John Alderton
Encyclopedia
John Alderton is an English
actor
who is best known for his roles in Upstairs, Downstairs
, Thomas & Sarah
and Please Sir!
. Alderton has often starred alongside his wife, Pauline Collins
.
, the son of Ivy (née
Handley) and Gordon John Alderton. He grew up in Hull
where he attended Kingston High School
.
, Ipswich
and London.
viewers when he took the role of Dr Moone in an early ITV soap opera
, Emergency - Ward 10. He married his co-star, successful actress Jill Browne, but they later divorced. He soon surpassed the fame of his ex-wife, taking the lead in the sitcom Please Sir!
, as hapless teacher Mr Hedges, which later resulted in him also playing the character in the 1971 feature film
of the same name. In 1972 he appeared with Hannah Gordon
in the BBC
comedy series My Wife Next Door
which ran for 12 episodes, and for which he won a Jacob's Award in 1975. He then transferred to another top-rated ITV series when he played Thomas Watkins
, the chauffeur, in Upstairs, Downstairs
, opposite his wife, Pauline Collins
. They had a daughter (the actress Kate Alderton) and two sons (Nic Alderton and Richard Alderton) and also acted together in spin-off series, Thomas & Sarah
, and another sitcom, No, Honestly
, as well as in a series of short story adaptations called Wodehouse Playhouse
(1975–78). In the meantime, he appeared on the big screen against-type as 'Friend' in John Boorman
's cult sci-fi film Zardoz
, before returning to more familiar territory, as 1930s Yorkshire
vet James Herriot
in the 1975 film, It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet
.
, November, 1965, as Harold Crompton in Spring and Port Wine
, later transferring with the production to the Apollo
. At the Aldwych
, March 1969, played Eric Hoyden in the RSC's production of Dutch Uncle. At the Comedy Theatre, July 1969, played Jimmy Cooper in The Night I Chased the Women with an Eel. At the Howff, October, 1973, played Stanley in Punch and Judy Stories, and played the same part in "Judies" at the Comedy, January, 1974. At the Shaw, January 1975, played Stanley in Pinter's The Birthday Party
. At the Apollo, May 1976, played four parts in Ayckbourn's Confusions
.
' in 1983 (with his wife Pauline Collins
) and, from 1987 to 1994, narrated Fireman Sam
. From 1989 to 1992, he starred in the successful series Forever Green
as the character Jack Boult.
Alderton made something of a comeback in the 2003 film, Calendar Girls
. Then in 2004, he played a role in the BBC series of Anthony Trollope
's He Knew He Was Right
. Also in 2004, Alderton starred in the first series of ITV 1's Doc Martin
in an episode entitled "Of All The Harbours In All The Towns" as sailor John Slater, a friend and former lover of Aunt Joan. He played Christopher Casby in the 2008 BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens
' Little Dorrit
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who is best known for his roles in Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
, Thomas & Sarah
Thomas & Sarah
Thomas & Sarah is a British drama series that aired on ITV in 1979. The only spin-off from the BAFTA Award-winning series Upstairs, Downstairs, it stars John Alderton and Pauline Collins reprising their Upstairs, Downstairs roles.-Background:...
and Please Sir!
Please Sir!
Please Sir! was a London Weekend Television produced situation comedy, created by writers John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featured the actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies...
. Alderton has often starred alongside his wife, Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins, OBE is an English actress of the stage, television, and film. She first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah during the 1970s. She later drew acclaim for playing the title role in the play Shirley Valentine for which...
.
Early life
Alderton was born in Gainsborough, LincolnshireGainsborough, Lincolnshire
Gainsborough is a town 15 miles north-west of Lincoln on the River Trent within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. At one time it served as an important port with trade downstream to Hull, and was the most inland in England, being more than 55 miles from the North...
, the son of Ivy (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Handley) and Gordon John Alderton. He grew up in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
where he attended Kingston High School
Kingston High School, Hull
Kingston High School is a secondary school on Pickering Road in West Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England In 2001 the school was adjusted as many schools were reviewed by Hull City Council and became "Pickering High School Sports College".-Ex-pupils:*Amy Johnson*Tom Courtney*John Alderton* Alan...
.
Relatives
Jack Stanley Alderton, (born 1900 in Hull) was one of three brothers and a carpenter by trade. During 1920–59 he built a large civil engineering and building contractor business, known as ‘J.S. Alderton and Co. Ltd.’ based at FelstedFelsted
Felsted is linked to Little Dunmow by the Flitch Way Country Park, a former railway line. The village has links to Lord Riche who founded the public school, The Felsted School, in 1564, and is buried in Holy Cross Church. Lord Riche was an important benefactor of the Felsted church. The school also...
, Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and London.
Early career
Alderton first became familiar to televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
viewers when he took the role of Dr Moone in an early ITV soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Emergency - Ward 10. He married his co-star, successful actress Jill Browne, but they later divorced. He soon surpassed the fame of his ex-wife, taking the lead in the sitcom Please Sir!
Please Sir!
Please Sir! was a London Weekend Television produced situation comedy, created by writers John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and featured the actors John Alderton, Deryck Guyler, Joan Sanderson, Noel Howlett, Erik Chitty and Richard Davies...
, as hapless teacher Mr Hedges, which later resulted in him also playing the character in the 1971 feature film
Please Sir! (film)
Please Sir! is a 1971 British comedy film starring John Alderton, spun off from the television series Please Sir!.-Cast:* John Alderton as Bernard Hedges* Deryck Guyler as Norman Potter* Noel Howlett as Maurice Cromwell...
of the same name. In 1972 he appeared with Hannah Gordon
Hannah Gordon
Hannah Cambell Grant Gordon is a Scottish actress who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television work, including Upstairs, Downstairs, Telford's Change, My Wife Next Door, Joint Account and an appearance in the final episode of One Foot in the Grave.-Early life:Gordon was born in...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy series My Wife Next Door
My Wife Next Door
My Wife Next Door was a BBC sitcom written by Brian Clemens and Richard Waring that was first broadcast in 1972. It ran for just 13 episodes and focused on a couple, George Basset, , and Suzie Basset, . Each tries to start afresh after their divorce...
which ran for 12 episodes, and for which he won a Jacob's Award in 1975. He then transferred to another top-rated ITV series when he played Thomas Watkins
Thomas Watkins
Thomas David Watkins is a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah. He was portrayed by John Alderton.-Greenwich:...
, the chauffeur, in Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
, opposite his wife, Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins, OBE is an English actress of the stage, television, and film. She first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah during the 1970s. She later drew acclaim for playing the title role in the play Shirley Valentine for which...
. They had a daughter (the actress Kate Alderton) and two sons (Nic Alderton and Richard Alderton) and also acted together in spin-off series, Thomas & Sarah
Thomas & Sarah
Thomas & Sarah is a British drama series that aired on ITV in 1979. The only spin-off from the BAFTA Award-winning series Upstairs, Downstairs, it stars John Alderton and Pauline Collins reprising their Upstairs, Downstairs roles.-Background:...
, and another sitcom, No, Honestly
No, Honestly
No, Honestly is a British sitcom that was originally produced in 1974. No, Honestly featured the real-life married couple of Pauline Collins and John Alderton respectively as Clara and Charles Danby , a newlywed couple living in London....
, as well as in a series of short story adaptations called Wodehouse Playhouse
Wodehouse Playhouse
Wodehouse Playhouse is a British television comedy series based on the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. From 1975 to 1978, three series were made, with twenty half-hour episodes altogether in the entire series.-Overview:P. G...
(1975–78). In the meantime, he appeared on the big screen against-type as 'Friend' in John Boorman
John Boorman
John Boorman is a British filmmaker who is a long time resident of Ireland and is best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Zardoz, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, Hope and Glory, The General and The Tailor of Panama.-Early life:Boorman was born in Shepperton, Surrey,...
's cult sci-fi film Zardoz
Zardoz
Zardoz is a 1974 science fiction/fantasy film written, produced, and directed by John Boorman. It stars Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling, and Sara Kestelman. Zardoz was Connery's second post-James Bond role...
, before returning to more familiar territory, as 1930s Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
vet James Herriot
James Herriot
James Herriot was the pen name of James Alfred Wight, OBE, FRCVS also known as Alf Wight , an English veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of experiences as a veterinarian to write a series of books of stories about animals and their owners...
in the 1975 film, It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet
It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (film)
It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet , was a sequel to the 1975 film All Creatures Great and Small....
.
Stage roles
He made his first stage appearance with the repertory company of the Theatre Royal, York in August 1961, in Badger's Green by R.C. Sherriff. After a period in repertory, made his first London appearance at the MermaidMermaid Theatre
The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre at Puddle Dock, in Blackfriars, in the City of London and the first built there since the time of Shakespeare...
, November, 1965, as Harold Crompton in Spring and Port Wine
Spring and Port Wine
Spring and Port Wine is a stage play by Bill Naughton which was turned into a film .It began life under the title My Flesh, My Blood as a BBC Radio play, broadcast on 17 August 1957 in the Saturday Night Theatre strand...
, later transferring with the production to the Apollo
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
. At the Aldwych
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. The theatre was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200.-Origins:...
, March 1969, played Eric Hoyden in the RSC's production of Dutch Uncle. At the Comedy Theatre, July 1969, played Jimmy Cooper in The Night I Chased the Women with an Eel. At the Howff, October, 1973, played Stanley in Punch and Judy Stories, and played the same part in "Judies" at the Comedy, January, 1974. At the Shaw, January 1975, played Stanley in Pinter's The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (play)
The Birthday Party is the first full-length play by Harold Pinter and one of Pinter's best-known and most-frequently performed plays...
. At the Apollo, May 1976, played four parts in Ayckbourn's Confusions
Confusions
Confusions is a play by Alan Ayckbourn consisting of a series of five interconnected one-act plays. It was first staged in 1974 and played by just five actors...
.
Post-1980 career
During the 1980s and 1990s, Alderton had few roles, but he narrated the children's animated series 'Little MissLittle Miss
"Little Miss" is the title of a song written by Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, of the country music duo Sugarland. The song was released in November 2010 as the second single from their fourth studio album, The Incredible Machine. Before the albums release, the song charted on the Billboard...
' in 1983 (with his wife Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins, OBE is an English actress of the stage, television, and film. She first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah during the 1970s. She later drew acclaim for playing the title role in the play Shirley Valentine for which...
) and, from 1987 to 1994, narrated Fireman Sam
Fireman Sam
Fireman Sam is a Welsh animated children's television series about a fireman called Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other townspeople in the Welsh town of Pontypandy . The original idea for the show came from two ex-firemen from Kent...
. From 1989 to 1992, he starred in the successful series Forever Green
Forever Green
Forever Green is a television programme originally broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom from 1989 to 1992. It was made for London Weekend Television by Picture Partnership Productions, now named Carnival Films.-Cast:*Pauline Collins - Harriet Boult...
as the character Jack Boult.
Alderton made something of a comeback in the 2003 film, Calendar Girls
Calendar Girls
Calendar Girls is a 2003 comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Buena Vista International and Touchstone Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi based on a true story of a group of Yorkshire women who produced a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia...
. Then in 2004, he played a role in the BBC series of Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire...
's He Knew He Was Right
He Knew He Was Right (TV serial)
He Knew He Was Right was a 2004 BBC TV adaptation of the novel of the same name by Anthony Trollope. It was directed by Tom Vaughan.*Jenny Uglow consultant*Nigel Stafford-Clark producer-Cast:*Oliver Dimsdale - Louis Trevelyan...
. Also in 2004, Alderton starred in the first series of ITV 1's Doc Martin
Doc Martin
Doc Martin is a British television comedy drama series starring Martin Clunes in the title role. It was created by Mark Crowdy, Craig Ferguson and Dominic Minghella. The show is filmed on location in the fishing village of Port Isaac, Cornwall, United Kingdom, with filming of most interior scenes...
in an episode entitled "Of All The Harbours In All The Towns" as sailor John Slater, a friend and former lover of Aunt Joan. He played Christopher Casby in the 2008 BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit (TV serial)
Little Dorrit is a 2008 British television serial directed by Adam Smith, Dearbhla Walsh, and Diarmuid Lawrence. The teleplay by Andrew Davies is based on the serial novel of the same title by Charles Dickens, originally published between 1855 and 1857....
.