by Malcolm Pheby | Nov 16, 2018 | Celebrity, Liverpool
It was supposed to be a party – but tell that to Les Dawson. The comic was at his lugubrious best when he switched on Liverpool’s Christmas lights in December 1980. Famed for his dead-pan monologues and off-key piano-playing, Dawson delighted the crowds with his...
by Malcolm Pheby | Oct 10, 2018 | Celebrity, Manchester
Belle Vue has a special place in the heart of every Mancunian lucky enough to ride the Bobs, make a splash on the water chute or enjoy an ice-cream or two on a hot, sunny afternoon. It was the undisputed entertainment centre for the North West for more than 150 years,...
by Malcolm Pheby | Aug 18, 2018 | Celebrity, Liverpool
Liverpool actress Anne Rogers cut quite a dash when she sashayed down London’s Oxford Street in the company of two models in March 1954. Shoppers stopped and stared as Rogers had a real swagger in her step. She’d just become the West End’s youngest leading lady at the...
by Malcolm Pheby | Aug 17, 2018 | Celebrity, Hall Of Fame
You could say TV and radio presenter Melanie Sykes is as Manchester as Boddingtons Bitter or the Ashtonian Brass Band. And you’d be right! Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, she starred in an advertising campaign for Boddingtons and played the baritone horn along with her...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jul 18, 2018 | Celebrity, Sport
There can be few more iconic figures in British tennis than Stockport-born legend Fred Perry. He won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships from 1934 to 1936 and was ranked the best in the world in the early 1930s. Perry was the first player to win a career Grand...
by Malcolm Pheby | Jul 13, 2018 | Celebrity, TV
There’s a well-trodden path from the cobblestones of Coronation Street to the boards of the serious stage. Stars who’ve made the transition include Pat Phoenix, who played the incomparable Elsie Tanner, and Roy Barraclough, who was irrepressible Rovers’ landlord Alec...
