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 Friday听听听16:00-16:30
Sunday听20:30-21:00听(rpt)
Radio 4's weekly obituaries programme |
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This week |
Friday听25th May 2007
(Rpt) Sunday听27th May |
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Ian Adam
Singing teacher听who has died听aged 64.
The stage musical Phantom Of the Opera hit two milestones on either side of the Atlantic last year; in London鈥檚 West End it celebrated a 20 year uninterrupted run and in New York it became the most successful production in Broadway history, having played to 11 million people. Few could have foreseen the success back in 1986, especially as the lead role was to be played by a man better known as a hapless sitcom character. Michael Crawford鈥檚 transformation from Frank Spencer to the operatic Phantom was due largely to the influence of voice coach Ian Adam.
For more than three decades, Ian Adam was Britain鈥檚 leading singing teacher, working closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber on many of his productions. He coached Elaine Page, Sarah Brightman, Lulu, Sting and many many more.听
John Wilson talks to Michael Crawford.
听
Ian Adam听 was born March 12th 1943. He died May 10th 2007. |
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Edward Boyd
Pepsi marketer who has died aged 92.
In 1947 the Pepsi Cola company sent a new team of salesman out on the road to break new ground in the market dominated by their rivals Coca Cola. The twelve man team was headed by Edward Boyd who 鈥 like his colleagues and his target consumers 鈥 was black. Edward Boyd was employed by Pepsi boss Walter Mack who encouraged his new salesman to challenge the racist stereotypes that were still so prevalent in pre-Civil Rights America. Ed Boyd launched a series of advertisements which depicted middle class African American families enjoying the fizzy drink in their homes.
John Wilson talks to Stephanie Capparell, author of The Real Pepsi Challenge, a book about Ed Boyd鈥檚 sales team 鈥 and to Maurice Cox, current vice-president of corporate development and diversity at the Pepsi Cola company.
Edward Boyd was born June 27th 1914. He died April 30th 2007.
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Sydney Golder,
Theatre director and bank robber who has died aged 83.
Sydney Golder was a bankrobber and cat-burglar whose career choice was undeterred by lengthy spells in borstal and prison; until, that is, he became an actor by accident. He also has a list of film and television credits including Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, the Long Firm and Minder.
He spent eight years in Parkhurst high security prison, a stretch which was concluded with him launching a successful legal challenge against the government Golder v UK this led to a landmark civil liberties ruling on the right to a fair trial in 1975.
On his release, Golder took a job at the RADA drama school in an attempt to evade another conviction. The experience awakened an unexpected interest in drama and led him to open the Elephant Theatre Company in south London.
John Wilson talks to Sydney Golder鈥檚 god daughter Katherine Kastin.
Sydney Golder was born on August 28th 1923. He died on March 22nd 2007.
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Dame Mary Douglas
Anthropologist who has died aged 86.
Dame Mary Douglas spent her life trying to understand why we behave in the ritualistic ways that we do. She was an anthropologist whose books on social and cultural theory redefined the science of human behaviour. Dame Mary Douglas 鈥 who received her honour from Prince Charles just weeks before she died wrote about religion, taboos and rituals, combining ethnography and theology in her anthropological analysis. Her most influential book Purity and Danger, published in 1966, drew on her experiences living with the Lele tribespeople of The Congo.
Mary Douglas was a professor at University College London and at Oxford University , John Wilson talks to her colleague, Professor Steve Rayner.
听
Dame Mary Douglas was born March 15th 1921. She听died May 16th 2007. |
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Ben Weisman
Songwriter who has died aged 85.
Elvis may have had the looks, the voice and the moves, but he would have been nothing without the songs. And one of the people he turned for words and music was Ben Weisman who wrote or co-wrote sixty songs for Presley, more than any other songwriter. With an appearance and manner out of step with the rock and roll fashions, Ben Weisman was nicknamed 鈥榯he mad professor鈥 by Elvis. His songs included 鈥淔ollow That Dream鈥 and 鈥淔ame and Fortune.鈥 Other songs included 鈥淲ooden Heart鈥 for the movie 鈥淕.I. Blues,鈥 鈥淩ock-a-Hula Baby鈥 for 鈥淏lue Hawaii鈥 and 鈥淐rawfish鈥 for 鈥淜ing Creole.鈥
听
Ben Weisman听 was born November 16th 1921.听He died May 20th 2007. |
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