Podcast appearances and mentions of helen edmundson

Michael Fenton Stevens is an actor and comedian. He is best known for being a founder member of The Hee Bee Gee Bees and the voice behind the Spitting Image 1986 number 1 hit "The Chicken Song". He also starred in KYTV, its Radio 4 predecessor, Radio Active and Benidorm as Sir Henry since Series 4 which was first broadcast in 2011, and as an anchor on 3rd & Bird on CBeebies.Fenton Stevens featured in regular roles as Hank in the 1996 series The Legacy of Reginald Perrin, and as Ralph in Andy Hamilton's 2003 television sitcom Trevor's World of Sport, as well as in the Radio 4 version of the latter which was broadcast in 2004. Stevens had previously appeared in a guest role in Drop the Dead Donkey, another television comedy series written by Hamilton, and appears regularly in various roles in Hamilton's Radio 4 sitcom Old Harry's Game. He has also featured in Ian Hislop's sitcom My Dad's the Prime Minister as the Home Secretary. He plays the eponymous Inspector Steine in Lynne Truss' long-running Radio 4 comedy series. From 2004 until 2005 he appeared in two series of Julia Davis's dark comedy series Nighty Night as the Reverend Gordon Fox. He also appeared in various roles in the Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series. In 2007, he played the similarly named Michael Wenton Weeks in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. He has provided the voice of Mr Beakman, a toucan, in the CBeebies show 3rd & Bird. He has a recurring role in the sitcom My Family as Mr Griffith, the boss of the dental corporation "Cavitex". He has played Sir Henry in Benidorm since Series 4 which was first broadcast in 2011.Notable guest appearances have been as the next door hotel guest in "Mr. Bean in Room 426"; and alongside Hee Bee Gee Bees bandmate Angus Deayton as the brother-in-law of Deayton's character in an episode of One Foot in the Grave. He played Alan Perkins, a holiday rep in Spain in "The Unlucky Winner Is" episode of Only Fools And Horses. He played a guest role in Coronation Street in November 2004. In 2006, he guest-starred in the Doctor Who audio adventure The Kingmaker. He also appeared in Series 3 Episode 3 of Outnumbered, as a substitute player called 'Lance' in a tennis match, and in the "Music 2000" episode of Look Around You as the chairman of the Royal Pop and Rock Association. In 2022 he appeared as Tony Vanoli in a fourth season episode of Ghosts.He is a very successful Pantomime Dame, having written and appeared in a number of pantos over the years. From December 2006 until January 2007, he starred in and wrote the Cambridge Arts Theatre pantomime version of Aladdin in the role of Widow Twankey. In 2015, Stevens appeared as Dr. John Radcliffe in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Helen Edmundson's Queen Anne.Since 2020, with help from his son John Fenton Stevens, a series of podcasts has been released called My Time Capsule with guests such as Stephen Fry, Rebecca Front, Rick Wakeman, Mark Gatiss, Rufus Hound, David Mitchell, Anthony Head, Chris Addison, Rev Richard Coles, Griff Rhys Jones, Richard Herring and David Baddiel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we review the return of Small Island at The National Theatre, Helen Edmundson critical acclaimed play based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Andrea Levy; The Collaboration at The Young Vic, starring Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope as Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat; and Gypsy at Alexandra Palace, a staged concert with an all star cast.  -Opening/Closing Music: Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyonis: licensed under a CC Attribution License

Sheffield Theatres is 50 and is opening its anniversary season with a big one: Anna Karenina. Often acclaimed as the best novel ever written, Leo Tolstoy's epic narrative is an immense canvas of desire, duty and defiance, adultery, passion and suicide told over more than 800 pages. A piece of cake to bring to the stage, right? Helen Edmundson's much-celebrated adaptation does some of the heavy lifting, leaving the rest to the Sheffield Theatres team. So Mickey got on the Zoom with two of the production's big hitters: Adelle Leonce, who is playing Anna, and designer Georgia Lowe, to find out how you take a complex novel in eight parts, with more than a dozen major characters, spread over more than 800 pages and set in late 19th century Russia and bring it up-to-date for a contemporary audience.Anna Karenina is at The Crucible from Feb 5 to 26. Find out more: www.sheffieldtheatres.co.ukSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Emma Cunniffe is an actor who has stared on the stage and television, most notably on TV in Silent Witness, Unforgotten, Doctor Who with Matt Smith, Clocking Off, Waterloo Road and much more. On stage she played Queen Anne in the RSC's production of Helen Edmundson's Queen Anne in Stratford and the West End, she won the UK Theatre Awards for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in The Master Builder and she was nominated for "what's on stage" award for her role as Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible at Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. Emma Cunniffe is guest number 99 on My Time Capsule and chats to Michael Fenton Stevens about the five things she'd like to put in a time capsule; four she'd like to preserve and one she'd like to bury and never have to think about again .Follow Emma Cunniffe on Twitter: @EmmaEmmac3 .Follow My Time Capsule on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook: @MyTCpod .Follow Michael Fenton Stevens on Twitter: @fentonstevens and Instagram @mikefentonstevens .Produced and edited by John Fenton-Stevens for Cast Off Productions .Music by Pass The Peas Music .Artwork by Matthew Boxall .Social media support by Harriet Stevens .Additional Music: 9th Symphony, Finale - Beethoven https://youtu.be/EnUQJZ5ZpNw .This podcast is proud to be associated with the charity Viva! Providing theatrical opportunities for hundreds of young people. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The National Theatre stage production of Small Island by Andrea Levy will be available to watch worldwide on the NT At Home YouTube channel from 7PM on Thursday 18th June for a week. Amy Forrest who has appeared in recent episodes of this podcast was part of the cast playing the role of Mrs Ryder and in this short edition she discusses the importance of the play, how she was cast in it and the importance of the arts during the coronavirus crisis. Small Island is by Helen Edmundson based on the original novel by Andre Levy and will be available between 18th and 25th June via the National Theatre Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pac-FurijswIf you watch please consider making a donation to the National Theatre to support its work and employees during lockdown. If you would like to find out more about Amy Forrest please follow her on twitter https://twitter.com/amyforrest26 and listen to her appearances on Alternative Stories including in the audio drama The Seeing TreesIf you have enjoyed this podcast please subscribe to hear more from Alternative Stories and Fake Realities

Director Rufus Norris and Adapter Helen Edmundson reflect on their production of Small Island. Chaired by Brenda Emmanus.

Gershwyn Eustache Jrnr stars in 'Small Island' as 'Gilbert'. TBB Talks to the actor to find out how important being a part of this production is to him...  Gershwyn Eustache Jnr takes on a leading role in the National Theatre's production of Small Island. Adapted from Andrea Levy's Orange Prize Winning novel Small Island follows the journey Jamaica to Britain, through the Second World War to 1948 – the year the HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury. Adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson, Small Island follows three intricately connected stories. Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as the play traces the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK. Small Island runs at the National Theatre until 10th August 2019. Find out more: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/small-island Image by - Brinkhoff-Moegenburg

Rising star Leah Harvey takes a leading role in the National Theatre's production of 'Small Island' as 'Hortense'. TBB Talks to her to discover how she approached developing the character ... Adapted from Andrea Levy's Orange Prize Winning novel Small Island follows the journey Jamaica to Britain, through the Second World War to 1948 – the year the HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury. Adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson, Small Island follows three intricately connected stories.  Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as the play traces the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK. Small Island runs at the National Theatre until 10th August 2019. Find out more: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/small-island Photo by Brinkhoff-Moegenburg

This week, we chat the battle for the right to bodily autonomy in the southern states of America with Staci Fox of Planned Parenthood Southeast. Jen meets Helen Edmundson to talk about her timely adaptation of Andrea Levy's Small Island. There's tennis and news about a free Standard Issue event in Jenny Off The Blocks, and Mickey's talking sweetie-flavoured foofs in Sexism of the Week. Wait, what? Plus, there's inter-generational strife as Dunleavy Does Dystopia watches Battle Royale. Like old people and young people are ever going to start hating each other. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Iain Canning has an impressive resume. Currently, his films include ‘Hunger,’ ‘The King’s Speech,’ ‘Shame,’ ‘Slow West,’ ‘Life,’ ‘Macbeth,’ ‘Widows,’ and now, ‘Mary Magdalene.’ In the latest film, Rooney Mara stars as Mary Magdalene, with Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus. Directed by Garth Davis (Lion, Top of the Lake) and written by Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett, the movie showcases a different point of view on the classic, biblical tale. In this exclusive interview, Canning discusses his love for film, what he looks for in a project, the connection between journalism and true story films, time jumps in film, emotionally sensitive endings, the responsibility of filmmaking, and how to create an amazing team around you. If you enjoyed this interview, join thousands of viewers for the new YouTube series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5

Andrea Levy's novel Small Island was published in 2004, dramatised for television in 2009 and now Helen Edmundson's theatrical adaptation has begun a run at the National Theatre. It tells the stories of Hortense, who grows up in Jamaica and moves to England as part of the “Windrush” generation, and Queenie, who escapes life on a Lincolnshire farm to find herself in inner-city London as social and ethnic dynamics shift after the War. Jenni talks the actors playing Hortense and Queenie, Leah Harvey and Aisling Loftus.How do you raise successful people? Esther Wojcicki claims to have done just that. She is the mother of YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, 23andMe Co-Founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki, and Fulbright Scholar and Professor of Pediatrics Janet Wojcicki. Esther has written a book including 'simple lessons for radical results' and she shares her strategies with Jenni, explaining her TRICK theory and why she thinks it works equally well whether you are raising children or managing a company.Why has Leeds become the first city in the UK to report a drop in childhood obesity, what's the significance of this for the rest of the UK and what else is being done throughout Europe and the world to tackle the problem? Jenni is joined by Esther Wojcicki, author of How to Raise Successful People, Susan Jebb, Professor of Diet and Population Health at Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford and Franco Sassi, Professor of International Health Policy and Economics at Imperial College, London. In her latest novel, A Thousand Ships, Natalie Haynes tells the story of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective. She joins Jenni to explain why she decided to give a voice to these overlooked women, girls and goddesses and what can be gained by listening to their stories.Presenter: Jenni Murray

The Royal Shakespeare Company production of Queen Anne has opened at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket. Set in the early 18th century, the play charts the intimate and increasingly fraught relationship between the childless and insecure queen and her closest confidante Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. Romola Garai who plays Sarah Churchill and writer Helen Edmundson discuss this often overlooked British monarch. For our Queer Icons series, the Oscar-winning writer of Moonlight, Tarell Alvin McCraney, champions the film Paris is Burning, about drag houses, drag balls and fabulousness in 1980s New York. Queer Icons is Front Row's celebration of LGBTQ culture, to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality. The philanthropist Lloyd Dorfman today announced a major donation to the Royal Academy of Arts in London with a view to transforming the future of architecture at the institution. Architecture critic Hugh Pearman assess the significance of his contribution.The outgoing Poet Laureate of Jamaica, Mervyn Morris, was on Front Row recently. Today Samira meets his successor, Lorna Goodison, the first female to hold that post. She explains her role as 'praise-singer to the nation'. Her Collected Poems has just been published and from this monumental book she reads work that expresses her admiration for the Jamaican people, their language and her love of the landscape of the island. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Edwina Pitman.

Actress Juliet Stevenson - whose work on theatre, film and TV includes Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Village and the BAFTA award winning Truly Madly Deeply – comes to Sage. She's joined on stage by Natalie Abrahami, who directed Stevenson in an acclaimed recent revival of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days at the Young Vic in London. They ask: how easy is it to break rules in the theatre?The text of a play contains stage directions - sometimes very precise. If the play is a classic, audiences and critics may have fixed ideas about what they expect to see. Matthew Sweet chairs a discussion which lifts the curtain on the experimentation that goes on in the rehearsal room and before the TV cameras roll.Natalie Abrahami is directing a production of Queen Anne at the Royal Shakespeare Company. It's a new play by Helen Edmundson which explores the relationship between Queen Anne and the Duchess of Marlborough. It runs at the RSC from November 19th 2015. Producer: Sarah Crawley

With Mark Lawson Irving Berlin's three daughters reflect on their father's career as one of America's most successful songwriters. They also discuss their inherited responsibilities for his music and the continuing appeal of songs such as Cheek to Cheek and Puttin' On the Ritz, the light of a new UK stage version of the film Top Hat. The National Gallery's new exhibition Turner Inspired: In the Light of Claude, features the two paintings Turner donated to the gallery on the strict condition that they be hung alongside two specific paintings by the 17th century Old Master, Claude. The exhibition's curator Susan Foister and art critic William Feaver discuss the conditions and stipulations artists have made about how their work is displayed during their lifetime and beyond. Dramatist Helen Edmundson discusses her new play Mary Shelley, based on the life of the author of Frankenstein. The play centres on the scandalous relationship between Mary Shelley and her husband, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and the impact it had on their families. Producer Claire Bartleet.

On Start the Week Andrew Marr discusses faith and doubt. Richard Holloway started training for the priesthood from the age of 14, but as the former Bishop looks back on his life he reveals a restless spirit, always questioning his beliefs. Karen Armstrong has had similar crises of faith, and asks in a forthcoming talk, 'What is Religion?' For the 17th century Mexican nun, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, faith was wrapped up in her love of writing and poetry - her life is brought to the stage by the playwright Helen Edmundson. And Jonathan Safran Foer celebrates the Jewish text Haggadah which tells the story of the Exodus to the Promised Land.Producer: Katy Hickman.

Nora Hussey reads an excerpt from The Clearing: A Play by Helen Edmundson, published by Theatre Communications Group. (6:53)