Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em - The Public Relations Course - 8:25 pm Wednesday, December 17 on That's TV (MCR)

Michael Crawford (Actor) .. Frank Spencer

Born: January 19, 1942 in Salisbury

Best Known For: Frank Spencer and Phantom of the Opera.

Early-life: Michael Patrick Smith was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire on January 19, 1942. He was the result of a short-lived relationship his mother had following the death of her first husband, a Battle of Britain pilot. In 1945, his mother married a grocer and Crawford took his surname, Ingram. His first professional job was alternating the part of a boy soprano with fellow future star David Hemmings in Benjamin Britten's Let's Make an Opera, but had to change his name because there was already a radio announcer called Michael Ingram. He chose Crawford after the biscuit company.

Career: Crawford began appearing on radio and in Children's Film Foundation movies. At 19 he starred alongside Steve McQueen in The War Lover (1962). The Knack (1965), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) and Hello Dolly! (1969) followed, the latter directed by his hero, Gene Kelly. Despite these successes, he was out of work for 18 months during the early 1970s. In 1973, he landed the role of Frank Spencer in BBC sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, which made him a household name. Since then he's largely concentrated on musical theatre, appearing in such acclaimed shows as Phantom of the Opera, Barnum, EFX and The Wizard of Oz. He has also released a number of albums.

Quote: "I've made mistakes in my life. When you grow up you feel very guilty about mistakes."

Trivia: Crawford was awarded a CBE in 2014 for services to charity.

Michele Dotrice (Actor) .. Betty Spencer

James Cossins (Actor) .. Watson

Zulema Dene (Actor) .. Miss Gibbons

Robin Halstead (Actor) .. Roberts

Mark Griffith (Actor) .. Lang

Christopher Biggins (Actor) .. Student

Best Known For: His outlandish personality.

Early-life: Christopher Kenneth Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, on December 16, 1948, but grew up in Salisbury, Wiltshire. He took elocution lessons as a child and dreamed of becoming a vicar, a chef or an actor. He decided to concentrate on acting after playing the lead role in a local amateur dramatics production. The reviews were so good, he was offered a position with a repertory theatre company - and hasn't looked back since.

Career: Biggins made his TV debut in a 1971 episode of sitcom Doctor at Large, and has been making audiences laugh ever since. There have been forays into drama with the likes of I, Claudius, The Duchess of Duke Street, Poldark and Upstairs, Downstairs, but his gregarious nature has been put to good use in a variety of comedies. Among his most famous projects are Porridge, Rentaghost, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Cluedo and Psychoville. He was also a co-host on Cilla Black's Surprise Surprise. Biggins won the 2007 series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! His most recent big-screen credit is the critically panned Britflick Run For Your Wife, and he continues to appear on stage in both plays and panto.

Quote: "I'm perfectly happy being me, thank you, and I happen to know that I am afforded enormous respect from everybody I know."

Trivia: Biggins and his partner, Neil Sinclair, formed a civil partnership in 2006.

Jill Damas (Actor) .. Student

David Eltchin (Actor) .. Student

Kelly Varney (Actor) .. Student

Eddie Sommer (Actor) .. Student

Stephanie Marrian (Actor) .. Student

Lee Patrick (Actor) .. Student

Giles Melville (Actor) .. Student

Rosina Stewart (Actor) .. Cashier

Patricia Gordino (Actor) .. Cafe assistant

Irene Peters (Actor) .. Cafe assistant

Raymond Allen (Writer)

Michael Mills (Producer)

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em: The Public Relations Course

8:25 pm - 9:00 pm, Today on That's TV (MCR) (80)

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The Public Relations Course
Season 2, Episode 3

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