Gavin Richards

Gavin Richards

Born: July 3, 1946
in London, England
After training at the Bristol Old Vic, Gavin Richards worked at the Liverpool Everyman and then with radical playwright John McGrath, in 7:84. Joining the Ken Campbell Roadshow in the early 70s he got performance experience working outdoors, in pubs and clubs. A lucrative German tour gave him and a group of colleagues the financial security to set up Belt and Braces Roadshow Company, formed with Eugene Geasley, Marcel Steiner and Jeni Barnett. Their leftist political and musical roadshows were taken to trade union meetings, working-men’s clubs, colleges and schools as well as traditional theatres and arts centres. Richards was Artistic Director, writer and performer for this collective inspired by the work of Alan Dosser at the Everyman and Ken Campbell and John McGrath of 7:84 Theatre Company. With 7:84 Richards had also directed Arden/D’Arcy’s Ballygoimbeen Bequest and Adrian Mitchell’s Man Friday and worked with both Richard Eyre and Trevor Griffiths. Many B&B members had worked for one or more of those companies and over the course of its 12 years on the road some of its members went on to form other companies like Monstrous Regiment. John Fiske, B&B’s musical director and Paul Kessel formed their own company in Sweden, still working today. B&B also collaborated on joint productions with both 7:84 and Roland Muldoon’s CAST. Others involved in the early years included Shane Connoughton, Sylvester McCoy, Vari Sylvestre, Andy Andrews, Gillian Hanna, David Bradford, Derek Thompson, Jim Carter and Colm Meaney. As well as writing original scripts with the company, Richards directed and adapted other political plays, most famously Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist based on a translation by Gillian Hanna which ran in the West-End for two years after an extensive tour starring Alfred Molina. He also oversaw the Belt and Braces production of Steve’ Gooch’s version of Brecht’s The Mother directed by Paul Hellyer which helped to launch the career of Maggie Steed. In the 80s and 90s Richards was a successful television and film actor (again working with Trevor Griffiths on Central TV’s Oi For England and with Paula Milne on the BBC series Driving Ambition). Assisted by Paula Milne and other ex members of B&B Richards produced A Night For A Nuclear Free Europe for the Labour Party at Wembley Arena in 1984 at the height of the miner’s strike. In the 90’s he also worked with Jack Shepherd on Comic Cuts, Griff Rhys Jones onThe Alchemist and Richard Sparks on The Crimson Lizard. His work on BBC’s ‘Allo ‘Allo and EastEnders is something he would rather forget. More recently, with Tamara Henry, he formed a theatre company in New Zealand called Theatre South whose youth production for the child soldier’s charity War Child won several awards. His recent book of poetry entitled 200 Weeks was published by Muswell Press in North London in 2015.

Movies for Gavin Richards...

Title: Kidnapped
Character: Capt. Hoseason
Released: February 27, 2005
Type: TV
15-year-old Davie Balfour is poised to receive a vast inheritance when he's lured onto a cargo ship, knocked unconscious, and kidnapped by his malevolent uncle Ebenezer, who devises a scheme to sell him into slavery. But Davie's unforeseen rescue at the hands of a Scottish rogue, Alan Breck, with them racing across the Scottish moors, with English bounty hunters in hot pursuit.
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Kidnapped
Title: Kidnapped
Character: Captain Hoseason
Released: February 27, 2005
Type: Movie
15-year-old Davie Balfour is poised to receive a vast inheritance when he's lured onto a cargo ship, knocked unconscious, and kidnapped by his malevolent uncle Ebenezer, who devises a scheme to sell him into slavery. But Davie's unforeseen rescue at the hands of a Scottish rogue, Alan Breck, leaves them racing across the Scottish moors, with English bounty hunters in hot pursuit.
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The Student Prince
Title: The Student Prince
Character: Chief Superintendent
Released: November 22, 1998
Type: Movie
The Queen's youngest son is off to university, mainly because "I'm hopeless at anything else". Barry, his new bodyguard, has no time for the royal family and left school at fifteen. He certainly didn't volunteer for this job, and is damned if he's going to enjoy it. Yet he can't help liking the hopelessly unworldly young prince, at least, until they both set their eyes on the new American student!
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The Locksmith
Title: The Locksmith
Character: Max Parker
Released: September 25, 1997
Type: Movie
When his estranged wife is brutally attacked by a burglar, a law-abiding locksmith unconvinced that the junkie charged for the crime is the real attacker starts his own investigation.
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Savage Play
Title: Savage Play
Character: Kim
Released: January 1, 1995
Type: Movie
During a rugby tour of Britain and Ireland in 1888, a young New Zealander searches for his father who he has never met. While there he falls in love with the daughter of an aristocrat.
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Being Human
Title: Being Human
Character: Da Cunha
Released: May 6, 1994
Type: Movie
One man must learn the meaning of courage across four lifetimes centuries apart.
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Title: Pie in the Sky
Character: Fisher's Assistant
Released: March 13, 1994
Type: TV
Pie in the Sky is a British offbeat police comedy drama programme starring Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed, created by Andrew Payne and first broadcast in five series on BBC1 between 13 March 1994 and 17 August 1997 as well as being syndicated on other channels in other countries, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The series departs slightly from other police dramas in that the protagonist, Henry Crabbe, while still being an on-duty policeman, is also the head chef of the title restaurant set in the fictional town of Middleton and county of Westershire.
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Title: A Touch of Frost
Released: December 6, 1992
Type: TV
Jack Frost is a gritty, dogged and unconventional detective with sympathy for the underdog and an instinct for moral justice who attracts trouble like a magnet. Despite some animosity with his superintendent, Norman “Horn-rimmed Harry” Mullett, Frost and his ever-changing roster of assistants manage to solve cases via his clever mind, good heart, and cool touch.
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Title: Between the Lines
Released: September 4, 1992
Type: TV
Detective Superintendent Tony Clark is an ambitious member of the Complaints Investigation Bureau, an internal organisation that investigates claims of corruption inside the police in England and Wales. Along the way Clark overcomes strong influence from his superiors and problems in his private life, most notably the break-up of his marriage following an affair with WPC Jenny Dean.
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Title: Time Riders
Character: Witchfinder General
Released: October 16, 1991
Type: TV
B.B. Miller is a motorcycle riding time traveller who gets into various troubles throughout history with her companion Ben, a Victorian street urchin.
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Title: The Upper Hand
Character: Charlie Bennett
Released: May 1, 1990
Type: TV
The Upper Hand is a British television sitcom, produced by Central Independent Television and Columbia Pictures Television and broadcast by ITV from 1990 to 1996. The programme was adapted from the American sitcom Who's the Boss?. As in the former series, an affluent single woman, raising a son with the help of her mother, hires a housekeeper only to have a man apply for the job.
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Title: Mike and Angelo
Released: March 16, 1989
Type: TV
Mike and Angelo is a British sci-fi TV sitcom series, that ran on CITV between 16 March 1989 and 7 March 2000. It centres on Angelo, an alien who came from another world during the first series; the portal from his world being that of a wardrobe in one of the bedrooms. He lives with Mike King, and Mike's mother Rita. Later series had Mike and Rita move away, with Rita's nephew Mike Mason staying on in the house with housekeeper Katy. Together, Mike and Angelo get up to all kinds of crazy adventures - all within the vicinity of the house that they live in. Angelo is always inventing something crazy, or walking on the ceiling, or summoning up historical figures from the past. They always wreak havoc together, much to Katy's annoyance, crying "ANGELO!!" in her Scottish accent constantly or Rita in her Canadian accent before her. Their neighbours are the posh Fawkes-Bentleys, in whose house some of the show's scenes are occasionally based. The 1999 series began with Angelo and Katy reading a postcard explaining that Mike was having a good time in America. In his place, Daphne Fawkes-Bentley's niece Michaela became Angelo's sidekick. For the final series, Katy's nephew, also called Mike, joined. The final series was shown in 2000.
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Title: Hannay
Released: January 6, 1988
Type: TV
Hannay was a 1988 spin-off from the 1978 film version of John Buchan's novel The Thirty-Nine Steps which had starred Robert Powell as Richard Hannay. In the series, Powell reprised the role of Hannay, an Edwardian mining engineer from Rhodesia of Scottish origin. It features his adventures in pre-World War I Great Britain. These stories had little in common with John Buchan's novels about the character, although some character names are taken from his other novels. There were two series, the first with six episodes, the second with seven. The combined 13 episodes ran for a total of 652 minutes. One episode, A Point of Honour, was based on a story of the same name by Dornford Yates that appeared in his 1914 book The Brother of Daphne, although Yates was not credited. Another episode used a plot device from the Leslie Charteris Saint story The Unblemished Bootlegger, from the 1933 book The Brighter Buccaneer, again uncredited.
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Title: Hardwicke House
Character: Mr. Flashman
Released: February 24, 1987
Type: TV
Hardwicke House was a 1987 seven-episode sitcom produced by Central Independent Television for the ITV network. It was so negatively received that only the first two episodes were transmitted.
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Title: Inspector Morse
Character: Steven Trevors
Released: January 6, 1987
Type: TV
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis, as well as a large cast of notable actors and actresses.
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Title: Call Me Mister
Released: September 5, 1986
Type: TV
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Whoops Apocalypse
Title: Whoops Apocalypse
Character: Donald
Released: May 6, 1986
Type: Movie
When a small British owned island in the Caribbean is invaded and the world's most dangerous terrorist kidnaps a member of the Royal family, the countdown to World War 3 begins. If anyone can prevent the oncoming apocalypse it's the American President, but her closest ally the British Prime Minister appears to have gone stark raving mad.
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Title: Lovejoy
Character: Oliver Jeffries
Released: January 10, 1986
Type: TV
The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a “divvie”, a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.
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Titus Andronicus
Title: Titus Andronicus
Character: Lucius
Released: April 25, 1985
Type: Movie
Having subdued the Goths, warrior Titus Andronicus returns to Rome to bury his sons, with Gothic Queen Tamora and her retinue as captives. The newly-dead Roman Emperor's two sons, Saturninus and Bassianus, are competing for their father's title. According to Roman custom, Titus sacrifices Tamora's eldest son to the Gods; having the deciding vote, he also chooses Saturninus as Emperor. Both acts have tragic consequences.
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Title: EastEnders
Released: February 19, 1985
Type: TV
The everyday lives of working-class residents of Albert Square, a traditional Victorian square of terrace houses surrounding a park in the East End of London's Walford borough.
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Title: EastEnders
Character: Terry Raymond
Released: February 19, 1985
Type: TV
The everyday lives of working-class residents of Albert Square, a traditional Victorian square of terrace houses surrounding a park in the East End of London's Walford borough.
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The Caucasian Chalk Circle
Title: The Caucasian Chalk Circle
Character: Doctor Loladze/Yussup/Doctor/Lawyer 1
Released: January 1, 1985
Type: Movie
The hardships faced by a woman trying to survive a bloody civil war while caring for the abandoned child of the deposed former ruler.
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Title: The Bill
Released: October 16, 1984
Type: TV
The daily lives of the men and women at Sun Hill Police Station as they fight crime on the streets of London. From bomb threats to armed robbery and drug raids to the routine demands of policing this ground-breaking series focuses as much on crime as it does on the personal lives of its characters.
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Title: 'Allo 'Allo!
Character: Captain Alberto Bertorelli
Released: September 7, 1984
Type: TV
The misadventures of hapless cafe owner René Artois and his escapades with the Resistance in occupied France.
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Driving Ambition
Title: Driving Ambition
Character: Ken Lark
Released: March 3, 1984
Type: Movie
A bored and frustrated suburban housewife follows her dream of becoming a racing driver
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The Miners' Campaign Video Tapes: The Lie Machine
Title: The Miners' Campaign Video Tapes: The Lie Machine
Character: Presenter
Released: January 2, 1984
Type: Movie
Part of BFI collection "The Miners' Campaign Video Tapes."
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The Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Title: The Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Character: The Maniac
Released: September 1, 1983
Type: Movie
During questioning by the police, a railway worker falls to his death from the multi-story police HQ. The government says it was an accident but there is a public outcry. The Superintendant and Inspector responsible are awaiting the arrival of an Investigating Judge but get more than they bargained for when a lunatic escapes and impersonates him.
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Crystal Gazing
Title: Crystal Gazing
Character: Neil Holt
Released: September 15, 1982
Type: Movie
Experimental drama set in London during the Thatcher administration involving four characters: Neil, a science-fiction illustrator, who is accidentally killed in Mexico City; Kim, a woman rock musician; Vermilion, an analyst of satellite photography; and Julian, an old friend of the illustrator who has just finished his Ph.D thesis on the fairy-tales of Charles Perrault. Their four lives are closely interlinked as events happen to each of them.
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Oi for England
Title: Oi for England
Character: The Man
Released: April 17, 1982
Type: Movie
In the Moss Side, Manchester "race riots" of 1981 a struggling punk band are tempted by a sinister entrepreneur to perform at a major gig in support of British extreme Right political organizations.
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Title: Hi-de-Hi!
Character: Harold Fox
Released: February 19, 1981
Type: TV
Hi-de-Hi! is a British sitcom set in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, during 1959 and 1960, and was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum amongst others. It aired on the BBC from 1980 to 1988. The series revolved around the lives of the camp's management and entertainers, most of them struggling actors or has-beens. The inspiration was the experience of writers Perry and Croft: after being demobilised from the army, Perry was a Redcoat at Butlin's, Pwllheli during the holiday season. The series gained large audiences and won a BAFTA as Best Comedy Series in 1984. In 2004, it came 40th in Britain's Best Sitcom and in a 2008 poll on Channel 4, 'Hi-de-Hi!" was voted the 35th most popular comedy catchphrase.
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Title: Minder
Character: Vic
Released: October 29, 1979
Type: TV
This comedy drama series featured Terry McCann, a former boxer with a conviction for G.B.H., and Arthur Daley, a second-hand car dealer with an eye for a nice little earner. Alongside his many business ventures, Arthur would regularly hire Terry out as a minder or bodyguard, later replaced by nephew, Ray Daley.
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Title: BBC Television Shakespeare
Released: December 3, 1978
Type: TV
The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and produced by BBC Television. It was transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985 and spanned seven series. Development of the series began in 1975 when Messina saw that Glamis Castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's play As You Like It. On returning to London, he envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic works of Shakespeare. After encountering numerous problems trying to produce the series, Messina eventually pitched the idea to the BBC’s departmental heads and the series was greenlighted. The series as a whole received generally negative reviews from critics.
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The Triple Echo
Title: The Triple Echo
Character: Stan
Released: November 16, 1972
Type: Movie
After her husband is captured during WWII, homesteader Alice is forced to maintain their land herself. One day, a wandering soldier named Barton stops by the farm and the pair begin a relationship. When the military police pass through the area looking for deserters, Barton is forced to disguise himself as a woman to stay with Alice. But he soon catches the eye of a sergeant posted nearby.
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The Reporters
Title: The Reporters
Character: Des
Released: October 9, 1972
Type: Movie
Two provincial newspaper reporters - one a young idealist starting out on his career, the other an embittered man who previously wrote for a failed national daily - swap views.
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The Ken Campbell Roadshow
Title: The Ken Campbell Roadshow
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1971
Type: Movie
The Ken Campbell Roadshow brings entertainment to the streets and pubs of Kirkby New Town.