John Alderton

[Virgo76]

Any ideas why his career tailed off after about 1980?
Obviously, he's an old man now (about 80) but he was pretty much a TV star in the 60s and 70s.
But by the 80s, his career had really fizzled out.
you would have expected him to have been in loads of stuff in the last forty years. But he really hasn't been.
Any ideas why?

[Absorb the anus burn]

Him and his wife are totally obnoxious....[nb]personal anecdote I don't care to share[/nb]

[Gradual Decline]

He was good in Fireman Sam.

[timebug]

After Please Sir! etc I only saw him turn up in one episode of 'Heartbeat' and one episode of 'Doc Martin'. I often wondered if he had gone down the route pf stage acting,rather than TV or films? Many actors choose that route.

[Jerzy Bondov]

He was good in Fireman Sam.

He really was. The new Fireman Sam is fucking shit but the original series is great. It's a proper little sitcom. Alderton's Elvis was a well meaning, softly spoken guy with a stammer. New Elvis sounds and acts like his brain has been electrocuted.

I've watched too many episodes of Fireman Sam.

[Gulftastic]

He's fantastic in the film version Please Sir!

[Shit Good Nose]

Dunno about "tailed off" - he was working solidly up until the mid 00s, and I assume he just pretty much retired at that point with the odd role if he needed the money/keep his hand in/whatever. 

His wiki page says he had "few roles" in the 80s and 90s, but one look at his credits on IMDB proves otherwise.

[The Cloud of Unknowing]

One of those sitcom actors who was great at being charming and occasionally hapless, and amusing even when the lines weren't particularly funny. Like Robert Gillespie.

Someone's username on here is an Alderton character.

[Jockice]

Him and his wife are totally obnoxious....[nb]personal anecdote I don't care to share[/nb]

When I saw the thread title the very first thing that came into my mind was 'and Pauline Collins.' Didn't they do some TV show together?

[Shit Good Nose]

When I saw the thread title the very first thing that came into my mind was 'and Pauline Collins.' Didn't they do some TV show together?

Forever Green - one of those middling dramas your mum watched when you were a kid and you had to sit through it.  Other than hating it, I remember nothing about it and haven't seen it since it was first on.  I see it's got 8.1 on IMDB, so maybe it's a masterpiece, but that's only based on 62 ratings so maybe it is as bad as thought it was as a child.

[rectorofstiffkey]

When I saw the thread title the very first thing that came into my mind was 'and Pauline Collins.' Didn't they do some TV show together?

they did quite a few - the one that I remember being heavily promoted in radio times etc was late 80s-early 90s show called Forever Green.  (Town couple move to country, heartwarming environmental realisation and occasional comedy moment ensues).  In the back of my mind is the writers of the show - a married couple who I think the characters were based off - kicking off in the papers saying they'd been stitched up for some reason, and (says my unreliable memory) not being too complimentary about John Alderton & Pauline C.  Wikipedia says a 'serious dispute' but nothing more.  Damn you, Wikipedia.

[rectorofstiffkey]

Forever Green - one of those middling dramas your mum watched when you were a kid and you had to sit through it.  Other than hating it, I remember nothing about it and haven't seen it since it was first on.  I see it's got 8.1 on IMDB, so maybe it's a masterpiece, but that's only based on 62 ratings so maybe it is as bad as thought it was as a child.

PS you make a good point SGN, I forgot to mention that it was shit.  It was like they'd made an amalgam of all of the worst aspects of Sunday evening TV and put it together in one programme.

[The Cloud of Unknowing]

When I saw the thread title the very first thing that came into my mind was 'and Pauline Collins.' Didn't they do some TV show together?

No - honestly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSVWEm_wvC4

[buzby]

When I saw the thread title the very first thing that came into my mind was 'and Pauline Collins.' Didn't they do some TV show together?

They met on the set of Upstairs, Downstairs in 1972 - he was the Thomas Watkins the chauffeur and she was Satah Moffat, one of the maids. Their characters ended up in a relationship and they got their own spinoff show, Thomas and Sarah that ran for 13 episodes in 1979.
They played husband and wife in a 13-episode sitcom called No, Honestly in 1974 (as linked to above).
They also played husband and wife in the play Judies at the Comedy Theatre in 1974.
They both appeared in 13 episodes of Wodehouse's Playhouse in 1975-76
They were the narrators of the Little Misses cartoon series in 1983.
They played husband and wife again in the 'city family moves to the country' drama Forever Green that ran for 3 series between 1989 and 1992. (again mentioned above)
Their last co-starring roles were in the 2002 comedy film Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War

They had some long running planning permission disputes with both of their neighbours, which they lost.

[Satchmo Distel]

I remember him in Father's Day, Channel 4, 1983, written by Hunter Davies. Loads of well-known character actors getting one episode guest slots:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085014/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm

Sometimes mixed the name with James Andeeton and John Alford.

[buzby]

they did quite a few - the one that I remember being heavily promoted in radio times etc was late 80s-early 90s show called Forever Green.  (Town couple move to country, heartwarming environmental realisation and occasional comedy moment ensues).  In the back of my mind is the writers of the show - a married couple who I think the characters were based off - kicking off in the papers saying they'd been stitched up for some reason, and (says my unreliable memory) not being too complimentary about John Alderton & Pauline C.  Wikipedia says a 'serious dispute' but nothing more.  Damn you, Wikipedia.

It was written by husband and wife Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham, who had worked as writers on Upstairs, Downstairs and wrote No, Honestly so had worked with Alderton and Collins before. here they are together ina  publicity shot for No, Honestly:

(Note that Brady and Collins don't look particularly happy to be there)
They also wrote the follow-up Yes, Honestly, with Liza Goddard and Donal Donnely replacing Alderton and Collins.

[The Cloud of Unknowing]

I remember him in Father's Day, Channel 4, 1983, written by Hunter Davies. Loads of well-known character actors getting one episode guest slots:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085014/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm

It was based on Hunter Davies's Punch columns but, as implied at that link, I don't think he wrote any of the episodes.

I'm not sure why it's not better known as one of Channel 4's first sitcoms. As someone else has said, it was the Outnumbered of its time.

[Virgo76]

They met on the set of Upstairs, Downstairs in 1972

Weren't they already married by then?

[Ignatius_S]

Dunno about "tailed off" - he was working solidly up until the mid 00s, and I assume he just pretty much retired at that point with the odd role if he needed the money/keep his hand in/whatever. 

His wiki page says he had "few roles" in the 80s and 90s, but one look at his credits on IMDB proves otherwise.

Yeah, it's a really odd thing to say - especially as you say, a quick look at IDMB quickly debunks that and that wiki page is pretty shoddy.

Arguably, roles from the 1980s weren't ones that stayed in public consciousness like those in memorable roles like Upstairs, Downstairs, but very solid amount of credits. Also, whenever I've seen him in stuff, it's tended to be work of a very decent standard (even if not to my taste) and he's avoided doing dross.

Pretty sure that Alderton 'retired' a couple of decades ago but likes doing the occasional gig if he fancies it.

[Ignatius_S]

They met on the set of Upstairs, Downstairs in 1972...

Collins was also in one of the episodes of Tales of the Unexpected that Alderton did - sadly, the main interest of that one is the fact that they co-starred.

[Ignatius_S]

It was based on Hunter Davies's Punch columns but, as implied at that link, I don't think he wrote any of the episodes.

I'm not sure why it's not better known as one of Channel 4's first sitcoms. As someone else has said, it was the Outnumbered of its time.

Don't think it ever got repeated or had a home media release, which I suspect is a big reason. IIRC, one of Alderton's daughters was in the cast.

[Virgo76]

Dunno about "tailed off" - he was working solidly up until the mid 00s, and I assume he just pretty much retired at that point with the odd role if he needed the money/keep his hand in/whatever. 

His wiki page says he had "few roles" in the 80s and 90s, but one look at his credits on IMDB proves otherwise.

If you take out voiceover work and a handful of appearances in dramas like Peak Practice, he wasn't actually in THAT much in the 1980s and 90s. Forever Green and Father's Day are the only real exceptions.
It's probably nothing unusual though. His wife was working too. They probably didn't need the money and were just spending time with their family.

[buzby]

Weren't they already married by then?

Yes, sorry - I don't know  where that came from!

Pretty sure that Alderton 'retired' a couple of decades ago but likes doing the occasional gig if he fancies it.

In a 2003 interview about his appearance in Calendar Girls he mentioned that he had decided to retire in 2000, but that working on the film had got him interested in acting again.

[Ignatius_S]

After Please Sir! etc I only saw him turn up in one episode of 'Heartbeat' and one episode of 'Doc Martin'. I often wondered if he had gone down the route pf stage acting,rather than TV or films? Many actors choose that route.

Yeah, stage work often gets overlooked. One thing that I saw Alderton was What the Butler Saw - a National Theatre production (mid-nineties, I think) - Richard Wilson, Nicola Pagett and David Tenant were also in the cast. Alderton was starring as Dr Prentice as very good he was too. On a Orton tangent, thinking about it, Collins was in the original stage production of The Erpingham Camp.

After watching Rattle of a Simple Man on Talking Pictures, I did some research on the play it's adapted from - Alderton and Collins starred in a London revival, and was intrigued to see that John Challis was also in it and the director was Peter Egan.

[Ignatius_S]

In a 2003 interview about his appearance in Calendar Girls he mentioned that he had decided to retire in 2000, but that working on the film had got him interested in acting again.

Thanks - interesting to know, wonder if there are many actors that do something similar.

[Brundle-Fly]

Judging by these FOH film posters, Alderton appeared to suffer from neurofibromatosis. I daresay this medical condition probably led to his early retirement?

[rectorofstiffkey]

Is the woman writing on the blackboard supposed to be one of the students, or another teacher?  Dodgy in either case.... that poster has some of the weirdest proportion/perspective ever.  I've looked at it too long and now my head hurts.

[The Cloud of Unknowing]

Is the woman writing on the blackboard supposed to be one of the students, or another teacher?  Dodgy in either case.... that poster has some of the weirdest proportion/perspective ever.  I've looked at it too long and now my head hurts.

I think she's a pupil, Sharon played by Carol Hawkins.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

I think she's a pupil, Sharon played by Carol Hawkins.

Schoolage teenagers looked very old in the 70s, didn't they...?

[The Cloud of Unknowing]

Schoolage teenagers looked very old in the 70s, didn't they...?

That's what Year 12 will look like after three more lockdowns.