Showbiz 5: From Dogs to grassroots music

Showbiz Newswrap with Penelope Teeth…

Emmerdale released a video featuring Piper the dog following backlash to the abuse storyline, Digital Spy reported. The site noted ‘Recent scenes have seen Tom King turn his attention to Piper after his abuse of wife Belle, with the villain cruelly poisoning the dog in an attempt to have Belle released from a mental health crisis centre.’

In the footage, the Emmerdale social media team showed ‘Piper’, played by Minnie, being treated with nothing but love and care on the set of the Leeds based soap.

Some scenes can be upsetting to watch, but Minnie (AKA Piper) is treated with nothing but love and lots of cuddles on set 🎬 🐾#Emmerdale pic.twitter.com/tVx0Alf2CB

— Emmerdale (@emmerdale) June 2, 2024

The statue of Victoria Wood has been damaged after a taxi crashed into the tribute to the late comedian who came to prominence in the 1970s on ATV talent show New Faces.

The memorial, which is a bronze figure of the comedian and writer, was unveiled in May 2019, after Wood died from cancer in 2016. SKY News reported that Greater Manchester Police had noted the taxi driver who collided with the statue is in hospital, however, the incident was an accident and not deliberate damage.

Chris Foote Wood, Victoria’s brother noted, “It’s a terrible shock to be told that your sister has been knocked down by a taxi, but Victoria always was tough and her bronze statue even more so… She’ll be back good as new very soon.”

Victoria is best known for her TV specials, spoof soap Acorn Antiques and sketch series As Seen On TV. As an actress she starred in Pat and Margaret and Eric and Ernie She has also hosted documentaries on Morecambe and Wise and Dad’s Army…

Recently a statue of ‘Captain Mainwaring’ (Arthur Lowe) from Dad’s Army had his glasses repaired following vandalisation last year. The statue of the character from the BBC wartime Home Guard comedy is located in Thetford where a museum also celebrates the series that was filmed in the area.

You may have recently seen the news some very rare Batman and Superman items were going up for auction, well two of the most highly sought-after and exceptionally rare comics set new auction records for the UK when they were offered for the first time ever in this country yesterday (June 8th).

The first comic, Superman #1 sold for £97,890 against a starting price £20,000. Superman #1 arrived in 1939, one year after his first appearance in Action Comics #1 which demonstrated his fast rise in popularity. Creating a comic book for a single character had not been done before and this therefore set a precedent. Superman was also the first ever hero character to appear in more than one comic magazine.

The second exceptionally rare comic was Batman #1, Having first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, this was Batman’s first solo-titled comic and featured the first appearances of two of his most famous foes – The Joker & Catwoman and sold for £31,375 over five times its starting price of £5,000.

Jonathan Torode, Excalibur’s Auctioneer: “We were absolutely thrilled to offer these two pieces of exceptionally rare comic history! There was fierce bidding on the telephones, on the internet and in the room. Interest came from around the globe, with the Superman comic finally winning out to an Australian buyer. We did anticipate competitive bidding, due to the rankings and rarity at auction of the two comics, but this far exceeded our expectations! Having not been sold in the UK before (except one without a cover) and setting a new auction record for both comics at auction in the UK, as well as a house record for Excalibur Auctions, I can safely say this was a truly historic moment.”

Zest Theatre leader calls on political parties to offer young people opportunities to thrive. Zest Theatre, who has been a dynamic force in the arts sector for 17 years creates work around the real-life hopes, dreams, and concerns of young people through expertly led workshops and dialogues.

Artistic Director at Zest Theatre, Toby Ealden: “Young people don’t need clickbait policies and calls for a national service. They need tangible change, a voice to shape their future, and more spaces where they can exist. After 13 years of cuts to children’s and youth services, young people are crying out for support and safe places to exist. They are desperate for opportunities to be supported, lead, and be seen and heard. As the nation gears up for the general election, our prospective leaders need to be mindful of the effect a decade of cuts to public services have had on young people’s well-being and their future opportunities.

“When asked what they wanted from their city, we heard a lot of vision and hope for change as well as a lot of frustration. One of the key themes that arose was the chronic lack of space for young people in our city, with those we spoke to feeling that there wasn’t anywhere for them outside of home and school to exist, let alone thrive. It was upsetting that young people in my hometown felt like that and I knew that Zest should do something about it, our latest project, The Zone, is our response.”

Valley Fest, 1- 4th August, near Bristol has revealed Don Letts, Badger, Jaguar Skills and Oko will play on Arcadia’s Afterburner on Thursday 1st August. Celebrations of the festival’s tenth birthday are getting bigger as more acts and areas are added.

Save our Scene and BillyChip Live are behind the new takeover with support from PlayHuman.  Don Letts DJ, broadcaster and award-winning film maker will play some bass heavy sounds, Badger is known for his adventurous sets – blending UK garage, bass house, and jungle. Jaguar Skills, master of the quick mix, and Bristol-based artist OKO who has solidified her name in the drum and bass scene, are also on the Thursday night line-up.

Valley Fest has already announced Stanton Warriors, Fabio and Grooverider, Huey Morgan, Mungo’s Hifi, Dr Meaker, Phil Hartnoll (Orbital) DJ set, Dr Meaker, The Nextmen, Ratpack and Gardna who will all play on the Afterburner.

Save Our Scene is an events and media organisation who are advocates for the protection of grassroots music. SOS has an impressive track record in lobbying to ensure independent artists, venues and promoters are supported. BillyChip Live is the fundraising events arm of BillyChip – the homeless charity and long-time partner of Valley Fest.

Valley Fest is a small independent festival and has always showcased independent artists – many from around the South West. Now celebrating its tenth year, it’s going from strength to strength against a challenging backdrop for small, independent events.  The award-wining, family-friendly festival is held alongside Chew Valley Lake which some say give it the “best of view” of any UK festival.

This takeover has been supported by Playhuman, the Interactive Streaming Network that helps independent artists and creators, take back control of their creativity, commerce and community. It does this by enabling them to earn directly and be as creative as they can – using new technology and platforms without ad-model nor algorithm pressures.

Other artists on the line up include Sister Sledge, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Tinie Tempah, The Feeling and The Skids will play. The line up also includes: Tankus The Henge, Nubiyan Twist, Beatles Dub Club, Junior Jungle, Doreen Doreen, and Worm Sound System (Worm Disco Club) with more artists listed on the website.

ATV/ITC series for Independent Television in 1956 – The Adventures of Sir Lancelot. Pictured: Ronald Leigh-Hunt, William Russell and David Morell

Stars who have taken their final curtain call recently, and we pay our respects to include:

William Russell has died at the age of 99. The actor came to television fame via ATV/ITC series The Adventures of Sir Lancelot in the earliest days of ITV. He then found lasting fame in fandom by appearing in Doctor Who his most famous starring as Ian Chesterton opposite William Hartnell as the timelord. In 2022 he returned to the series in a cameo performance that made TV history.

Having last been seen as Ian in October 1966 his return two years ago saw him placed in the Guinness Book of Records for the record for the longest gap between TV appearances: 57 years and 120 days. William also appeared in Coronation Street as Rita’s ill-fated husband Ted Sullivan. Corrie actor Philip Lowrie previously held the record having a gap of over forty years for his character of Dennis Tanner.

Actor Nicholas Ball passed away at the age of 78 following a short illness. Ball was best known for his roles in series such as BBC One’s EastEnders where he played gang lord Terry Bates and as the star of Hazel (Thames TV for ITV) a drama about a cockney private detective named James Hazel. In a statement, his agent said Nicholas “passed away following a short illness… his successful acting career on stage and screen spanned an impressive six decades”.

And sadly health guru Dr Michael Mosley who has appeared on shows such as Lorraine, This Morning and BBC Radio 4’s Just One Thing, was confirmed dead after he went missing on the island of Symi in Greece. The Mirror reported ‘Local authorities searched for more than three days for Dr Mosley, 67, along his walking route, along St Nicholas Beach after his wife Clare reported him missing.’ His wife added, “I don’t know quite where to begin with this. It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband.”