Based on one of Catherine Cookson's most beloved works which revolves around slick cardplayer Rory Connor (played by Robson Green), a rags-to-riches gambler faced with a life-changing decision. Never one to shy away from high stakes, Rory is in the game of his life when he's asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for his brother. Directed by Norman Stone, it also stars Bernard Hill, Sylvestra Le Touzel and Sammy Johnson.
Crocodile Shoes is a British 7-part television series made by the BBC and screened on BBC One in 1994. The series was written by and starred Jimmy Nail as a factory worker who becomes a country and western singer. A sequel, Crocodile Shoes II followed in 1996 and the theme tune "Country Boy" was a hit for Nail too.
Spender Christmas Special: Spender is sent to France to escort Tommy Thornton who has been extradited to the UK.
Viz magazine's 'Sid the Sexist' comes to life in this animated version of the exploits of 'Tyneside's silver tongued cavalier.'
Jimmy Nail plays tough cop Spender, forced to return to his native Newcastle after a failed undercover operation in London. He uses tough and unconventional methods to tackle the criminal underworld, but he must also deal with the friends, enemies and family he left behind, and never expected to return to. Sammy Johnson played Spender's sidekick Stick, while Denise Welch played Spender's wife.
Set in working class Newcastle, the Stott family fight their private battles against the backdrop of the conflict of World War II. Helen Stott, over thirty and with a limp, is resigned to being left on the shelf until she meets and falls in love with Norman, a serviceman from London. In contrast, her younger sister Joyce has quite a way with men, and finds herself a little too popular with the troops, especially when her husband pops up on leave from his regiment.
A feature drama set in the declining fishing industry in North Shields, the film centres on the upheaval caused in a traditional fishing community by the unexpected arrival of a young woman.
Betty and her daughter Corinna are introduced to the harsh seacoaling way of life by Ray, an ex-seacoaler returning from a job with ICI. His offer of a caravan on a cliff top and promises of the Klondyke that awaits them at least seem preferable to the violent marriage she has left behind. The film sets Betty's struggle for survival against the wider struggles of the seacoaling community, surviving on the fringes of capitalism. Despite the exploitation by a local entrepreneur, run-ins with dole snoops and School Board men and the ever encroaching regulations of a hostile council, their lives retain a kind of anarchic romance, which is reflected in the film's lyrical style.
Born Ronald Samuel Johnson, Sammy Johnson (14th May 1949 to November 1998) was an English actor best known for the role of Stick in Spender. A close friend of Jimmy Nail, this was just one of the many programmes they co-starred in together (the others being Crocodile Shoes and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet). He also appeared in an adaptation of Catherine Cookson's The Gambling Man, and as Viz's famous comic book character Sid the Sexist, as well as the 1985 film Seacoal, 1989's And a Nightingale Sang, the 1997 TV film King Leek and a guest appearance in Casualty in 1996. One of his final roles was as Terry in Lost in France, a series of short topical specials that saw him play the patriarch of a family of football fans following the exploits of the England team during the 1998 World Cup. Later that year, and whilst training for Newcastle's the Great Northern Run, Johnson died of a heart attack whilst out jogging in the hills above his home in Málaga. He was 49 years old. Since his death, a memorial fund has been set up on his name and a biennial variety concert named Sunday for Sammy hosted by Tim Healy and (until 2008) Jimmy Nail, featuring sketches with North East personalities and former colleagues of Sammy. Kevin Whately, Denise Welch and Peter Beardsley are amongst the regular contributors. Away from acting, Sammy was a musician, playing guitar in bands such as Pigmeat, Ray Stubbs R&B Allstars and Matt Vinyl and the Decorators.
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