
Alfred Marks
Actor · 1921 – 1996 · Holborn, London, England, UK
Alfred Edward Marks OBE (28 January 1921 - 1 July 1996) was a comic actor and comedian. Marks was born as Ruchel Kutchinsky in Holborn, London. He left Bell Lane School at 14 and started in entertainment at the Windmill Theatre. He then served in the RAF as a Flight Sergeant in the Middle East where he arranged concerts for servicemen. He also worked as an auctioneer and engineer. He started in variety at the Kilburn Empire in 1946, and his stage appearances included The Sunshine Boys and Fiddler On The Roof. He was also involved in comedy work with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe which later led to the formation (along with writer Spike Milligan) of The Goon Show, though Marks himself was not to become a member of that comedy group. His films included The Frightened City and Scream and Scream Again. His television show, Alfred Marks Time, ran for 6 years on ITV. He compered Sunday Night at the London Palladium and appeared in numerous other television programmes including Albert and Victoria, The Good Old Days, Blankety Blank, The Marti Caine Show, The Two Ronnies, The Generation Game, Lovejoy, Minder (TV series), Parkinson, The All New Alexei Sayle Show and the Dramarama play The Comeuppance of Captain Katt (a satire on the current state of Doctor Who). In 1967 Marks toured Australia for JC Williamson Theatres in Bill Naughton's Spring & Port Wine. In 1968 he played the lead in The Young Visiters a musical version of the turn of the 20th century Daisy Ashford novel, written when she was six and published as submitted by her with the spelling error, at the Vaudeville Theatre in London. Marks also appeared in the role of Wilfred Shadbolt in the Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Yeomen of the Guard in 1982. While on tour in Australia, Marks was appointed the second King of Moomba (1968) by the Melbourne Moomba festival committee; when asked what his qualifications were, he quipped (in full Cockney): "When I was eleven there were rival gangs around a fruit market in the East End. And desperately, I always wanted to be a member of the bigger rival gang. One day when I was in my best Easter suit, someone from one of the other gangs said to me 'would you like to be King of the Golden Apples?' 'All right, just sit there on this box and call out Apples, Apples, give me the Golden Apples.' Which innocently I did and they cobbled me with every rotten apple in the market." Description above from the Wikipedia article Alfred Marks, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Series23
TV7.1ComedyDramaRoguish comedy drama following the misadventures of small-time crook Arthur Daley.
Minder
1979 · 30 votes
TV7.2DramaTheatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line format, which only BBC2 used at the time.
Theatre 625
1964 · 5 votes
TV7.0DramaITV Playhouse is a British comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a format that would inspire Dramarama. Actors appearing in the series included Leslie Anderson, Gwen Nelson, Ricky Alleyne, Pat Heywood, Michael Elphick, Ian Hendry, Edward Woodward, Margaret Lockwood, Jessie Matthews and Lloyd Peters.
ITV Playhouse
1967 · 3 votes
TV6.8ComedyKidsChildren's puppet programme featuring music and stories. Join George, Bungle, Zippy, and all their friends at the Rainbow House, always an exciting place to be.
Rainbow
1972 · 20 votes
TV8.1Action & AdventureDramaJack Regan, an unethical officer of the Flying Squad, uses unorthodox methods to pursue criminals with the help of his partner, George Carter.
The Sweeney
1975 · 28 votes
TV6.7ComedyDramaDr Finlay's Casebook is a BBC television series that was broadcast from 1962 until 1971. Based on A. J. Cronin's novella Country Doctor, the storylines centred on a general medical practice in the fictional Scottish town of Tannochbrae during the late 1920s.
Dr. Finlay's Casebook
1962 · 3 votes
TV7.4ComedyDramaThe 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.
Lovejoy
1986 · 56 votes
TV7.7ComedyAction & AdventureAn English aristocrat and an American millionaire come together to tackle crime.
The Persuaders!
1971 · 135 votes
TV7.2Sci-Fi & FantasyDramaDramarama is the name of a British children's anthology series broadcast on ITV between 1983 and 1989. It tended to feature drama of a science fiction or supernatural bent. The series was created by Anna Home, then head of children's and youth programming at TVS, however production responsibilities were divided amongst most of the regional ITV franchise holders. Thus, each episode was in practice a one-off production with its own cast and crew, up to and including the executive producer. Dramarama was largely a place for new talent to prove themselves and was a launching pad for the likes of Anthony Horowitz, Paul Abbott, Kay Mellor, Janice Hally, Tony Kearney, David Tennant and Ann Marie Di Mambro. It was one of Dennis Spooner's last credits. One of Dramarama's episodes, "Dodger, Bonzo And The Rest", gained so much popularity that it was turned in to its own series the following year. It starred Lee Ross and was based around a large foster home. The episode "Blackbird Singing In The Dead of Night" was developed by Granada into the TV series Children's Ward. It was also repeated for the first time since its original broadcast on 5 January 2013, during CITV's 30th anniversary Old Skool Weekend. The Series 7 episode "Back To Front" – notable for featuring a mirror image of the Yorkshire Television logo card at the end – was repeated on 6 January 2013, again as part of CITV's 30th anniversary Old Skool Weekend.
Dramarama
1983 · 4 votes
TV5.2ComedyFamilyBlankety Blank is a British comedy game show based on the 1977–1979 Australian game show Blankety Blanks. The British version ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC One, hosted first by Terry Wogan and later by Les Dawson. Regular members of the celebrity panel on this version included Kenny Everett, Lorraine Chase, Gareth Hunt, Gary Davies, and Cheryl Baker. A revival fronted by Lily Savage was produced by the BBC from 26 December 1997 to 28 December 1999, followed by ITV from 7 January 2001 to 10 August 2002. This version was produced by Grundy, then Thames.
Blankety Blank
1979 · 8 votes
- TV8.0Drama
An anthology of single plays offering up adaptations of either of prominent stage plays or novels.
Festival
1963 · 1 votes
TV7.0DramaCrimeA crime drama set in Southampton following a team of detectives and the cases they solve.
Target
1977 · 4 votes
TV7.8Action & AdventureJason King - a suavely sophisticated former secret agent turned novelist - travels the world searching for material to fill his books, encountering an endless parade of glamorous women, exotic locales, menacing villains and daring intrigue! Before Austin Powers swung into action, Jason King set the standard for the hip crime-fighting international playboy!
Jason King
1971 · 12 votes
TV6.3Action & AdventureThe Adventurer is an ITC Entertainment TV adventure series created by Dennis Spooner that ran for one season from 1972 to 1973. It premiered in the UK on 29 September 1972. The show starred Gene Barry as Gene Bradley, a government agent of independent means who poses as a glamorous American movie star.
The Adventurer
1972 · 7 votes
TV8.0A mostly live weekly entertainment show starring Cilla Black and her special guests.
Cilla
1968 · 3 votes
TV8.4ComedyCrimeRaffles was a 1977 television adaptation of the A. J. Raffles stories by Ernest William Hornung. The series was produced by Yorkshire Television and written by Philip Mackie. The episodes were largely faithful adaptations of the stories in the books, though occasionally two stories would be merged to create one. In Victorian-era London, gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, a renowned cricketer, and his friend, the eager but naive Bunny Manders, test their skills in relieving the wealthy of their valuables whilst avoiding detection, especially from the persistent Inspector Mackenzie.
Raffles
1977 · 5 votes
TV7.5Sci-Fi & FantasyComedyFive ghosts occupy the titular Motley Hall. Each hails from a different era and all—save for newly deceased Matt—are unable to leave the confines of the building.
The Ghosts of Motley Hall
1976 · 6 votes
TV7.0An anthology series of seven linked plays about the lives of people connected with the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Oxbridge Blues
1984 · 2 votes
TV7.0MysteryComedyEccentric psychology professor Dr John Cornelius solves technologically-charged crimes with his partner Samantha Valentine, police contact Inspector Cadogan, and his HOD Professor Owen Griffiths.
Virtual Murder
1992 · 3 votes
- TVComedy
An anthology of half-hour standalone situation comedies starring British comedian Jimmy Edwards in various roles alongside guest stars.
Faces of Jim
1961
TV5.8DramaIn 1913, young Richard Herncastle joins his Uncle Nick's magic act and is introduced to the enchanted world of the British music hall. Travelling from one city to the next, assisting at conjuring acts and disappearing acts, Richard comes to know romance, politics, and high adventure. The next year, in a true and terrifying vanishing act, the guns of August blast away that world forever.
Lost Empires
1986 · 8 votes
- TVTalk Show
Entertainment-based spin-off of A Question of Sport. The show was reformatted and retitled That's Showbusiness and was broadcast under this title from 1989 to 1996.
- TVDrama
A series of plays, each reflecting an individual dilemma - sometimes serious, occasionally humorous - and each with a happy ending.
Happy Ever After
1969
Movies18
Movie5.3HorrorScience FictionA serial killer who drains his victims of blood is on the loose and London police follow him to a house owned by an eccentric scientist.
Scream and Scream Again
1970 · 109 votes
Movie5.8DramaHistoryThe untimely death of silent screen star Rudolph Valentino prompts the many women in his past to reminisce about his troubled rise to superstardom.
Valentino
1977 · 50 votes
Movie5.5RomanceDramaHappily engaged to her handsome fiance, Charles, Fanny is soon hit with one misfortune after another until she is forced to become a prostitute to survive. This is the story, with many erotic asides, of her struggle to regain her pride in herself and find happiness in life once again.
Fanny Hill
1983 · 27 votes
Movie6.6ComedyWhen a law-abiding demolition expert is duped by a gang of criminals into helping them he is caught and jailed. When he is released he goes straight and then notices a leading citizen in his town is cheating his neighbours.
There Was a Crooked Man
1960 · 8 votes
Movie6.6CrimeDramaA small time thief is recruited by a mobster to help with the racketeering. He doesn't like the job, but with the mob on his back, a femme fatale in his bed and a sick friend to care for, he will have to keep all his wits about him.
The Frightened City
1961 · 28 votes
Movie5.4DramaPlain Jane Hartman hates her life. She's goofy, boring and only has sex if she reads Iris Murdoch novels out loud to her loopy boyfriend. Her oldest friend Antonia McGill knows about everything. She orders the right food; she can complain and get results. She's beautiful and has a brilliant career. Is it any wonder that they hate each other's guts?
Antonia and Jane
1990 · 8 votes
Movie5.9AdventureCrimeTwo episodes of the TV series "The Persuaders" joined into a movie. Two playboys investigate crimes along the French Riviera.
Mission: Monte Carlo
1974 · 9 votes
Movie5.6ComedyWhen Francis and Douglas Oberon learn that their late grandmother has bequeathed the family fortune to distant cousin Toni, they immediately start plotting to get their hands on the money. They dream up a plot whereby they cannot fail to acquire a comfortable future; the lovely Toni must either be murdered, or married...
She'll Have to Go
1962 · 8 votes
Movie5.5ComedyFred, Tim and Deirdre plan a fun weekend break on the coast. What they didn't make allowances for was the company of Deirdre's mother who insists on coming along as her daughter's chaperone.
A Weekend with Lulu
1961 · 10 votes
Movie6.1ComedyWarDanny La Rue stars in this 1970s drag comedy as Fred Wimbush, a Shakespearean actor who is drafted into WWII and is appearing in a camp show in France when the Nazis advance. Unless he continues in his female costume, Fred is certain to be shot as a spy. The risque gags and double entendres fly as he attempts to make his escape in the company of a troupe of Girl Guides.
Our Miss Fred
1972 · 10 votes
Movie5.5CrimeAdventureA young boy runs away from an approved school to meet up with his father in the hope that he can persuade his dad to allow him to travel to Canada with him. He also meets up with two local children and discovers that his father is instead planning a bank heist.
Hide and Seek
1972 · 7 votes
Movie7.0MusicColonel Fairfax has been falsely accused of sorcery by a jealous relative who covets his estates and money. The Colonel is condemned to death for his 'crime' and waits in the Tower of London for his execution. Fate, however, steps in - in the form of Sergeant Meryll (who owes his life to Colonel Fairfax) and Elsie Maynard, a beautiful strolling singer who has just arrived at the Tower to entertain the people in the company of a strolling jester, Jack Point.
The Yeomen of the Guard
1982 · 1 votes
Movie6.2ComedyWarA World War II farce that follows the antics of an ENSA (Entertainment National Service Association) group. Fresh from the music halls, they bumble their way from army camp to camp.
Desert Mice
1959 · 5 votes
Movie7.0Returning late to London, Johnny gives a lift to an attractive female hitch-hiker. Some distance on, he stops to make a phone call and buy a coffee, but on returning to his cab finds the woman gone. Assuming she has hitched another ride, he continues on his way. A short time later he is flagged down by another driver, who has come across a woman lying by the roadside. The woman is Johnny's hitchhiker and she's dead.
Johnny, You're Wanted
1956 · 2 votes
Movie10.0Ludo French stars in a sci-fi series, but working with the arrogant, conceited, always dissatisfied man pushes the production to its limits.
The Come-Uppance of Captain Katt
1986 · 1 votes
Movie4.4ComedyWhen Harry and Spike visit Bristol to spend the winnings from Harry's latest Pools win, the boys are soon targeted by a gang of local counterfeiters.
Penny Points to Paradise
1951 · 7 votes
- Movie8.0Family
Jimmy Riley makes friends with Colin and Brian Buxton, both keen members of a schoolboys' scramble club. Lennie and Cliff, old friends of Jimmy's, steal wealthy Mr Hepplewhite's car. Jimmy finds the crooks with the car but will not join in with them.
Scramble
1970 · 1 votes
- Movie
Sir Lionel Hibury is visiting an old friend in Rome, accompanied by his wife and daughter. Sir Lionel is not pleased when daughter, Sheila, become romantically involved with a wealthy young man staying in the flat above them.
Weekend Guest
1974