This week saw the return of Paul Barber of Full Monty fame, Stephen Tompkinson (Wild at Heart), Ashley Jenson (Ugly Betty), Jeff Brazier (Jade Goody’s ex and presenter of numerous shows) and John Woodvine (An American Werewolf in London).
So to the lady of the pack – Ashley Jenson.
Having spent a lot of time in my previous administration editing Ricky Gervais’ Extras for DVD I am more than familiar with the role that shot Ashley into TV superstardom.
Her role as the socially inept Maggie Jacobs was pure genius and Ashley portrayed the character with sheer brilliance.
She managed to bring the right amount of honesty, dizziness and warmth to the role enabling the punters at home to recoil in horror at her faux pas, giggle at her ribbing and ‘putting her foot in her mouth moments’, with Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais’), and shed a tear as her friendship with Andy is tested and questioned. That is a mighty fine combo to pull off.
To prove this point Ashley has commented that she believes comic acting is more difficult than serious drama because with comic acting you have to look not only for the truth of a line, but for the comedy in a line. In drama you’re just finding the truth in the moment, within the relationship.
[Andy and Maggie, in costume as a German refugee and a Nazi soldier, are discussing her new boyfriend between takes]
Maggie Jacobs: [quietly, embarrassed] He likes to talk dirty on the phone. He'll call me up and he's coming out with all this filth.
Andy Millman: Why... would you tell me that?
[grinning]
Andy Millman: What does he say?
Maggie Jacobs: He calls up and says things like "Ooh... what are you doing?"
Andy Millman: What do you say?
Maggie Jacobs: Well I didn't know what was going on at first - I didn't realize - and I was just honest with him and I said "Oh, I'm just cleaning out the vegetable drawer to the fridge."
Ashley received best television comedy actress and newcomer awards for her role as Maggie at the 2005 British Comedy awards. In 2006 she received two comedy awards and a BAFTA nomination, and her role in the 2007 Christmas ‘Extras’ Special earned her an Emmy Award nomination.
Extras was imported to HBO shortly after airing in the UK and became just as much of a success over the pond as it had here in good ole Blighty.
This meant that unlike Geordie lass Cheryl Cole, Ashley was accepted by the American viewers, Scottish accent and all, and landed a role as “Mode” in-house seamstress Christina McKinney on the hour long Hollywood telenovela, Ugly Betty.
Ugly Betty quickly became a hit and remains one of Ashley’s high profile roles to date.
On arriving at A1 VOX we were greeted by a very smiley Ashley Jenson and a mini me version – her 20 month old son Frankie.
What a wee angel. He was ever so good as Ashley did her thang in the booth, and was intrigued to see mummy on the screen as he sat with Chris and pointed out various things in the room to us. A very wide vocab for one so small, and probably the up shot of having a verbally minded, famous mother!
You can catch Ashley as the frog in recently released film Gnomeo and Juliet also starring, Dame Maggie Smith, Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, Jason Statham, Matt Lucas, Jim Cummings, Ozzy Osbourne, Sir Michael Caine, Sir Patrick Stewart and Stephen Merchant.
It seems this bonny lass from Dumfries has her feet firmly locked in A-List celebrity soil. But will she be polishing her Oscar anytime soon – watch this space people:
Maggie's Boyfriend: So all that stuff about your husband "polishing his Oscar", was that supposed to mean *******?
Kate Winslet: Yep.
Maggie's Boyfriend: And your basement meant?
Kate Winslet: My fanny.
Jeff Brazier cut a fine figure as he sauntered into A1 VOX suited and booted, with hair slicked to within an inch of its life.
He had been filming and presenting all day yet still made time to jump from the set to Vox Towers without seemingly breaking a sweat.
Jeff has been deeply embroiled with the world of reality celebrity. It was taking part in Channel 4 reality TV show Shipwrecked that brought the wannabe footballer into the bright lights of TV land in the first place.
His stay on a tropical island without any creature comforts was noted for a number of factional squabbles during which Jeff appeared to be an amiable and conciliatory figure. People seemed to like him and this brought presenting roles such as Simply the Best, Dirty Laundry, a reporter for OK! TV and even a Big Brother panto alongside June Sarpong.
In 2003 he appeared in Celebrity Wife Swap with his then girlfriend Jade Goody.
He and Jade had two gorgeous boys (Bobby and Freddy) whilst together and since Jade sadly lost her struggle with cervical cancer in 2009 Jeff has been raising both as a single parent.
He seems to be doing a damn good job of it too!
He has since taken the kids out of the limelight and says that his priority is to give them stability, love and plenty of time – the kind of paternal relationship he never had.
What many of you may not know is that Jeff’s own childhood was far from smooth. He never met his biological father Stephen Faldo, who was the skipper of the pleasure boat Marchioness, which sank on the River Thames in 1989 killing him and 50 others.
Jeff says:
“Through all these things that have not been ideal throughout my childhood, and certainly the incidents over the last couple of years, the way I take it is that it gives you something as a person: it makes you grow. It adds another link to your armour”.
Sounds like those two boys are very lucky indeed and will hopefully grow up grounded and much loved.
In 2006 Jeff joined the presenting team of ITV2’s I’m a Celebrity…Get me out of Here! alongside Kelly Osbourne and since 2006 to the present day he has been part of Simon Cowell's money making, winner spinner, The X Factor.
His stint on this ever popular programme has seen him reporting on final nights from the contestants homes including JLS’, as well as hosting The X Factor live tour.
He currently writes a column in the Daily Mirror every week and has regular stints on the daytime series This Morning.
So the boy from Romford done good!
So to A1 News.
This week sees Mr Stephen Critchlow opening in Loyalty at The Hampstead Theatre London starring Maxine Peake and Lloyd Owen.
Loyalty is the debut play from writer and journalist Sarah Helm, opponent of the war and wife of Tony Blair’s then Chief of Staff, Jonathan Powell.
Drawing from her own experience, she has written a uniquely informed fictionalised memoir of what it was like to share a husband with the Prime Minister at key moments in the crisis.
Aren’t you going to tell him? Are you going to tell anyone? Is anyone going to tell anyone?
Go and see our Critchy in what is sure to be a much publicised role, and controversial stage production.
For tickets, visit: http://www.hampsteadtheatre.com
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
I still haven’t managed to extract a quip of the week from Joan – I secrectly think she peaked too soon with her Fresian/P***/Thistle quote and needs time to think of something equally auspicious.
So instead we have a favourite quip from our very own Mr Nove –take it away boss:
“As much use as a one legged man in an arse kicking competition”
As Charles comments through watery eyes – “this just works on so many different levels”
Next week A1 VOX hits the road as we record legend Jimmy Greaves in his home town, which also happens to be spitting distance from my very own home, in Essex – The Motherland – good luck Charles, I know how travelling any further East of London than Shoreditch gives you a nose bleed!
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