with the First Doctor. 



Saturday, 5 December 2020

They Seek Him Here....

 They seek him there,

Those Frenchies seek him everywhere....

I'd been aware of the existence of the 1950s TV series of The Scarlet Pimpernel for some time, but I'd never got round to watching it before.

Well, I've now seen the first episode, and it is a delight!

I'd been a bit worried it would be very mannered and stage-y, but the cramped sets actually make the sword fighting more believable, and the acting is first rate all round.  




Marius Goring makes an excellent Pimpernel, and it was a bonus to discover that Robert Shaw is playing his friend and lieutenant Sir Anthony in the first episode.  He was great fun in The Buccaneers as a pirate captain trying to live a more honest life.  Even better, the Prince of Wales is played by my favourite Friar Tuck, Alexander Gauge!



Patrick Troughton turns up in the second episode, as another of the Scarlet Pimpernel's friends, Sir Andrew Ffoulkes.

At the end of the first episode, Sir Percy kisses the girl he's rescued.  Since he worshipped the ground his wife Marguerite walked on in the books, I don't think he would have done that if she'd been around for the TV series, so I can only conclude that Sir Percy is single for the moment.