Today’s birth anniversary is that of Roy Castle, English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. He was born in 1932. 10 things you might not know about him:
Born in Yorkshire, he was the son of a railway porter and a hairdresser.
He had learned to Tap dance by the age of eight and sang in Sunday school Pantomimes. He left school at 15 to become a variety entertainer.
In 1965 he appeared in a Doctor Who movie. In Dr. Who and the Daleks, he played Dr. Who's first male assistant, Ian Chesterton, played by William Russell in the TV series.
He had one hit record, a Christmas song called Little White Berry, in 1960.
He’s probably best known for being the host of Record Breakers, a TV show for children about world records. The show ran from 1972 to 2001, and was one of Britain's longest-running shows.
Castle recorded the theme song, Dedication, himself, and usually performed it live over the closing credits.
He was the holder of several world records himself, which he set while presenting the show. They include: the fastest tap dance (1,440 taps per minute – 24 taps per second, set on 14 January 1973); playing a tune on 43 different instruments in 4 minutes; and the longest wing walk (3 hours, 23 minutes).
He was introduced to his wife, Fiona Dickson, by Eric Morecambe. Harry Secombe was the best man at their wedding in 1963.
He was a committed Christian and attended a Baptist church regularly. He also recorded eight Bible parables for the Scripture Union Label in 1978.
He died of lung cancer, despite not being a smoker. He believed he’d contracted the disease through playing in smoky clubs for years. After he died, his widow campaigned for the smoking ban in public places in Britain. Before the ban came into effect, some restaurants chose to be smoke free and there was an award for adherence to a smoke-free regime: the Roy Castle Clean Air Award.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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