Sykes

Sykes is a British sitcom that aired on BBC 1 from 1972 to 1979. Starring Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques, it was written by Sykes, who had previously starred with Jacques in Sykes and a... (1960–1965) and Sykes and a Big, Big Show (1971). Forty-three of the 1970s colour episodes were remakes of scripts for the 1960s black and white series, such as "Bus" based on 'Sykes and a Following' from 1964 and the episode "Stranger" with guest star Peter Sellers based on 'Sykes and a Stranger' from 1961.

Sykes had the same premise as Sykes and A... with Sykes, Jacques, Richard Wattis and Deryck Guyler reprising their former identical roles. The series was brought to an end by the death of Hattie Jacques of a heart attack on 6 October 1980.

Cast

Plot

With the same premise as Sykes and A..., unmarried twins Eric and Harriet (Hat) Sykes are now living at an end of terrace house, 28 Sebastopol Terrace, East Acton, two doors down from their house in the previous programme. As before, Eric is childish and accident-prone while Hattie is patient. Their neighbour is the snobbish unmarried Charles Fulbright-Brown, and PC Corky Turnbull is the local policeman. Corky's wife, Elsie, is unseen, except for one episode, Caravan, in which she appears with her face covered in porridge during a food fight between Corky and Eric. Deryck Guyler also played Corky's brother Wilfred Turnbull, a train attendant on the Glasgow to London sleeper train, in the episode Journey.

Sykes (dog)

Sykes is a dog actor from Clifton, Oxfordshire, England. He is best known in the UK for his appearance as Harvey in Thinkbox's television commercial, but has also appeared in several Hollywood blockbusters. Originally found as a stray in 2004, his owner is animal trainer and stunt dog specialist Gill Raddings.

Personal life

Sykes was found roaming as a stray in 2004, at an estimated age of seven months. He was rehomed with Gill Raddings, a stunt dog specialist in Clifton, Oxfordshire, after some friends of hers found the dog while out walking dogs of their own. The police were going to place him in kennels, so Raddings took in the stray. Raddings runs a company called Action Stunt Dogs and Animals, and other dogs living at her home with Sykes include Kyte, the Belgian Shepherd who portrayed Wellard in EastEnders. Although a cross-breed, his owner believes that there may be some Parson Russell Terrier stock in him due to his long legs.

Career

They say you should never work with animals or children but, as far as I’m concerned, it’s rubbish because Sykes – as I’ve come to know him – was the consummate professional. It was a joy to work with him.

Sykes (disambiguation)

Origins

This notable surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and may be either a topographical name from residence by a rivulet, or a locational name from Syke, a minor place in the Rochdale county borough of Lancashire. The derivation is from the Olde English pre 7th Century "sic", rivulet, stream, water-course. Topographical surnames were among the earliest created since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognizable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages. Locational names were originally given to those former inhabitants who left their birthplace to settle elsewhere, and were best identified by their former village name. Early examples of the surname include: Roger del Sik (Norfolk, 1212); Richard del Sikes (Yorkshire, 1309); and Richard in le Syche (Staffordshire, 1332). A notable bearer of the name was Sir Mark Masterman Sykes, third baronet (1771 - 1823) M.P., York, 1801 - 1820, and a book-collector of renown. His library contained several early manuscripts and specimens of 15th Century printing. A Coat of Arms granted to the Sykes family depicts a black chevron between three sykes or fountains on a silver shield, the Crest being a demi triton issuant from reeds, blowing a shell, and wreathed about the temple with like reeds all proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ralph de Sich, which was dated 1166, in the "Pipe Rolls of Norfolk", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling (source: the internet surname database).

Uncle

Uncle (from Latin: avunculus "little grandfather", the diminutive of avus "grandfather") is a family relationship or kinship within an extended family. An uncle is the brother, brother-in-law or half-brother of one's parent. A biological uncle is a second degree relative and shares 30% genetic overlap.

A great-uncle (sometimes written as great uncle, grand-uncle or granduncle) is the brother or brother-in-law of one's grandparent.

A woman with an equivalent relationship is an aunt, and the reciprocal relationship is that of a nephew or niece.

In some cultures and families, children may refer to the cousins of their parents as "aunt" or "uncle". It is also a title of respect for elders (for example older cousins, neighbors, acquaintances, close family friends as well as total strangers). Using this term in this way is a form of fictive kinship.

In some cultures, like Slavic or Persian cultures, no single inclusive term describing both a person's kinship to their parental male sibling or parental male in-law exists. Instead, there are specific terms describing a person's kinship to their mother's brother ("daiyee" in Persian) or a person's kinship to their father's brother ("amou" in Persian).

List of EastEnders characters (1986)

The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1986, by order of first appearance.

Winston

Winston is an extra character who is portrayed by Ulric Browne, with his first known on-screen appearance being in 1986. However, he is not credited for his role until later on in the series. Winston owns the music stall in Walford's Bridge Street Market and over the years proves to be a great friend to his fellow long-standing stall-holder, Mark Fowler (Todd Carty). His highlights include shaving his tuft of hair off for charity and helping Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin) arrive at her birthday party on the night she dies. He is angry when Ian Beale's (Adam Woodyatt) car crashes into his stall in October 2006.

Winston is always willing to help when other market traders are called away, for example, to appear in a key development of a current plot, e.g. when Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) needs someone to guard her clothing stall while she and Max Branning (Jake Wood) slip into an unguarded bedroom to continue the next episode in their illicit affair. Winston generally appears at events held by other Walford residents, such as weddings, funerals and parties or briefly in the background of a scene. He attends the funerals of Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard), Pat Evans (Pam St. Clement) and Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb), stag parties for Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves), Lucas Johnson (Don Gilet) and Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen), Jean Slater's (Gillian Wright) birthday party and Ricky and Bianca Jackson's (Patsy Palmer) wedding. Sometimes characters steal DVDs or CDs from his stall, including Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick).

Uncle (TV series)

Uncle is a British sitcom written and directed by Oliver Refson & Lilah Vandenburgh. A pilot episode was first broadcast on Channel 4 in December 2012, before the show was commissioned by BBC Three. The first episode from the series, a remake of the pilot, aired on 13 January 2014. Uncle stars Nick Helm, Daisy Haggard, Elliot Speller-Gillott and Sydney Rae White. The show was renewed for a second series, which began on BBC Three on 10 February 2015. In December 2015 it was announced that the programme would return for a third series in 2016.

Production

The show was commissioned by the BBC after a pilot was originally broadcast on Channel 4. The pilot episode aired on the channel in December 2012, as part of a strand called 4Funnies. When Channel 4's head of comedy, Shane Allen moved to the BBC, he brought the show with him.Uncle was written by Oliver Refson for Baby Cow Productions. Comedian Nick Helm explained that the show was inspired by Wes Anderson's comedy film The Royal Tenenbaums and thought it fitted in with other comedy shows produced by Baby Cow. He said that while the show was not written for him, it was 75 per cent of what he would have done himself.