Ricky Tomlinson
Tomlinson in 2008.
Born	Eric Tomlinson (1939-09-26) 26 September 1939 (age 72) Bispham, Blackpool, England
Occupation	Actor, Comedian, Political activist
Years active	1982–present
Spouse	Marlene Tomlinson (1962–86) (divorced) Rita Cumiskey (2003–present)

Eric Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939), known by his stage name Ricky Tomlinson, is an English actor, comedian and activist best known for his roles as Bobby Grant in Brookside, DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker and Jim Royle in The Royle Family.

Early life[link]

Tomlinson was born Eric Tomlinson in Bispham, Blackpool, Lancashire, but has lived in Liverpool nearly all his life. Tomlinson was born in Bispham because his mother, Peggy, was evacuated there due to the Liverpool Blitz in World War II. On 22 March 1962 he married first wife Marlene; they had three children.^[1]

A gifted and qualified plasterer by trade, he worked on various building sites for many years becoming actively involved in politics (firstly with the far-right, then more predominantly with the far-left). In 1968 he joined the National Front in support of less immigration after Enoch Powell's Rivers of Blood speech.^[2] His views gradually changed over time and in 1972 he joined the flying pickets in a building workers' dispute in Shrewsbury. In 1973, Tomlinson was sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of 'conspiracy to intimidate' as one of the so-called Shrewsbury Two. After his release in 1975, he disrupted the TUC conference by shouting from the wings after he had been prevented from speaking from the stage. It was revealed in 2002 that MI5 had monitored him during the 1970s.

Personal life and career[link]

As an actor he has found considerable success, appearing as Bobby Grant in the soap opera Brookside between 1982 and 1988, as DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker and as Jim Royle in the sitcom The Royle Family. He also made a song called We're Gonna Win With Capello.

In 2002 Tomlinson starred in the BBC Series Nice Guy Eddie playing a Liverpool private investigator. Using down-to-earth cases - actually based upon real-life ones from Liverpool private investigator Tony Smith - the show also starred Tom Ellis and John Henshaw.

Tomlinson featured heavily in series two of Paul Abbott's series Clocking Off, in a BAFTA-nominated episode written by Danny Brocklehurst.

Tomlinson has also starred in several films, notably Mike Bassett: England Manager, Raining Stones and Hillsborough, a made-for-TV film about the families of the victims of the Hillsborough Stadium disaster, in which he portrayed John Glover - the father of victim Ian.

Tomlinson has fronted a series of television adverts for the utility company British Gas. In January 2010 he began to appear in a series of advertisements for the frozen food chain Farmfoods.

In 2003 he published an autobiography, entitled Ricky, which spent five weeks at the top of the UK best-selling new books chart. In the book, Tomlinson admitted to having a number of affairs as well as describing in detail his time in prison.

Tomlinson is also a keen banjo and harpsichord player, and has played the instruments in many episodes of The Royle Family. In 2001 he teamed up with fellow Brookside actor, Michael Starke and other friends for his own rendition of well-known folk songs including "It's A Long Way To Tipperary" and a cover of The Pogues' "Are You Lookin' At Me?". A CD album entitled Music My Arse was released the same year, it managed to peak at Number 127 in the UK Albums Chart. He released a single at Christmas 2006 entitled Christmas My Arse which reached #25 in the UK Singles Chart.

On 19 June 2006 Tomlinson made his debut as the guest celebrity in Dictionary Corner on the long-running UK Channel 4 game show Countdown. In the summer of 2006, Tomlinson toured at theatres across the UK with his show An Evening with Ricky Tomlinson where he was interviewed about his life by Elton Welsby. In December 2006 he presented a programme in Five's Disappearing Britain series entitled When Coal was King, in which he made controversial comments about Margaret Thatcher's potential death.

In March 2007, Tomlinson presented BBC's One Life: Guilty My Arse^[3], detailing his version of the Shrewsbury Two case, in which he compared his political activism as a trade unionist to the work of the suffragettes. In June 2007, Tomlinson Liverpool-based Royle Motors garage joined Good Garage Scheme (Forte), an online Forte Libricants association requiring its member garages to adhere to strict customer service guidelines.^[4] On 19 October 2007 Tomlinson had a major heart operation and underwent a quadruple heart bypass at Liverpool's Cardiothoracic Centre. Consultant cardiac surgeon Aung Oo said: "The operation went according to plan and he is now recovering within the hospital's critical care unit."^[5]

During 2008 and 2009 Tomlinson took his Laughter Show theatrical revue on tour of the United Kingdom with fellow comedians Tony Barton, Duncan Norvelle and Pauline Daniels.

In 2009 he had a leading role as the Head Judge in the "VMH Club Star Talent Trail", a local talent-based competition held at the VMH Club in Garston, Liverpool. A large number of North-West based performers entered the competition which was ultimately won by 14 year old Shaun Walsh from Liverpool.

In May 2010 Tomlinson opened his own cabaret club in Liverpool, The Green Room. The comic has teamed up with brothers Richard and Simon Wallace, from Liverpool production company Red Hot Media, to open the 250-seater cabaret lounge on Duke Street, Liverpool.

In March 2011 Tomlinson acted in an advertising campaign for furniture and furnishing store, The Range.

Politics[link]

Tomlinson is a friend of Arthur Scargill and often appears on party election broadcasts for Scargill's Socialist Labour Party, most recently for the 2009 European Parliament elections, being its most prominent celebrity supporter since its formation in 1996 following a split by left-wing Labour members in response to Tony Blair's re-writing of Clause IV which ended the party's commitment to nationalisation.

He has also shown his support for the Campaign for a New Workers' Party. A public meeting was hosted by the CNWP in Liverpool on Monday 12 February 2007 which was addressed by Ricky Tomlinson alongside Tommy Sheridan and Tony Mulhearn in which he used the slogan "New Labour my arse".

He is mentioned in the Chumbawamba song, "I'm not sorry, I was having fun", in reference to his support for the Socialist Labour Party.

On 5 February 2010, Tomlinson revealed his plan to stand as the Socialist Labour Party's candidate for the Liverpool Wavertree constituency at the 2010 General Election in protest at the selection of Luciana Berger, a 28-year old Londoner as the Labour Party candidate. However, Kim Singleton was ultimately selected for the seat. In a statement, the SLP said that he could not contest the election due to "personal and contractual commitments".^[6] Mr Tomlinson added: "I am disappointed not to be able to stand. But I am pleased to give the chosen candidate my wholehearted support."^[7] He has also commented that there is now "no difference between the Conservatives and New Labour".^[8]

Earlier in his life, Tomlinson was a member of the far right National Front. He now regrets this association.^[9] He is an outspoken critic of Margaret Thatcher (Conservative prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990),^[10] who was deeply unpopular on Tomlinson's native Merseyside as the area suffered from some of the United Kingdom's highest unemployment levels, as well as severe civil unrest, during her premiership.^[11]

Charity work[link]

In 2008, Tomlinson donated £200,000 as patron of the Human Milk Bank of Cheshire and North Wales.^[12] The charity provides babies on Special Care Baby Units with milk from donor mothers, significantly improving their chances of survival and long term development. He is quoted as saying: "Due to my own recent experiences with my health, I know how much hospitals and appeals appreciate help and assistance. This is such an important service which can help so many families and I'm very honoured to be the patron."

In November 2010 it was reported that Tomlinson had donated £1million to the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool two years previously.^[13]

Filmography[link]

• Boys from the Blackstuff (1982)
• Brookside (TV series) (1982–1988)
• Riff-Raff (1990)
• Raining Stones (1993)
• Roughnecks (TV series) (1994–1995)
• Cracker (TV series) (1994–1996)
• Butterfly Kiss (1995)
• Bob's Weekend (1996)
• Hillsborough (1996)
• Das Leben ist eine Baustelle (1997)
• The Fix (1997)
• Preaching to the Perverted (1997)
• Mojo (1997)
• Playing the Field (TV series) (1998–2002)
• The Royle Family (TV series) (1998–present)
• Dockers (TV drama) (1999)
• The Greatest Store in the World (1999)
• Nasty Neighbours (2000)
• Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001)
• The 51st State (2001)
• Derek (feature film) (2001)
• Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002)
• Al's Lads (2002)
• The Virgin of Liverpool (2003)
• Mike Bassett: Manager (TV series) (2005)
• Stepdad (2007)
• Football My Arse (DVD 2007)
• Laughter Show- Live (DVD 2008)
• Nativity! (2009)
• Flutter (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• BBC profile, retrieved December 14, 2007
• "Ricky Tomlinson: Royle Rebel", BBC, 28 September 2001
• Ricky Tomlinson at the Internet Movie Database
• Detailed account of Ricky Tomlins
• Ricky Tomlinson's speech from the dock after being convicted for his part in the 1972 Builder's Strike.
• [1] The Green Room caberet club in Liverpool

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2011)

Jo Brand
Jo Brand at the BBC Magazines Awards for Excellence.
Birth name	Josephine Grace Brand
Born	(1957-07-23) 23 July 1957 (age 54) London, United Kingdom
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Nationality	British
Years active	1986–present
Genres	Observational comedy
Subject(s)	Marriage, Politics
Spouse	Bernie Bourke (1997–present)
Notable works and roles	Getting On

Josephine Grace "Jo" Brand (born 23 July 1957)^[1] is a BAFTA winning British comedienne, writer, and actress. Commencing her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand up scene and early performances on Saturday Live, she went on to appearances on The Brain Drain, Channel 4's Jo Brand Through the Cakehole, Getting On and various television appearances including as a regular guest on QI. In 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.

Early life[link]

Jo Brand was born 23 July 1957^[2] in Wandsworth, London.^[3] Her mother was a social worker. Brand is the middle of three children, with two brothers.^[4] When she was about four, the family moved to the village of St Mary's Platt near Sevenoaks in Kent,^[5] and a year later to Benenden.^[5] Brand was educated at Helenswood School, Hastings, Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School^[5] and Bexhill College. She worked as a psychiatric nurse for ten years, at the South London Bethlem, Cefn Coed Hospital in Swansea and Maudsley Hospital in South London.^[6][7]

Comedy career[link]

Brand was persuaded by agent Malcolm Hardee to begin a career in stand-up comedy, where she acquired the stage name "The Sea Monster". She was part of the British alternative comedy movement, working in London alternative comedy clubs, and appearing initially on the Saturday Live television show.

Brand's early style involved her delivering jokes in a bored monotone, one line at a time, with pauses in between. It drew heavily from pop culture and the media, with many jokes containing references to well-known celebrities and public figures. With her Doc Marten boots, her large size, and her short hair, her image remained the same for most of the 1980s and 1990s. Her appearance and material led to false rumours that she was a lesbian.^[8]

Jo Brand in 1994 in Belfast

In 1993 she became a resident panellist, along with Tony Hawks, on BBC monologue show The Brain Drain. Her transition into mainstream television continued when she obtained her own series on Channel 4, Jo Brand Through the Cakehole, co-written with comedy writer Jim Miller, who was already her main stand-up writer. She has had several solo television series, and presented shows such as Jo Brand's Commercial Breakdown. She had a cameo appearance in the 1994 episode of Absolutely Fabulous, "New Best Friend", and also appeared on Star Spell, a spin off from Hard Spell in 2004. Her television success continued with guest appearances on shows such as Have I Got News for You and QI. As a fan of Countdown, she achieved an ambition when she was invited to appear in the show's "Dictionary Corner" as the celebrity guest. She later became a friend of the host, Richard Whiteley, and after his death in 2005 attended his memorial service at York Minster. She has since appeared on Countdown several more times.