News...

Inspector Lewis has been given the go ahead for a 4th series, even though ITV are still axing programmes. Filming in Oxford will start in July with 4 more stories.

John Thaw DVD news from UK releases

Here is some exciting news i've just found out, from my friend in the know, that the following two dvd's are being released next month here in the UK!

This is terrific news for me as my birthday falls right in the middle of the two dates, so i get double john...YIPPY!!

1st Plastic Man out 1st June 09 @ play.com for £8.99

(Now available for pre-order @ amazon for £9.49)

2nd The Capone Investments out 15th June 09 @ play.com for £9.99. (Now available for pre-order @ amazon for £11.49)

UK - Lewis new series

Hello everyone just to remind folk in the UK that Lewis series 3 starts Sunday 22nd March at 9pm. I can't wait, seen some clips and my beloved bridge is there, so really looking forward to watching the new series. Hope it gets good ratings so it continues, as it's a brill series and worth keeping.

Last night i watched "And the moonbeams kissed the sea", which is my all time favourite episode so far, and it's not because I'm in it either, ha-ha!!

But i think the character of Philip is a lot like me, and so it makes me feel at home watching it, and I'm glad that Lewis and Hathaway treat him well.

Life goes on for a wife less ordinary

Just found this article and thought you might want to read it, sadly i can't tape the programme as my tv isn't working and i don't get my sick money till next Thursday and by then it will have come and gone. Enjoy!

By Ian Wylie
March 12, 2009
Sheila Hancock realised that her husband John Thaw would not survive. “I knew he was going to die,” she reflects.

The couple discovered he had cancer some nine months before she was, sadly, proved correct. “John did his usual – he was going to be all right – and he was, up until about three days before he died he was absolutely amazing.

“Bereavement is a process that everybody in their life will go through and until you’ve done it you don’t know how mad you go.
“There comes a time after about three months when people say, ‘How are you?’ And if you keep saying, ‘I feel awful,’ then they get bored with it and are thinking, ‘Oh, shut up.’” Actress, campaigner and writer Sheila, 76, wrote best-selling book The Two Of Us about her relationship with the Manchester-born star of Inspector Morse, The Sweeney and many other productions.

One of Britain’s favourite actors, he died in February 2002 at the age of 60. Burnage-raised John and Sheila were married for 30 years.

She talks about their time together as the latest subject for Piers Morgan’s Life Stories (ITV1, Sunday, 10pm), a series which has attracted a peak audience of over five million viewers.

Former newspaper editor Piers asks: “You must miss him dreadfully?” Sheila replies: “I don’t miss him dreadfully, no, it’s six years now.

“I had this terrible seizure in Venice. We’d been to Venice many times and we’d never seen the real bronze horses, just the replicas.

“I used to try and drag him up the stairs to see the real horses but he said, ‘No, let’s have a coffee in the square.’ And this time on my own I saw them and I was gutted that he was never going to see them. So I had a bit of a do then. But on the whole, no. I’ve made a good life for myself. I’m very lucky.”

Asked how volatile their relationship was, she replies: “Very. John was an alcoholic; I’ve made no secret of that.”

Sheila believes he was probably an alcoholic when they first met. “I think so but it hadn’t really done him a lot of harm. He was a drinker. My first husband was a drinker, my father was a drinker. I like drinkers, I really do.

“But there is a fine line between being a fun drinker and being a boorish alcoholic.” She adds: “But I like tempestuous, you see.”

Sheila also talks about her own personal battle with cancer, when she coped without relying on John. “I cope very well on my own – when I got cancer I was devastated, but I though, ‘I’m going to fight this bloody thing.’ John could have supported me more but it wouldn’t have made any difference. I still had to do it on my own.”

She met John when they were cast together in stage comedy So What About Love? At first, she tried to get him thrown off the show. “I did, I’m afraid. He was very poor in it at rehearsal, he really was. He hadn’t done a lot of comedy.”

Sheila recalls the first meeting. “I was wearing – John often reminded me of this, and I wouldn’t wear it now – a full length red fox fur coat with a mini skirt. I came into the theatre and I said, ‘I’m so sorry, darling,’ and put down these bags. I looked across and there was this creature sneering towards me.

“I thought, ‘Right!’ So I went over and said, ‘So you’re John Thaw?’ And he didn’t even answer, he was so rude. All leather jacket and stubble. He just ignored me.

“We rehearsed for a week and he was absolutely awful, so I had a quiet talk and said, ‘Can we replace him?’ And they said, ‘No, there’s nobody available.’”

This fourth show in the six-part series also features filmed contributions from friends and family, including her daughters Joanna and Melanie Thaw.

“When I see what good mothers my own children are I feel really ashamed – they spend time with their kids. I was here, there and everywhere. I neglected them badly and when I was married to John it was a really obsessive marriage and they kind of came second a lot of the time.

"So I wasn’t a great mother but I’m glad I’ve got them now, I really am.”

Morse creator wows audience

Just came a cross this article and thought you all might enjoy it...

Inspector Morse refuses to fade away.

The curmudgeonly cop was Colin Dexter's most famous creation and his best-selling novels were turned into British television's best detective series.

John Thaw played the opera and real ale-loving bachelor on the small screen until Morse collapsed with a fatal heart attack in an Oxford college quadrangle.

That was more than eight years ago but the series remains in a state of perpetual repeat on digital television, the DVDs still sell and an Inspector Morse Society thrives.

The author kept the audience smiling with remarks like: "My only claim to fame is making Oxford the murder capital city of England."
In only 33 episodes there were 91 violent deaths.

Mr Dexter explained that the inspector he created on paper was modified for the small screen, reading a page about Morse's successful sexual adventures to illustrate the point.

On television every attempt to woo women ends in sad failure.

But most of Mr Dexter's delightful and enlightening talk was devoted to classic English novels and poetry.

His love for the subject was displayed with charm, wit and the timing of a natural storyteller.

Assistance came from the veteran actor Gabriel Woolf, who read extracts with controlled passion from Gray's Elegy, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, AE Housman's A Shropshire Lad and Bleak House by Charles Dickens.

Mr Dexter described the latter as "our greatest novelist and this his greatest book".

In answer to questions from the audience Mr Dexter explained: "My inspiration for writing the Inspector Morse novels was a pint of Glenfiddick malt whisky a day."

Sadly, he recounted how his drinking and smoking days were over, following doctor's advice.

The size of the audience was disappointing for such an entertaining evening but did include Alastair Reed, who directed two of the television Morse films and lives near Taunton.
By Philip Welch

Today marks the 7th anniversary...

of the sad passing of a wonderful British actor: John Thaw for whom this blog has been for. Thoughout his short life he bought pleasure to millions of people around the world and continues to do so today.

May we all spare a few minutes of our day to remember this truly remarkable actor and also his family who dearly miss him like we fans do.

We remember you John with love.

NEWS UPDATE

First of all let me explain that for a few months i've had no pc, well now i have a laptop, second in Oct last year my kitten ran up the back of my bad leg, and now i can't sit for any length of time.

Also with having just got a laptop i need to load all my files and photos, the photos are on disc and for some reason unknown to me my new laptop's disc drive has stopped working, so until my sister rings her catalogue up (where she ordered it for me), i can't do much

Anyway here is some news from the UK, of a dvd release of one of John's works.

THICK AS THIEVES: THE COMPLETE SERIES is being released on 9th February (though also heard of date 28th January) so not sure but Amazon have Feb date. Released by Network for £14.99 Amazon price £9.98. I've just pre-ordered mine.

Please keep popping back as i hope to be fully up and running soon.

Take care everyone