Freddie Stevens

Last updated

Freddie Stevens
Born
Frederick William Humphreys

29 March 1934
Died26 January 2016 (age 81)
Bournemouth, Dorset
Known for Emu's TV programmes

Freddie Stevens born as Frederick William Humphreys was an English actor best known for his role in Tin Men in 1987, and various roles in Emu's TV programmes alongside Carol Lee Scott and Rod Hull. He played the role of Croc, Grotbags long suffering assistant from 1982 to 1984, the role of Robot Redford, Grotbags replacement assistant from 1984 to 1988 and Grovel the man servant from 1988 to 1989. [1] [2] He later appeared in the animated spin off show Rod 'n' Emu in 1991 as the voice of Croc and Redford. [3] He appeared in Emu's Programmes for almost ten years from 1982 to 1991 and over 100 episodes. He also spent many years performing in Pantomime alongside Hull and Scott. [4]

Contents

His last television appearance was as himself in the 2003 documentary, Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand. [5]

He died on 26 January 2016 in Dorset at the age of 81.

Filmography

Film

Tin Men 1987

Television

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Planer</span> British actor, comedian and writer (born 1953)

Nigel George Planer is a British actor, writer and musician. He played Neil in the BBC comedy The Young Ones and Ralph Filthy in Filthy Rich & Catflap. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including original casts of Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has also appeared in Hairspray. He won a BRIT award in 1984 and has been nominated for Olivier, TMA, WhatsOnStage and BAFTA awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Levinson</span> American filmmaker

Barry Lee Levinson is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. His best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as Diner (1982), The Natural (1984), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Bugsy (1991), and Wag the Dog (1997). Levinson won the Academy Award for Best Director for Rain Man (1988). In 2021, he co-executive produced the Hulu miniseries Dopesick and directed the first two episodes.

<i>Parkinson</i> (TV series) British television chat show

Parkinson was a British television chat show presented by Michael Parkinson. It was first shown on BBC One from 19 June 1971 to 10 April 1982 and from 9 January 1998 to 24 April 2004. Parkinson then switched to ITV on which the show continued from 4 September 2004 to 22 December 2007. A parallel series was shown in Australia on the ABC between 1979 and 1982. A series entitled Parkinson One to One was produced by Yorkshire Television from 28 March 1987 to 23 July 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Hull</span> English comedian (1935–1999)

Rodney Stephen Hull was a British comedian and popular entertainer on television in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without Emu, a mute and highly aggressive arm-length puppet modelled on the Australian bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emu (puppet)</span> Fictional character

Emu is a four-year-old puppet emu which was given to British entertainer Rod Hull in the 1960s while he was presenting a children's breakfast television programme in Australia. Hull adopted the mute puppet for his cabaret act, and took it with him to the United Kingdom when he returned in 1970. The character was given a mischievous and sometimes aggressive onstage persona, attacking celebrity guests for comic effect, notably on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1976. Hull and Emu also appeared on several episodes of The Hudson Brothers' comedy show in the United States.

Anne Charleston is an Australian actress, notable for her career locally and in the United Kingdom in theatre and television. Charleston started her career in theatre in the mid 1950's, and has been a staple of the small screen since the early 1960s, starting with roles in telemovies, before making appearance in the various Crawford Productions series starting from the latter 1960s and 1970s and had several roles in series Prisoner

Sally James is a former British presenter on the ITV Saturday morning children's show Tiswas from 1977 until it ended in 1982. James's role on the show included conducting the "Almost Legendary Pop Interviews", interviewing musical acts including Elvis Costello, Sting, The Clash, Motörhead, and Kate Bush, and serving as music editor.

Emu is a British television puppet, modelled on the Australian flightless emu bird and operated by the performer Rod Hull. After appearing on a number of variety shows, he was given his own television series on the BBC, then on ITV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Hindle</span> Canadian actor and director

Arthur Hindle is a Canadian actor and director.

<i>Grotbags</i> British TV series or programme

Grotbags is a children's television programme which ran for three series between 1991 and 1993 about a fictional witch named Grotbags, a spin-off of multiple earlier Rod Hull and Emu shows. Very much in the mould of the traditional pantomime villain, Grotbags was played by actress, singer and comedian Carol Lee Scott in a costume comprising vivid green make-up and wig and a witch's cape and hat. Each episode co-starred Francis Wright and Richard Coombs in multiple puppet roles.

Bradford Ernest Sullivan was an American character actor on film, stage and television. He was best known for playing the killer Cole in The Sting, hockey goon Mo Wanchuk in Slap Shot, mobster George in The Untouchables (1987) and the gruff Henry Wingo in The Prince of Tides (1991).

Marty Morton is a performer who has acted in many TV, theatre and commercials in Australia and in other countries including England.

Jonathan Alfred Clawson Redford is an American composer, arranger, orchestrator, and conductor. He is also the author of Welcome All Wonders: A Composer's Journey.

Rod 'n' Emu is an English animated series shown on CITV in 1991.

Toby Hull is the son of Rod Hull, a popular entertainer who appeared with an arm-length puppet known as Emu. He is one of three children from Hull's second marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redford White</span> Filipino actor (1955–2010)

Cipriano "Dodoy" M. Cermeño II, better known by his screen name Redford White, was a Filipino actor and comedian. He was best known for his role as Sol in the television sitcom Buddy and Sol opposite Eric Quizon who played Buddy. White was recognized as Best Comedy Actor on the 5th PMPC Star Awards for Television for his role as Sol.

Nicholas Wilton is an English actor and scriptwriter. He has appeared as Mr Lister in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as a recurring character; he has also appeared in Carrott's Lib and Jackanory.

The Super Flying Fun Show was a live weekday morning television programme aimed at children. It was made at TCN 9 in Sydney, Australia, and shown on relay in Melbourne on GTV 9.

Carol Lee Scott was an English entertainer, best known for her role on British television in the 1980s and 1990s as "Grotbags". Throughout her career, Scott regularly performed on the international cabaret circuit, and prior to her TV work, she was a singer and released two albums.

References

  1. "BFI | Film & TV Database | EMU'S BROADCASTING COMPANY (EBC1)". 9 December 2007. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  2. Connelly, Mark (8 October 2020), Larsen, Timothy (ed.), "Film and Television", The Oxford Handbook of Christmas, Oxford University Press, pp. 410–420, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198831464.013.33, ISBN   978-0-19-883146-4 , retrieved 23 June 2021
  3. "Rod 'N' Emu". British Classic Comedy. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  4. "Emu in pantomime". pantoarchive. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Rod Hull: A Bird in the Hand | No 57: The History of a House". The Guardian. 4 July 2003. Retrieved 23 June 2021.