Following The Money

Spotlighting the Dynasties that Ruled TV Light Entertainment

The story of television light entertainment in the UK has been told many times but now comes a new slant on an old story. By ‘following the money’ and charting the ebbing fortunes of the showbiz dynasties that ruled the roost, we can shine a light onto the fascinating, lesser known sub-plot featuring the Svengali-like showmen that dictated what the viewing nation would watch and decided which talents would become household names.

This is a tale of theatrical agents, wheeler-dealers, multi-talented variety stars, hard-nosed businessmen, showgirls, flamboyant entrepreneurs, American vaudevillians and Charleston dancers. It’s a story that stretches between the Music Hall and the Movie screen but is centred on the home screen during the period that saw the end of the BBC monopoly, the birth of ITV and the irresistible rise of a new showbiz royalty with a controlling interest in all aspects of a newly emerging, dynamic industry.

I was lucky enough to have some very influential and knowledgeable people on board to help with the research and development of the documentary

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On Friday 17th June 2016 I presented my documentary to a group of approximately 200 people with the intentions of raising a significant amount of money for a local charity; Headway IOW. We put together a panel of experts, assigned John Hannam as the MC for the evening and set about organising an evening to remember.

We managed to raise quite a stir and gained the support of the local press and radio station. On the night we packed out the Cowes Club and managed to launch Following The Money with great success. On the night the audience were treated to four exclusive excerpts from the documentary followed up by a discussion by the members of the panel (Mike Dixon, Colin Edmonds and Dick Fiddy) as well as special guests throughout proceedings. I was incredibly proud of what was achieved that night and it felt amazing for everyone to see what I had been working so hard on for almost 18 months.

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