GETTING STARTED

This is me, aged 18 months, on-stage at the London Palladium.

[Between shows !]

Things went downhill from there !!

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My name is Rod Hudson…[born Robert John Rodney-Hudson, ] and I was lucky on several counts.

Firstly, I was born into a good family, although I had no say in the matter.

No-one has a say on this of course, and millions are not as lucky as I was.

Secondly, the bombs that Herr Hitler was dropping from a great height over London managed to miss me, although inflicting huge damage on the surrounding neighbourhood.

Enough, in fact, to force us to be evacuated down to the South Coast [ to be nearer to the danger, presumably] when I was between one and two years old. We stayed for a short while in Chichester, with a Mr Collins and his family. He played the trumpet in the town band ! My first real memory was of watching him marching down the road !

After a short while my mother found a lovely house in Bognor Regis, [Dad was away in the war], and I can remember us all driving over in a taxi, with the removal van following with all our furniture and possessions.

Playing the title role in Terence Rattigan's play "The Winslow Boy" was my first real performance, although I had got a taste of all the paraphanalia involved when I was 7 or 8 and played a villager in Hugh Manning's Production of Christopher Fry's "The Boy With a Cart", which was staged for a couple of weeks in the forecourt of the Bishop's Palace at Chichester.

That was exactly what I now think Amateur Theatre should be all about. Loads and loads of people involved, but with a professional Director.

"The Winslow Boy" toured and played in many theatres all around the South of England, and was invaluable to me as part of a learning curve.

Stage appearances were followed when I was about 15 with compere-ing Beach Games and Beauty Contests, on a Daily Basis.....when the tide was out !

This was mainly during School Holiday time, of course.

Although even during term-time, I was working back-stage at the Esplanade Theatre in Bognor Regis as an Assistant Stage Manager, which proved invaluable experience for me later in my career, especially when writing for theatre, and TV, as I knew what was practical and what was not !

It was at this time that I met and worked with many major stars...

[ often before they became Major Stars, of course, ]

such as Tony Hancock, Dick Emery, Bill Pertwee and others.

So this was what mostly filled my 'teenage years '.

A bit different from most, I suppose - but I wouldn't have had it any other way, at the time.

And still wouldn't !

After taking my 'O' level GCE's, and then my 'A' and 'S' levels, I managed to get a job as an Assistant Floor Manager at ATV in London.

I was seconded to Senior Producer Ken Carter, who was directing the Summer equivalent of the "Sunday Night at the London Palladium" series, which was "Sunday Night at the Prince of Wales".

A wonderful experience. A different show every week, with all the major stars of the day, including Frankie Howerd, Charlie Drake, Frankie Vaughan, Bruce Forsyth, Edmund Hockridge and loads more.

Fortunately I managed to see the season out,

before my parents turned up and hauled me off,

as I'd been accepted at all the 5 Universities

I'd applied to !

They knew I would need 'encouraging '

to leave ATV !!

A wonderful Theatre, which was refurbished

about 10 years ago, but the essential character

was retained.

Atmospheric !!

I chose Durham University, and ended up at King's College,

[ which was actually in Newcastle !] because that was the

college for Economics, which was my Major Subject.

I was soon doing cabaret at the Emerson Theatre Restaurant

to supplement my grant, and continued there

for the whole of the three years !

The top pic on the left is what I honestly believe was the very first ‘Festival’ type concert in the UK.

The College ‘Arts Ball’ had always been a fairly low key affair, with sales of about 200 tickets, and a local band.

When asked to run it, I decided to see what would happen if we hired the best dance Hall in Newcastle [ The Mayfair], and the Top ‘Name’ bands we could get.

At the time it was unheard of to have have more than one band. We had 6 !

Humphrey Lyttleton, Johnny Dankworth [ both behind my left shoulder in the top pic]…Acker Bilk, Tommy Henderson, Alex Walsh, and the Ray Ellington Quartet, [ from the Goon Show].

An unbelievable line-up for the time……….and we sold 5000 tickets. [I think it was only really licensed for 3000 !] You could not move in there.

It was a massive hit ! Other Universities took note of it, owing to Press reports etc, and soon everyone was doing it.