“Now I write the scripts and appear,” she says. “It is a full-time job and leaves me little time for any other writing.”

Pamela Duncan was born in Grantham, but lived for a long time in Dublin.

After winning a scholarship at Dublin’s Gaiety School of Acting — where Eamonn Andrews was a classmate — she played in repertory and at the famous Gate Theatre. She was a founder member of the Dublin Globe Theatre Company two years ago.

In a Dublin radio programme called Living With Lynch, Pamela was the only girl in the show, and played all the female parts.

It was Eire’s top radio show for four years, and ran for 24 weeks a year. “An exciting but exacting job,” she recalls. “I often used to end up a show by talking to myself.”

While in Ireland, Pamela appeared in films. It was a visit to a film studio that gave her one of her most embarrassing moments.

“I went to the studios with a friend who had an urgent message for her husband,” she told me. “He was working on one of Sir Laurence Olivier’s films and, of course, I had heard that Sir Laurence never allowed visitors on the set. But the doorman knew we were coming and gave us permission to walk on the set.

“We crept in and stood in the darkness, watching Olivier rehearse a scene. I was so fascinated that I didn’t notice the lights had moved slightly. Suddenly, there I was, standing in their full glare.

“Just as suddenly. Sir Laurence stopped the rehearsal and called out: ‘I see two strange faces over there — will somebody please find out what they are doing?’ It was one of the worst moments I have ever experienced.”

Pamela, who is single, lives in a London flat. Cooking is one of her main hobbies.

She also likes tennis, swimming and dancing.

She is proud of the fact that, so far, there have been no hitches in Take A Note.

“When you’ve played in repertory you are used to surprises,” she says. “Once, while I was playing in Little Women, ‘Meg’ brought her twins on stage. The juvenile lead had to say, ‘Aren’t they sweet?’ and pat a cushion. On this occasion, two moths flew out of the cushion. The audience roared with laughter — and so did the cast.”

The post Take note of Pamela appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

“Hats are the epitome of all things feminine,” she says. “They should never be worn to keep the head warm or the hair tidy. If a person doesn’t notice the hat you’re wearing, burn it immediately.” Her happy outlook on life is reflected in many of the interviews she undertakes for Midland Montage. She talked to rollerskating enthusiasts while skating with them; interviewed a judo expert, then threw him over her back; and took part in a physical training demonstration.

A former journalist, she says that she finds TV more stimulating. But as a freelance writer and woman’s page editor she has met many famous people she would like to interview on television They include Lana Turner, Lady Docker, Cary Grant. Dawn Addams and Dame Edith Evans — “the most remarkable woman I’ve ever met.” When Jenny was sent to Sheffield to interview Liberace, she found that he wouldn’t grant interviews because of his late arrival. Unseen by other journalists, she waited outside his hotel room.

“I heard water running, and realised he was taking a bath. I shouted through the door and asked if he would answer a few questions. ‘Delighted,’ he shouted back, and for the next 10 minutes I conducted one of the craziest interviews ever.

“I yelled the questions, and he shouted the answers.”

Born in New Zealand, Jenny made her first public appearance at the age of eight, when she won a fancy dress competition. When she left school, she began work as “this century’s Florence Nightingale” — but found that nursing didn’t agree with her.

“I fainted so often, the nurses got tired of picking me off the floor,” she recalls.

Jenny next tried journalism and radio work. “It was work I really loved,” she says. “Sometimes I lived on bread and margarine, but other times my menu consisted of caviar and champagne.” Shortly before the end of the war, Jenny married Henry Martin, an engineer. They went to Australia for two weeks and stayed two years, during which time they did a “walkabout” — travelling across Australia doing various jobs.

“It was a wonderful, nomadic existence,” says Jenny. “But Henry wanted to get down to a steady job, so we decided to come to England. We liked it so much we’ve stayed 10 years.”

Throughout her travels, Jenny has not found a city to compare with Istanbul. But she would like to live on a coral island of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

“I worked there for two months,” says Jenny. “I turned out some of the best writing I’ve ever done.”

The post Hats off to Jenny! appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.

And as Jean Morton, sparkling-eyed actress, commentator, interviewer and TV personality, she’s becoming part of the pattern of television in the Midlands. She is ATV’s new staff announcer.

Jean has been happily married for 10 years. She lived in Cardiff until a year ago, when her husband, a sales engineer, moved to the Midlands. They have two children — Eloise (9) and Gavin (6).

Although her professional activities take her all over the country, Jean spends a lot of time at Sutton Coldfield. Recently she was elected to the committee of the local Conservative Club. “I find the work very interesting,” says Jean. “That’s what comes of sitting in the front row at one of the meetings!”

Besides working extensively in television, Jean is in demand for fashion commentaries. She is booked by fashion houses throughout the country, and was engaged at the recent Homes and Gardens Exhibition in Birmingham.

Her ability as a fashion commentator stems from her work in a programme called What’s New in Nylon, which came from Cardiff. She made such an impact that she’s been in demand ever since.

Christian Dior was so impressed by the way she described a visit to his costume jewellery factory in Wales that he presented her with a brooch.

In addition to her three days a week as ATV staff announcer, Jean travels to Manchester every weekend to appear in the advertising magazine What’s In Store.

Jean views her busy life realistically: “I come home after every job and get down to domestic chores. There are lots of things only a mother can do. Washing the children’s hair is one. It’s no use getting starry-eyed about mixing with mink and diamond tiaras when you have to get down to brass tacks as soon as you get home.”

It was her daughter Eloise who first gave Jean the idea of approaching ATV. “You always seem to be working from London or Manchester, Mummy,” she said. “Why don’t you try and do something from Birmingham?”

Jean took her daughter’s advice. It has certainly proved sound.

Like Noele Gordon, with whom she toured in Black Velvet for three years, Jean is a Scot. She trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and went into repertory. At the height of the blitz she joined Black Velvet. During the run she became engaged.

“My husband, Bob, was a childhood sweetheart,” she recalls. “I hadn’t seen him for years — until the show happened to be playing at Dudley. One night an Army officer came backstage to see me. It was Bob. Stationed nearby, he had seen my name on the posters and called round.

“From then on we saw each other as often as possible. Then Bob was sent to India, and I didn’t see him for six years. We became engaged and were married when he got back to this country.”

Jean decided to stabilise herself in London. First she made two films — A Yank in the West Country, in which she played an American, and London Town, with Sid Field.

“I’ve managed to acquire quite a range of dialects,” says Jean. “American and mid-European are my specialities. So far, I haven’t been able to master the rich Birmingham accent, but I’m training hard.”

The post Announcing – Jean Morton appeared first on THIS IS ATV NETWORK from Transdiffusion.