Great Canal Journeys: Oxford Canal
10:00 am - 11:00 am, Saturday, August 15 on U&Yesterday (27)
Add to Favourites
About this Broadcast
Oxford Canal
Season 2, Episode 1
Timothy West and Prunella Scales embark on another waterway adventure, starting in the romantic city of Oxford, where they began their courtship many years ago. They follow the gentle contours of the Oxford Canal through the Cherwell Valley, where they meet novelist Philip Pullman and are joined by their son, fellow actor Samuel West. Tim and Pru follow in the footsteps of author Tom Rolt, whose vivid account of his journey down this canal in 1939 ignited a campaign that went on to save Britain's canals from extinction
HD
subtitles
16x9
Leisure Hobbies
Tourism/Travel
Cast & Crew
Timothy West
(Presenter)
Prunella Scales
(Presenter)
Philip Pullman
(Contributor)
Samuel West
(Contributor)
Daniela Neumann
(Executive producer)
Mike Taylor
(Series director)
Nicky Taylor
(Producer)
More Information
Did You Know..
Timothy West
(Presenter)
Born:
October 20, 1934
in
Bradford
Best Known For:
Being a star of stage, TV and film.
Early-life:
Timothy Lancaster West was born in Bradford on October 20, 1934, to actors Olive and Harry (better known as Lockwood West). He worked as a furniture salesman and recording engineer before landing a job as an assistant stage manager at the Wimbledon Theatre. On his first day there, he also made his acting debut as a farmer in a scene with a couple of lines. He then spent several seasons in repertory performing at a number of theatres around the country.
Career:
West's big break on the small screen came in 1975 when he played the title role in Edward the Seventh. Since then he has demonstrated his versatility with roles in a BBC production of King Lear, ITV comedy Brass and the soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders. He has also made memorable guest appearances in the likes of A Very Peculiar Practice, Goodnight Sweetheart, Midsomer Murders, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Waking the Dead, Not Going Out and Last Tango in Halifax. Although known primarily for his stage and small-screen performances, West has starred in a number of films, including The Day of the Jackal, Cry Freedom and Iris. A fan of boating, he has presented series about canals and narrowboating called Water World and Great Canal Journeys. The latter featured his second wife, Prunella Scales; their eldest son, Samuel, is also an actor.
Quote:
'If you work in the theatre a lot, as I do, then the television people have lost you. They never go to the theatre, so many think you're dead or retired.'
Trivia:
West was awarded a CBE in 1984. He supports a number of charities, including The National Piers Society and Cancer Research UK.
Prunella Scales
(Presenter)
Born:
June 22, 1932
in
Sutton Abinger, Surrey
Best Known For:
Playing Sybil in Fawlty Towers.
Early-life:
Born Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth on June 22, 1932, in Sutton Arbinger, Surrey. Her mother, Catherine Scales, was an actress, and her father John was a cotton salesman. When the Second World War broke out, her parents rented a farmhouse with no gas or electricity in Suffolk to escape the bombing. As a child, Prunella was shy, but discovered her passion for acting in her teens. She began training at the Old Vic Theatre School at 17, before going on to study at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York.
Career:
Following stints in repertory theatre, Scales joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and also appeared in the films Laxdale Hall and Hobson's Choice. In 1963, she starred with Richard Briers in the sitcom Marriage Lines, but didn't become a household name until 1975, when she was cast as the fearsome Sybil in Fawlty Towers. Since then, she has worked regularly in theatre, film and TV. In 1992, she was nominated for a Bafta for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in the Alan Bennett drama A Question of Attribution, and was awarded the OBE in the same year. Other projects include Howards End (alongside son Samuel), The Shell Seekers, An Ideal Husband and Horrid Henry: The Movie.
Quote:
'I remember an American producer coming up to me and saying: 'You're a wonderful actress. Now what are we going to do about your face?''
Trivia:
Scales married actor Timothy West in 1963. They have two sons - Samuel and Joseph. She and West embarked on a narrowboating holiday to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary - their jaunt was filmed and turned into a documentary series for More4. During the making of the programme, it was revealed she has a mild form of Alzheimer's.
Philip Pullman
(Contributor)
Samuel West
(Contributor)
Born:
June 19, 1966
in
London
Best Known For:
His roles in Howards End and Hornblower.
Early-life:
Samuel Alexander Joseph West was born in south London on June 19, 1966, to thespians Prunella Scales and Timothy West. He has a younger brother, Joe, and an older half-sister, Juliet, from his father's first marriage. His childhood was spent either at home with his mother or visiting his father on location around the globe. His parents discouraged him from becoming an actor, and at first it seemed their ploy worked when he concentrated on studying science at school. He planned to study physics at Oxford University, but switched to English.
Career:
West had a small part in TV series Nanny when he was 13, but didn't become hooked on acting until appearing with Oxford University's theatre group. He went on to appear in a TV adaptation of the Chronicles of Narnia as Prince Caspian, but 1992's Howards End was his big break, earning him a Bafta nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Since then he's appeared in A Feast at Midnight, Carrington, Persuasion, Jane Eyre, Stiff Upper Lips, Hornblower, Iris, and Van Helsing. He also starred in the critically acclaimed play ENRON in 2009 and alongside his father in Caryl Churchill's two-hander A Number, in 2011. In 2012 he appeared as grumpy angel Zac Gist in ITV1's fantasy drama Eternal Law. More recently he featured in Hyde Park on Hudson and Mr Selfridge.
Quote:
'The problem with being fashionable is you become unfashionable.'
Trivia:
In 2005 West became the artistic director of Sheffield Theatres, eventually leaving two years later when the city's Crucible was closed for refurbishment. He's also directed a number of plays.
Daniela Neumann
(Executive producer)
Mike Taylor
(Series director)
Nicky Taylor
(Producer)
