THERE was a time, so it was said, that every young boy wanted to be a train driver when he grew up. I doubt that’s true today. More likely a muscle bound reality TV star, a technology entrepreneur or a professional footballer. Although that might say just as much about the declining image of the railways as it does about modern male aspirations. For no longer is the person seated behind the screen in the cab of a diesel locomotive considered the lord of all they survey. It’s a far cry from being in charge of a thundering, rumbling, steam belching dragon, racing through the countryside, smoke trail in its wake, hauling a snaking line of carriages or wagons. Probably quicker, certainly cleaner, but a whole lot less exciting.
SIR Ken Dodd’s widow has revealed that the comic was proud of his record-breaking run at Bradford’s Alhambra theatre, and often heard from Sunbeams he worked with over 60 years ago. Ken starred in 1958/59 pantomime Jack And The Beanstalk, the theatre’s longest ever panto run, and over the years he brought his comedy shows to Bradford, where he had many fans. He did a five-hour show at the Alhambra a few months before his death in 2018, aged 90. Lady Anne Dodd said: “Ken was so proud of his record at the glorious Alhambra Theatre. He used to hear regularly from ex-Sunbeams from so many years ago, one in particular kindly still send me messages when she reminisces about those happy days.”
A FARMER has launched his autobiography to coincide with his third series as judge of the reality TV show Celebs on the Farm. Chris Jeffery, has produced Farming, Celebs and Plum Pudding Pigs, which includes stories of his involvement with the show which is aired from tonight (Monday) on MTV for two weeks. He said: “If somebody had told me, two years ago, that I would have appeared on a television show with actress Linda Robson from Birds of a Feather, Duncan James from Blue, the model Caprice, singer Kerry Katona and Crissy Rock from Benidorm, or that we would be into a third series or that I’d have my own book out, I’d have laughed, I really would.”