By Nick Setchfield – 28th February 2018:

Raise a glass of vintage port to late genre icon Peter Wyngarde. Salut! The late Peter Wyngarde always suited the outlandish. A carafe of vintage port in human form, he was a magnetic, flamboyant presence who seemed to live his life between inverted commas; too outsized to be contained by the real world but utterly at home in the imaginary. Certainly it’s his genre turns that made him an icon. In The Avengers episode “A Touch Of Brimstone” he’s John Cleverly Cartney, a bullwhip-snapping dandy who leads a resurrected Hellfire Club. “Checkmate” in The Prisoner casts him as a memorably sly Number Two, matching wits with Patrick McGoohan’s Number Six.

1980’s Flash Gordon hid his imperious, vulpine features behind the glittering mask of Klytus, kinkster-in-chief of planet Mongo and master of the royal bore worms. It was left to that majestically louche voice to stamp Wyngarde’s brand of gently decaying decadence on the role. 1961’s The Innocents gave him no voice at all, but his wordless ghost, gliding like a kite on the edge of reality, is unforgettable.

Jason King made him a household name. Wyngarde first played the foppish sleuth in Department S (1969-70) before winning his own, more outrageous spin-off show in 1971. Dismissed by the star as a “blasé idiot”, King was a colossus in crushed velvet who seemed to have Hai Karate aftershave swilling in his veins, a genuine sex symbol who now looks like a merciless parody (the Austin Powers films took inspiration). Made obsolete by punk, naff as nylon in the ’80s, he was reclaimed by ’90s ironists as the ultimate bossa nova action hero. Wyngarde and his creation blurred, but then they always had done: “Jason King has champagne and strawberries for breakfast, just as I did myself.”

The finer details of his personal history were elusive (“I prefer to be a man without a past”). Was he born Peter Paul Wyngarde, as he claimed, or Cyril Goldbert? In Marseille? Or Singapore? Was his father a British diplomat, his mother a racing driver, or were those the glamorous longings of a natural shapeshifter who once admitted, “As a child it was difficult to differentiate sometimes between fact and fantasy”?

No matter. Print the legend and live it too. As he said of Jason King, “He was the right character at the right time. I guess he just brought some colour into people’s lives.”

Nick is from an obscure body in the S-K system, your majesty.

The Hellfire Club: The OFFICIAL PETER WYNGARDE Appreciation Society: https://www.facebook.com/groups/813997125389790/

My indistinguishable mutterings of the following text may be heard at https://soundcloud.com/user-868590968/rta031-episode-31

From 19th January 2019

Podcast 00

Department S by Dennis Spooner

• Jason King – Peter Wyngarde
• Stewart Sullivan – Joel Fabiani
• Annabelle Hurst – Rosemary Nichols
• Sir Curtis Seretse – Dennis Alaba Peters

Today I’m going to talk a little bit about a programme called “Department S” which was one of several filmed action series made by ITC Entertainment in the late nineteen sixties intended for the international market. This need to appeal to the world – and especially the USA where big the money was – explains why several of these series featured American or Canadian – if they were cheaper or more readily available – actors in a lead role, in order to appeal to an American demographic.

There was some logic to this, although the US success of The Avengers and The Saint also suggests that American audiences might have been finding an essential British quirkiness appealing too, and maybe found a faux-American setup far less appealing than their own genuine home-grown variety.

Anyway, whatever you might think of their reasoning, the creative minds at the Incorporated Television Company used to sit around trying to come up with new and exciting variations on the Action/Adventure format. By this time, The Champions had come and gone, but that notion of a European-based investigation team made up of an American man, a British man, and an exotic woman seems to have stuck, and so “Department S”, the mysterious section of Interpol where all the baffling and unexplained mysteries ended up going, was born.

Before we get going, however, I want to tell you a little story. It’s not a particularly interesting story, but I thought I’d share it anyway. On one of my DVD shelves I have a set called “The Best of ITC Entertainment” which contains one episode each of about sixteen ITC series; The Saint, The Prisoner, and so on. I picked it up in a sale at some point and it sat on the shelf gathering dust for several years once I’d watched the ones I’d fancied when I first bought it. So, anyway, one evening a couple of years ago now, I spotted this set sitting there and realised I’d all but forgotten that I’d ever bought it. So, because I was either bored or at a bit of a loose end, I thought I’d have a look at it, and, well, to be perfectly honest –

“That’ll be a bit of a laugh” I thought.

– because the reputation of these series had taken a bit of a battering over the years, not least because of the number of spoofs that appeared, a lot of which seemed to find the costumes and manner of those later nineteen-sixties folk worthy of mockery, despite the fact that such “far out” fashion was thought of as being “cool” – whatever that is.

Anyway, in the disc went and, because I’d sort of forgotten all about it really, I not quite randomly chose to watch the episode of “Department S” that was on the disc which was called “A Small War of Nerves” and settled down to mock and, do you know what, it turned out to be an absolutely marvellous hour of television and features one Anthony Hopkins, no less, in an absolutely cracking role about a scientist having a breakdown over the nerve agent he has developed, and his desire to release that same toxin to infect the general population as a warning.

And watching his TV somewhere in a gold-plated mansion, young Terry Nation had a notion…

Each episode would start with some kind of a mystery. Some were downright bonkers – A plane arriving at Heathrow perfectly normally, but five days late – A tailor’s dummy assassinated – spacesuits in the home counties – and some were far more mundane, but they always provided a terrific teaser that made you want more and, perhaps more importantly, keep watching.

Anyway, ITC made twenty-eight episodes of this hokum before they moved on, as they tended to, to making another idea instead.

Jason King may have been the breakout character, one who was so popular he was given his own show a couple of years later in which his old pals from the Department never showed up unfortunately, but the team in Department S was a very strong one despite him and, if the circumstances had been right – as they almost never were at ITC – a second series, or perhaps more, wouldn’t have been the worst idea in the world.

Because in many ways this is “The X Files” before there were any X Files; this was “Jonathan Creek” before he went to magic school; this was “Mission:  Impossible” but filmed in the home counties; This was “Torchwood” with its feet planted more firmly on the ground.

It was, of course, none of the above, and yet, in some small way, perhaps all of them. After all, setting up an intriguing mystery in a cold open and then allowing the audience to work out what exactly was going on alongside their heroes was – and is – a fine premise for a television series even now.

The thing we need to realise about all of these ITC series is that they remain eminently watchable despite their vintage. This may have something to do with them being made on film – so that the fast editing means that they appear slicker and far more pacey that a lot of the television surrounding them from similar times – but it’s also to do with the fact that they were made to be entertaining, and the hollow, empty, tragedy-beset personal lives of the main characters were, on the whole, left behind them when they went to work.

Which is another thing the angsty, melancholy, and sometimes downright depressing modern day action series might want to think about from time to time.

Do we really need to know about their broken homes, estrangement from their kids, money problems, or substance abuse temptations when they’re jet-setting around the world and giving the bad guys a jolly good sock to the jaw?

Perhaps nowadays we do, especially if shiny BAFTAs are to be grabbed and Twitter trends are the currency of popular drama series, but back then we really didn’t, and few of these kinds of shows would have benefitted from such things.

One of Jason King’s ex-lovers suing him for paternity, or Stuart Sullivan having shouting matches over the morning ham and eggs with a partner who worries about his close relationship with Annabelle Hurst, who herself is being plagued by an alcoholic hippy of a younger sister whilst dealing with inappropriate  behaviour in the workplace would not have made “Department S” a better series at all, but you’d struggle to get away from all that stuff now.

And that’s what they were.

Getaways.

A bit of escapist fun all set in a world that the armchair travellers of the late 1960s could really only dream of, and one which ultimately fed the boom in the package holiday industry just a few short years later.

It’s a relatively progressive series, too. Featuring a black character in a leading role – the boss of the outfit indeed – in 1968 when such things were rare in television, if not the world in general. It is never, ever questioned that Sir Curtis Seretse is in charge, which must have upset various of the more unpleasant factions of the viewing public in those less enlightened times, but we really ought to applaud ITC in general for developing a far more diverse casting strategy in certain of its shows – “UFO” and “Danger Man” to name but two – far earlier than some other production companies of the era, and applaud them for this piece of casting in particular.

But you win some and you lose some.

Sadly there is still an overdependence on what might only be thought of now as attractive “Totty” (or whatever derogatory term was in fashion at the time) amongst the female characters, but at least with Annabelle, she was CLEVER totty, and they very swiftly dispensed with the notion of her having to appear in her underwear or a bikini at every opportunity once they realised that it wasn’t strictly necessary and that requirement was serviced fairly well by Jason’s various playmates whenever we got a brief glimpse of his extraordinary lifestyle.

It is, of course, disappointing that the scriptwriters made Annabelle get immediately into an “only wearing her underwear” ploy in an early episode having established her cleverness credentials in an era of growing enlightenment, especially as the gentlemen of the team did not have to resort to similar measures whenever they had made an illegal covert entry into a suspect’s apartment, and it did cause a certain amount of eye-rolling at Holmes Towers when I was trying to extol the virtues of the series, but happily, this aspect of the show seemed to vanish fairly swiftly.

Happily, the show’s other assets made it a far more enjoyable prospect and we persisted past this particular display of late-1960s idiocy to find a good, solid, and very enjoyable set of episodes to be entertained by.

And the show is funny too… Witty…

Whether or not that is down to the influence of the stars finding the humour in it, or the scriptwriters finding aspects of the stars’ personalities to play up to will no doubt have caused endless debate through the years, but Stuart, Annabelle and Jason make a winning team who seem to play off each other rather well and have a delightful on-screen chemistry that simply works, all with a knowing twinkle and a great sense of fun being had.

Who knows? Maybe they were all perfectly beastly to each other, but it all seems like a lot of larks and fun were being enjoyed over at Pinewood in those days.

“Department S” was actually in production at the same time as another ITC series, the original version of “Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)” – accept no imitations – which was a show that I have very fond memories of watching as a child.

It’s one of the few that I would make a point of watching and, in later years, I almost jumped for joy – not something I even think about doing very often – when a repeat season was announced on some channel or other, giving me my first opportunity in several decades to see those shows that once made me so very happy.

Such a strange childhood in which ghosts and down-at-heel detectives would bring me some joy, but there you are.

Interestingly, Stewart Sullivan’s car in “Department S” is usually the other white Vauxhall Victor that wasn’t Jeff Randall’s one in “Randall and Hopkirk” – the one with the black vinyl roof – and even has a consecutive number plate with it, suggesting that they were bought as a job lot on the same day.

Given that the red mini that Jeannie Hopkirk drove in the other show also turns up from time to time in “Department S”, you do get the impression that one crew was filming on the opposite side of the road as the Department S crew were filming on the other.

In fact some scenes even have that air, as if both crews were out on the same street on the same day or, as is more likely I suppose, one crew were doing the second unit stuff for both shows at the same time.

Although I do find myself occasionally looking for their reflections, or trying to catch a glimpse of some hairy-backed grip disappearing around a corner in search of the next set-up, or hoping for a swift pan to accidentally catch another film crew unawares.

Of course for contemporary viewers at least, one of the things that “Department S” and several other ITC series of the times offered was a slight taste of the lifestyles of what we once called the “Jet Set” at a time when most British people’s annual holidays might involve a week at their preferred seaside resort and ideas of faraway places might only be the stuff of dreams involving “Spend, spend, spend” style pools wins.

After all, despite the fact that the late 1960s was an exotic era, all kaftans, flowery shirts, strange cigarettes, and the Beatles heading off to faraway places, most people’s lives were fairly grim and unexciting, knitted tank tops and the daily grind, and those Olympian celebrities from the newsreels heading off to the sunshine and beaches covered in bikini-clad exotic (ie foreign) women, and millionaire playboys gambling in the casinos of the south of France were such stuff as your average Joe from Doncaster could only dream of.

And so, the international best-selling novelist Jason King having supermodels fling themselves at him as he fought off desperate ne’er-do-wells whilst sipping champagne at eight o’clock in the morning with his cornflakes and caviar must have been exciting to anyone living a life that more closely resembled the hapless hopes of a couple of donkey-jacket wearing Likely Lads.

Okay, okay… Perhaps fewer of us might dream of being shot at and coshed by desperados each and every week of our lives, but in the era when James Bond was often king of the box office, being swept off your feet by a brave, smart and clever fellow, or being such a fellow, must have been the fantasy of many a young – and not-quite-so-young – viewer.

Especially as you always knew that with their names on the credits, no real harm was ever going to come to them, despite the occasional walking cane, bandage, or make-up induced black eye.

In many ways, “Department S” – with its weekly mystery which needed resolving through the cleverness of its protagonists – was something of a prototype for “The X Files” (although that in itself is now a pretty old show) which became a massive hit in the 1990s, so maybe it was just ahead of its time?

One thing that we did find enjoyable from working our way through the series were the preposterous fight scenes. They just wouldn’t make them like that any more. One thing to keep a particular eye out for is the regular “Jason Fling” as he would hurl himself into the fray from the top of any flight of stairs which happened to be available.

Magnificent stuff!

The stuff of legend!

And precisely the sort of stuff that made Peter Wyngarde an international star – especially (apparently) amongst the housewives of Australia – for a time at least, until he got caught by the tabloids. It is he, however, who is behind the shiny gold mask of Klytus in the Dino de Laurentis “Flash Gordon” movie, and he carried on working steadily if not spectacularly, until his death in early 2018.

His co-stars didn’t fare quite so well in their acting careers, it seems, and whilst Jason King would get his own series several years later, not least because of those Australian housewives, the rest of the Department were transferred to over to the Bureaux des TV Heaven and hardly ever heard from again – although several similar Departments would turn up on TV from time-to-time.

For Dennis Alaba Peters, “Department S” seems to mark both the high point and the end of his acting career, and he died in 1996.

Like generally seems to been the fate of several glamorous female actors in adventure series, Rosemary Nichols didn’t go on to enjoy international superstardom, but left acting to pursue other career opportunities, although it was with some satisfaction that I realised that she had once had a very small role as one of the street kids in “The Blue Lamp” which made me feel suitably happy anyway.

Joel Fabiani had a pretty successful career playing similar characters to Stewart Sullivan in several high-profile TV series and movies, although I didn’t think that I’d seen all that many of them.

Happily, a few weeks ago, just after we’d worked our way through the entire run of “Department S”, we were watching a movie we’d recorded off the TV which was called “Snake Eyes” and who should we spot in it playing the senator who is the target of the assassination plot that provides the main thrust of the plot of the movie? Joel Fabiani! Only Stewart Sullivan himself! Just after I’d really begun to suspect that he’d never been heard of since.

On occasions, especially towards the end of the show when a streak of cynicism towards the Establishment was creeping in, the endings to the episodes were left deliberately oblique or ambiguous and it would sometimes finish on a very poignant or poetic note, but seemed to indicate – even in a slice of hokum such as this – that the darker, anti-establishment, and more  distrustful side of the 1960s was beginning to creep into the mainstream, much as it would with “Mission: Impossible” on the other side of the Atlantic at around the same time, when government intervention into the affairs of foreign states was starting to leave a far more bitter taste when it couldn’t even solve its own problems.

Perhaps this is why “Department S” was disbanded? Because it was no longer fashionable? Okay, Sir Lew always wanted a new idea to try out in the American market for the next new season, so it was more likely that, but both this series, and the slightly shabbier world of “Randall & Hopkirk” deserved a longer run, but it was not to be.

Which is something of a shame, really.

Now I’ll accept that nowadays, a lot of “Department S” can look a little cheesy (if not the full gorgonzola) and cheap in comparison to what’s on now – although in terms of a lot of the TV at the time it actually looked gloriously and  outrageously expensive – and, like in a lot of other ITC stuff constructed out of the stores at Pinewood, there’s a lot of recycling of sets, and the directorial style can now seem somewhat old-fashioned, all though it still makes for some really watchable entertainment on the whole, despite its vintage.

I also accept that the fashions and the attitudes can veer from the outrageously camp to the downright sexist, and that some of the shows probably don’t look all that great in modern terms…

And yet… and yet…

I maintain that, of all the ITC Adventure series that were created during those golden years, “Department S” is the one format that could be dusted down and polished up to be remade for modern audiences if a modern Writer’s Room could conjure up enough impossible scenarios that needed resolving.

And – because it was, is, and remains utterly fabulous – they wouldn’t even have to change the theme tune.

More about Department S…

The Hellfire Club: The OFFICIAL PETER WYNGARDE Appreciation Society: https://www.facebook.com/groups/813997125389790/

Special exhibitions that have featured photographs of Peter Wyngarde

Spotlight On Peter Rand Exhibition

National Portrait Gallery 17 April until 16 September 2012

This display celebrated the acquisition of a group of sixteen photographs by Vogue photographer Peter Rand, and the publication of The Day of the Peacock: Style for Men 1963-1973 (2011) which features many of Rand’s fashion photographs.

Born in Dorset, Rand attended Ealing Art and Photographic College, before working as an assistant to Peter Peck at Woburn Studios (1958-9). In 1960, he joined the John French Studios, and in 1962 two of his photographs appeared This display celebrated the acquisition of a group of sixteen photographs by Vogue photographer Peter Rand, and the publication of The Day of the Peacock: Style for Men 1963-1973 (2011) which features many of Rand’s fashion photographs.

Left: Photographed by Peter Rand bromide print, 10 September 1969 13 7/8 in. x 13 7/8 in. (353 mm x 352 mm) image size.
Purchased by the National Gallery in 2011

This display focused on ten key works from this period which are exhibited for the first time, and includes photographs of actors Peter Wyngarde, Fenella Fielding, Ian Holm, Anna Massey, Sarah Miles with her brother Christopher, Corin Redgrave, Mike Sarne; playwright Harold Pinter with the cast of The Caretaker, singer Dusty Springfield, and entrepreneur Richard Branson. Peter Rand continues to specialise in portraiture and fashion photography

TV TIMES 60th Anniversary Exhibition

Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London – 17th September – 18th October 2015

TV Times has been in publication since 1955. To celebrate this 60th anniversary and as part of the Merge Festival 2015, the TV listings magazine showcased a selection of exclusive images from its vast archive in two exhibitions in Southwark, London.

Using its unique access to the stars of the time TV Times have curated ‘60 Years – 60 Iconic Images’ which features exclusive images of celebrities of television, sport, music and entertainment shot by some of the greatest British photographers including David Bailey, Cecil Beaton and Patrick Lichfield.

In addition to the 60th anniversary exhibition, Illuminate Productions curated an exhibition of never-before-seen images of some of the biggest music stars from the 1960’s to the early 1908’s. Musicians including James Brown, The Beatles, The Doors and Kate Bush were featured revealing moments in the performance spotlight as well as unguarded, behind the scenes shots.

Broadcast: Saturday, 12th March, 1988

Character: Mr. Kendel

An ostentatious music promo director, Patrick Church (Keith Allen), has thumbed his nose at making the new UB40 video, as he believes he’s in line to work with David Bowie on his next project. Unfortunately, the job is given to young up-and-coming director and so Patrick is forced to go back – cap in hand – to UB40 in the hope that they’ll give him a second chance.

The band are playing a concert which Church decides to attend. Unbeknown to Patrick, a scientist (Adrian Edmondson) and his assistant have set up an experiment in Psychic Transportation in their lab behind the concert hall, and when he makes a dash to the toilet during the show, he steps into what he believes is a porta-loo, but is in fact one of the chambers being used by the scientists. There his DNA becomes mixed with that of football hooligan, Steve (Gary Olsen), who is taking part in the experiment. The result is that the personality of the once pretentious director is gradually morphing into that of a yobbish Cockney Arsenal supporter.  

On the day of the video shoot of UB40’s new single, the camera happens to be focused on the band’s bass player when Patrick calls for the shot to end. The director is annoyed when he realises what has happened, and immediately demands for the film to be re-shot – only this time he instructs the shocked cameraman not to “finish on the sooty”.

At the after-shoot party, Patrick’s incessant muttering doesn’t go unnoticed, nor does his swilling pint after pint of beer instead of his usual spritzers. Much the worse for drink, he takes umbrage at a black man who he claims is hitting on his girlfriend, and resolves to open a bottle of Champagne in the man’s face. Soon after, Patrick withdraws to the toilets, where shortly after his girlfriend follows to find him having sex with another woman.

The following day, the girlfriend arrives at the flat she shares with Patrick, only to find him in bed with yet another woman. She decides to pack her things and leave, but discovers that all her clothes have been replaced with some overtly tarty attire which she herself would never wear. Patrick is now seen morphing bodily into The Yob. Moments later, he’s stopping down the road, chanting, “You’re gonna get your ‘ead kicked in!”

Moments later, the scientist and his assistant roll up in their car and explain that Steve, who is perfectly happy with the persona he inherited from Patrick, is driving his mother (Gwen Walford) and step-father, Mr. Kendel (Peter Wyngarde), round the bend.  

At the local pub sometime later, there’s a fancy dress competition for which Mr. Kendel has turned up dressed as a black Nazi – complete with SS uniform. But it’s Steve that wins the competition, but just as he’s about to accept his prize, Patrick arrives and proceeds to viciously head-butt him, which causes all the other patrons to go crazy.

Patrick and Steve are separated by the scientists and taken back to their lab, where it’s hoped that the botched procedure can be reversed. But then the assistant comes up with a better idea – namely to merge the two men into one.   

While the two scientists are concentrating on setting up the procedure, they fail to notice the lab cat chasing a fly into one of the Transference Pods. When the door of the pod in which Patrick and Steve were bundled into opens, they find a devastatingly handsome man, but whose lower half is that of a Ginger Tom cat.

A Bit Of Trivia

• This episode featured a number of well-known faces and future stars, including: Lilly Allen, Warren Clarke and Julian Firth amongst others.
• Derrick Branche, who played a character called Chris Bell, was a school friend of Freddie Mercury.

…Now read it in Peter’s own words

Since my book, ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ was published in February 2020, I’ve received many comments and opinions – the vast majority of which have been extremely complimentary – including an absolutely glowing appraisal from Peter’s friend – the multi-award-winning actor, director and author, Steven Berkoff.

Additionally, I’ve had a great many questions from fans around the world which I’ve done my utmost to respond to either personally, or via this website. One of the most frequent queries has been, how much of Peter’s own writings did I rely on in the book? The fact is that I used quite a large amount of Peter’s personal writing throughout the work, which included letters and diary entries etc.

Around the tail-end of 2013, Peter and I began working on what he hoped would be his autobiography. His way of working was to write the text longhand in a notebook, and then I’d type it up for him on my computer. What appears for the most part in Chapters One and Two of ‘A Life Amongst Strangers’ come almost directly for him, although when you read what he’s written (see below), you’ll doubtless understand why much of it needed editing, and also why I was compelled to temper at least some parts of his work – not least because it was quite graphic in parts. Certainly, Peter had a unique way of telling a tale – complete with colourful language!

Below are the drafts I used in the opening two chapters of ‘A Life Amongst Strangers’, which those of you who have read it will recognise, I’m sure:

This page begins in France, where Peter had gone to recover from his time in the Civil Assembly Centre in Shanghai during World War II. Here he mentions waking to find the American girl he’d picked up the night before still in his hotel room the morning after, and of her looking completely different from when he first met her, as she was now wearing no make-up.

He then transfers to the village of Vergèze and La Maison de Genvière where he encounters the lovely Rosameurde and immediately “fell in love with her”. He says that he was surprised “now” at being so attracted to her as, “I’m usually a tit man and Rosameurde’s were practically invisible.“

Another draft of the same scene: Here, Peter again mentions the American girl he’d spent the night with, and the reason he was wearing such unconventional underwear: “Wearing the Speedo swimming trunks I’d grabbed in desperation to replace the Kalvin Kleins* that were unwearable after what I’d done to the American girl in my previous hotel.”

*He, of course, wouldn’t have been wearing Kalvin Klein’s (sic) back then!

In this slightly revised section, he says that he’d been forced to wear a belt with his shorts because they were too big for him, but even then he was left with part of his backside showing, which he says made him look like “The proverbial British builder*” and, “resulting on the other side exposing my erection above the belt buckle which she [Rosameurde] could see sticking out.”

He goes on to describe the beautiful Rosameurde flirting with him as she picks up his heavy luggage: “She let go of the suitcase and rose up very close to me, both hands now fumbling with the belt clasp, that they soon released.” It was the ring of the phone that was to intrude on the moment.

A second draft of his first meeting with Rosameurde. He says: “I looked down and caught the shine in her eyes [that were] directed at my crotch. If they could have spoken [they would have told me] to unbutton my flies… somewhere a telephone was ringing, as she was on my first button. She dropped the heavy bag and ran towards the phone.”

He then writes: “Rosameurde noticed the bulge immediately in my shorts and her surprise followed an immediate welcoming smile before she bend over and deliberately rubbed her head against me…”

Peter now goes on to describe how he met and married his wife, Dorinda Stevens:

Further to discussing Rosameurde (above), Peter says of Dorinda, “She too was beautiful and I got her…” He continues with: “But for her, I was her knight in shining armour and she was the princess in the tower. In reality, we were still kids…”

In this section, Peter makes mention of the ball that he, Dorinda and some mutual friends [fellow actors] attended at Southampton town hall. A few days later, he’d gone back to the town hall to collect a Social Security payment. He describes the “disapproving” clerk behind “the same table where I’d f****d Dorinda for the first time,” and where he’d carved his initials into the wood with a penknife.

In this part, Peter tells of his and his wife’s desperation to conceive, and of them both having fertility tests – she at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, and he at a clinic in Marylebone. He was found to be fine but, sadly, Dorinda was not.

He goes on to describe his visit to the fertility clinic, and how he’d told the attendant nurse who he describes as “twice the size” of him” that he needed help in producing a sample: “I can’t just do it like that!” Said nurse had responded with, “Don’t you get sassy with me!” “I didn’t mean you,” he’d gulped, adding, “Have you got any pictures that might help?”

He now describes how he arrived home from 9 months in Spain filming ‘Alexander the Great‘, to find that Dorinda had been unfaithful to him. He says that all manner of thoughts were flashing through his head, and that it had crossed his mind that something had been going on between his wife and their female lodger: “A least it isn’t a guy,” he thought. “Then finally shutting up shop with my chauvinist pig fantasy of having two women at the same time, one of them a dyke. My mind had become a cesspit.”

On this page, Peter admits to a somewhat bizarre reaction he had to discovering his wife’s infidelity; he decides to cook breakfast! He even asks how she and her male lover would like their eggs cooked – “Flipped or sunny-side up?”

Peter’s reaction The supposed homosexual relationship with Alan Bates

It has been suggested by American author, Donald Spoto in his 2008 book, ‘Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates’, that Peter and Bates had lived together “as a couple” at 1, Earls Terrace, London W8 for over a decade (1956-1966). In actual fact, Peter only took out a lease on the aforementioned flat in 1958 (see here) and Bates only appears on the Electoral Roll as living at this address from 1960.

Here Peter explains in his own hand the nature of his “relationship” with Bates, and the reason for them moving into the flat in Kensington.

The above reads: “Alan and I shared a flat and a cottage in Kent for over six years, We were both original members of the Royal Court. He lived in a Victorian flat in Battersea with the likes of Peter O’Toole, Brian Bedford who is now the resident director at the Stratford-Upon-Avon company in Toronto, Canada. We were both looking for a flat so I said we should share one to cut down on costs. I was doing The Salt Land at Pinewood, a film for TV (if you could get it I would be overjoyed) by Peter Schaffer whose dad owned the Terrace* and suggested the Garden Flat was available. We clapped hands and jumped in. The rental of the cottage came first as did the cost of working and living in hotels [in London] when either of us were working, so the flat was a blessing. In practice as it turned out that when I was working [in the West End] I would have the flat, or if he was working, vice versa. If we were both working at the same time there was a divan bed in what is now the kitchen so it was a perfect set up”.

*Earls Terrace, London W8 where Peter lived from 1958 until his death in 2018.

Peter’s response To the J.G. Ballard question

For many years, author and satirist, J.G. Ballard, claimed to have known Peter while the two of them were internees at Lunghua Civil Assembly Centre near Shanghai during World War II. Peter had always denied this – saying that he had no memory of Ballard at all.

On 7th August 1997, The Guardian newspaper published an interview with the Ballard, which was conducted by journalist, Andrew Billen. The following extract is from that article:

“Ballard is not being pious and he is, anyway, in little danger of being damned as politically correct. In 1973, when he was still thought of as a science fiction writer, he published Crash, a novel celebrating the eroticism of car smashes. The kinkiness of Crash, and of some of his other works (one, featuring the Kennedy assassinations, is called The Atrocity Exhibition), reminds me of a fairly weird interview I once conducted with the actor Peter Wyngarde. The one-time Jason King had talked about his preference for sadistic sex. I am reminded because Wyngarde and Ballard were in the same internment camp. ‘Oh,’ Ballard says when I mention it, ‘I don’t think that sort of thing affects your sex life. I’d have thought it needed to be much more personal than that, but then I don’t have any strain of S&M in me, so I wouldn’t know.’” See the full interview here:

In actual fact, Peter’s exact words were as follows: “I adore flying. I’m trying to improve my tennis and my passion is sex. I think I’ll change that. My passion is sophisticated sex.”

Here, in Peter’s own hand, is his thoughts on the matter:

And, below, about the ‘sadistic sex’ slur:

Other writings As quoted from in the book

All the books seen below are written in Peter’s own hand

Having been the victim of a supposed ‘sex scandal’ himself in 1975, Peter comments on the incident involving actor, Hugh Grant, and LA call girl, Divine Brown (Estella Marie Thompson) in June 1995.

In a 2012 letter to his, then, recently widowed sister-in-law, Peter confirms to having never known his “blood family” (see pages 399-400). The final two paragraph of the letter read: “There never seemed to be enough time to get to know people – Henry and his family included.

Since we have never managed to continue(?) relations, you’ll forgive me if I don’t attend Henry’s funeral.”

Some of the following are already posted on this website to illustrate other points, but were used in the book:

When Peter and I reconnected back in the early 2010’s, he wrote this in his second letter to me. Prior to our earlier parting, we’d exchanged some rather cutting words, which is what he’s apologising for here. Alas, one idiot who I’d been foolhardy enough to confide in some years ago, has taken one specific word out of many spoken during an heated exchange and used it as an excuse to fuel a vendetta.

The above reads as follows: “Also, I apparently called you some names. I must have been out of my mind, distracted beyond repair! Beyond human approach! Beyond hope! I humbly apologise with all my heart“.

A letter in reply to his friend, Norman Richardson, after his (now quashed) conviction in 1975. It reads:

                Thank you so much for your letter.  I was very moved and touched by your concern.

[I] will never understand the vindictiveness of the gutter press or the police and their obvious need to trap the public for their own ends.  It is of course our laws that are still barbaric and its attitude that is Victorian.

                My only consolation is that there are still people like you who are intelligent enough to know what is truth.

                For that, and the faith you have, has given me a strength which is infinitely more powerful than all their stupid rubbish.

                With affection and love,

                Peter

Above and Below: Peter writes about the hurt he has felt at the continued harassment by the press over the incident in 1975.

Peter’s reaction the the (in)famous interview with Princess Diana – ITV, 1995.

Above: A letter to ‘Kenny Grice’* – the reprobate that I speak of in my book.

*As you know, ‘Kenny Grice’ is a pseudonym that I gave to this person as I didn’t wish cause any upset or embarrassment to his family.

Above: A note to me from Peter while he was in France attending to his recently deceased stepbrother’s business affairs. It reads: “Are you getting yourself ready for Costa Ricca (sic). I’m ready when you are – do check the temperatures. I know U don’t like the sun – but I bet it’s better than this cold spell? Not heard from you which worries me. Much love, P xxxxxx”

I was to meet him in France with the intention of flying out to Costa Rica for a holiday.

A letter that reached me the day after the previous one. Here he talks about finding a villa for us to get away for a while.

Here he tells of the Paternity Trial in Vienna during the mid-1970’s (see Page 282 – ‘A Life Amongst Strangers’).

I was to download every text message that Peter sent to me over a 20 year period, initially as an aide memoire when helping him both professionally and personally with various projects. Ultimately, I was thankfully that I did as I was not only able to use many of them in my book, but they have also become incredibly precious to me on a personal level.

There are several thousand messages which have been printed out and stored in four files. This made it easier for me to look up specific times and dates.

I have many hundreds of personal letters and other writings which I relied on when writing my book which I will add to this page when time allows.

Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers is available from the following retailers:

Amazon – Bam! – Blackwells – The Book Depository – Foyles – The Hive – Waterstones – WH Smith – Blackwells etc. Or directly from the publisher.

Click below for further information…

Please note that everything on this website, including the name Peter Wyngarde™ is Trademarked to Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins and Bowington Management.

“Tina’s life story of Peter is a must-read from the one who knew him best!” Sam J. Jones

Broadcast: Wednesday, 2nd October 1968

Character: Dr. John Hallem

Surgeon, John Hallem (Peter Wyngarde) is not the man the well-heeled patients believe he is. He and fellow doctor, Charles Sumner (James Culliford), are in fact planning to steal over $30,000,000 in gold bullion, and have hatched a plan to get the Sir Frederick Howard (Basil Dignam) – the manager of one of London’s biggest banks – to help them do it.

During surgery at Hallen’s private clinic recently, a tiny microphone had been implanted into Sir Frederick’s ear, and since then he’s been plagued by voices instructing him to carry out specific tasks; refusal or failure to do so has resulted in painful and debilitating shocks via the implant.

In the meantime, irregularities in the international money market coupled with rumours of the sudden movement of large amounts of gold bullion, have reached the Champions team – Sharon Macready (Alexandra Bastedo), Craig Stirling (Stuart Damon) and Richard Barret (William Gaunt) – at their Nemisis HQ in Geneva. They manage to persuade their boss, Commander W.L. Tremayne (Anthony Nicholls), to let them investigate.

Stirling flies into London to speak with the managers of all the major banks, amongst them Sir Frederick Howard, who he advises of a possible raid on his bank’s gold reserves. Howard assures Stirling that all possible security procedures are in place, and that the bank’s vaults are impenetrable. But while Stirling is initially satisfied with this, his superhuman hearing happens to pick up the sound of a man’s voice emanating from the implant in Sir Frederick’s ear.

Shortly after being ushered from the premises, Stirling witnesses Sir Frederick running from the bank. He follows him into a side street where he finds the banker lying on the pavement surrounded by a small group of onlookers. As luck would have it, a doctor is among the passers-by and, seemingly, is able to come to the elderly gentleman’s aid.

When later Sir Frederick is examined by Sharon Macready, she finds a scar inside his ear which suggests that he had recently had surgery, and so Stirling sets about finding the hospital or clinic where the procedure was carried out.

Peter with James Culliford as Dr. Sumner

Customs Officer Van Velden (Aubrey Morris) has discovered that the piece of “machinery” is in fact far more valuable than he’d been lead to believe, and so when Hallem and Sumner arrive to collect it, he demands a substantial increase in the payment he’d previously agreed on. Hallem’s response to Van Velden’s ultimatum is to gun the Dutchman down and to conceal his body in one of the warehouses.

By this time, Stirling has managed to make his own way to the port and is spotted by Sumner, who’d been busy loading the gold onto a lorry. Although Hallem is able to temporarily render the agent helpless by use of the ear implant, Stirling makes a dash for the dock with both Hallem and Sumner in pursuit where he throws himself into the water. When he fails to surface after several minutes, the two crooks leave believing that Stirling must surely have drowned.

With Hallem and Sumner back on the road – this time with the gold, Stirling is safe to leave the water, and on doing so discovers that his colleagues, Sharon Macready and Richard Barratt, have themselves arrived at the warehouse. After Macready removes the device from Stirling’s ear, the three of them set off in after the two crooked surgeons.

Convinced that they’ve got away with the perfect crime, Hallem and Sumner allow themselves a wry smile, but when Hallem glances in his wing mirror and spots the NEMISIS agents trailing him, he realises that their celebrating had been somewhat premature. His response is to increase speed, but the winding country roads and the weight of the gold conspire to blow the lorry’s tyres blow and the overburdened vehicle is sent crashing into a tree.

Dazed and Injured, Hallem manages to scramble out of the damaged cab, and hoping to evade capture, he attempts to stagger into a woods. But as Stirling and his colleagues close in, Hallem inevitably loses consciousness and it’s game over.

1948 Deep Are The Roots

Year: 1948

Character: Chuck Warren

The play, written by American playwrights Arnaud d’Usseau and James Gow, tells the story of decorated Black army officer Brett Charles who has attempted to gain employment as a school teacher upon his return home from World War II. Unfortunately, the racial prejudice that he had left behind in America, while he was stationed in Europe, was still very much in evidence upon his return after he is accused by his new employer, Senator Ellsworth Langdon, of the theft of a gold watch. The play follows Brett’s psychological readjustment on coming home after the war and his pursuit of “fairness” after experiencing a war in which the colour of his skin was irrelevant to the goal of fighting a common enemy.

1948 The Government Inspector

Year: 1948

Character: Osip

When the locals in a small town in Russia learn that an undercover government inspector is coming for a surprise visit, an unfortunate case of mistaken identity sends the village spiraling into a world of panic and greed. The Government Inspector is often said to be Nikolai Gogol’s masterpiece, a comedy of errors that provides clever commentary on the extensive political wrongdoing of Imperial Russia. When it opened, it caused an uproar in the Russian press. Eventually, Tsar Nicholas I had to intervene in order for the production to move forward. Since its premiere in the 1830s, The Government Inspector has been translated and adapted for many different productions, most notably the Chichester Festival in 2005.

The inspiration for The Government Inspector came from a conversation between Gogol and Alexander Pushkin, another famous Russian writer. Apparently Pushkin had actually been mistaken for a government inspector at one point in his life. He mentioned this to Gogol, who then turned it into a play. Witty, smart and wildly satirical, The Government Inspector exposes the corruption of a provincial town with biting hilarity.

1950 Othello

Year: 1950

Character: Sylvius

Shakespeare’s Othello is one of his most intimate and devastating tragedies of all. It is a story about society, status and the nature of the outsider – but it is also a story about the love and trust between friends, and between men and women.

Defying her father and society to follow her heart, Desdemona secretly marries Othello – a powerful general, and a Moor. Despite her father’s objections in court, Desdemona remains committed to Othello and follows him from Venice to Cyprus, where he is commissioned to serve. Iago, a junior officer and Othello’s most trusted adviser, is tormented by his lack of promotion. Despite Othello’s confidence in Iago’s honesty, Iago reveals that he is in fact hateful of Othello, and sets out to destroy Othello and Desdemona’s happiness, manipulating Othello to serve his own ends. Iago convinces Othello that his wife has been unfaithful with the up-and-coming young soldier Michael Cassio.

As Iago draws Othello and the audience into a web of half-truths, secrets, and betrayal, scandal is fuelled — families and friendships destroyed — until a piece of supposed evidence of Desdemona’s infidelity, a handkerchief (which Iago calls “trifle light as air”) tragically undoes them all. Othello commissions Iago to kill Michael Cassio, and then smothers Desdemona in her bed. When Emilia discovers Othello in the act, she confronts him and explains that it was Iago who tricked them all. Iago kills Emilia, but not before Othello has learned what has been done. Othello commits suicide, and Iago is taken into custody. The play ends before we know what ultimately happens to Iago, but we do know that a profusion of devastation has been left in his wake.

1946 Present Laughter

Year: 1946

Character: Morris Dixon

Present Laughter is lighthearted farce that celebrates playwright Noel Coward’s legendary wit and larger-than-life persona. Based on Coward himself, actor Garry Essendine is the star of the London theatrical scene at the height of his fame and adored by legions of admirers–perhaps a little too much. Fans regularly throw themselves at Garry’s feet, drawn in by his charm and charisma, throwing his household into chaos. In the week before Garry is set to embark on an African tour, he is forced to juggle a besotted young woman with stars in her eyes, an unhinged young playwright obsessed with being in Garry’s presence, his best friend’s wife who is determined to seduce him, his manager, his producer, his secretary, his estranged ex-wife, and an impending mid-life crisis as his 40th birthday looms ever closer.

1946 Quality Street

Year: 1946s

Character: Ensign Blade

Phoebe Throssel lives on Quality Street with her sister Susan. She has been courted by Valentine Brown, a handsome gentleman who decides to enlist in the Napoleonic Wars. Ten years pass when Valentine returns to Quality Street as a celebrated captain, and he is greeted by a more mature, less glamorous Phoebe. When Phoebe sees the disappointment in Valentine’s face, she is emboldened to create a younger alter-ego named Miss Livvy. Phoebe, disguised as Miss Livvy, begins to attend balls and relive her youthful glory days. As she rekindles her romance with Valentine, can she juggle both personas or will her deception ruin her reputation forever? From the beloved writer of Peter Pan, J. M. Barrie’s Quality Street is an English farce about growing old that is sure to delight audiences.

1950 Tobias and the Angel

Year: 1950

Character: Raguel

When a fellow Jew is killed, Tobit – a Jewish man from Nineveh – chooses to break the law by giving him a proper burial. The next morning Tobit is blinded by a group of sparrows (played by a children’s chorus) who throw their droppings in his eyes. Remembering that he is owed money by Raguel, a relative in Ecbatana, he sends his son Tobias to reclaim it. A stranger offers to help guide Tobias on his way. On the way, the stranger encourages Tobias, who is something of a good-for-nothing and only interested in dancing, to pay attention to the world around him – to listen to the songs of the trees, the mountains, the river. In the river, they are attacked by a giant fish. Hearing its hidden song, Tobias is able to overcome it, and the stranger tells him to take its heart and gall.

In Ecbatana, meanwhile, Sara, Raguel’s daughter, is held under the spell of a devil, Ashmodeus, who kills her husband on their wedding night. When Tobias arrives, he falls in love with Sara. The stranger, however, has eyes only for the unseen devil, and he instructs Tobias to use the fish’s heart to break Ashmodeus’ spell. This enables Tobias to wed Sara without being killed, and they return to Nineveh. Tobias uses the gall to cure Tobit’s blindness, and the stranger reveals himself as the angel Raphael.

1946 When We Were Married

Year: 1946

Character: Gerald Forbes

Priestley’s 1938 British farce begins when a group of old friends, all married on the same day in the same chapel, gathers at the Helliwells’ home to celebrate their silver anniversary. When they discover that they are not legally married, each couple initially reacts with proper Victorian horror “what will the neighbours think?”. But soon all three couples find themselves reevaluating their marriages. In the end, of course, everything turns out well, and the play ends on a happy note.

• The English Theatre, Vienna. August, 1977
• Character: Shylock
• N.B. Directed by Peter and recorded at the English Theatre, Vienna, by Austrian Educational Television

The Merchant of Venice is amongst of Shakespeare’s most demanding drams plays for contemporary audiences. The attitude it conveys on Judaism remains a highly controversial point of debate, and its examinations of justice, mercy and, of course, religious intolerance are as relevant today as they were in the 17th Century. All that said Peter, who also directed the play, was to deliver an engaging, thoughtful, amusing remodelling of this somewhat contentious play.

The Story

Act I: Antonio, an antisemitic merchant, takes a loan from the Jew, Shylock (Peter Wyngarde), to help his friend to court Portia. Antonio can’t repay the loan, and without mercy, Shylock demands a pound of his flesh. The heiress Portia, now the wife of Antonio’s friend, dresses as a lawyer and saves Antonio. 

In Venice, a merchant named Antonio worries that his ships are overdue. As his colleagues offer comfort, his young friends – Bassanio, Graziano, and Lorenzo – arrive. Bassanio asks Antonio for a loan, so that he can pursue the wealthy Portia, who lives in Belmont. Antonio cannot afford the loan. Instead, he sends Bassanio to borrow the money on the security of Antonio’s expected shipments.

At Belmont, Portia and her maid, Nerissa, discuss the suitors who have come in response to Portia’s father’s strange will. The will says Portia may only marry a man who chooses the correct casket made from three possible options: gold, silver, and lead. Much to Portia’s distress, all her suitors are unsatisfactory. However, she does fondly remember a time when Bassanio came to Belmont, and that leaves her with some hope. 

Bassanio approaches Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, about the loan. Shylock holds a grudge against Antonio for his lending practices and apparent antisemitism. Still he offers Bassanio the loan. Instead of charging interest, seemingly as a kind of joke, he asks for a pound of Antonio’s flesh if the loan isn’t repaid within three months. The bond is agreed to (who wouldn’t agree to that?) and Bassanio prepares to leave for Belmont with his friend Graziano. 

Act II: Meanwhile, one of Shylock’s servants, Launcelot, wishes to change masters and persuades Bassanio to employ him. Shylock’s daughter, Jessica, also longs to leave home. She wants to become a Christian and marry Antonio’s friend Lorenzo. Before he departs to serve his new master, Launcelot takes a letter to Lorenzo that contains plans for Lorenzo and Jessica to elope that night. When Shylock goes out, Jessica escapes to elope, taking gold and jewels with her. The following day, Bassanio sets sail for Belmont, while Shylock rages over the loss of his daughter and the treasures she has stolen. 

In Belmont, one of Portia’s suitors (the Prince of Morocco) chooses the golden casket, while another (the Prince of Aragon) selects silver. Both chose the wrong casket and are unsuccessful. As Aragon leaves, Bassanio is announced. Portia eagerly goes to greet him. 

Act III: After a few days, Shylock hears that his daughter Jessica is squandering her stolen wealth in Genoa. He begins to rail bitterly against Christians. He reminds Antonio’s friends that if the loan is not repaid on time, he will insist on the original agreement of one pound of flesh. 

Back in Belmont, Bassanio chooses the lead casket, and in so doing, he wins Portia. His friend Graziano asks for Portia’s maid Nerissa to be his wife. Portia gives her ring to Bassanio, making him promise never to give it to another. As Lorenzo and Jessica come to Belmont, news arrives that Antonio’s ships have been lost at sea, and he is now bankrupt. They are also told Shylock insists on the fulfilment of his bond and has had Antonio arrested. Bassanio and Graziano leave in haste to help Antonio. Portia and Nerissa resolve to follow afterwards, disguised as lawyers. 

Act IV: In the court in Venice, Shylock demands his pound of flesh. The Duke, presiding over the court, seeks legal advice from the lawyer “Balthazar,” who is Portia in disguise. Portia pleads for Shylock to have mercy on Antonio. Bassanio offers his wife’s money, which would more than pay the debt, but Shylock refuses to accept. Antonio’s death is only prevented as Balthazar explains the bond is for flesh but not for a single drop of blood. So Shylock cannot collect the pound of flesh. 

For threatening the life of a Venetian, Shylock forfeits his goods to Antonio and Bassanio. Antonio refuses his share of compensation and asks for it to be put in a trust for Lorenzo and Jessica. He also demands that Shylock becomes a Christian. Broken and in submission, Shylock leaves the court. Bassanio and Graziano thank the lawyers, who ask for their rings as legal fees. Bassanio and Graziano refuse until Antonio intervenes and makes them give the rings to the lawyers. 

Act V: Undisguised, Portia and Nerissa return home at night to find Lorenzo and Jessica enjoying the tranquillity of Belmont. When their husbands arrive, Portia and Nerissa scold them for giving away their rings, pretending they had been given away to other women. Before long, they reveal themselves as the lawyers from the trial. Antonio receives news that his ships have returned safely after all (looks like we didn’t need to go through all this mess in the first place!). The play ends as the three couples prepare to celebrate their marriages.

Additional

Peter was to bring a controversial scene to the play which involved Jessica, the money-lender’s daughter, kissing her father fully on the lips. This was to raise many an eyebrow both in the audience and in the press
ranks.

He also recorded sequences from the play for Austrian broadcaster, WOR-TV, which were screened as part of Scenes From Shakespeare – a series produced especially for educational purposes. He was paid £5,000
for performing the additional scenes, plus £1,000 for his direction. The piece was never to be shown outside of Austria.

Peter had hoped that his old friend Vernon Dobtcheff would join him in Vienna to play Bassanio but, alas, Dobtcheff was otherwise engaged.

The Hellfire Club: The OFFICIAL PETER WYNGARDE Appreciation Society: https://www.facebook.com/groups/813997125389790/

Emails and messages from Peter’s many fans around the world.

Please check back – more to come…

Please Note: The following emails are posted with the newest messages at the top and working down to the oldest.

CATAGORIES

Wyngarde Chat: meeting Peter, favorite shows & episodes, fond memories.
Thoughts On... 'Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers'
Thoughts On... Wikipedia and how it has been so damaging to Peter's reputation over the years
Thoughts On... misinformation about Peter in the media, books and on the internet.
Thoughts On... internet trolls and concerns regarding the future of Fandom

Wyngarde Chat Meeting Peter, favourite show & episodes, fond memories...

Superb actor of the highest quality. Peter should have been afforded the opportunity to play James Bond in many films. In interviews Peter appears to be such a kind and gentle man: Peter was certainly a Gentleman by anybody’s standards. It is heartening to know that Peter will live on forever in his film & television performances, not only for his millions of fans and admirers from my generation, but also for younger people who can watch and appreciate Peter’s beautiful contribution to our lives. God Bless Peter Wyngarde.

Dave

____________________

Hello Dave,

Peter was everything his detractors aren’t. That’s what made him great and them so filled with bile.

Tina

Good Morning,

In the 70s my father was a restaurant (La Potinière) manager in Mauritius where Peter Wyngarde came to diner with a local well known local TV person a Mr. Cantin and my father refused to let them in because Peter Wyngarde was wearing a wide open shirt instead of a dress shirt and the required tie. As we are doing a family history book, would you have by any chance any record of this incident? It did make quite a scene at the time and I think that even Paris Match in France had a piece on the incident.

Hoping to hear from you. Kind regards,

Henri Chasteau de Balyon

___________________________

Dear Henri,

Thank you for your email and interest in Peter Wyngarde.

While I know that Peter visited Mauritius a couple of times in the 1970’s (once en route to Australia), I’ve never heard the story about the incident at  La Potinière.

I have possession of all of his diaries and notebooks, so will look if he makes mention of this in any of them. I’ll of course let you know if I find anything.

With best wishes

Tina

___________________________

Thanks Tina,

I hope that you do find something in his diaries.

I am sure that Mr. Wyngarde wasn’t “amused” at the time.

My father was very strict, sometimes too strict for his own good, but I do remember him telling me that Mr. Cantin who was with Peter Wyngarde told my dad: “But Mr. Chasteau this is the man who has been named the “Best dressed man on the planet” which my dad replied “Not in my eyes, he is not!!”.

Anyway, if you don’t find anything on it, at least you would have heard it from me.

All the very best,

Henri

Dear Tina,

A very good example of how lovely Peter was occurred on this day. He didnt have a clue who I was but couldnt have been more pleased to see me and engaged in conversation as if he’d known me for years. The other woman who I wont even name was about as opposite to Peter as you could get. I wasnt even intending to take a picture of her but when she launched into a tirade of abuse towards me I decided to snap her. Ill be honest I didnt know who she was or what she was in. I certainly know who she is now and she’s left a lifelong scar on me.

I actually turned the television on late last night to see Peter in a film with Gareth Hunt amongst others. I think it was a horror. Missed the first hour so will watch it another time. And the walls came tumbling down I think it was called.

John Botton

___________________________

Hi John,

I remember Miriam Margolyes shouting out sporadically as to why there were loads of people at Peter’s table and none at hers. Now we know!

Tina

Hi,

Having read his Wikipedia I can truly say that he was the epitome of an International Man of Mystery. 

Geoff Miller

___________________________

Hello Geoff,

I wouldn’t believe Wikipedia if they told me it would go dark before morning! The lies and misinformation on there, which was inevitably copied by lazy journalists, caused a lot of stress for Peter in the last few years of his life. Whenever these things were pointed out to the conglomerate that ran and ultimately jealously guarded the PW ‘biography’, you were either banned from the Wikipedia website altogether, or abused. There are a couple of articles on our website that detail the fight that I and others had over the years to get the rubbish posted on there removed: https://peterwyngarde.uk/…/19/wikipedia-to-theheartofit/ and https://peterwyngarde.uk/2023/07/02/wiki-watch-2/

Tina

Dear Tina,

They say never meet your hero’s, but on Saturday 28th March 2015 in Westminster London myself and my best friend did and we were delighted with how nice and funny and how good he was with his fans proving the old saying wrong. That memory became even more special to us when we heard the sad news of Peter’s passing in 2018.

For me Peter Wyngarde was one of Britain’s greatest actors and also one of the most underrated, he had the incredible rare talent of being able to completely disappear into the character he was portraying so you forgot you were watching an actor playing a part or that you were watching Peter Wyngarde in something, but were watching an actual person who really existed and not a fictional character.

This can be seen best in his roles before the one that would make him internationally famous such as the Baron episode the Legion of Ammak in which he play two roles of King Ibrahim (Not the other King he was to brilliantly play later on) and an actor who also impersonates the King. What amazed me with this Wyngarde didn’t simply play the part of the King and the actor but when the actor had to play the King to near perfection he still made it different enough compared to the real King he was playing. Watching Peter Wyngarde was one of the reasons I wanted to originally become an actor I wanted to be able to do what he did play any role without the audience thinking they were watching an actor.

He was an actor who always left us wanting more Department S is a prime example of one ITC show I wanted more off. I wish they were more things for me to watch with him in, one because Peter never failed to deliver every time he was in something guest or star he never disappointed. He had the rare talent of being able to be a character actor as well as a leading man and succeeding in both. He has left a legacy which I hope will continue to be discovered by each new generation of television and film fans and his talent being continued to be appreciated.

Farewell Peter and thank you for showing me what a true actor can be capable of.

Travis Nicholls

Dear Tina,

I joined the Appreciation Society a couple months back. I loved Peter’s TV work but was mostly interested because he was one of my uncle’s best friends in Lunghua. Since then I been clearing out my mum’s stuff since she’s gone into a retirement home and found lots of interesting material. Anyone else peripherally involved? I contacted the Lunghua (society?) couple years back but no response. My uncle and mum still fondly remember Peter whom my uncle describes as ‘indestructible’.

Celia Barlow

Dear Tina,

I hired Peter to do a voice over for a corporate video (which dates this). We did it on Jersey and had a terrifically boozy lunch before going into the studio. There were 2 words he insisted on doing a specific way. Unfortunately they were both in the company name… We got through it. I treasure the script (which I wrote and he signed). To me he will always be Jason King. There are few actors (Roger Moore is one) who can lay claim to being a true icon on the time. Nuff said.

Mark Harris

___________________________

Hello Mark,

I mention him doing this voice-over in my book. For some strange reason he insisted on renewing his passport while there. It all seems like yesterday.

Tina

___________________________

Yes, I read that in your book Tina. Great job by the way. I also remember it well because my wife and mother both insisted on coming on the trip to Jersey just to meet Peter. Keep up the brilliant job keeping his memory alive.

Mark Harris

Dear Tina

Department S recently came out on BluRay in Australia and is much sought-after, I had them imported! Meanwhile his films continue to be enjoyed on Talking Pictures TV and other channels picking up new fans all the time. The Sherlock Holmes episodes will never be forgotten because of that huge fanbase.

Alistair Shailes

Hi Tina

I was a kid in the USA when the British Spy shows appeared. So I purchased DVDs of Jason King, The Avengers, Dept S, because I didn’t know if I’ve seen all the episodes. I found his music CD! All these products I purchased 20-30 years later! And I must admit, his CD, WOW, just WOW! I saw Flash in the movies and silly me didn’t know he was behind the mask till my friend pointed out several weeks later during conversation. Maybe it registered (that voice!) but didn’t sink in!

Paul T. Winkfield

Hi Tina,

I think that journalist is off his editorial rocker. I did not really know of Peter until I happened upon a news article reporting on his death. It mentioned a recent poll that placed Jason King very highly on the UK’s greatest TV shows. I was surprised because I had not heard of the show despite watching a fair share of UK TV shows that had aired in the US. I had seen him in the Avengers and Flash Gordon, but didn’t recognize the name. I looked into his story, and was intrigued enough to buy a used set of DVDs. Now i’m a huge fan!

Travis Shick

Dear Tina,

Your Peter has always been a great favourite of mine. He did some brilliant on stage, and film, “The Innocents” being my most favourite. He was superb in “Flash Gordon” as he always made a wonderful baddie.

His television work I loved too, particularly the two series when he played Jason King, and when he played Number Two in “Checkmate” – a episode of my most favourite series “The Prisoner”.

Isobel Smith

Hi Tina,

Peter will always be remembered as Jason king. That was his time and a character that stood head and shoulders above the rest. He was always great and very watchable in everything he did. And often gave even better performances in those than the ITC series he was involved in. But, for me he was always Jason. I loved his voice and his way. I don’t think he would have been sad to have been remembered for that.

Duncan Campbell

Peter had great presence. He inhabited a character from the inside of his soul.

He was totally part of a scene, reacting to other actors even when he wasn’t the main character. He was a great actor and should have been recognised as such.

Judy Lockyer

I think he had a wonderful speaking voice and manner of speech, plus he was extremely charismatic. He should have been a star.

Shawna Khan

I think he had star quality that he shared with many other actors. Each major star, or actor with the star presence has an individual personality that is uniquely alone his own,

Gary Mark Bernstein

The voice was Peter’s God given gift. Couple that with charisma and presence and you have a powerful combination. He was a great actor and could have played some very significant parts and roles.

Chris Williams

I think he had the sort of style and sophistication that only belonged to the likes of David Niven or Patrick McNee.

Walt Redden

The voice was unique. But to me it was his versatility The Baron episode being the prime example of this as it was the way he played the three characters in it. He could of easily played the King and the actor pretend.

Travis Nicholls

Hi Tina,

I discovered Peter in a photo with Barry Gibb getting the best dressed award in 1970. I’m a Bee Gees fan club member and saw the photo a couple of years ago. Peter’s face was so intriguing and handsome (but not in the conventional way) that I was curious to see his work. YouTube to the rescue. I was so impressed with his acting and persona that I wanted to know more about him. I researched on the web, joined this group, and read Tina’s lovely book. Peter deserved much more acting opportunities, recognition and fame than he received after the unfortunate incident that tainted him. I wish that I had discovered Peter’s acting legacy much sooner.

Shawna Khan

Dear Tina,

As a fan of TV and film I’m always going on about theme music and opening titles. They are so important and can make or break a series. Think of The Avengers theme by Laurie Johnson. Full of authority, purpose, drama, captivating, then light and dreamy, then back to authoritive and stern. You knew something dramatic was coming. It set you up for the programme and helped make The Avengers what it was. Same with the theme for Department S. Starts off with drama and intrigue, then tension as violins stretch your nerves in expectation, Then into the pounding beat driving home the sense of determination and authority. Just brilliant. I always loved it and listen to it on it’s own sometimes.

In contrast, there was a TV series in the late 70’s called The Racing Game which was written by successful jockey and author Dick Francis no less. The stories and concept were brilliant but the series flopped. The theme music and opening titles were dreadful and uninspiring. It didn’t get you in the mood for each episode and you made no connection with the series or had any sense of expectation anything good was about to happen. Yep, the theme music and opening titles can make or break a TV series or film.

Chris Williams

Like many, I was too young when Department S and Jason King were screened. Most likely I saw him for the first time in The Avengers (‘Epic’) in a repeat in the late Seventies. Flash Gordon didn’t do anything for me in that regard – as everyone was dubbed in Germany. In the Eighties, I bought videos each time I was in London, and probably from that time I knew him from single episodes of Jason King on “Classic TV Heaven” tapes as well as Night of the Eagle and A Touch of Brimstone.

Uwe Sommerlad (Germany)

Dear Tina,

As we welcome this New Year, it feels only fitting to pay tribute to one of the most distinctive figures ever to grace the screen and the stage.

Peter possessed a voice of remarkable timbre and authority, a diction of exquisite precision, and a command of language that turned every line into a performance in itself. Added to this was an extraordinary work ethic and a mastery of body language -every gesture deliberate, every movement expressive, every pause meaningful.

Besides of his unique qualities as a consummate actor, he was a true trendsetter whose style, presence, sensibility, and intelligence continue to inspire admiration decades on. A reminder, as year begins, that elegance, discipline, and individuality never go out of fashion.

Happy New Year!

Luis Maria Palma.

Hi Tina

I didn’t realise it was you who ran this website. You have done a fantastic job. It is jam packed with such great coverage. I am impressed.

Likewise, I am impressed with your memoir of Peter. I have bought it and dipped in. 

I have just started watching Department S from the beginning and isn’t he just fab in it? My first encounter with him was as Klytus, a great performance. I still think he is the best element of the film. That voice!

I love him in Night of the Eagle, superb.

I have wanted to champion Peter, and as I am a Reader in Film at a university, part of my job is to write journal articles, chapter, books etc. So, it was with excitement that I wrote about him as an icon of masculinity in the 60s/70s, focusing on his role as Jason King. I can’t send you a copy due to copyright etc. and it hasn’t come out yet. But when it does, and if you are interested, I can see if I can send a copy.

I looked at that auction and wish now I had bought something. Never mind.

Anyway…that is me rambling. I hope you have a smashing New Year.

With best wishes,

Steve Gerard

Dear Tina,

An unexpected story from a work colleague. He used to help Peter with his computer. He said Peter never got the hang of double-clicking. As Peter’s IT support person, he got to know him well and said he was always wonderful company and a perfect gentleman. Peter encouraged my colleague with his acting ambitions and the result was he went to drama college and subsequently got both stage and TV parts. I learned all this in a team meeting this week when everyone takes a turn to say something unusual about themselves. I feel ever so slightly closer to Peter now.

James Rigby

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Hi James,

Peter used to call your friend, “My student”. I pity him greatly having to try to teach P how to use a computer. I tried numerously, but it just wouldn’t sink in. I remember him bemoaning the fact that the screen on the computer had frozen. “Then reboot it,” I advised. “Reboot it! I’ll boot it down the f***ing garden!”

Tina

Dear Tina,

Regarding the recently issued ‘Department S’ Blu-Ray boxset a la Imprint:

Were you aware of the involvement of notorious internet troll, D** B**, with the ITC Entertained The World podcast? I find it sickening that he should be participating in something like this after all the heinous insults he and his buddies aimed at Peter. The very fact that the Facebook group he hosted (Department Wyngarde) was removed because of the disgusting lies, abuse and threats he was allowing to be posted on there should’ve been a red flag to the producers of that podcast. What were they thinking!

I personally think you should start a campaign through the Appreciation Society to boycott the boxset. I’m sure the vast majority of Peter’s fans would support you. I certainly wouldn’t have it in my collection.

Many thanks for all the great work you do.

David Lipscombe

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Dear David,

Yours is just one of a number of emails and messages I’ve received from fans who are concerned about Mr. B**’s participation in the podcast you mention above. I’ve decided to publish just your email as it, more or less, reflects the contents of all the messages I’ve received on this subject. Here is the same response I gave to perturbed members of our Facebook group:

Many of you have pointed out the involvement of a certain Dan Box in at least one of the podcasts devoted to ‘Department S’, and have requested clarification on whether he had any input vis-a-vis these commentaries etc.

As most of you are aware, Mr. B** was instrumental in recruiting a mob of vicious, foulmouthed bullies via his now debunked ‘Department Wyngarde’ Facebook group (which FB were obliged to closed down in 2019 for contravening its Harassment and Bullying Policy), and who subsequently went on to persecute and libel Thomas Bowington (Peter’s friend and agent) and me for over 5 years.

In addition to setting up several groups thereafter on Facebook and other social media platforms (one of them imaginatively entitled ‘Department Wyngarde 2), Thomas and I were sent almost 80 rabidly Antisemitic, Homophobic, Misogynistic and Ableist emails via our website in Mr. Box’s name as well as others, which not only attacked us, but Peter as well (the profanity is too strong to repeat on here, but you can see some of the [barely] printable examples here. While Thomas and I were perfectly capable of defending ourselves against these assaults, Peter was not, which made them all the more distasteful and cowardly.

I’ve known of Mr. B**’s involvement with this podcast since 2021, but I chose not to bring it to your attention for a number of reasons. Over the years, this matter has been repeatedly brought to my attention by others, but I’ve resolved to keep my counsel.

There are now calls from members of this group to boycott the boxset altogether. I will leave that up to the individual, as it’s something I don’t wish to encourage or become involved in. I have no idea if B** has had any input re. Messrs Samujha and Wiseman commentaries or not, but I’m certain that Imprint had no knowledge of B**’s shameful history.

That’s all I have to say on the subject. As far as I’m concerned, I did a Pontius Pilate on B** in 2019. I did, however, inform Mr. Samujh in writing some years ago of B**’s involvement in the aforementioned campaign of hatred – forwarding to him printouts of many of the vile emails that he and his mates had concocted, with their endless slurs and insults aimed at Peter. At least then both he and Mr. Wiseman were able to make an informed decision.

Tina

Dear Tina,

I’ve just finished reading the brilliant article, ‘How Trolls Like These Ruining Fandom‘. Trolling is the scourge of the internet. As with everything, it’s a minority spoiling things for the rest of us. You have been a very brave, strong woman to have stood up to the idiots described in this article, and I commend you for facing them down. It would’ve been a real shame if you’d given in to them and closed the Appreciation Society.

Incidentally I wonder if the moron who wrongly accused you of writing a 5 star Amazon review for your own book and harassed you mercilessly over it, did the same to Jaz Wiseman who really did write a 5 star review for his book, ‘ITC Entertained The World: The 2020 Podcasts Volume 1’ on Amazon? I expect not, as coward like that tend only to pick on women.

Long live the King!

Rebecca Spencer

Hello

My name is Darren.

I’ve just finished watching Department S, which I’m obsessed with, the best dressed crime fighting trio in television history haha, I’m reading Tina’s book atm, I just wanted to say how much I’m enjoying it and how cool Peter is and I’m looking forward to finding all his other tv shows plays and movies that are available.

Darren Smith

Hello.

I’ve just read the article, ‘Brought To Book‘ on your website regarding a ridiculous review of your excellent biography, ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers‘. How can anyone dismiss a thoroughly researched, well written book of over 500 pages, simply because their own inaccurate preconceived ideas about its subject aren’t met?

Rather than its author, Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins, being “homophobic” (a libellous slur, surely!), I would suggest that the reviewer has more than a whiff of Heterophobe about him or her. What’s the point in buying a biography of a well-known personality if you’ve already made your mind up about them? Patheic!

Jay Winsor

I’m 73, Peter, and many, many of my favorite stars are gone, I feel watching them is a tribute and many times I have a glass of wine in honor, and enjoyment of seeing them at their best!

Paul T. Winkfield

Peter’s performance was excellent in every production. His voice, style, expressions and interpretation were superb. You literally could not take your eyes off him. He stole every scene. He could act without saying a word. Hugely underrated and much missed.

Eileen Took

Hello,

Really a great page about Peter Wyngarde. Happy who has such ‘fans’. It’s a pity that he is no longer with us. A friend told me that in Bolivia in 1971 many were cutting the hairstyle like Jason King.

George from Cologne

Hi Tina (if I may),

Thanks for admitting me to this wonderful group. Wyngarde is such a hero of mine, right down to my collection of silk scarves I wear to work! I’m a teacher at an international school and whenever I get a compliment from a student about a pocket square or scarf I’m wearing, I tell ’em it’s all thanks to one special man! I’m not only a fan of the Jason King years, but also as Gary Essendine in Coward’s Present Laughter. I dearly wish I’d seen him on the stage (particularly Underground in 1983). My best to you.

Paul Lynch

Hello.

I’ve just been looking at the latest article called ‘Pornography. Hang on… where’s all the gay stuff?’ Exactly. Where is it? I wonder what excuse the Gay Mafia (or didn’t they call themselves a Knitting Circle at one time?) will have about this? After all, those items clearly exist and were sold through reputable auction houses. Will they have the brass neck to accuse these sales rooms of fabricating all these things or start a hate campaign against the auctioneers who sold them?

I’ve read all the letters and other things written by Peter himself in his own handwriting which you have posted on this website. Were these idiotic trolls so full of their own self-important that they tried to suggest he was lying too? There really are some lowlifes. Were they so desperate to claim Peter as one of their own As you said to the chap who wrote the article, “Let the evidence speak for itself.”

Keep up the excellent work.

Paul Quirk

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Hello Paul,

It was Peter’s fans who were to give the title ‘Knitting Circle’ to a particularly vicious group of trolls who harassed anyone associated with this Appreciation Society between 2019 and 2013. In addition to being rabidly misogynistic, ableist and grossly Antisemitic, they hauled me over the coals – even when presenting corroborating evidence of everything contained in my book (‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers‘). All they were able offer was profanity and threats. In fact, one of them had his group page closed down by Facebook because of the libels and expletives posted on there, and their manacle website was removed by Google due to the offensive language and other obscenities it contained.

Despite all of the above, we’re still here. The book sold in large numbers. The world remains unchanged. At the end of it all, it was they who wasted 5 years of their lives obsessing over people they didn’t know and had never met.

Thanks for taking the time to write.

Tina

Dear Tina,

Just finished your remarkable biography of this wonderful actor. Bravo! It’s always my regret I never saw him on stage in Shakespeare. For me, he dwells between Burton and Olivier – maestro indeed. I recall my friend Tony Shaffer (Sleuth etc) speculating on “the edge” he could have brought to Hitchcock’s Bob Rusk character in Frenzy. We both pledged to create a character for him. One subject came close but, alas, the odious thief, time, defied us. Peter, you are greatly missed,

Michael Feeney Callan

Hello,

I really like the section on this website where you highlight all the lies, errors and half truth about Peter in the mainstream press (see ‘It Must Be True…!). Do you ever write to the papers to correct this stuff, and do they bother doing anything about it?

Keep up the excellent work.

Barry Taylor

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Dear Barry,

While The Daily Mail is something of a serial offender when it comes to published utter rubbish about Peter – including half-truths and blatant lies at times – I have to give them their due, they have had the common decency to respond to the email’s I’ve sent to them, which is more than be said for The Mirror, who have either relied with a load of unrelated law-speak (see ‘The British Press and the Web‘), or just blanked any attempts to correct their glaring errors – purposeful or otherwise. Even the jounos themselves if you contact them directly tend to blank you. They’re really pig-ignorant!

I did receive an algology from the editor of Yours Retro in March 2019 after they published a car crash article about Peter, written by a freelance journalist. They did make amends in January 2025, with a far more thoroughly researched piece; i.e. they didn’t just cut & paste the first thing they read on the Internet.

Regards,

Tina

Dear Tina,

I’ve just read Alex Thorpe’s article about someone calling them self ‘City Bookworm’ and their review of your book (see ‘Brought To Book‘).

It did read as if that person had only one interest in Peter Wyngarde, and that was his sex life. There didn’t seem to be any reference to the mass of details and information about his career or what he did with the 99.9% of his time when he wasn’t bed. I thought that the reason for anyone buying a celebrity biography was to learn about that person, not for the purpose of having your own predetermined ideas established. As Alex Thor[e said, it came across as extremely voyeuristic. Perhaps that’s why the person who wrote the ‘review’ chose not to put their real name to it.

For what it’s worth, I loved the book. It was extremely well written, and the depth of detail is extraordinary. Denialists like ‘City Bookwork’ would probably attempt to refute the wealth of stuff you have posted on the ‘site written by Peter himself, rather than accept they’ve not been barking up the wrong tree, but in the entirely wrong forest.

Bernie Strettle

Dracula was one of the best fictional creations of all time and I would have loved to see Peter’s performance. My favourite screen Dracula has to be Lugosi with a honourable mention for Christopher Lee. However, neither actor (great as they were) had Peter’s diversity. He’s the only actor that could have been James Bond and/or Doctor Who with the possible exception of Robert Powell.

Pete Kitts

Hi!

I wonder if it’s been mentioned the point about this page that the film variously known as Burn Witch Burn or Night of the Eagle is one of the best supernatural films of all times. It’s about as well made and enacted as about any film. (Actually I can think of at least two well-made supernatural films that I think are better made and better than Burn Witch Burn but that’s about it.)

I think Peter Wyngarde’s performance which is good as anything he did that I saw, and probably about as good as anything I ever saw by anybody else. Janet Blair and the other cast members were also excellent. I forgot that Peter Wyngarde also had a very small part in the movie The Innocents with Deborah Kerr, which was absolutely the best supernatural film I ever saw, the best made and the best about everything you could describe it. In such a small part there was not much to judge, but he was perfect.

So in fact Peter Wyngarde was in the two best supernatural films I ever saw. (And yes I know without anyone having to point it out to me that such proclamations are totally subjective).

Gary Mark Bernstein

Hello Tina,

I have just finished reading your book and I was so moved by your story of Peter. By the end, I cried for your loss. He was such a beautiful man and remember watching his TV series as a child, and I have been watching the reruns of Department S and Jason King.

Back in the 60s, my father was rather dapper and travelled a lot for his business as an antiques dealer. On a few occasions he was approached at airports and mistaken for Peter and asked for his autograph. My dad didn’t look like Peter, but had a great sense of humour and signed Peter’s name. He passed away in 1969 at the age of 42.

Thank you for writing your memories of Peter Wyngarde. He was such a talented man.

All the very best,

Lee Parsey

Via X:

Somewhat belatedly, I am currently reading this marvellous book by Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins – “Peter Wyngarde: A Life Among Strangers”. Actor biographies are often rather pale and lacking in depth. Something that cannot be said of this tome which is an absolute revelation and a joy.

Steve Hughes

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Thank you, Steve, for being so kind about the book. I’m so glad that you’re enjoying it. There are so many myths and lies out there about Peter, I just wanted people to hear the truth. With best wishes, Tina

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Really Tina, I can’t thank you enough for having written this book. Despite me being a fan for most of my life, there’s a mass of revelatory information within those pages that I knew absolutely nothing of! It has deepened both my knowledge of his vast career and life as well as.

Steve Hughes

Dear Tina,

Thank you for putting together all the wonderful information and pictures on this website. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed looking through everything.

Judy Lockyer

Dear Tina,

I am reading ‘A Life Amongst Strangers’ which I must say I am finding absolutely enthralling. Beautifully written, Immaculately researched it captures the very essence of the man. I have long been an ardent fan of Peter Wyngarde and your book is an absolute joy to snuggle down with for night-time reading.

My Congratulations. This is the best book I have had the pleasure in reading in a very long time.

Annette McFarline-Bryant

Hi Tina,

I’ve really enjoyed reading the interviews on the website . I so would have loved to meet Peter. He has played some really brilliant roles over the years. Particularly on 60s and 70s television. But my absolute favourite role of his has to be General Klytus in Flash Gordon. This definitely showed that despite wearing a gold mask, he was still able to portray and exude pure evil with his voice alone. Even though he was speaking very calmly.

Jim Bond

Hi,

I am going to get this book (Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers) on a truly wonderful stylish actor who deserved more recognition from his peers than he got. He had a wonderful way with words and wit. As a kid, Department S and Jason king, were a must watch and always will be, Peter will long live in my memory always, for the pleasure he gave millions. Thank you.

Mark Nicholas.

Dear Tina,

Just finished your book took ages but very interesting well written. Always been a fan of Peter so glad you were both so happy.

Tony Douglas

I’m so jealous, I would have loved to have met Peter. I found him to be stylish, mesmerising, entertaining, funny, a great actor and devilishly sexy… Love you Peter!

Susan Wilde

Why on earth has nobody thought of making a film of Department S. We need a bit of a lift in these sombre times and this series deserves a film spin off. We already have Mission Impossible we have had The Saint (maybe a bad example to support my case) The Avengers (see previous comment), but this could work.
As mentioned on this site the theme is brilliant. The premise is wonderful, and if this could be pulled together well and with respect to the original series it could be a winner.

Alan Burrows

Peter Wyngarde as Jason King, Joel Fabiani as Stewart Sullivan and Rosemary Nichols as Annabelle Hurst: Could these actors be replaced?

Replies:

Wouldn’t be worth watching without Peter in it. He WAS Department S!! Diane Brierley

It’s a period piece it wouldn’t work it wouldn’t do justice to the original. Gary Powell

It may end up having a satirical or campy feel like Austin Powers. Shawna Khan.

Yes. who will take on the role – especially Peters??? Dave Lighthouse Johnson.

Sadly it would no doubt end up like the rest of the film versions or the remakes, totally shocking and an insult to the original, I can’t think of a decent one of the afore mentioned, perhaps with the exception of “Return of the Saint”, and I’m not sure if you can class that as a remake, and who would star in such a project is another big problem, of course that’s only my opinion. Mark Cooper.

Noooo! Who could possibly replace Jason? Lol. On second thoughts, if they must do a remake then maybe Dominic West? Lindy Lindy

I’m not sure I could cope with a film without Peter and the original cast. The TV series just had a magic about it. After that god awful Randall and Hopkirk remake with Reeves and Mortimer I felt positively queezy. Sophie Strange

Definitely. The originals are best not revamped – plenty of other entertainment around. I’ve never really gotten into any of the remakes eg R&HD, Return of the Saint or even the New Avengers. The original was perfect imho, lol. Lindy Lindy

Only Robert Downey JR could play Jason King…Stewart and Annabelle not sure? It would need to be made by a true fan or it definitely wouldn’t work. It can work, other wise Mission Impossible films wouldn’t work…The Avengers and The Saint were dreadful because they tried to move away from what made these iconic series great…Maybe ex ITC people who were very young in the 60s? Chris Oten

No one could play Jason King other than the man himself. It would be a pale imitation. Freddie Valentine

Best left alone I think, whilst I enjoyed Department S and the Jason King series, there is no one that can replace Peter. David Staniforth

IMHO, a shame that they did not do a ‘spin off’ film at the time with the original cast. Adam Bigg

I know what you mean but I hope it never happens. You mentioned the Saint and the Avengers as poor examples and someone else mentioned Randall and Hopkirk as another one. I’m going to add the Prisoner to that list and I think we all know any similarities between the Mission Impossible films and TV shows are spurious. This sort of thing has a history of not working and even detracting from the originals (Doctor Who) so I pray that they leave Department S alone. Additionally there is only one King. Pete Kitts

Tom Hardy would be perfect as Jason King. Derek Smith

No not for me. There are no talented actors, scriptwriter or directors out there to do the series any justice. And they would probably destroy Jason Kings character by making him a complete joke. Nobody can play that role better than Peter Wyngarde. It would be a mess in my opinion like all the other remakes. Paul Trundley

Hi Tina,

I bought your book last week. By coincidence, it was delivered, whilst the opening credits for Jason King were playing on the TV. Just been reading your website. I had no idea Peter was into shooting. I used to do Clay shooting and I had a shotgun licence years ago. I owned an over and under Beretta. Peter had some nice guns.

I’m absolutely loving the book, it’s wonderful. I’m learning so much about Peter that I never knew and it’s completely changing my understanding of him. I can’t stop reading. I’m already up to the chapter entitled, ‘Masks’ and there was another spooky coincidence last. I went to bed and read and there is a reference in it to a Jason King episode, ‘Flamingos Only Fly On Tuesdays’. That was the episode I’d just watched on Rewind TV a few hours earlier!

I must admit to my shame that I only every saw Peter in the context of Department S and Jason King. I realise now that he was so much more than that. I think we would have got on very well and been great friends, I hope so anyway. I feel robbed that he is gone now and I’ll never meet him. Incidentally, a friend of mine Neil Hendry who is the nephew of the late actor Ian Hendry contacted Peter a few years ago as they both appeared in Crossfire (1967) which Neil has put on his YouTube channel, I’m sure you have seen it. Neil was in touch with Peter and corresponded with him providing him with a copy of the film as he hadn’t seen it in years. He said he was wonderful and I was so jealous!

Chris Williams

Hi Tina,

Visiting my brother in London and thought you’d enjoy the beginnings of his Wyngarde shrine!

Jez Fielder

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I have a similar shrine’ . Tony Richards

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Steve Cannell

Dear Tina,

Have been watching and recording Department S on Rewind TV. I think Department S ,which was made back to back with Randall and Hopkirk, deceased are by far the best of the adventure series ITC produced. Department S episodes are essentially locked room mysteries, with elements of the surreal.

It is greatly amusing that once the more prosaic detective work is exhausted they normally consult Jason King as to how he would have solved the mystery in one of his books. The character seems part Oscar Wilde, part Sherlock Holmes and part Noel Coward with a bit of bond thrown in and there seems to me to be an element of self parody that I think would have been knowing self parody even back then.

Ian Powell

Dear, Dear Peter,

That voice. That movement. That wit and intelligent dialogue treatment from you. In those beautiful costumes and design as Klytus you inspired me to become an actor.

Now older I’m reading Tina’s book. And John Walsh’s ‘Flash Gordon: The Official Story of the Film’.

Silly culture and archaic laws hurt you deeply. However it is the people who go first that shape culture and make it safer and happier for those who come later. Thank you for paving the way.

Actually in essence the film Flash Gordon paved the way for sexuality and a gender fluid world, which I believe you were aware of, even then. So thank you. I wish I’d known you. We could have been friends.

Klytus deeply inspired me. Every actor knows the power and difficulties of ”mask” work, and you gave a masterclass. The attention to detail, “the handkerchief” sniff, even as a boy enthralled me. I did nick that playing a nefarious character myself,. Yes, I sniffed a hanky…

Onwards to a world that works for everybody.

Love. Ashley Artus. X (Actor – ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows’, ‘Judge Dredd’).

Dear Tina,

I found myself thinking of Peter yesterday with the death of Kenneth Cope (12.09.24). Of all the ITC series that we grew up with, The Avengers, Department S and Randall and Hopkirk were the best. All three succeeded because they were well written (locked room mysteries) and because of the quality of the performances. There was a lot of wry comedy in Department S, mostly provided by Peter whose performance seemed to mix Steed/James Bond with a Dash of Noel Coward and Oscar Wilde.

Ian Powell

Hello,

I found your comprehensive article regarding the Night Conspirators play online and was hoping you would know where we could watch it please? My Dad remembers watching the play on TV in 1962 and he’d love to watch it again! Many thanks,

Katie Langen

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Hi Katie,

Until last year, the play was available on Network Entertainment’s online channel but, alas, the company ceased to exist as of last year. Network had released several volumes of the Armchair Theatre sereis, of which ‘Night Conspirators’ was a part, but hadn’t got around to issuing that particular episode when they went out of business. Hopefully, some other company will pick it up at some point. Keep an eye on our website just in case.

Tina

en los años 70’s aca en argentina, peter wyngarde era muy conocido por las series Departmento S y Jason King,en ese entonces las series inglesas competian con las estadounidenses,mis preferidas eran las britanicassaludos desde Buenos Aires.

Gonzalo Martin Alverez

Translation: In the 70s here in Argentina, Peter Wyngarde was well known for the series Department S and Jason King, at that time the English series competed with the American ones, my favourites were the British, greetings from Buenos Aires.

Hello,

I re-read G***n G******’s offending obit* last week after watching Dept S. It was pretty nasty but being banned from this web site hardly seems a sufficient motive for writing it.

Fredrich

*The Guardian – 18.01.18

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Hi Fredrich,

We’ve spoken about this earlier on this page, so maybe it would be best to redirect you to this article which will explain what lead up to the publication of the ‘obituary’ and what has happened since. Wikipedia: To TheHeartOfIt

Tina

Hi

I am writing to let you know about my YouTube channel called Retropia featuring the full series of Department S and now Jason King in HD quality for the first time:

https://www.youtube.com/@Retropia-zv9ix

I have been a huge fan of Peter Wyngarde’s for many years having first enjoyed his work as a teenager watching his Klytus in Flash Gordon, No.2 in The Prisoner and of course as Jason King. I also very much enjoyed reading A Life Amongst Strangers, I couldn’t put it down! He had such a magnetic presence that stood out in whatever he appeared in, but he was also a very accomplished actor. It will always be a sadness that I did not get to meet him.

I realised that a lot of his television work is quite difficult to find, especially in higher quality. I started with the entire series of Department S and am just about to finish uploading every episode of Jason King – am just finishing work on the last two EP25 and EP26. Each episode has been carefully remastered by myself, correcting colours, definition and then upscaled to HD so they now hopefully look good on large screen televisions.

Peter also features in an episode of The Baron I recently uploaded (another classic ITC series) – Episode 10: The Legions of Ammak, which really showed his skill as an actor as this was a very different character to Jason King.

I very much hope that you enjoy my Retropia channel and find it a fitting tribute to Peter and many fantastic shows of yesteryear that are still so rich and entertaining today.

Mark West

Hi!

I’m new to this group. I recently joined because… my Grandmother worked in a Co-Op in Birmingham. When Peter was in digs in Rep, this was his local shop. My Nan recognized him and they would often talk, this led to them daily going to a Café for a Tea. Apparently he used always ask after me although I never met him. It was just their time.

Tal E. Shaanti

1. There is a genuine archaeological expedition being planned to find King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur (true story).
2. It’s time for Jason King to return to save us from all the crime and violence going on in the world right now.

Voila! Jason King Arthur!

Steve Cooper

Hi Tina,

Regarding the forthcoming ‘No.2 action figure from Wandering Planet Toys:

Brilliant. And he IS Jason Wyngarde! John Byrne, his artist creator, admitted it. Such an intercontextual accolade proves Peter’s popularity and instant global recognisability then, now and forever! Immortality in a sense. Though not in the sense we’d like!

Derek Stewart

Re. Peter’s song, ‘Rape’:

So offensive in so many ways now. But actually deconstructs some of the nastiness in a disarming fashion. Creates so much dissonance between honesty and good behaviour that only reasoned people should be allowed access.

Andy Howe

Find information about this song and the Peter Wyngarde album HERE

I do really, really like the album , but find this song difficult to listen to.

Bryan Gerrard Longworth

I skip it whenever I play the album. Sadly, the track overshadows some bona-fide gems.

Mick Cantone

As Peter once said of the song, “There are many types of rape. There’s the rape of countries, of cultures and of minds. It’s telling that some people’s minds are so limited that they can only conceive of one type.”

Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins

Sadly, the song doesn’t really illustrate that point clearly.

Mick Cantone

Why should it? I take it as literary criticism with the skill of someone who has experienced the darker side of the ambiguity of human nature.

Deepinder Singh Cheema

I think the entire album is a work of genius and the track ‘Rape’, like it or not, is what made it so talked about. It’s clearly, to my ears, tongue in cheek. It’s interesting to read Peter’s thoughts in the sleeve notes of the reissue, where he says people take things so literally, and while of course rape is horrible, you can’t get into any kind of subject unless you make a joke of it. He then pointed out about how people ended up being gagged due to things being banned – how right he was. Speak about a subject now that people might decide they find offensive, it can literally cost you your job and leave you ostracised for daring to even bring it up.

James Gaden

Nonsense the track means the album is remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Raynard Toombes

Nonsense, the track Rape is at best challenging to these times, there are some timourous feelings which abound your get stronger stuff in the Bible and works of the bard not to mention the Greek underworld. I do like the drumming and production on Rape, All in all a great evenings entertainment.

Deepinder Singh Cheema

Hello,

My name is Peter March and I was born in Portsmouth in 1947. I studied Architecture and Design during the 60’s with a lot of travel to London during 1965 and 1966. As a born rebel with a cause I did a “runner” in 1967 and came to Sydney for a few months, still here !!  Although I have a business in Sydney my real love is for NZ and it’s getting very close for the final “runner”!

As it was for a lot of blokes of my age, the sixties were years of great adventure. Music and clothes, entertainment and travel plus sexy Jaguar “E” Types to drool over when my weekly pay was ten quid a week! However I think a pint was ninepence and a wimpy burger, hell lets not go there or I will think about poor Dudley Moore making burgers in “Bedazzled”.  

Television was so important with all the new and exciting shows, John Steed and the Avengers of course. TW3 and of course Pete and Dud. However in spite of all the stars and shows I always remember Peter Wyngarde as a hero, when to be young one needed heroes. At that time I was taken with a TV series called “It’s Dark Outside” and a new star was being seen in the shape of Oliver Reed. I loved the show and the popular song “Where Are You Now” by Jackie Trent.  

Peter Wyngarde was head and shoulders above the rest. A stunning actor who made each role so full of life. I will never forget him in “A Tale of Two Cities” and the memory stays with me. As Jason King he made life bearable in unbearable Australia in the late 60’s. Australia was still a 50’s and sometimes a 30’s society in those times and to watch Peter portray a character beyond the typical Aussie appreciation was just fabulous. Now we have reached the new century and all those Actors who had great voices and diction have gone, replaced by Hugh Grant !  No thanks. We have old mumbler Russell Crowe leading the charge of new hopefuls, I think not !!  Even James Robertson Justice looked and sounded like a man even if he was a bit of a ham.  

With my sincerest wishes, .  

Peter March

Superb actor of the highest quality. Peter should have been afforded the opportunity to play James Bond in many films. In interviews Peter appears to be such a kind and gentle man: Peter was certainly a gentleman by anybody’s standards. It is heartening to know that Peter will live on forever in his film & television performances, not only for his millions of fans and admirers from my generation, but also for younger people who can watch and appreciate Peter’s beautiful contribution to our lives. God Bless Peter Wyngarde.

Dave

I’d loved you, dear Peter, from the age of ten when you first appeared as Jason King in Department S. Stayed faithful to your memory til his death. Thanks for all your kind thoughts and letters over the years. Much love.

Erica P.

Peter Wyngarde was one of the finest classical actors. Loved from the first time I saw him on TV as Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities. Superb Oberon in A Midsummer Nights Dream too, and in Duel of Angels at the Apollo Theatre. A lovely man.

Kristl T.

Tina,

I have just finished Peter’s biography. It’s unbelievably touching and undoubtedly written with loyalty and love. As someone who has experienced caring for a sick loved one until the very end and being by their side until they passed, I could feel Tina’s pain and stress.

No one could have given more than Tina did in her love for this sweet and sensitive man in the time that they were together.

You were a loving tribute to him Tina. Fate was gracious in bringing you both together x

Stephanie Harpin

Hi Tina,

Regarding the article, ‘Gaming With Jason King‘:

Fan-blooming-tastic! And the entire ‘yarn’ was great. And I’m SOOOO happy that his velvet came through ‘undefelted’ (if there is such a thing – there is now!)! I must be a sad case, but it transported me back fifty odd years! Truly ‘FAB’!

Derek Stewart

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Hello Derek,

So glad you liked it, Derek. I thought it was something a bit different; a fun article and, it was created by people outside our group to show how fondly Peter, and the character of Jason King, is remembered.

Tina

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Tina,

I enjoyed it because it was ‘just right’: just silly enough, just entertaining enough, just knowledgeable enough, just… ‘Goldilocks Porridge’ enough! Ha ha. Enjoyable hokum – which was ITC’s forte.

Oh, just so you know what you already know, Peter (if I may be so familiar!) was and still IS so universally admired and loved by all (except the odd numpty who love to hate, who hate people who are loved, and who probably hate themselves – the last part being fair enough!) that I honestly have hardly ever heard anyone say anything bad about him (bar the odd lesser hurtful ‘urban myth’ that I set them straight on, as far as I can). And I am an ‘ITC Anorak’ who converses with numerous people on that subject (and their programmes and stars) virtually every day, so I know how well respected he is. In fact, the only person who gets more plaudits and is remembered more fondly, in my experience, is the late, great Sir RGM – Roger Moore (who I received a fan email FROM!). Signed photos of both legends – Roger and Peter (the latter of which you had Peter sign many a long yonk ago!) – loom large over my right shoulder in my office (along with dozens of others, I have to say, such as Tony Curtis, Patrick Allen – whose wife Sarah Lawson sadly died just months ago – Ian Ogilvy… Yes, an anorak!). Take care, and keep up the good work.

Derek

Hi Tina,

I have just (3 days ago) bought your biography of Peter and I am already more than halfway through. When it arrived it was a whopping creature bigger than I expected but well worth the money. You have done a thorough research on Peter’s background and it’s wording is clear and concise.

I’ve just reached chapter 111 (Broken Wings) which I will start tomorrow. This biography is full of wit, some sadness but a lot of love. There have been some bits in it that made me smile such as Peter not getting on with the internet (I have an old friend like that, she’s says “computers don get on with her”).

Even though I’m just into the second half of the book I can see that you were his loving champion and that Peter was a very lucky man to have you in his life.

Stephanie Harpin

Dear Tina,

Regarding fans favourite tracks from Peter’s album: I like them all, for one thing or another – even the non-PC ones. LOL. But my favourite, if pushed into naming one, is maybe Jenny Kissed Me – I love the delight and surprise in his voice, like a teen whose unrequited love has suddenly become as requited as requited can be, before possibly losing that fragile love as he cries over her as requited may be getting unrequited again! Ooh, hold on, hold on, I’m listening to it now (on the CD that you kindly had Peter personally sign for me many, many, MANY years ago!) and have just realised (after listening thousands of times! LOL) that Jenny Kissed Me segues straight into The Way I Cry Over You, making it seem like the one song! So I suppose it’s the latter song I prefer. Beautiful acting/singing.

Just to say that I came across Peter by chance when my daughter was a baby (she’s 25 next week) was up around 6am I day and started watching Jason King on Granada+ (no longer available) and I’ve been a HUGE fan ever since,keep up the good work,

Richard Clegg

Dear Tina,

Peter was a pal of mine in the 70s when we were neighbours in Kensington. A very funny, friendly guy who was wonderful company. I miss him. Greatly underrated as an actor. He was excellent in Night of the Eagle. RIP.

Stephen Gilchrist

Dear Tina,

I was thinking a couple of days ago of the Prisoner 50th Anniversary event at Portmeirion when my mate, John Uttley and I met you, Peter and Thomas (Bowington) at the Village Hotel. It was such a wonderful weekend, you guys we’re wonderful company, I’ll never forget your kindnesses. Truly one of the most glorious times I’ve ever spent, Peter was great and all those in attendance we’re treated to a very special time. A time to treasure. Hope you and Thomas have a bright and beautiful future, your passionate nature’s are a shining testimony to a great man who gave us all extra twinkles from the most extraordinary star. He was a true gentleman.

Christian James

____________________________

Hello Christian,

It’s so nice to hear from you. I was just thinking about the event in Portmeirion, and how happy we all felt the, little knowing what was just around the corner. At least such lovely memories of being with Peter and having the opportunity to meet people like John and yourself, helps get Thomas and I through the bad times, of which there’s been many. Bless you!

Tina and Thomas

Hi Tina,

My signed PW photos, now hanging proudly on my wall in my home.

Chris Honey

Tina,

‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ is a fabulous book Tina. A real tribute and testament to the memory of fabulous Peter and all that he did xx

Ian Kelland

____________________________

Thanks Ian. That means a lot, because you knew him for a long time. I just hope he’d approve.

Tina

___________________________

It’s a difficult one Tina. Peter would have wanted to be very discreet over details of his life but how can you tell his story without telling his whole story? I’m sure he’ll be far beyond discretion now & very touched with what you wrote in your book. The overall thing that touched me with your book was the respect you had for Peter. Who was, evidently, a celebrity who the press, unfairly, dragged through the mud. Love & Light to Peter 

Ian Kelland

Dear Tina,

In one of my JFK moments, I know where I was when I heard the news that Peter had passed away. I now live about thirty feet from where I was when I heard it on my car’s wireless (radio, for all you youngsters)! And what a WONDERFUL tribute Radio Scotland gave him in the bulletin – it took over a minute to get through! I know that doesn’t sound much, but for a three minute ‘on the hour’ news bulletin (including weather), it was very nice of them. But deserved. Peace to him, and bless you all.

Derek Stewart

________________________

Hello Derek.

Radio Scotland interviewed Thomas (Bowington) on 18th January, and Radio Ulster did a piece about Peter’s life and career on the same day as part of their Arts Show Programme.

Tina

________________________

Hi Tina,

Quite right as well. He deserved all the plaudits he got – and more. But David McCallum – the legendary Scottish actor from UNCLE – barely had a mention in the UK news – I listened to them all (maybe because he died the same time as Sir Michael Gambon, who had most of the headlines – and fair enough, because he was good as well). McCallum had lots of mentions in the news here in Scotland, of course. By the way, McCallum had a Scottish accent in real life – and even his Illya Kuryakin had a Scottish twang! Yet another one of my lifelong favourites gone. And recently Glynis Johns, David Soul… Such is life, I’m afraid!

Derek Stewart

Hi Tina,

Much fun was to be had a few days ago* when I read the following post by someone called Rosemary H*** regarding Peter’s turn as Number 2 on a social media group for The Prisoner: “Creepy in everything he acted in as far as I am concerned”, so I replied to her asking if she’d preferred the Lawrence Olivier directed version of ‘Duel of Angels‘ that had toured the UK in the late 1950s, or the Robert Helpmann adaptation that premiered on Broadway in 1960?

I also asked where she’d seen ‘Mother Adam‘, ‘Night Conspirators‘ and ‘Pick-Up Girl‘, etc. and what her impression was of the television presentations of ‘As You Like It’ in March 1953, ‘A Tale of Two Cities‘ (1957) and the 1964 series, ‘Rupert of Henzu’.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I responded. “You appeared to be implying that you’d seen EVERYTHING Peter Wyngarde had acted in.” Needless to say she vanished without trace. I doubt very much that anyone is surprised to hear this, or to learn that the sum total of her knowledge regarding Peter’s body of work amounts to nothing more than a couple of episodes of The Avengers, Department S and, of course, his appearance in The Prisoner.

What a ridiculous little woman.

Alex Thorpe

*This email was received on 13.01.24

Hi Tina,

I got your book for Christmas and just finished reading it earlier today  (31.12.23). It was a treat to read something different about Peter than the usual rubbish in the press.

Paul Beachcroft

Regarding the article, ‘Department S vesus Jason King‘:

A lot to digest in the blog, with some (ahem) “interesting view points”! I have to go for Dept S with the strong supporting cast, but it’s close being 51% /49%. I watch both with equal pleasure. The Man From X is my fav (and I own the Snakeskin Jacket from that episode!).

Rick Blackman

I knew Cyril Frankel very well, we always said he was the kindest, wisest man we ever met. When he sadly passed at 96, there were lots of photos from actors, many expressing thanks for his professional help and mentoring. Cyril spoke many times of Peter Wyngarde, and always said what a true professional he was and loved working with him (everyone together for a period has a few artistic differences of course!)

Cyril was allowed to take a memento from his time working on the ITC shows. He chose a print of the Department S episode, ‘Fish Out of Water’, I gave this director’s spool to Henry Cobbold (who is a real film buff) at Knebworth House, to have a look at it and see if still works. Henry penned Cyril’s autobiography “Eye to Eye”.

Tim Piercy

I’ve been reading with interest the various comments on your website regarding the Donald Spoto biography, ‘Otherwise Engaged – The Life of Alan Bates’ and the absolute drivel that he wrote about both Alan and Peter Wyngarde.

I knew Alan very well and I can say on authority that Spoto’s book wasn’t researched properly. There were many people who were close to Alan who Spoto didn’t even bother speaking to because all he wanted to talk about was his sexuality. I’m not surprised that Peter W. was so angry at the way he was treated by this author. I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you’ve published the truth* in Peter’s own words and written in his own hand.

A.S. Stevenson

*Read Peter’s thoughts on Spoto and his own explanation as to the true nature of his ‘relationship; with Alan Bates, here and here.

Jason King Boxset from Umbrella Entertainment.

This set is a thing of beauty, far superior to the UK Network release. Even comes with a repro ITC brochure.

Darren Brown

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The shameful thing on Umbrella’s part was that at the time of release this was not as heavily marketed as previous releases. This release even failed to hit long range release lists and hit the shops with heavy surprise. I had heard that since it was essentially

a surprise release, many collectors did not know until either they saw it on the shelf or found out too late when they were taken off the shelves. A very good release though and beautifully presented for one of the “16mm club”. I still have mine from the first day of release.

Adam Lonsdale

Sadly I have to agree with Peter himself, who said, solo Jason King would never be as good as Department S…which I have to agree, he was right.

Chris O-Ten

Viavision have reissued Jason King with the special features from both the Network and Umbrella sets. Click here for info.

James Helyer

Hi!

I’m new to this (Facebook) group. I recently joined because my brother and I only discovered Peter Wyngarde on YouTube this summer. Department S was a suggestion after watching his Avengers episode. And what a find he was! Wish I had known about him sooner. So I bought your book via Amazon, found Hellfire Hall website plus the Facebook group last night and am anxious and excited to learn, explore and be a part of this community.

Cindy Adams

Nice to meet you Cindy (you know what I mean).

This is a fab group of Mr Wyngarde fans. A great group of like minded people. There are a couple of episodes of The Avengers which Peter was in. I assume you saw ‘A Touch of Brimstone’ which is the B&W episode. I think this is a lot of people’s favourite episode & it actually inspired Stan Lee’s Hellfire Club in the X-men comics. I’m being kind, his Hellfire Club was a total rip but he also loved Peter, so it’s cool. He loved him so much there was a Marvel comic called Jason Wyngarde, which came out in the late 60’s/early 70s. But, sorry, I’ve gone off on a tangent. I only found out about this very recently and was all “Aha, that explains a lot & is utterly brilliant”. The second episode of The Avengers is a colour one called “Epic”, it’s Mrs Peel & John Steed one again, battling an over the top & on form Mr Wyngarde. He’s a washed up old actor. Of course, it’s fantastic, it’s The Avengers. He was in a lot of TV shows including The Prisoner & one of his great later performances is in one of the Sherlock Holmes series, the one starring Jeremy Brett “Tittle for tattle”. Oh, just so, oh. I know you get it. 

Steve Zala

Hi Tina,

I was absolutely delighted to hear that that highly controversial conviction against Peter dating from the mid 1970s has finally been overturned by the UK government. The press over here in the States were already questioning its legitimacy way before the Home Office made their decision in July of ’23. Andrew Stuttaford wrote in the National Review back in February 2018:-

“…although the reality may have been less clear-cut than the newspaper headlines after Wyngarde’s conviction liked to suggest.”

It’s desperately sad that these revisions are only now being made when they really should’ve been done during Peter’s lifetime, but then time has always been the ultimate teller of truths. Just keep fighting the good fight, dear lady, and don’t allow the naysayers to grind you down.

Regards,

Matt Turner, Columbus – a lifelong Wyngarde fan

Dear Tina,

What a super duper surprise to find an appreciation society for one of our very best actors.

I have been a fan since seeing him way back in the 1960s in Night of the Eagle and followed his career without pause enjoying every performance. Loved him in Jason King even if it was very campy and OTT, but what great entertainment. Just the stuff to blow away all the cares. And how scrumptious he always looked in his flares and furbelows. And that moustache and hairy chest!

On the serious side I battled my way to the box office to get tickets for The King and I in 1973, and enjoyed every minute. I even met and spoke with him once. I was on the way to the Odeon cinema, Kensington, and he was cleaning his Bentley Continental. He was so sweet and charming when I said “Hello” and mentioned how much I enjoyed his performances; so natural and unaffected.

I caught a glimpse of him last year in a programme about screen cads and he looked as gorgeous.

Jill Basten

Dear Tina.

I hope you don’t mind me messaging.

My dad, who passed away seven years ago, was a big Peter Wyngarde fan. He was brought up with the 60’s shows like The Avengers, The Champions and of course Department S. When these shows re-emerged on the Sky channel Bravo (I believe PW would present some of these, or appeared in some regard) in the 90’s my dad and I would have great fun watching them together, he’d tell my about his favourite shows and we’d watch for familiar faces popping up early in their careers (Donald Sutherland seemed to make the rounds through most of these shows).

Of these of course were Department S and Jason King. Dad (as do I) loved a scene-stealer and loved Jason King, and we’d think it the best thing ever when PW turned up in other shows (The Avengers being our favourite, and he livened up the episode of The Champions he was in), and we’d both walk around the house saying Fancy! to each other.

Anyway, one Christmas I managed to acquire a copy of Peter Wyngarde’s album on CD, which he absolutely loved and got pride of place in his collection. He’d listen to it often and would always tell me about it when he did  As mentioned, my dad is no longer with us and every so often I feel I have to let go of something that I would have kept a year ago including, sadly, the CD.

Stuart Rich

Below: from Peter’s trailer for Sky channel, Bravo – first screened on 24th July, 1995 

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Hello Stuart,

I was desperately sorry to hear that your Dad is no longer with us. However, I was delighted to learn that watching the re-runs of Department S and The Avengers together had brought you both such pleasure and made some special memories for you.

Do Take Care!

Tina

Dear Tina,

Regarding the re. issue of ‘Night of the Eagle’ on Blu-ray in Australia: I’ve had the DVD for many, many years, and watch it periodically, but I STILL watch it every single time it comes on TV (which, admittedly, is far too seldom for such a classic!) because it’s great to know that other people are viewing it at the same time, and are glorying in the communal chills it surreptitiously and inexorably delivers to the spine!

If anyone reading this hasn’t seen it, buy the DVD. You will NOT be sorry!

It shows Peter at his best, in a multifaceted portrayal of a sceptic in all things supernatural who slowly comes to comprehend that there ARE entities beyond our ken! Entities that some people can conjure up – but not necessarily control!

Derek Stewart

Brilliant!

For better or worse, Peter Wyngarde will be remembered for the “character” of Jason King – a character whose suaveness and “way with the ladies” have become shorthand for that brief period when the mainstream of popular culture appropriated – and vulgarised – certain aspects of swinging London and the hippy/groovy lifestyle of half a decade before. I would suggest that it was his great skills as an actor that allowed him to inhabit this role with such aplomb. Compare/contrast with say Tony Curtis and Roger Moore (both fine actors on their day) in “The Persuaders” who were utterly stiff and unconvincing.

Peter committed to that part with astonishing success; I would also suggest – however it looks through the prism of time – that he became a kind of feminist icon. I recall a brief period when almost every other suburban kitchen seemed to have a picture/poster of Jason King somewhere – usually in a leather catsuit – whose attentive, soulful eyes and cat-like physique seemed to offer everything to a woman that she wasn’t currently getting. Is it any coincidence that the women’s liberation movement hit a kind of peak during the Jason King years? The defiant act of pinning Jason to the wall (or in one instance I heard, the bedroom ceiling) was a simple statement that men needed to change in some fairly fundamental ways; unlike, say, James Bond – loved more by men than women – this was a character who Peter suggested actually liked women on many levels; was attentive to them – who dressed as carefully as them – to please them and himself of course – and sought a significant connection with them above and beyond sex. That was really powerful stuff circa 1970.

T.J.

Brilliant website great job.

Shelly Hodgson

Dear Tina,

I just wanted to say how amazing it was to see you, Peter and Sam J. Jones having a laugh together in the ‘Life After Flash’ documentary. I know that Peter and Sam were great friends, so it was fitting that S.J.J. should write the foreword for your book.

I saw Sam at an event a few weeks ago and mentioned to him that I’m a big Wyngarde fan and a member of the Appreciation Society. He mentioned you, saying what a lovely lady you are.

All the best then.

Rich Garton

Hi Tina,

I’m so delighted to see this website is thriving. I used to be a member of your Facebook group and, to my shame, also a member of the Department Wyngarde group, but when the latter threw open its doors to a gang of foul mouthed bigots and troublemakers I felt so sickened that I left social media altogether. Can’t tell you how glad I was to hear that F.B. saw fit to remove it for breaching their bullying and abuse rules.

Keep your head up. Rest assured that the people who lied and misrepresented themselves for the purposes of encouraging a witch hunt will eventually be held to account. Karma inevitably ends up tapping people like that on the shoulder when they least expect it.

Long Live The King!

Gary D.

Dear Tina,

I agree entirely with Trevor McNulty [See previous email]. It must be wonderful to know that the tittle-tattlers, muckrakers and purveyors of all the unconfirmed crap about Peter Wyngarde online and in the ‘papers are shrinking into rubbery rags like deflated balloons. People are all too eager to repeat the rumours and hearsay they read online without giving a moments consideration as to whether it’s true or not. I imagine these same people would protest long and loud if they were to find themselves the target of gossip, and yet they’re perfectly happy to do it to someone else.

Keep up your exceptional work,

Carl Johnson

Dear Ms. Wyngarde-Hopkins,

Over the past few months I’ve slowly but surely been going through this amazing website and acquainting myself more fully with Peter and his work. I can only thank you for sharing so much of his life with us, his fans. For years he has been appallingly misrepresented by the press here in the UK and latterly online. The fact that you have posted so many original documents and pieces of his writings, the vast majority of them in his own hand, has helped to dispel the malicious rumours and myths about him. You should be commended for not just saying “This” or “That” is untrue and expecting us to take your word for it, you’ve actually provided the evidence to back it up.

Whilst on that subject, some months ago I read a review of your book, ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ (a magnificent read, by the way), in which the person writing it bemoaned the fact that you hadn’t included a copy of Peter’s birth certificate within its pages. Well, I’ve read countless biographies and autobiographies over the years but I can’t bring to mind a single one that contains such a document. Isn’t the fact that you have added a Companion page to this website displaying many of the documents and letters referred to in the book (in addition to those mentioned previously) not enough? Again, I know of no other author that has been so diligent and honest. Perhaps if authors such as Donald Spoto had been as equally conscientious when writing his Alan Bates biography[1] (and it’s readers less willing to take his word as so utterly unimpeachable), Peter Wyngarde wouldn’t have been forced to spend his finally years being maligned and gossiped about by misguided scandalmongers.

Do keep up your excellent work. With regards,

Trevor McNulty

[1]: ‘Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates’.

See also, You’ve Read The Book, Now Read It In Peter’s Own Words

Dear Tina,

Peter and I were good friends back in the day but had a bit of a falling out some years ago over a silly misunderstanding and, sadly, didn’t sort it out before he passed, but I tried as you know.

You were obviously a true and loyal friend, partner and soulmate to him. I am happy you were there for him. Loved the book and congratulations on that achievement. Peter was one of the funniest people I have ever known. Sad we didn’t patch things up as we could have had a few more laughs.

Regards,

Mike Hewitson

Well done Tina on the success of your amazing book.

I met Peter when I was a child when he was in Leeds playing in ‘The King and I’. My father took me to the stage door. He was just a lovely man and somewhere I still have his autograph.

Steve Hirst

I made a Peter out of Lego, although I have been told it looks more like David Dickinson!

Phil Eyden

Dear Tina,

I assume it was you sitting with Peter on the 12th at Westminster, and in the photo I’m posting here? It was great to meet him on Saturday – the highlight of my day. Hope it’s Ok for me to put that quote I read to him here, along with 2 photos. I posted these to several other film-related Groups yesterday, and got lots of positive reactions – it’s clear from those, from the postings on your Facebook Group page, and from the

long queue to meet him on 12th, that Peter’s appeal is undiminished. I hope that he (and you) enjoyed the day at Westminster. This is what I posted in other Groups: “Yesterday, I finally got to meet the great Peter Wyngarde, the star of the film. He was pleased to hear this quote from the book “Frightmares”: “extremely effective….. Wyngarde, a talented actor… is excellent here as the academic who goes from icy arrogance to wide-eyed terror….. Flora’s motive is ostensibly professional rivalry…. but there is a suggestion that the younger man’s vitality and good looks are also a factor. Wyngarde appears semi-naked… his physique conspicuously eroticised” and he signed a very appropriate photo.

Andy Ellis

I only met Peter once, Tina, but he was everything that I hoped that he would be. He was was charming, suave and a true gentleman. Peter will never truly be gone because he will live on in the absolutely amazing body of work that he left behind him. A truly amazing and wonderful legacy for us all to enjoy!  X

Robert Wilson

Hello,

I fell in love with Peter at the age of 10 when I saw him in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ and again in my early 20’s when he starred in Dept S and Jason King. Since his death I’ve read quite a bit about him and feel he was one of nature’s gentlemen. Very few people could have come out of a Japanese internment camp mentally unscathed but he went onward and upward. This in itself makes him a remarkable individual. He clearly was a very clever man with a positive mindset. All the changes he made to the JK character paid off handsomely, too bad directors and producers didn’t listen more.

As for his sexual orientation, we will never really know what went on and we don’t have to. In the swinging 60’s and 70’s a lot of people experimented, maybe he did too. Journalists write what sells papers and are still dragging people through mud. Today I don’t think people believe half of what they read, we were not quite as aware in the 70’s. Personally, I always thought and still do that he was a very sexy man and I will always love him. He remains a fascinating enigma.

Ingrid Howard

What a wonderful piece of writing about him. This is why we’ll all keep his memory alive, and what makes this site so much like a family.

Fiona Van Deventer

Dear Tina,

They say never meet your hero’s, but on Saturday 28th March 2015 in Westminster London myself and my best friend did and we were delighted, with how nice and funny and how good he was with his fans proving the old saying wrong. Today that special day is more special for us with the sad news today of the passing of Mr Peter Wyngarde known to most people as Jason King.

For me Peter Wyngarde was one of Britain’s greatest actors and also one of the most underrated, he had the incredible rare talent of being able to completely disappear into the character he was portraying so you forgot you were watching an actor playing a part or that you were watching Peter Wyngarde in something, but were watching an actual person who really existed and not a fictional character. This can be seen best in his roles before the one that would make him internationally famous such as The Baron episode the Legion of Ammak in which he play two roles of King Ibrahim (Not the other King he was to brilliantly play later on) and an actor who also impersonates the King. What amazed me with this Wyngarde didn’t simply play the part of the King and the actor but when the actor had to play the King to near perfection he still made it different enough compared to the real King he was playing. Watching Peter Wyngarde was one of the reasons I wanted to originally become an actor I wanted to be able to do what he did play any role without the audience thinking they were watching an actor.

He was an actor who always left us wanting more Department S is a prime example of one ITC show I wanted more off. I wish they were more things for me to watch with him in, one because Peter never failed to deliver every time he was in something guest or star he never disappointed. He had the rare talent of being able to be a character actor as well as a leading man and succeeding in both. He has left a legacy which I hope will continue to be discovered by each new generation of television and film fans and his talent being continued to be appreciated.

Farewell Peter and thank you for showing me what a true actor can be capable of.

Travis Nicholls

Dear Tina,

When I met you and Peter in London back in 2016, he signed the attached picture. He commented that he disliked the picture because he was smoking in it. I admitted that I was a smoker whereby Peter gave me some tips to give up. Would you say thank you to him from me as I took the bull by the horns and am now cigarette free.

Vince Ferguson

Hi Tina,

Oh Tina. I was so very sorry that there have been some idiots harassing you and Thomas Bowington since Peter passed away. I suspect that if it wasn’t you/Thomas, it would be someone else, that’s what these morons are like.

I rarely post on social media, but love this website and your Facebook page. I just prefer to read the posts, tributes, and see all the fabulous photos which bring back such great memories of a wonderful childhood. One of those memories is of sitting down with my parents to watch Department S and Jason King together. They were such fun and happy times. We loved Peter and being able to come to this website/FB page and relive some of those happy times has brightened some pretty sad days for me, certainly over the last 3 years, and I thank you with all my heart for creating both.

These unfortunate souls [trolls] who, it would appear, are endeavouring to trample all over the memory of Peter, but they will never win because he has so many fans and admirers the world over who won’t let that happen. You and Peter were, and are, soulmates. True love transcends everything. Don’t let these individuals get to you Tina. They are simply not worth it. It makes me sick to my stomach that you are having to deal with all of this. Stay strong and know that you have the love and support of all of us here. Thinking of you. xx

Annie Scott

Dear Tina,

I met Peter when I was on a charity skiing trip in Switzerland. He wanted to do something for our group and tried to arrange skiing lessons, but his PR people wanted to big up the charity angle and he refused. Instead he arranging sleighs to take us to his hotel, and he had a tea party for us in his lobby. Such a wonderful, kind and generous man. He gave me hope that celebrities can be nice people as well.

Julia Young

_______________

And yet there are still some people who are so vile about him – usually those who were never privileged to meet him. Thank you, Julia. Tina

Dear Tina,

I never met Peter. But I loved his acting, his voice, and his sartorial style. Following his passing I did two small acts in tribute. I contributed to a BBC radio piece which I hope was considered and respectful while also being honest.

Secondly I took up my paintbrush for the first time properly in years and painted a portrait. It’s not quite right, but it was impulsive. So inadvertently, thanks Peter for inspiring me yet again.

Robert JE Simpson.

Dear Tina,

When I saw those text messages from Peter to you on your ‘Thoughts of Peter‘ page, I didn’t know whether to put a Heart emoji or a Sad Face because both messages are overflowing with love and gratitude, yet full of sorrow because of what we all know happened – the abuse he suffered from people not worthy of cleaning his boots while he was still amongst us and the even sadder event of his passing.

I decided on the hearts because of the obvious, unreserved, unconditional love between Peter and you, and the very different love we fans (lifelong in my case – well, since I was about 7) have – and always will have – for Peter.

Above: The “Thomas” mentioned in the message to the right is Thomas Bowington – Peter’s friend and agent.

It’s absolutely dreadful for you, this continuing bitterness from a handful of morons. It’s easy for me to say, but embrace the love I’m sure you get from 99% of people, and repel the vitriol from the vipers. Most of them will be doing it to give value to their inadequate lives – when all the time it devalues them. Sad cases.

I truly hope Peter now resides in a more equitable, caring, and peaceful place. RIP, fella.

Take care.

Derek Stewart

Feel & feeling for you Tina. You know life is a wonderful thing, it’s not just physical. When we leave our mortal coil, we live on, of that i have no doubt whatsoever. So be strong of heart, cos you will be together when its your turn to make that step to the next level of Existence X

Dave Author

He was a true gentleman. In every sense of the word The loud mouth trolls will fade away. But Peters legacy will span the ages

Kevin Mocatta

My mother also passed in Jan 2018 and it’s so odd to have messages on my device from days before.

Tony Barlow

___________________________

Hello Tony,

I could never delete or get rid of that old phone, and I’m sure you feel the same way about your Mum’s messages. I still have both Peter’s mobile number and that of the flat in my (new) phone, as I just can’t bear to remove them from the contacts list.

Tina

Dear Ms. Wyngarde-Hopkins,

Do not be swayed by the comments and ignorance of narrow minded, arrogant people. I met Peter only once and he was an absolute delight. I was able to shake hands with him and to thank him for all of the marvellous entertainment that he had given us over the years and for his enormous contribution to the acting profession. It was performances like his that shaped my generation into having and interest in the multiplicity of genre’s that we all enjoy. He was absolutely electric in Sherlock Holmes and wonderful as Jason King. A dear friend of mine was named “Jason” because of Peter. There was a lovely tribute in The Times the week Peter passed away from Steven Berkhoff who spoke very warmly about his enduring legend that we still enjoy today.

We have all lost dear ones and that is our private business, but what I will say is that for those very reasons, we should celebrate their memory even more so. Now you channel any hurt and anger at what has happened toward an absolute conviction as we all feel, that here was a television legend; an actor of great repute, who shone and continues to shine through the various media we have today.

I recall a very nice letter I received from the actor Don Henderson, many years ago. Peter starred alongside Don in an episode of “Bulman” called, “I Met A Man Who Was Not There”. He spoke very highly of Peter and Don was honoured to work with him. Now we want to “Meet A Man Who Is Not Here” to see, to enjoy, to celebrate his memory. I will share with you something Don said to me privately, which were his last words to me after an 11 year friendship, “If anyone ever messes you about, tell em to Fuck Off !” I know you are probably too kind a person to use such language, but Don mean’t it kindly from the heart and that is what WE say to you now. Do not be swayed by ignorant opinion. We know why we like and why we love and so do you, and THAT is all that matters!

All The Very Best to you,

Garron Martin

Peter Wyngarde – A god among men.

@fillem_Shaun – Via Twitter

Hello Tina,

I was utterly delighted to see that all three editions of your book were back on their respective Amazon Best Sellers List on 22nd February (2023). More often than not, a biography has a shelf life of around eighteen months to two years, but yours just keeps selling which is testament to Peter’s enduring popularity.

As you know, Peter and I were friends for many years and I’m sure he’d be so proud of everything you’ve done and continue to do in his name. I’m so blessed to have got to know you through him.

With love and every best wish,

Annette A.

Hi Tina!

Congratulations on the success of your amazing book and this stunning website, despite the concerted efforts of a handful of morons to stick the boot in (jealousy is a terrible thing). There are actually a hell of a lot of people out here who greatly appreciate everything you do to keep Peter’s name in the public consciousness. He was a unique talent and a wonderful man.

Look after yourself and keep up the excellent work.

Martin Kelland

__________________

Thank you, Martin – much appreciated.

I’m delighted to report that this website is going from strength to strength, as we’re currently getting an average of 134 visitors every hour – up from 80. That works out at over 20,000 hits a week.

Tina

Hello!

I was delighted to hear about your book; I didn’t know there was one, but it’s definitely of interest. I’m a huge fan of Peter’s. Thank you for letting me know!

James Moran – Writer-director (Severance, Cockneys Vs Zombies, Tower Block, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Primeval, Spooks & more).

Dear Tina,

The memory I carry of Peter is the time I met him with my fiancee at a Comic Con in Birmingham in 2016. My fiancee was talking to him and he started stroking her hand and then pretended to cut his hand on one of her many rings. He was saying things like “Ouch! That hurt!” While my fiancee was fussing over him he looked up at me standing behind her and winked. He was having her on!

David Gogarty

To my childhood hero, and that voice of pure velvet. I still at 5, spend days watching Jason king on you-tube. A hero and icon to me.

Kevin Mocatta

Dear Tina,

I aw Peter’s production of Dracula at the Wimbledon Theatre in 1975 with members of the newly formed Dracula Society and went for a meal afterwards with him at a local Indian restaurant. He then gave several of us a lift home to Fulham and Kensington in his vintage motor car.

Geoff Beresford

Hi Tina,

I saw Peter in Present Laughter, The King and I and Dracula in Birmingham and Wolverhampton. I was also lucky to get autographs.

Phil Wilson

Hello Tina,

I saw Dracula numerous times when Peter came to Hull’s New Theatre in the 70s. He and the play was outstanding.

Chris O-Ten

Dear Tina,

I was Peter’s neighbour in Earls Terrace in the 70s. A lovely, funny man. A pleasure to have known him and to have been his friend.

Stephen Gilchrist, London

Dear Tina,

I was wondering if you’d seen this on Twitter and know what it’s about?

John Castle

The above were taken by ‘man-with-a-pencilcase’ from this website

________________

Hello John,

Yes, I did know about it. The difference between ‘man-with-a-pencilcase’ (A.K.A. @george_cowley) and Gyles Brandreth is that the latter was a big enough man to apologise when he was proven wrong.

The person attempting to sh*t-stir had, a few months earlier, also picked up on something that actress, Madeline Smith, had posted on her personal Facebook page regarding me. She’d been asked who I was, as my book – ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ – was due for publication. Ms. Smith had been a friend of Peter’s back in the 1960’s and 70’s and had attended his funeral in January 2018. She, Caron Gardner, Thomas Bowington (Peter’s friend and agent) and I had gone for a meal afterwards at the Old Bull and Bush in London. However, when she’d responded to the aforementioned enquiry, she hadn’t made the connection between me and the book.

”man-with-a-pencilcase’ – a middle-aged civil servant in the ‘real’ world – had spotted Madeline’s reply and akin to a tom cat spraying the walls in celebration, did the rounds of every film, TV or actor-related Facebook page he could find – claiming that I hadn’t known Peter at all and that my forthcoming book would be a work of fiction. However, when Madeline learned that the author of said tome and the person she’d shared a meal with after Peter’s funeral was one and the same, she posted the following on her own Facebook page:

While both Madeline Smith and Gyles Brandreth were both big enough people to acknowledge their mistakes, ‘man-with-a-suitcase’ was not. It’s little wonder that such people choose to conceal themselves behind usernames!

Tina

Hi Tina,

I’ve been a fan of Peter Wyngarde since I was a teenager. I’m now 68-years-old. I was delighted when I got online and found several websites devoted to him. I eventually joined the Facebook group, Department Wyngarde. I was absolutely horrified back in 2019 when what had otherwise been a reasonably enjoyable gathering of likeminded people was hijacked by vicious, nasty, foul-mouthed yobs who claimed to be Peter’s “true fans”. What that mindless mob of morons said about you and Peter was a disgrace. I left immediately as I didn’t want to be associated with it in any way, shape or form, but not before telling those cretins exactly what I thought of them and their abhorrent behaviour. I was utterly delighted when Facebook decided to remove it from their platform.

I have always lived by a few simple principles, namely: Do not say anything about others that you know is false. Absolutely refuse to let your mind be colonised. The first crazy thing someone asks you to believe or to repeat, refuse. If you can, do so out loud as there is a good chance it will inspire others to speak up, too. If you are a decent person, you know mob justice is never just, so never join a mob. Any mob that comes for someone else will inevitably come for you.

What happened back then was a witch-hunt without a witch, and I have only the greatest admiration for the dignified way in which you dealt with the filth that was thrown at you, especially as you were probably at your lowest ebb having only recently lost Peter. The fact that you refused to bow to these bullies and have come out the other side all the stronger is commendable. I am just sorry that it has taken until now for me to get around to contacting you.

With every best wish to you and Mr Bowington,

Richard D.

P.S. What you’re doing in continuing to promote Peter online and elsewhere is phenomenal.

Tina,

With regard to your book and your decision to donate all royalties to charity: You know that your intentions are honest and good. I know this also. Anyone who believes otherwise should ‘Go forth and multiply!’

It’s also true that Peter never stopped talking about you whenever I spoke with him on the phone. His love, affection and devotion to you has never been in any doubt in my mind. As you’ve said, the people who know, know. How anyone can feel entitled to an opinion on this matter that doesn’t know you and didn’t know/hadn’t even met Peter, is beyond me! I can imagine in my mind exactly what Peter would be saying about it all!

Adam Coxon (Author/Journalist) – London

Hello,

Regarding all the crap about the supposed relationship between Peter Wyngarde and Alan Bates because they shared a flat for a couple of years. Bates also shared a flat with Peter O’Toole for a while. If you want to go down the ‘nudge-nudge, wink-wink’ route, how about Michael Caine and Terrence Stamp. They shared a one bedroomed flat (Ohh-Er!) in London for some time in the1960s and Jude Law and Ewan McGregor were flatmates in the Nineties. I bet if you had the time and could be bothered, you’d find loads of actors that shared accommodation in the early days of their respective careers. All this newspaper gossip is utter nonsense.

Barbara Thompson

Hello,

I’ve been fascinated by Peter for years – his look, his style and his amazing voice. What a talent. I’ve just finished reading Tina’s wonderful book, and found it provoked so many emotions; some positive and some less so – sadness and anger mainly, that this towering talent could be denied professional and personal happiness and fulfilment by tiny-minded pedlars of filth and sleaze. What also upsets me is that we were denied the pleasure of seeing him on stage and screen, chewing up scenery and leaving other actors floundering in his wake. God the world was better, more interesting and stylish with him in it. I miss him.

Steve Judge

A talent not to be beaten. Peter Wyngarde was outstanding in all films and television performances.

Andrew Meager

Hi Tina,

I’ve just been reading some of the stuff in the ‘Do They Mean Me?’ section and saw the bit about what Rev. Richard Cole had posted about Peter on Twitter.

I recall him bleating away on any and every TV programme that would give him airtime about how he’d suffered unimaginable abuse both on and offline following the death of his partner, David. Like many people I felt genuinely sorry for him but that sympathy has waned since reading how unhesitating he is in spreading malicious gossip about others. Every vicar, including attention-seeking “celebrity” ones should be aware of the advice given in the Bible – James, Chapter 1 – Verse 26: “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.”

Les Grant

_____________

Hello Les,

Amen to that! Sadly, there’s a lot of people who spend their time slandering and libelling other people with scant regard for the consequences. They tend to hear a piece of gossip and without any consideration as to whether it’s true or not, will repeat it. However, those same individuals will squeal like a stuck pig when they find themselves on the receiving end. I’ve seen it a thousand times over. Sadly, Reverend Coles doesn’t appear willing or able to practice what he preaches.

Tina

Dear Tina,

Very amazing awesome actor he could play variously any character with Incredible charm and style he reminds me of Peter O’Toole he looks like him as well in the two episodes of The Avengers he starred in he was brilliant.

Danny Paris

Dear Tina,

When the Saint episode, ‘Epic‘ was filmed, “The Cabinet of Dr Caligari” of which this scene [see right] has distorted perspective elements (as well as a jolly dash of sly anachronistic Hammer Horror panache) was not quite fifty years in the rear-view mirror. Today, The Avengers episode “Epic” is about 55 years old. Tim Burton still mines visual references from “Caligari” in many of his contemporary films, and its expressionistic aesthetic continues to be an essential component of Burton’s gothic vocabulary.

Bruce Blakeslee

Hi,

I just came across your webpage, I haven’t had time to have a good look just a quick glance as I have to go out. I live in Florida now, I am from the UK and used to see Peter all the time. We used to chat at the local pub and he would bring his Afghan Hound Youseff (not sure of spelling) it was sooo long ago. He was living in a flat at the end of Earls Terrace, W8. I had some other friends in that row of flats. I will have a good look through your page in the next few days,

Thanks,

Heather

Dear Tina,

Firstly, I wanted to thank you for agreeing to donate a copy of your biography, ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ to our film and television archive. It is a valuable addition and gratefully received.

I’ve had the great pleasure of perusing the book myself and I have to say that I’ve never experienced such a vivid account of an actors life before. This could only have been achieved by an author with first-hand experience of her subject, since the elucidation of every moment spent with Wyngarde; the air you shared, the situations, sights, sounds and smells are those of a person with only the most intimate knowledge. I thank you on behalf of every fan for your generosity in sharing his life and career with us.

Dr Phil Chapman

Dear Tina,

Just a quick note to say that I spent most of the afternoon of today glued to the TV watching the Department S DVD box set! What a pleasure. I’m 61 on Monday and I must confess the nostalgia came flooding back: the clothes, the dialogue, the music, the panache! Didn’t they drink a lot on TV in those days! Well done for managing such an excellent site. I wish you every success and will drop by now and again to say hello. If there are any events coming up in the future which you think might appeal to me then please let me know.

Best wishes,

Paul Williams.

Hello Tina,

I just wanted to thank you for sharing some of Peter’s writings with us. It’s been a privilege to have the opportunity to read his own words in his own hand. I wonder how the naysayers and self-appointed authorities on PW’s life will account for this? Will they throw their hands up in the air and admit they got it wrong? Not a chance! I expect they’ll simply carry on regardless, even going so far as to label Peter himself a liar.

Keep up the excellent work Tina, and thank you again for sharing all this wonderful stuff with us.

Stefan Robinson, Clifton

Hi’ya Tina,

I don’t know if you’ll remember me? You were kind enough to organise an interview with Peter for my journalism degree dissertation, which he was good enough to do free. You were also gracious enough to get all those photos signed for the Guild of Students fundraiser in 1996, which raised over £500 for us back then.

Congrats’n’all that on your book. Maybe we can arrange to meet up to do an interview on it for the ‘paper sometime in the New Year? I’m hoping that I’ll get a copy for Christmas. I’ve certainly dropped enough not-so-subtle hints to deserve one. I can’t tell you how delighted I am that it’s done so well.

Let’s not leave it so long this time.

James Long

______________________

Hello James,

Yes. of course I remember you. I recall quite clearly you standing Peter and I a brew in the university food hall.

An interview sounds good. Maybe if one or other of your relatives have taken the hint and bought you a copy, you’ll be able to tell me what you think. Until then…

Tina

Dear Tina,

How fantastic to find that the Hellfire Club is still up and running. Thank you for your unwavering loyalty both to Peter and his fans.

I have been a fan since seeing him way back in the 1960s in Night of the Eagle and followed his career without pause enjoying every performance.  Loved him in Jason King even if it was very campy and OTT but what great entertainment just the stuff to blow away all the cares.  And how scrumptious he always looked in his flares and furbelows.  And that moustache and hairy chest!

On the serious side I battled my way to the box office to get tickets for ‘The King and I‘ back in 1973 and enjoyed every minute.  I even met and spoke with him once.  I was on the way to the Odeon cinema Kensington and he was cleaning his Bentley Continental.  Beautiful car. I wonder whatever happened to it?  He was so sweet and charming when I said “Hello” and mentioned how much I enjoyed his performances.  So natural and unaffected. But why did he disappear?  I know all about the faux pas but other stars have done worse and are still flaunting their lack of talent all over our screens.  Why was Peter been made the whipping boy? 

Caught a glimpse of him earlier this year in a programme about screen cads and he looked as gorgeous as ever, even if his head was shaved.  But a shaven head did Yul Brynner no harm.    

Jill Basten

______________________

Hello Jill,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

How wonderful that you managed to get tickets to see ‘The King and I’ live on stage; the nearest I ever got was seeing a performance on 16mm film!

The Bentley continental you saw Peter cleaning is still around. He sold it back in the early 1980s, but it’s changed hands several times since then. You can read more about it here.

Tina

Hello Everyone, 

I’m just sending you this e-mail to say how much I enjoyed your Peter Wyngarde web site, although I’m mostly a fan of The Prisoner/Patrick McGoohan,

I can fondly remember Department S , and Jason King from my younger days in the early seventies, my uncle was a dead ringer for Mr Wyngrade and had a large following of female admirers. That period was the golden age of television adventure programmes that could never be repeated, and thanks to the talent of Mr Wyngarde and co, they will go down in history as the best television programmes of their kind.

Also, you are spot on, as Number Two in The Prisoner episodes was classic, well done.

Peter will always be remembered for his style and elegance, and his fantastic acting ability. As a token of respect, I used to play under the screen name of Jason King72 on theYahoo! pool game web site, and as a consequence, I was hardly ever beaten.

With Kind Regards,

Robert Goshawk

Hello,

I have only discovered Mr. Wyngarde recently, when I watched him as Klytus in Flash Gordon.  This may be a little crazy but I would just like to say that I was in complete awe over how amazing and incredible his voice sounded in Flash Gordon.  I had chills down my spine every time he spoke on screen.  (I wish he could have been in every scene in the movie). 

Mr. Wyngarde tops my list of having the coolest and most eloquent sounding voices I have ever heard in my life.  It is so inspiring. I would die for a voice like his. 

Steven Pryce, Albany, Oregon.

Hi Tina,

I know this is a very difficult time for you. I really was so sorry when I learned of Peter’s death. I can’t believe he’s been gone for 3 years now.

As you know, during the ’70s we had a contract to officially open over 30 Woolworth’s newly refurbished stores throughout the UK. Other than my friends and clients, Morecambe & Wise, Peter was the most requested and highest paid celebrity making personal appearances.

Peter was a charmer with the ladies and his appearances on the Woolworths engagements drew in excess of 5,000 screaming ladies. He was an absolute joy to work with and drew massive crowds. We were even turned away from a Woolworths store[1] on one occasion.

The police said the stores around “Woolies”, in the Arndale Centre, were worried their all-glass frontages might break. On the way there we were stopped by a police car and a lovely police lady said: “Hello, Jason.” (They always called Peter by his TV role name). “I’m sorry but we can’t let you go any further.

Peter asked me: “Dear Boy, will I still get paid?”

To which I replied, of course you will, and, of course, he did. Woolworth’s said whilst they were sorry not to have had Peter in person the story hit nearly all the front pages of the daily newspapers. They couldn’t have bought that publicity! He was a wonderful gentleman.

Peter was so fortunate to have you by his side for so long, dearest girl, and that you remained by his side right until the end.

Hope to see/hear from you again soon.

Gresh[2] xxx

Click HERE for ‘Interview with Carl Gresham’.

Hello,

This web site is quite an unexpected but very pleasant find.

I was actually spending the afternoon surfing the web aimlessly while the bosses were on their Christmas holiday… but the find brought an instant ‘hit’ of nostalgia. ‘Jason King’ brings back very fond memories of faining illness to get off school so I could stay at home and watch our (then) brand new colour television. In those days shows like ‘The Persauders’, ‘Randall & Hopkirk’, ‘The Champions’, ‘The Baron’ & ‘Man in a Suitcase’ filled the afternoon ITV schedules…And I loved them.

Of all these ‘Jason King’ seemed to be ahead of it’s time, ‘feeling’ like a cult classic before cult classics were ‘invented’. It’s over the top (in a good way) flavour help make a fantasy world of flimsy TV sets that made me forget school for a while and made me think that there was exciting things going on in the world – if only I had a kipper tie and flairs that contradicted the laws of physics maybe I took could be doing something adventurous too (instead of two sessions of algebra followed by PE)!

Its nice to see the pictures of Jason again – its made my afternoon all warm and smiling.

Thanks…

Steven Beat

Hello,

I first fell in love with Peter when he played Sidney Carton in ‘A Tale of Two Cities‘ and again in ‘Department S’.

Not many people could have gotten through what he did in the Japanese Prison Camp, on his own, at such a young age, he must always have had a positive mindset. I was so sad when I heard he’d passed away. He had an amazing, eventful life.

Ingrid Howard

Dear Tina,

I was so sorry to hear of your great loss and wanted to write back then, but at least Peter is now at peace.

You both have always been in my thoughts and always will be. I will never forget how good you were to my mother when my father died.

Monica Martin

Dear Tina, 

I am writing to tell you how much I have enjoyed listening to Peter’s album – its great! My son Oliver loves it too. I of course remembered seeing Peter on the telly as Jason King, but did not know he had made a record until Jonathan Ross played the first track on his Saturday show once. I was fascinated and bought the album.

Best Wishes,

Greg Smith

Below: Morrissey giving Jonathan Ross a copy of Peter’s album on ‘The Jonathan Ross Show’ in 2009.

Dear Tina and everyone associated with this wonderful site, 

Have an absolutely beautiful Easter. I am a 58-year old woman and have been a fan of Peter’s since I saw the original Department S. I am a very busy legal secretary, so find it difficult to watch things regularly due to work commitments and keeping fit!!, but I have a nice long weekend ahead. Will curl up in my bed with mugs of tea and some treats, oh, and hubby (hee hee), and watch the Jason King box set from start to finish. I can’t wait!!!

Once again, a very Happy Easter to you all. 

With much love, Sharon  

Dear Tina,

The wonderful Mr. Wyngarde scared me to death in that movie “The Innocents” with Deborah Kerr (1961). It is shown on TCM sometimes and is a must-see.

What a delightful surprise to learn that Mike Meyers based his character Austin Powers – International Man of Mystery on Mr. Wyngarde. RIP Sir.

CBG

Dear Tina

As a life-long time Avengers fan, I just wanted to send you a note to say how much I’m enjoying this website.

‘Epic‘ was recently on and so was the ‘Checkmate‘ episode of The Prisoner, as well as Peter’s appearance in ‘The Saint‘, on BBC America.

While on the phone with my brother, who is also a fan of all three shows, I “Googled” Peter’s name and found your website. Hope life is treating you well. Keep up the great work.

Jill B – Phoenix, Arizona

Dear Tina,

This is a wonderful opportunity to finally be able to write to you! I was an ardent fan of Peter’s in my early teens, avidly following the weekly adventures of Jason King on television here in Sydney, Australia. He epitomised the man of my dreams – handsome, romantic, classy, suave and cool!  I have had a soft spot for him in my heart ever since, and it has always been a pleasure to see him on the screen in the years since then.

My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a watered shoot:
My heart is like an apple tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickest fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love is come to me.Raise me a dias of silk and down;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleur-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me.

Viki, Sydney, Australia

Dear Tina,

I’ve been wanting to write to you for a few weeks but knowing that this month was the third anniversary of Peter Wyngarde’s death, I thought I’d leave it for a couple of weeks.

I know how you must have felt of 15th January seeing people posting tributes to Peter online, but I think you should look at them as a positive thing. So many people on this planet have died and been forgotten. Peter made a real impact on the lives of so many others and it’s a tribute to him that they still remember him, even after three years.

It is easy to be sad when thinking of lost loved ones, but try to think of his having been here as a positive thing, and how many lives he touched, even indirectly, just by being him. A celebration of his having lived, rather than mourning the fact that he’s died.

Sending you all of my best wishes,

Gillian Hill, Carlisle

Hello,

I’m rapt to find Peter Wyngarde’s official site (and it looks great!), especially since Department S has suddenly appeared on screens down here in New Zealand, and hopefully Jason King won’t be far behind. It’s like finding a hidden treasure, a rediscovery of PW.

I look forward to exploring the sit and reacquainting myself with the coolest dude around.

Justine Webb-Elliot

Dear Tina,

Unfortunately I don’t have a Facebook account so I’m unable to join the Official Appreciation Society. Such a pity. I always found Peter to have been the actor who single handedly personified a particular genre of character, television and acting during the 60s and 70s.

He epitomised the most flamboyant aspects of men’s fashion in the early 70s. By the late 70s however, tough guy cops, racing around after villains set the tone. Therefore, the vastly entertaining and sublimely debonair Peter sadly lost his top spot in the television ratings.

I’m just glad that he quit the booze in the early 80s and went on to live to a ripe old age. A wonderful actor who undoubtedly inspired me to become a closet silk cravat wearer, in later life. 

Andrew Reid

Hi,

I watched ‘Department S’ and ‘Jason King’ as a lad. My wife and kids have watched ‘Jason King’ on DVD this week. My daughter, Ruth, loves the look, by the way. I always wanted to be The Saint or Jason King, never regarding any of the other superheroes as cool enough, I guess.

Thanks for everything. Peter and Roger Moore really will always be the coolest of the 60’s and 70’s TV icons. Best wishes.

Brad Bennett, Worcestershire

Dear Tina, 

Strictly speaking, Jason King was an early seventies series. But as webmaster of the 1960s British Pop Culture website, I had no reservations about including references to Jason and to Peter Wyngarde on my website. I was delighted in fact and saw it as wholly appropriate because in spirit and in style Jason King was a sixties series.

Jason King captured the atmosphere that was prevalent at the end of that golden age. A time just before the 3-day weeks, strikes, power cuts and discontent that were a hallmark of the early seventies and just prior to the relegation of the once glorious Elstree studios to the production of a run of dire seventies comedy films. He was the last of the great ITC shows that have since become cult classics. He was colourful, eccentric, stylish in a seventies garish way! His looks were almost a throw-back to the dandies of days gone by.

The music was exciting and got my thirteen year-old imagination racing. Jason King was, in retrospect, either a corny sexist or great fun and very sexy depending on your perspective. Mine is strongly with the latter view, not because I personally found him sexy you’ll understand – I was fantasising about Emma Peel and Tara King at the time, but because of the effect he clearly had on a generation of females from Dublin to Dusseldorf.

Jason King and Peter Wyngarde were, to the media and fans, interchangeable and the strength of the series was not in the writing or production values but in Peter’s accomplished playing of the role and the clear fact that he was having a great time doing it. He played it with verve and style. Affectionate parodies, such as Harry Enfield’s ‘Jason Queen’, exaggeratedly depict the wobbly sets, dodgy backdrops, unreal car chases, outrageously sexist behaviour and so on, but Jason King was no better or worse than all the other shows you care to mention in this respect. Its strength was Peter. It made him a huge international star, bigger in fact in Europe than at home, and was a fitting apex to a great career. Peter and his alter ego Jason King are perfect examples of the best of British.

David Barnes

Hello,

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! And finally, Thank You! for giving the fans of Peter Wyngarde the opportunity to see such great photographs. I have been a fan for some time (I am 46) and think his acting is superb – and I was totally amazed when I heard his wonderfully original album (which I got on CD – couldn’t find the LP to save my life!) I was just so delighted to see so much information on your Site. Thank you again for all the great photo’s and information on this excellent and long-overdue site. With very best wishes from Australia.

Glen Vernon, New South Wales.

I’m sorry for my English. I only want to explain my congratulations and my gratefulness for all of moments good in my life when I saw Department S and Jason King. I write since Argentina, and if you can understand Spanish may be explain better my feelings with Peter Wyngarde’s work.

Thank You, and more thank you for all of moment. 

Néstor García Rosas, Argentina

Hi Tina!

Peter Wyngarde is quite simply the most stylishly attired man ever to walk the face of the earth. The cosmic splendour of the wardrobe he deployed to so magnificent an effect in his seminal role of Jason King, should have served as the sartorial template for the remainder of time. Furthermore, he is, to this day, the only man ever to achieve the hitherto impossible task of out-dressing Roger Moore in an episode of The Saint [The Man who Liked Lions]. In a world now overpopulated by light-bulb headed gargoyles and baseball-capped sub-Neanderthals, the stylistic legacy of Peter Wyngarde serves as a powerful reminder of the civilisation that we have lost.

Jacko73

Hello there,

I really enjoyed my visit to your web site-fantastic stuff.

I’ve been a big fan of Peter Wyngarde since I was a lad  watching Department S, a series that still looks stylish today. I shall keep on checking your site for all the latest news. All the best.

John Pyroyiannos

Dear Tina,

I received my copy of ‘Flash Gordon: The Official Story Of The Film’ yesterday and was absolutely delighted to see that the author had given you the credit you deserve, not just for assisting him with information relating to the film, but moreover for continuing to champion Peter Wyngarde as both an actor and a man. Your generosity in sharing your vast archive and knowledge of the him has not gone unappreciated by his fans.

Long Live The King!

Scott Webb

Dear Tina,

I’ll never understand why Peter never hit the really big-time, as he certainly of the same acting stature as Peter O’Toole for example, yet has no big blockbuster movies to his name.

Perhaps he made the wrong career choices somewhere along the line,or was given bad advice or whatever, I just don’t know, do you?

PoorOldSpike

Hello Tina,  

I’m a long-term fan of Peter’s having seen him in`The Prisoner of Zenda’* in around 1966.

I had the great pleasure of seeing him on stage in Wimbledon in a 5Oth. anniversary production of `Dracula‘ in 1974. He was absolutely brilliant! Fabulous special effects, too.

How sad that we weren’t able to have a Jason King for the new millennium. This is how I saw him: a mature, retired  J.K., sitting in an enormous wingback chair in a beautiful book-lined study, brandy globe in hand, open fire, etc., etc., recounting his exploits in flashback. It could’ve opened with Peter saying something like…“Ah, yes…the matter of the Sultans jewels..”  then he’d  recount a part of the story and cut to the flashback.

Warmest regards to you, Tina, for keeping the flame alive.

Alan McAfee

*The series was actually called ‘Rupert of Hentzau’.

Hi,

Your book is still in my mind…I adored Wyngarde then & do to this day…to which end I have purchased box sets of both Department S & Jason King. I am having the most wonderful time reliving those halcyon days of truly entertaining television & really amazing actors & actresses ! Wyngarde was fabulous in every sense of the word & I can never adequately express how much I miss his fantastic personality – he was, without doubt, one of a kind…

Wonderful book – thoroughly enjoyable and ultimately very moving – thank you.

Carol Wallage

In loving memory of Peter xxx

Jeanne Perkins, Reading, Berkshire

Hi,

Sorry to bother you but can you tell me if you are the same Tina who used to run Peter the Great’s fan club yonks ago? I remember sending her Jason King books, DVD covers etc – all of which Peter graciously signed for me, adding my name, which was nice.

Ah, great to know. Thanks for getting those items signed 15+ years ago. They all adorn my office walls or bookcases – along with similar items by Roger Moore, Tony Curtis, all the main cast of The Avengers, Ian Ogilvy, John Denver… I’m an ‘anorak’ really. I’ve been a fan of Peter’s since the late 60s. A much better actor than given credit for – his strained performance in Night of The Eagle is majestic! News of his death is a JFK moment for me (as is Roger’s, Tony’s and John’s – but, paradoxically, not JFK’s!). Peter’s passing was so sad. I feel for him and you. I won’t badger you with millions of messages, don’t worry.

Regards,

Derek Stewart. Elgin, Moray

______________

Hello Derek,

How lovely that you should remember me – and you’re not bothering me at all. I do get quite a lot of messages from fans who I’d arranged to have video sleeves and so forth signed by Peter. It’s really nice of you to offer thanks 15+ years on. It makes a change from the kind of psychotic rants and ingratitude that I’ve been faced with from one particular quarter.

Tina

Dear Tina,

Always felt a great affection for Peter: loved his Style , the way he looked and acted and the man himself as he embodied in many ways the qualities that I would be very happy to have myself: My father was a Peter Wyngarde admirer too I suspect as he looked very similar and would I know have loved Peter dress sense and style: I know sadness very deep when the loss of a loved one like Peter or my late father has to be endured, It is always with us like a tide that forever washes in over us sometimes and at others recedes a little giving us some relief: My father died in January 40 years ago this year and the hurt has become part of me and I live with it as we all do : I send you best wishes for a peaceful and happy 2022 xx

Russ Adams

Hello Tina.

Canada here. We just had Peter’s Prisoner episode on at noon today (02.09.21) in my area. Looked dashing with the scarf and later on doing the thing breaking the stack of wood, whilst squatting on the floor.

Doug Pelton, Toronto

___________________

Hello Doug,

It’s so good to hear from you; hope you’re well. So glad you enjoyed Peter’s Prisoner episode. The last time I saw ‘Checkmate’ was with Peter at the 50th Anniversary event at Portmeirion in September/October 2017. A bitter-sweet memory.

Take Care of yourself.

Tina

Dear Tina,

I was lucky to meet Peter once. He had pair of gorgeous Afghan Hounds, totally black. They went everywhere with him, even to the theatre. Lovely man.

Dorrey Squirrell

Hi Tina,

Thank you sooooooooooo much for sharing the original, handwritten notes that Peter had made for use in his autobiography. For a life-long fan, it was wonderful to see those times in his life recounted in his own words.

A huge thank you also for your brilliant book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Best Wishes,

Emma Neilson, Sittingbourne

Hello Tina,

Peter was my first crush. I absolutely loved him and at 14-year-old, I believed that he was going to whiz me away and marry me.

Margaret Walker

Dear Tina,

I met Peter once while shopping in Kensington market, we had quite a chat. I knew that I knew him from somewhere but couldn’t place him. Never occurred to me he was an actor. I assumed we had met at a party or something like that. It wasn’t until later on that day I saw a photo of ‘Jason King’ that I twigged why he was so familiar.

Barbara Wilson

Dear Ms. Wyngarde-Hopkins,

What an interesting warm site.

Think ‘The Man Who Liked Lions‘ was one of the first TV programmes I saw in colour. I remember it as almost a deep 3D experience, something that I don’t think I ever bettered with any of the new technological toys that have come along in the meantime. There was certainly magic at work down at Elstree in those days and Peter was a chief wizard stirring our thoughts and opening all the dusty doors of our imagination. We were all part of the collective experience then. I have been struggling since to find out what it all means and where we all go now, if in fact we have been anywhere at all?

Jack Leigh

Dear Tina,

Back in the late 70’s, I was an avid comic book reader (I still am in some cases) and I loved Flash Gordon. So when the trailer came out and I heard those first few words of dialogue, I was captivated by that dialogue, and by the words “An obscure body in the S-K System, Your Majesty. The inhabitants refer to it as the planet… Earth.” Peter Wyngarde had the perfect voice for General Klytus and despite being behind a mask the entire movie, I was still drawn to his character.

Then as I got older, I found Department S videos on Youtube and found Jason King a very interesting character. I followed those as best as I could, until they removed them from the net, but I did get the Jason King set which I am having my own personal tribute watch over the last few days. Then I realized I have several other movies/TV shows of his such as Burn Witch, Burn (Night of the Eagle), Emma Peel Avengers set, both Douglas Wilmer and Jeremy Brett’s Sherlock Holmes’ sets. And on a side note, yes, I did read the Dark Phoenix saga back in the day and only realized later, after it was over, that Jason Wyngarde, and the whole Hellfire Club was based on the Avengers episode “A Touch of Brimstone”. So thank you for keeping all these wonderful films and programmes in the public domain and for being such a great ambassador for Peter Wyngarde.

Ruth Horne

To Whom It May Concern,

I just watched “The Gadic Collection“, great show, loved it, but… writing up a detailed synopsis of everything that happens on screen also seems antithetical to the spirit of the 1960s… Luckily I made sure to watch the show first before reading the spoiler which then seemed totally redundant…

Ras Faquade

________________________

Dear Ras,

Thank you for your comment regarding our review of the Saint episode, ‘The Gadic Collection’.

The reason that we post reviews/extended story synopsis is because we get a huge number of visitors to our website from every corner of the world, from the Far East to South America, to Lapland and the Iran. Not all of these people have seen these programmes in spite of the fact that they’ve been around since the 1960s, simply because they’ve never been broadcast in their neck of the woods, and/or they have no access to them on DVD/BluRay. These reviews/synopsis are their only means of learning about Peter Wyngarde’s work and have proven to be extremely popular.

We’re pleased that you enjoyed Peter’s performance in The Gadic Collection and thank you for visiting our website.

With warmest Best Wishes,

On behalf of Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins 

Greetings Tina,

I have been a fan of Peter for many years and I am currently re-watching ‘Jason King’ from the beginning and also listening to my Peter Wyngarde CD which I bought in Oxford Street about 15 years ago.

I also went to see Peter on stage as a birthday treat in 1983. What a wonderful, multi-talented man he was. You are so fortunate to have known him for so many years. Thank you for being Peter’s true friend and for looking after him. He deserved the best and that was you.

God bless you Tina and God bless Peter Wyngarde.

Dave Hull

Dear Tina,

As a boy I was brought up on Peter. My sisters bedroom wall was covered in his photos. She and her friends from work once telephoned the office up the road from the garage where they worked, asking to speak to the bloke who looks like Jason King. The guy replied, I look like Edward Woodward, will I do!!! We still laugh about that 50 years later. Dear wonderful Peter. What a voice!

Adrian Bird

Dear Tina,

I watched Dept S and Jason King as a lad. My wife and kids have watched Jason King on DVD this week. My five year old daughter, Ruth, loves the look, BTW. I always wanted to be The Saint or Jason King, never regarding any of the other superheroes as cool enough, I guess. Thanks for everything. Peter and Roger Moore really will always be the coolest of the 60’s and 70’s TV icons.

Best wishes,

Brad Bennett

Dear Tina,

Thanks for taking the time to answer my enquiry [see ‘Your Questions Answered‘]

I remember that I liked ‘Epilogue To Capricorn’ and I do remember it being on ITV ln Saturday evenings, and even at the age of eleven I was very, very impressed with Peter. I wonder why I connected Maxine Audley with it? I’m sure she was in another TV show around that time and there was a Voodoo aspect to the storyline. I will have to look Ms. Audley’s television work up.

Anyway, I’m glad Adrienne Corri was in it, as she was always one of my favourite actresses. I think I liked the fact that she came over as a bit of a stronger type of woman. Come to think now, I do have a vague memory of her being in the series.

I wonder if there is any possibility of it ever being released on DVD ?

It was a long time ago when I watched Peter in this series. I would not like to give the impression though, that I was obsessed with TV at such a young age. We had great television dramas then, but I had a normal healthy childhood full of outdoor activities, like most children of the fifties and sixties.

Gosh though I really would love to see Peter and Adrienne Corrie in that series again.

Dennis Leary.

______________________

Dear Dennis,

Alas, the series will never be available on DVD as it was broadcast live. It’s a shame that such things have been lost by producers with little or no forward thinking.

Hi Tina,

Firstly, congratulations on your fabulous book which is a truly stunning tribute to an equally amazing actor. Having worked in the film and theatre profession myself for many years I know that Steven Berkoff, will only lavish praise on a piece of work when it’s richly deserved. He’s not only a great actor but a world renowned author and playwright, so he knows what he’s talking about. To have had him write the afterword for your book was an achievement in itself. To have won his praise was a rare distinction indeed.

Keep up the excellent work and don’t let the imbecilic minority grind you down.

Terence G.

Dear Tina,

Since joining your great (Facebook) group, I have been watching more and more of Peter, Department S, Jason King and his cameo in The Two Ronnies, which he played so well, and the same thing struck me when i watched him, how much he was so like the other Peter, O’Toole. After going on the internet I read, and I’m not alone as many other people agree. I would have loved to have seen Peter W. in ‘What’s New Pussycat’ with Peter Sellers , or in O’Toole’s last film, ‘Venus’. Peter Wyngarde stands shoulder to shoulder with the greats, O’Toole, Burton, Finney, Olivier, no question…. God bless him….

Shell Armitt

Hi Tina,

Like many people I’ve got reminders and bookmarks all over my digital life both on and off the internet. I got hooked on ebay some years ago, had a big buying spree then gradually settled down and instead of buying anything and everything began to for look for things I’m interested in. I get email alerts about many things; books, motorsport memorabilia, and so on and a while ago I got an alert about a DVD box set I’d fancied for a long while. It was Department ‘S’, the TV series that introduced Jason King to the world. Department S was made in 1969 and was produced by ITC, a company founded by TV mogul Lew Grade and the show was the brainchild of Monty Berman and Dennis Spooner who together made a string of action and adventure series in the sixties and seventies like The Saint, Randall and Hopkirk, The Baron, The Champions and a spin off from Department S, Jason King. All these series were shot like feature films on 35mm film and that is the reason why they look shiny and new today, available on DVD box sets.

Jason King was played by Peter Wyngarde and he used all his own clothes in his portrayal of the character. In the late sixties and early seventies ties were becoming bigger, trousers and jacket lapels were flaring and Peter Wyngarde brought this all to the TV screen with his characterisation.

I was a school kid in 1969 and we kids all loved Jason King and his flamboyant outfits and we went out of our way to get a giant tie knot, just like the one Jason had in ‘Department S.’ Most of the kids got the big knot by tying their ties way down at the fat end of the tie making their ties short but at least with a big knot. I got some help with my tie from an unexpected source: my Mum!

We were watching Department S one day and I was wishing out loud for a big fat tie like that and she said to me “You could make one yourself. It’s easy.”

“Easy?” I said. “How?”

“Well, all you need is another tie to go inside the first one and make it bigger.” Sounds good I thought but how do you get one tie inside another? My Mum showed me how with a big safety pin! What you had to do was get your second tie, the one that needs to go inside the other, pin the safety pin to it and then you can thread it through the other one, manipulating it along with the safety pin which you can feel through the material.

I dug out an old tie and threaded it through my school tie, took out the safety pin and then tied my tie in the usual way. Result; one huge knot that Jason King himself would be pleased with.

The next day I went into school wearing my new fashionable tie and half the school –or so it seemed to me- were stunned by my trendy new school tie. Where did I get it from? How did I get such a knot? Did I tie it in a special way?

I remember once after games, getting changed in the changing rooms and everyone turned to watch as I fastened my tie. There was me, fastening the tie in the mirror with all my school mates watching. I had become a sort of mini school celebrity: The kid with the trendy tie!

“Here it comes,” said someone as I made the final tie of the knot,

“Super knot!”

Well, my fifteen minutes of fame came, went, and vanished as other people worked out how to make their own special ‘super knots.’ Jason King went on to star in his own spin off TV series then he too vanished into TV’s Golden past. Fashion moved on and in the eighties ties went the other way; narrow thin ties were the norm. Trousers lost their flares, jacket lapels slimmed down once again. ‘Penny round’ shirts were forgotten but then, that’s the great thing about DVDs: pop your disc into the machine and you can experience it all again!

T.J. Denny

Dear Madam,

I’ve been watching the re-broadcast of Department S on London Live which brought back such amazing memories from my youth, when every male in the city seemed to look like Jason King. Seeing the series again prompted me to look online to see what I could find about Peter Wyngarde which was when I came across this fabulous website. It’s an absolute goldmine of information and a credit to all those involved. Just like Arnie Schwarzenegger, I’ll be back.

Yours,

Frank Webb

Greetings, peace and love,

I came across ‘Jason King’ in researching what English shows were broadcast in the Ethiopian Empire 1964-74. The shows qualifies as Selassiedelic. I am certain the Emperor would never approve of anything promoting twisted instincts or morality. I was hoping to find a site like yours to set the record straight after I read the predictable mess of lies on English Wikipedia, my hat is off to you and rest assured you will expose those liars in the long run!

Ras Feqade

Dear Tina,

I’ve just read the latest piece on the Thoughts of Peter page about so-called Cancel Culture and some of the morons that have infested the Internet. The types you refer to are like spoiled children having a tantrum. They crave attention and demand they get it. As someone so rightly put it recently, the village idiot has gone global.

Best wishes to you and thanks for this amazing website.

Nat Jacobs

Dear Tina,

Thank you for signing my copy of your book.

As usual I read the back first, then the beginning, then the sections in between and then start to finish. It is one of the best biographies I’ve ever read.

Just a few items you might find of interest. Colchester Reparatory Theatre (Albert Hall) where Peter began his career has for many years been the Co-op bank. The theatre group itself became the Mercury Theatre which was founded by Anthony Quayle. I saw Peter there 3 times with Desmond, my brother.

I once spotted Peter driving out of ABPC Borehamwood which was near where I lived, driving his Bentley Continental with his Afghan Hound. I also saw him at the Odeon Cinema in St. Martins Lane, smoking those large Sobranie cocktail cigarettes. Latterly, I saw him in The King and I, which was a great show, and we – my brother and I – managed to get free tickets to The Russell Harty Show. Sadly, the interview itself was pre-recorded.

Peter had some great cars, such as a TVR (I also had one). It was of some interest to me to know that he’d once owned a Bristol. My brother and I knew Anthony Crook, who was a part owner of the company, very well. Anthony was a well known Formula 2 racing driver. We had some scary test drives with him in Bristols.

I have bought the Jason King box set (the complete series). I’m watching disc 5 at the moment.

Thanks again for writing such a great biography.

Best Wishes,

David Glennon

Dear Tina and everyone associated with this wonderful site, 

Have an absolutely beautiful Christmas. I am a 58-year-old woman and have been a fan of Peter’s since I saw the original Department S.  I recently bought the DVD box set of the series. Although I am a very busy legal secretary and find it difficult to watch things regularly due to work, there is a nice long weekend ahead, so I will curl up in my bed with mugs of tea and some treats, oh, and hubby (hee hee) and watch Peter for 28, long glorious hours – I can’t wait!!!

Once again, a very Happy Christmas to you all.  With love,

Sharon Worsley

By the way – I once wrote to Peter and he sent me a gorgeous Christmas greeting – I love this site – keep up the fantastic work. xxx

Thoughts On… Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers

Regarding the embittered prat who stated that you’d spent all of the first half of your book trying to convince its readers that Peter Wyngarde wasn’t gay: Why doesn’t he write a book himself, in which he can provide evidence to the contrary?

It’s a wonderful book I enjoyed it very much. Peter was my dear late mom’s favourite actor. She absolutely loved him!

Kathy Richards

Hi Tina,

I find the discussion here about your book and the halfwits (almost entirely men I notice), who wouldn’t know the difference between their asses and their elbows, fascinating.

I personally recall reading some months prior to your book being published a conversation on a ‘Minder’ forum between three men(!) as to what the content of your book would actually be. By the end of their pow-wow they’d decided in their tiny, tiny minds what would be said and how. I recall one of them saying that you would attempt to deny that Peter had been arrested on 2 separate occasions for importuning. As has since been established, one of these incidents has been found to be disinformation concocted and hosted (and since removed) by Wikipedia[1]. It just goes to show how willing the braindead are to believe any amount of uncorroborated information posted by a faceless entity with no qualification to comment, while ridiculing and discounting someone who actually knew the personality they’re discussing. It beggars belief!

As someone else has already highlighted here, these people have become so resolute in the beliefs they’ve defended so garishly and for so long that they dare not back down or even consider the possibility they might actually be wrong. It goes without saying that each of these men were concealing themselves behind usernames, such was their unshakable belief in the claims they were making. Speaks volumes!

I also remember one of their number quite categorically stating that, in a previous life, you’d been Peter’s “housekeeper” which was, allegedly, how you’d met him. Where in the name of God do they get this stuff from?

Anyway, back in the real world. Congratulations on the success of said book and kudos for standing up to the bullies in doggedly fighting to right the wrongs that were done to Peter during his lifetime.

Brian Gough

[1]: Read more about this here.

Dear Tina,

The three men described by Brian Gough [see email above] sound like a bunch of muckraking old battleaxes at a bus stop. In the auld days they’d stand on the dust bin to gossip with the neighbour over the back yard wall. Now they gather on social media and Cult TV forums. Evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar compared gossiping to the grooming primates engage in as a means of bonding, but these days instead of picking fleas off each other they bitch about people they don’t know and have never met on social media. Bet the moment they’d finished with you and Peter they were each off to another habitat to get their claws into some other poor bugger (and doubtless each other as soon as their respective backs were turned!).

Such people are small fry; gutless, lightweight mediocrities whose only means of making themselves feel superior is to drag others down to their level. They’re rotten to the core with jealousy and pissed off at themselves because your book was about to take a flamethrower to everything the credulous little proles had convinced themselves was true. I bet they’d spent years fantasising about being rogered senseless by Jason King and couldn’t face the possibility that he’d been on the hetro bus all along. Hell hath no fury like a coven of old queens scorned.

Rick Bentham

Hi Tina,

Unfortunately, you’ll always get self-important people like this who are absolutely, completely and utterly certain that they know everything there is to know about a well-known personality or incident they were involved in, based solely on what they’ve read online or in a newspaper [see previous two emails]. They haven’t the intelligence to consider whether what they’ve read has any substance, nor have they the mind to enquire whether the person posting a particular story has firsthand knowledge of what they’re asserting.

I bought your book immediately on publication and thought that you broached the difficult section concerning Peter’s arrest in 1975 judiciously, presenting evidence and hitherto unpublished details – most notably excerpts from the court transcripts – which had previously not been in the public domain. I also admired how you argued, analysed and debated how the incident was reported by the press at the time, i.e. bringing to light what was included and, more importantly, what was omitted from those articles, and the impact these embroidered stories have had on public opinion. It was also something of an eyeopener to learn that the so-called ‘Kennedy Gardens Incident’, which has been held up repeatedly by Peter’s detractors over the years as “evidence” of his supposed sexual orientation, actually originated on Wikipedia[1]. In all probably this yarn was referred to by the trio of old fishwives witnessed by Rick Bentham [see previous email] on the ‘Minder’ forum when they decided months before publication what would and would not be contained in your book. Is it any wonder why such people choose to secrete themselves behind usernames, otherwise they might be taken to task over the utter crap they disseminate online.

Keep up the excellent work, Tina, and don’t let the morons and lame-brains grind you down.

Best Wishes,

Derrick Jackson

Hello,

Think you’ll find that one of those old fishwives was none other than the notorious K**** T*****, who inevitably went on to initiate a hate campaign against the Minder Forum and its admin [see Brian Gough’s earlier email]. Harassing other people seems to be a bit of a habit.

Tony Ashton

Dear Tina,

There’s a lot of interesting points here about your excellent book (bought it on the day it was published) and about the tragic minority who attack authors and their works online.

Of course, it comes as no surprise to learn that those early “reviews” posted on Amazon were puerile responses from ridiculous middle-aged men who had been banned from your Peter Wyngarde Facebook group because they were incapable of conducting themselves like adults. If their masculinity is so fragile that they feel compelled to exact revenge through the back door for such an insignificant action, then I suggest they’re not only cowards but also in need of serious psychiatric help.

It makes me wonder what contribution these infantile knuckle draggers have made to the world apart from attempting to pull others down to their level. They haven’t the imagination to set up a website or Facebook group of their own so resort to agitating and trying to spoil other’s enjoyment. They’re equally incapable of writing a book, so strive to destroy that. How desperately sad they are. I’m almost tempted to pity them.

According to the sleeve note of your book by world renowned actor, director and author, Steven Berkoff, ‘Peter Wyngarde: A life Amongst Strangers’ is, “An intimate biography that is elegantly crafted, intensively researched, and presented with the utmost honour.” This is a man who actually knows what he’s talking about. The fact that a couple of manbabies from the arse-end of nowhere have decided to have a hissy fit on a public forum is flotsam and jetsam; nothing more than the sweepings left after a party they were not invited to.

Be proud of what you’ve done Tina. Just remember, men with tiny ding-a-lings compensate for their inadequacy by attacking women from behind computer screens.

Alison Crosby

Hi!

I agree entirely with Alison Crosby [see above]. I saw a review of ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ which had been written by someone called Paul Kemp who wrote ENTIRELY IN CAPITAL LETTERS AS IF HE’S SHOUTING EVERYTHING. Obviously desperate to get noticed. I decided to check out his other book ‘reviews’ and found that he’d doled out the same treatment to several other books and goods: 1-Star, angry, overtly acrimonious claptrap. Had previously purchased a book about the former Chelsea FC owner – Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich, who he clearly despises, so he decided to attack the author with a rant laced with atrocious spelling and even worse grammar (evidently doesn’t read enough). It’s a shame that authors can’t give reviews of their readers. If someone like this is incapable of writing in a reasonably coherent fashion, how in the name of Christ can they possibly read and understand what an author is trying to say to them?

Dave Wheeler

Dear Tina,

Agree with both Alison Crosby and Dave Wheeler [see previous 2 emails].

Some men can’t deal with being put in their place by a woman. They feel emasculated and need to claw back control somehow. Posting abuse – or as in this case, personal attacks in the form of a book review – makes them feel empowered. They’re very, very sad people.

Doug Jackson

To anyone who reads this.

Regarding the discussion about book reviews: Such appraisals are completely subjective. The problem with the examination of biographies is that they’re often coloured by what the reader wants and expects rather than what is the truth. If the reader is willing to approach a work objectively then the probability is they’d enjoy the account far more and actually learn something. Unfortunately, some people set out with preconceived ideas about the subject, but when those assumptions and prejudgments are not met, they find fault with the book and lash out at the author.

I read one “review” of ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ from someone who appeared interested only in Alan Bates. In fact, over the course of three very short passages he mentioned Bates’ name no fewer than four times. I suggested to him that if Bates was his primary interest, then perhaps he should have bought a book about him rather than one about Peter Wyngarde. Needless to say, my recommendation went clean over his head.

Very few people knew or got close to Peter Wyngarde. He seldom gave interviews after the Jason King era for good reason and rarely, if ever, spoke about his private life. Much of what we did know about him prior to the publication of Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins book was based entirely on tabloid gossip and postulation. The only certainty now is that we actually knew f**k all! For sure, there are some factions that had already claimed P.W. as one of their own and were wholly pissed off to learn that (God forbid!) Wyngarde loved and was close to a woman; their subsequent heterophobia and the undisguised venom aimed at Ms Wyngarde-Hopkins has been well documented.

People need to understand that it’s not the responsibility of a biographer to uphold our preconceived ideas or wild speculation about a well-known personality. The blame if we end up feeling disappointed, lies entirely with us.

Scott Moore

Dear Tina,

I spotted this scan from your book (see image, right) online some time ago and meant to send it to you, but with one thing and another I never seemed to have had the time. Posted by someone with the username ‘Lemeneuxchex’ (has to be a he as all but a couple of his 200+ “friends” are female sex workers!), who appears to be mocking you for stating that the character Peter played in the stage version of Dracula was Vivorde Szekles. Well, you are absolutely correct. I went to see the play in early 1975 at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford and still have the programme and ticket stub (see below).

Right: From page 254 of ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’

The guy also prattles on about other stuff in your book which I don’t remember reading it the same way as he does. Maybe he’s spent too much time w****ing, sorry, chatting to his lady “friends” online and his brain has been fried? Anyway, seems to have a bit of an axe to grind or maybe he’s just another one of those with too much time on his hands who seem to plague social media these days. Anyway, I never take much notice of people who spend their time making accusatory statements but don’t have the balls to put their real name to it.

Ed Greenhoff

____________

Dear Ed,

This has been brought to my attention before. As can clearly be seen from the cast list in the original theatre programme from the ‘Dracula‘ tour, I was correct.

I understand that ‘Lemeneuxchex’ also asserts that I claim in the book that Peter and I had planned to have a baby when, and I quote, “she [me] was 57 and he [Peter] was 90″, adding sarcastically, “I’d have liked to have seen that!” Obviously, he’s incapable of following the simple timeline set out in the biography. I, in fact, made mention of a conversation that Peter and I had had in relation to this subject on Page 381 which, in the chronology of the book, happened in the early 2000s – NOT as ‘Lemeneuxchex’ suggested, within the final year of Peter’s life. Indeed, at the time that Peter passed away, I had not yet reached the age of 57, which brings into question the reliability of his sources.

It was also asserted by ‘Lemeneuxchex’ that I’d stated in the book that Peter had “changed” his Last Will and Testament in my favour during the final week of his life. This is utterly untrue. In fact, I quite clearly state on Page 473 that Peter had written and dated his Will on 1st November 2017. This was the only such document he made – naming me as the sole beneficiary. He was never to amend or rewrite it at any time thereafter.

He would also state the following: “She [me] tried to have us believe that he [Peter] had rewritten his Will and made a 3-hour recording while under the influence of Morphine.” Well actually, I didn’t! On Page 488, I make it abundantly clear that the audio recording was made by Peter and Thomas Bowington (Peter’s agent and friend) on the evening of 10th January 2018. The very first dose of Morphine was administered to Peter several days later, as is reported on Page 492.

I presume that each of these imagined ‘inaccuracies’ and ‘inconsistencies’ were posted online to supposedly prove that I’d been “lying” in the book, but as anyone who has actually read it and is able to follow a straightforward timeline will have seen, the only deceitfulness here is ‘Lemeneuxchex’s’ own. I can only conclude one of three things: either he is incapable of following the text in sequence; he didn’t read the book himself and was relying on (inaccurate) information fed to him by a third party or, in his haste to point an accusing finger in my direction, he let his mouth start something his brain couldn’t finish. And that, Ed, is why people like this won’t put their real name to the crap they post online!

Hi Tina,

Re. Ed Greenhoff’s post about the ludicrous Lemeneuxchex [see above]. Seems to be well aware of what he is – proudly describing himself as a “Part time troll’.

Terry Haslem

---

Hello Tina,

What a first class moron!! Not even to be pitied, only to be laughed at!! Part-time troll – full-time idiot!

Diane Brierley

Hi,

What benefit do these morons get from making constant claims and remarks, trying to belittle someone head and shoulders above them?

Dennis Brody

Dear Tina,

I often liken our use of the Internet to two people on a seesaw. If we all play nice, we all have a good time, but when you get someone like our friend Lemeneuxchex whose only intent is to weigh down one end with negativity, hate and abuse – all the attributes of a proud troll – then everyone loses out.

Paul Lucas

Dear Tina,

I bought your book after reading the infamous ‘Lazarus’ a-hem “review” on Amazon. I purchased it because I didn’t believe anything in print could possibly be as bad as he insisted and I’m so glad I did. It really is a gem and quite possibly the best actor biography I’ve ever read. On completing it I immediately gave it a five-star thumbs up on Amazon.

That said, it’s about time that Amazon got on top of these Trolls. A personal attack on an author does not constitute a review. I actually complained to Amazon about the tripe posted by ‘Lazarus’. I doubt I was alone. No one should ever put anything into print or online that they’re too cowardly to attach their name to.

Best Wishes and, again, brilliant book.

Jeffrey Tunstall

P.S. Latterly discovered that ‘Lazarus’ is in fact the a***hole who penned the disgusting obituary (sic) published by The Guardian on the occasion of Peter Wyngarde’s passing. Cowardly b*****d!

_____________

Hello Jeffrey,

Thank you for getting in touch; I’m of course delighted that you enjoyed the book.

‘Lazarus’ claims to have been a member of the Official Peter Wyngarde Appreciation Society. As I recall, he joined our Facebook group in 2012, but was with us for no more than 2 or 3 months before being kicked out and banned for repeatedly posting homophobic slogans on our Facebook group page. He initially contacted me back in 2002 via our original website which ran from 1999 until 2008 under another of his aliases, ‘Pete Stampede’, claiming to be a fan, but since then has done nothing but attack Peter and me. This appears to be a pattern that several online bullies and trolls have followed over recent years; they join the Society, behave in a manner that results in them being removed from our Facebook group, retaliate by attacking me, but when they realise they’re getting nowhere with that, they turn to abusing Peter. It’s the type of behaviour you might expect from a gaggle of silly schoolgirls, not a bunch of middle-aged men!

Tina

See also category further down this page entitled, ‘THOUGHTS ON… internet trolls and concerns regarding the future of Fandom‘.

The following: Cut and pasted verbatim. All spelling and grammar are as written at the time.

Dear Ms Wyngarde-Hopkins,

Worth pointing out that G**** G****** [see above] is a regular poster on the alleged comedy forum Cook’d and Bomb’d, and he is widely disliked there too. A genuinely nasty and bitter little man who, for his own reasons, appears to think he is a contemporary of various light entertainers and actors from the seventies instead of a fawning acolyte.

Stanley Moon

Dear Tina,

I remember reading with disgust, Mr G******’s ‘obituary’ in The Guardian in January 2018.

This is the type of man who will eventually leave this world without having achieved anything of note or worth, or deserving respect. He won’t qualify for an obituary because no one will remember or even care who he was. The sum total of his life will equate to nothing more than a moment in time when he was reviled and pitied in equal measure because all he could think to do when he learned a fellow human being had passed away was to attack him.

R.I.P. Peter.

Bob Leyton

Dear Tina,

I am utterly delighted that, in spite of the best efforts of people like the above described, your book has been such a huge success. You know, the book buying public aren’t stupid. They can see clean through the type of bile spewed by nonentities like this, and I know that there are thousands of Wyngarde fans out there who are grateful to you for finally putting the record straight. The very fact that the G**** G******’s of this world are royally pissed off delights me no end.

With every best wish,

Mike Diken

Hello Tina,

I remember vividly the appalling behaviour of that Guardian journalist on the Official Peter Wyngarde Appreciation Society Facebook group page [see earlier post] and how, in an act of revenge, he went on to write that shocking ‘Obituary’ which was published just a few days after Peter’s death [The Guardian – 19.01.18]. What kind of a person does it take to do such a thing? I can’t think of a word bad enough to describe him; he is beyond contempt, and yet I suspect he is still supremely pleased with himself.

Reading his email to you from 2002 [also part of earlier post]: I recall him accusing you in or around 2012/13 of being a “liar” over Peter’s claim that he’d studied at Oxford when he was clearly aware of it being mentioned elsewhere prior to this[1]. He really is a piece of work!

I also remember him attacking you when you stated, quite correctly, that author Donald Spoto (he of the disputed biography, ‘Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates’), was a former Theologian. I was amongst the first of many to put him straight. This was, I recall, just the first of a series of baseless accusations that inevitably saw him removed from the P.W. group. I suspect he’s the type of man who’s unaccustomed to anyone standing their ground and refusing to be bullied, hence the continued vitriol.

Keep up the excellent work, Tina. Your devotion to the man you loved and who clearly loved you, is admirable, as is your fortitude in facing down some truly atrocious people. Just remember that Peter’s real fans, and there are thousands of us all around the word, are grateful to you for keeping his name in the public domain.

With every best wish,

Diane B.

[1]: See earlier post signed, ‘Pete Stampede’ from 2002

Dear Tina,

Reading it [‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’] at the moment and, so far (I think I am up to about 1966) it really shows how much more than Jason King he really was. The book really is excellent and opens him up as a three dimensional real person.

Patrick Nash

Dear Tina Wyngarde-Hopkins,

Just a note to say that I have just finished reading your book ‘A Life Amongst Strangers’. What a great tribute to the man and the actor. Was there at Network’s 50th at Portmeirion, and when Peter Wyngarde entered the Hercules Hall the roof rose about six foot to mighty applause. A very treasured memory. Many thanks for writing the book.

Kind Regards,

Robert Campbell

Dear Tina,

I just wanted to say what a fabulous book, ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ is. It was a fascinating read – especially the second-half, which is easily the most impressive part of the story. So detailed is it and so well written, that one would have to have a heart of stone not to well up in the last few pages. I personally found it very painful.

As I read ‘A Life Amongst Strangers’, I wondered whether Peter himself, aside from his various poems and prose included in the book, had co-written the book himself before he passed away, or whether it was wholly a cathartic work from you, the author?

With all of my best wishes,

Camilla Semoh

_________________

Dear Camila,

Thank you so very much for taking the time to write. I am so pleased that you enjoyed the book.

A fair amount of the book was based on Peter’s own writings, as he had started work on his autobiography around 12 months before he passed away. I also have a huge number of text messages and private letters that he wrote to both me and others (he kept a record of every letter he sent from the early 50s onward), so I was able to interject his thoughts and feelings in his own words.

Take Care!

Tina

Dear Tina,

Firstly, I wanted to thank you for agreeing to donate a copy of your biography, ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ to our film and television archive. It is a valuable addition and gratefully received.

I’ve had the great pleasure of perusing the book myself and I have to say that I’ve never experienced such a vivid account of an actors life before. This could only have been achieved by an author with first-hand experience of her subject, since the elucidation of every moment spent with Wyngarde; the air you shared, the situations, sights, sounds and smells are those of a person with only the most intimate knowledge. I thank you on behalf of every fan for your generosity in sharing his life and career with us.

Dr Phil Chapman

Dear Tina,

I am half way through your book. It’s very well written and a joy to read. Well done!

MontgomeryHunstanton (Via Twitter)

Dear Tina,

My sister-in-law has asked me to relay a message to you concerning your book ‘Peter Wyngarde – A Life Amongst Strangers’ as she does not use social media.

She recently bought the book as a casual viewer of Peter’s work and in her words “she could not put it down”. She found his life story and the recollections of your shared life astounding, fascinating and wonderful. She also wished to say that this was the best written book she had read in the last few years. She relays absolute respect to yourself and your work. For myself, I totally concur with her. It is a truly wonderful book.

Ann Benson

Dear Tina,

I finished your exceptional book at the weekend and wanted to congratulate you on such an informative and valuable contribution to theatre and film history,

It was quite treat to read about an actor from someone that actually knew him. The detail and extent of research you’d done was extraordinary, and I think that anyone who would give it less than 5 stars is being wholly dishonest. I for one have never read a more illuminating biography.

I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank you for continuing to be such a bulwark of Mr Wyngarde’s legacy and reputation, despite the slings and arrows of the fatuous minority. You were there. They were not and that, I’m afraid to say, will irk the jealous and resentful.

Keep up the good work as there really is a great many of us out here that appreciate and support you and everything you do.

With my regards,

Warren Anders

Hello Tina,

Regarding book (or any type of) reviews [see earlier posts]: On one occasion I was about to buy a book from Amazon and happened to spot that someone had given it a 1-star “review”. I’d noticed the name of this particular critic because a few days earlier I’d seen he’d given a completely different book the exact same treatment. I decided to check out his Profile and found that, on just one day alone, he’d given no fewer than 176 books 1-star “reviews”. In the absence of any kind of morals or decency, arbitrarily trashing other people’s work was obviously some kind of a hobby to him. What a sad, morally bankrupt piece of trash.

Companies like Amazon should start looking into stuff like this and ban the culprits or, better still, just name and shame them. Idiots who clearly haven’t the intelligence to do anything more constructive with their time should be ostracised from the Internet altogether as they’re ruining it for the gifted and talented, and those like myself who wish learn from them.

Your book, by the way, is excellent. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

John Cahill

Hello Tina,

I read online the other day a piece of crap written by someone with only the most rudimentary education which states that your entire book is a lie because, ahem, you claim that you and Mr Wyngarde paid for a villa in France in 2003 using Francs.

From 2000 until 2011, I worked for British Airways at Carcassonne Airport in the South of France so I can vouch for the fact that after France adopted the Euro on 1st January, 2002, most airports, hotels, cafes, restaurants, petrol stations, railway stations and shops, especially in the resort towns, continued to accept them. There was a very simple reason for this: none of the proprietors of those establishments were willing to turn custom away, and the banks were still happy to exchange the old currency.

Because France sees a lot of people travelling through it from Spain, Italy, Germany etc., most shops, hotels and petrol stations, especially in the border regions, had always accepted Spanish Pesetas, German Marks and Italian Lira. Even today, Swiss Francs are accepted as readily as the Euro. So our know-it-all friend is most definitely in error.

Great Website. Excellent book. Keep up the good work.

With Regards,

Ava Weatherford

Dear Tina,

I’ve just finished your book about Peter Wyngarde. Absolutely superb! The ending was very poignant as my father passed away last November in almost identical circumstances. Thankyou for writing this book and I have to say I still regularly watch Department S and Jason Klingon DVD as they’ve always been great favourites of mine. Very best wishes,

Tony Ashton

______________________

Dear Tony,

It is so kind of you to take the time to let me know; I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. I’m also desperately sorry to hear about your Dad. I wrote the final two chapters of the book within weeks of Peter passing away so it was really raw at the time (it still is). My thoughts are of course with you.

Do Take Care!

Tina

Hi’ya Tina,

With reference to the kn*b-end “reviewer” [see previous two messages]. I hope you’ll like the attached cartoon.

All the best,

Carl Harrison

Dear Tina,

Oh  my  God! Just seen a 1-star “review” of your book in which the “reviewer” said that the reason for their low appraisal was because, wait for it….: “There was too much detail”.  It  just  makes  you  want  to give up that  anybody  can  be  that  f*****g ridiculous. They  obviously  don’t  realise that  everyone  else can see  how  stupid  they  are  either, publishing such  a foolish statement: “I  got   too  much  for   my money  so  I  want  to  complain!” Maybe  they  can’t  actually  read  and  they  just  wanted pictures ,  or better still a  colouring  book . Un-f*****g-believable!!!  

Keep up the excellent work. This website is the best on the ‘net and your book is utterly brilliant. Peter’s legacy is in the best possible hands.

Neil Collier

Too much detail? You just can’t please some people. I suspect that if the Angel Gabriel was to write an autobiography and have it blessed by Jesus Christ himself there’d be someone who’d complain. They live for it, and inevitably the first in line are always those who have achieved absolutely nothing themselves. I pity them.

The book is a gem.

Denise Parry

Dear Tina,

I finished reading your wonderful book at the weekend and wanted to thank you for sharing your knowledge of Peter Wyngarde with those of us who appreciate your love and devotion to him. No one has done more to promote and protect his name. As Mr Thomas Bowington rightly put it, if it hadn’t been for you Peter would have died alone thanks to his dispassionate friends and absent family.

Reading through earlier emails, it’s apparent that the usual dregs of society have been falling over themselves to have a dig. Regrettably, this type of behaviour is becoming increasingly prevalent, which makes me wonder if it’s the Internet that has bred these rats, or has society just allowed its mask to slip? Whatever the reason it’s just out and out cowardice, there’s no other word for it.

As has previously been discussed, misogyny plays a huge part in online trolling. Cult TV “Fandom” is pretty much a male-dominated area, with the vast majority of fan groups and websites administered by men. While it would be unfair to tar all of them with the same brush, there are some amongst them who actually believe they have some kind of authority and while they’ll pay the ‘little woman’ lip service, God forbid that she might not only be capable of doing what they do, but is accomplished enough to better them.

On the subject to reviews:- Personal attacks on an author is not a review, nor is having a hissy fit because a person’s own absurd assumptions have not been met. As strange as it might sound, it’s not an author’s responsibility to address every cretin’s wild conjecture. You’d have thought that Darwinism would have sorted these morons out by now but, unhappily, it never seems to.

Never forget that it’s not a crime to love someone, regardless of what a few imbeciles might say. Your support and devotion to Peter, both during his life and since his death is something to be admired, not derided by a group of deadbeats who wouldn’t understand the meaning of these words. No one has the right to interfere in anyone else’s private business or to decide who or what that person is. If these simpletons had half the guts, decency and determination that you’ve demonstrated since Peter passed away, they’d be twice the men they are now.

Gavin Hesketh

Dear Tina,

I was fortunate enough to receive your book as a Christmas gift, and read it over the course of just 2 days, I couldn’t put it down.

I feel that I now understand Mr Wyngarde so much more than I could ever have dreamed, and I thank you for your devotion to your subject. It is hard to believe that you are a first time author, as you painted such an eloquent and vivid picture of Wyngarde, both as a man and an performer.

As for the idiotic detractors that haven’t a good word for your work: there are usually two sorts that attack biographers and they’re usually the type that are mentioned in the book, and those that are not. The latter are the type that can’t abide being ignored, so they find fault in everything you say and do. The former, and these are often the most bitter and acerbic, are those that do feature, have behaved appallingly and were proud of their actions at the time, but who don’t wish the world to know about them. You could almost say that their attempts to discredit you is a backhanded way of them acknowledging their misdeeds. They know they are lying, but if they can convince other people that you’re a vile shit, it detracts from their transgressions.

While I’m not the religious type, in the final days of our lives there’s always a reckoning because the truth is, we really don’t know what’s in store for us on the “other side”. It’s this uncertainty that evokes our conscious to ask some pretty inconvenient questions, simply because we don’t know what (or who?) might await us. They may lack principles now, dear lady, but when the time comes to face their own mortality, I assure you they won’t be able to avoid a moral judgement of their own making.

Stay strong, stick to your guns, and don’t let the bastards grind you down. You’ve done Wyngarde proud.

James Whittaker, Alford

Dear Tina,

Many thanks for posting my recent Amazon review (14/1/2021) of your brilliant new biography of Peter Wyngarde on your excellent website. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to sign my copy (or if easier if I order another copy direct from your good self?).

I will order some badges and a “Night of the Eagle” T-shirt soon as well.

Have you seen the updated revised edition (published in 2019) of “Peter Wyngarde – King of TV” by Roger Langley (originally published in 2012)? It includes two extra chapters, more photographs and an extract from a letter which the author claims was written by Peter to the Mr Langley in 2012:

“Dear Roger, what can I say I’m speechless! What a lot of hard work! It must have been a true labour of love

and for that I thank you. Forgive the scribble but I’m writing on my knee, on my balcony and it is rather awkward. Once more thank you for your magnificent effort. May I take the opportunity to wish you the best in your undertakings and hope we will be in touch in the near future. With grateful thanks, Yours, Peter”

I was wondering about this as I read that you related that when Mr Langley initially contacted Peter he was dismissive, which the author himself alludes to:

“This biography of Peter Wyngarde, the first edition of which appeared in 2012, was being extensively revised and updated in order to be republished, when the sad news emerged that the actor had passed away…This book is not, as some refer to biographies, an “official” account, or “authorised”…the book is not that of a collaboration. In fact I did ask – more than once – if the actor if I could work with him on a much needed and long overdue biography. His saucy reply was that he planned to write his own life story and the results, as such, would come from “the horse’s mouth”…In the end, I decided to prepare my tribute and leave Mr Wyngarde in peace, having pestered him enough during several years.” (extract of 2019 Foreword).

Roger Langley’s website: http://www.peterwyngarde.me.uk/index.htm

If you haven’t seen his updated revised book I would be willing to send you a copy if you wanted to write a critical review for your site? It may be of interest to PW fans and readers of your blog. My own view is that Mr Langley’s book is okay as an introductory primer as far as it goes but at only a slim 150 pages is nowhere near as in depth or fascinating as your superb effort!

I look forward to your reply.

Take care and stay safe,

Kind regards,

Robert Best, Sussex

______________________

Hello Robert, 

How lovely to hear from you. Yes, of course I’d be delighted to sign a copy of the book for you.

No, I haven’t seen the 2nd Edition of Roger Langley’s book. Someone did give me a copy of the 1st edition a few years back. I can’t be 100% sure what Peter thought of Mr Langley’s work; on the one hand he said he didn’t know that a biography had been written, but then R.L. says he knew all about it.

I have absolutely no reason to doubt that Mr Langley is being truthful when he says that Peter wrote to him. I do, however, recall an incident when Peter and I was at Portmeirion for the 50th Anniversary celebration in September/October 2017, and as we were returning to the hotel after the Q&A session, two fans (both members of the Official Society) approached us to ask for an autograph. One of the guys handed Peter a copy of Mr Langley’s book which he duly looked over, but stated that he hadn’t seen or ever heard of the book before (I’m sure the two gents concerned would vouch for this). Perhaps he simply believed that the volume he’d been handed was different publication(?).

By the way, many, many thanks for your very kind and generous review of my book – I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it. 

Take Care!

Tina 

Dear Tina,

With reference to Robert Best’s email. (See above).

I have both the 1st and 2nd edition of Roger Langley’s book, ‘Peter Wyngarde: King of TV’, and while he named you in the acknowledgement section of the former, there wasn’t so much as a cursorary nod in your direction even though the author admitted to relying on your work the first time around. As far as I can see, apart from a few additional paragraphs, the text is almost identical, so there really should be some show of appreciation now.

It’s also blatantly obvious that the theatre and TV credits at the back of Langley’s book have been copied in their entity from your website. On the rare occasions that you have been unable to identify a character which Wyngarde played on stage or on screen, guess what? Langley’s list is missing it too.

I’m more than aware that you have never been precious about the research you’ve done and posted on your websites, and everyone I know that has ever had the pleasure of either contacting you or speaking with you directly have spoken well of you, saying how generous and approachable you are. So why has Roger Langley not done the decent thing and give credit where it’s due?

John Manley, Taunton

__________

Dear John,

I’m grateful for your comments and observations.

While I’m well aware that people take information, sometimes wholesale, from this website – this includes professional journalists and authors – I’m not interested in causing bad feeling over it; there’s far too much of that in ‘fandom’ at the moment – none of us need any more.

As far as I’m concerned, Mr Langley’s book is a very positive work about Peter, and as far as I’m concerned, anything that helps to keep Peter’s name in the public domain in a constructive way can only be a good thing.

Take Care!

Tina

Dear Madam,

For some time now I’ve been following your determined battle to correct the misinformation about Peter Wyngarde in Donald Spoto’s biography, ‘Otherwise Engaged – The Life of Alan Bates’. I am of course aware of the tiny group of amateur critics that cling increasingly desperately to Spoto’s every word; treating his version of events as if they were inviolable.  

When ‘Otherwise Engaged…’ was published in 2007, it was given a lukewarm reception by Bates friends and fans alike, who questioned Spoto’s writing style and his obvious lack of research. This is what one long-term Bates fan had to say about it: “One wonders why the Bates family entrusted this task to an American writer who is better known for production-line bios of Hollywood stars and “celebrities” rather than serious actors.” And, Spoto shows little knowledge or understanding of the UK or the British theatre or cinema. Much of the material “quoting” Bates read suspiciously like a cut and paste job.”

Amanda S. Stephenson, a long-time friend of Bates, stated the following immediately after the book was published: “I knew Alan well and this book was never properly researched. He [Spoto] didn’t even talk about Gene Hackman because he could hardly wait to talk about Alan’s secret gay life.”

It’s telling that while your use of the word “Francs” rather than “Euros” has been held up by the slow-witted to (purportedly) prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that your book is a work of fiction and yet not a word has been heard from the same quarter about Donald Spoto’s lack of attention to the facts in his work. For example, Spoto quotes a female source as saying that the poet and novelist, Brendan Behan, reminded her of “another Welshman, Richard Burton”, and yet Spoto fails to point out that Behan was in fact Irish. He also refers to Diane Cilento as an “English actress” when it’s a well-known fact that she was born and bred in Mooloolaba, Australia. There have been countless other errors identified in both this book and Spoto’s other biographies, but all have seemingly been airbrushed over by those people whose sole ambition in life is trying to wrong-foot you. 

As a literary critic myself, I will say with hand on heart that ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ is a far superior book to ‘Otherwise Engaged – The Life of Alan Bates’. As opposed to the latter, it has been meticulously researched and has a flowing, easy-to-read style that is in stark contrast to Donald Spoto’s. Put side-by-side, one would never suspect that it’s ‘A Life Amongst Strangers’ that had been written by a first-time author.

Of course, there’s always an advantage to writing about a subject one is familiar with. Spoto is merely a jobbing author who was commissioned to write a book about a person he had never met and whose work he was clearly unfamiliar with. Conversely, you knew Peter Wyngarde intimately; this is abundantly clear in the minutely detailed way in which you have been able to portray your subject. I could almost hear Wyngarde’s voice when reading the words of his letters, texts and private conversations with you and others. It’s absolutely impossible to imitate this. Spoto, on the other hand was unable to draw on any personal knowledge of Bates and so his book lacks the colour, texture and insights of your biography. Thank you for sharing it with those of us who genuinely admire Peter Wyngarde, both as an actor and a man.

*D.M.Y., Islington, London.

*Based on previous experience, I’ve chosen not to post the full name of the person who wrote the above email, as there would be a distinct possibility he’d be sought out and abused by some particularly vicious Trolls.

Dear Tina,

I’ve just finished reading your book. What a wonderfully entertaining, meticulously researched and extremely touching piece of work.  I  understand  how  difficult  it   must have been  for  you sharing  something  so personal. I’ve  never been  in  your situation (although obviously  I  have  lost  people/ family  I  care  about ) and  am  never  likely  to  be, so  I’d  never  claim  to be  an  expert,   but  I  know that  sometimes  just  giving  ‘voice’  to your  feelings  can  help , even  if  only  by a  minuscule  amount. I hope   it  helps  you  in  some  small  way  anyway.

The  note at the end of the book that  Peter  left  for you [see right] was  so  special.  It  was really  lovely. and  it  made me  cry. The love  he  expressed   in  that  little   note  is   something  no one can  ever  take  from you ,  no  matter how many  childish threats  and  poison  anyone   throws  at  you.  I’m  struggling  to  find  the  right  words here, I’m trying  not  to sound  pompous so forgive  me  if  I get  it  wrong,  but  the  love  he felt  for  you  in the  moments that he  wrote  that  note  was  so real  and  so deep  that  even though  he’s not  here,  it  still  exists,  somewhere,  it  must do.   I  hope you  know   what  I  mean.

Bless you for keeping Peter’s name alive.

Sara-Jane Kaleen

Dear Tina,

People put labels on others so that they can understand the world. It has nothing to do with the person they’re labelling.

Kat Welsby, Chipping Sodbury

Hi Tina!

I’ve been fascinated by Peter for years – his look, his style and his amazing voice. What a talent.

I’ve just finished reading your wonderful book, and found it provoked so many emotions; some positive and some less so – sadness and anger mainly, that this towering talent could be denied professional and personal happiness and fulfilment by tiny-minded pedlars of filth and sleaze. What also upsets me is that we were denied the pleasure of seeing him on stage and screen, chewing up scenery and leaving other actors floundering in his wake. God the world was better, more interesting and stylish with him in it. I miss him.

Steve Judge

Dear Tina,

Firstly, thank you for adding me to the group. Secondly, I was bought a copy of your wonderful book for my birthday. I just wanted to let you know that I find both very enjoyable and very moving too. I am happy to write something in appreciation of it in the group if you like, though simply wanted to offer my sincere thanks to to you for writing it.

All the best.

Cris Ramis

________________

Hello Cristian,

It’s so kind of you to contact me; I’m pleased that you enjoyed the book. You’d be most welcome to write something from either the Facebook group or our website. Thank you so very much, and with all my best wishes,

Tina

Thoughts On… Wikipedia and the damage it’s done over the years to Peter’s reputation

Dear Tina,

What a nerve Wikipedia have to beg monetary contributions from people when the vast majority of what’s on there is utter crap. It’s just as well that there are websites like this that are able to set the record straight.

Keep up the excellent work.

Ian M. Smith

Dear Miss Wyngarde-Hopkins,

Ah, yes – Wikipedia. As per your good self, I too am at a loss as to why the smart asses that admin the Peter Wyngarde biography continue to insist that Wyngarde was alone amongst the acting community for sexing up his biography.

As you’ve already stated on your website, Marlon Brando and Errol Flynn both embellished their bio’s, as did numerous other actors, especially in Hollywood. Take one of your own favorites, Jay Robinson, who was perhaps best known for playing Emperor Caligula in ‘The Robe’ and its sequel, ‘Demetrius and The Gladiators’. He claimed that he was Anglo/American, and that he’d appeared in numerous plays in England before moving here to the States. In actual fact, he was born in New York to American parents, and brought up in Florida.

Robinson’s agent issued a 16-page biography for the press on the release of ‘The Robe’ in 1953 which gave out that he was 27-years old when, in fact he was just 22 when the film was shot the previous year. If the Wiki guys don’t get this and continue to depict Peter Wyngarde’s professional account of his life as atypical of those within the acting profession, then they should consider writing about something a little less complex than actors.

Michael Hudson, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Hi Tina,

It’s curious that Wikipedia should determine from an innocuous comment in your book that you were claiming Dorinda Stevens was either “bisexual” or “a lesbian”, and yet they are still insisting that Peter passed away from a “undefined illness”, even though you state clearly in the book what the condition(s) were.

I also find it incredibly distasteful that they also continue to quote from the crap written by G**** G****** in the 18.01.18 edition of The Guardian, in spite of it being roundly exposed for the vicious nonsense that it was, and G****** being sacked by the paper on account of it.

Just an observation.

Ian Jacobs

_________________

Hello Ian,

It’s what Admiral Lord Nelson had when he put his eye patch over his good eye and said, “I see no ships!”

Tina

Dear Tina,

I notice that Wikipedia are still quoting from G**** G******’s shameful ‘obituary’ [The Guardian online – 18th January, 2018]. They claim the following based entirely on G******’s blather: “An obituary reported that he lived partly on Social Security benefits”.

I read your book (excellent, by the way) in which you pooh-pooh this nonsense by stating facts. As you said in ‘A Life Amongst Strangers’, this myth was born out of an article in the Daily Mirror that was published immediately after the success of ‘Flash Gordon’, in which PW played General Klytus. Wikipedia’s so-called Verifiability(!) Policy insists that “articles should refer only to facts and interpretations verified in reliable, reputable print or online sources or in other reliable media.” G**** G******’s deplorable attack on Peter Wyngarde proves beyond doubt that not everything in print is “reliable” or “reputable”.

I also see that they’re still spouting the same drivel about “a similar arrest in the toilets at Kennedy Gardens in Birmingham the previous year, which resulted in a caution”, their “reliable facts” being taken from The Guardian (the very same newspaper that published G******’s universally criticised ‘obituary’), Stephan Richards ‘Crime Through Time’, which is notoriously error-strewn, the article’s from the BBC (online)/The Independent (online) – of 18.01.18. – both of which were plainly sourced from Wikipedia itself. It would be a joke if not for the fact that someone’s reputation iss at stake.

If it’s not too much of an imposition, what was G**** G******’s beef with Peter?

All the best,

Trevor Cashman

______________________

Dear Trevor,

You can find the answer to your question by clicking on the following: ‘Wikipedia – To Theheartofit….

Tina

Hello Tina,

Just been reading many of the comments on this page and was especially shocked to learn about the amount of misinformation there is out there about Peter. It must have been appalling for him to have to live knowing that there are such malicious and unthinking people out there. As someone has already stated, whatever has happened to ‘Do unto others as you would have done unto you’?

As has quite rightly been highlighted on this page, Wikipedia (W.P.) has much to answer for. I recall them insisting at one time that Peter had been given a police caution in 1974, supposedly for importuning in Birmingham. They asserted that the information had come from a book entitled, ‘Crime Through Time: the Black Museum’ by Stephen Richards. The trouble was there was no such claim in the book. But even if this allegation had been in this publication, what made Wiki believe that the Richard’s was correct? It was actually a very serious statement to repeat, especially as Mr Wyngarde was alive at the time this appeared on Wikipedia, and since much research has been done both by myself and other, there has been no evidence found to substantiate this declaration[1]. Had the Wiki lot stopped to consider for a second what impact such false information could have on someone’s life? Evidently not.

From Wikipedia, this blatant lie has since seeped into the public consciousness having been picked up by the press. I wonder if the person or persons responsible for posting it on W.P. have or ever will have the decency to apologise? I for one won’t be holding my breath! I’ve attempted to contribute to the Peter Wyngarde biography on W.P., but despite there being an open invitation to any and all of us add to the encyclopedia, my contribution(s) have immediately been deleted by those that have created the P.W. biography.

Another thing about those referred to above and the fuss they make over Peter embellishing his ‘biography’: As has been pointed out previously on this page, almost every actor did this. In addition to those personalities already mentioned, there’s William Hartnell. He claimed that his father was a farmer but latterly said he was a soldier who’d taken up stockbroking. Where’s the song and dance over that?

There is far too much reliance on W.P. by the press, bloggers, authors and the public in general. The people who compile these biographies and other articles on there are not philosophers and scholars they’re just ordinary Joes like the rest of us with no access to privilege knowledge than anyone else. They simply cherry pick what they think will pique the reader’s interest while discarding the information that doesn’t fit their agenda. In that they’re no different to the tabloid newspapers that feed off them.

Bless you Tina in you’re inexhaustible mission to expose the truth.

Austin Makinson

Dear Tina,

With reference to the comments by Austin Makinson [See previous message]:

Wow, I have found editing Wikipedia articles to be the exact opposite of Austin’s experience, including when doing occasional edits of the Peter Wyngarde article in the past. Wikipedia articles do not have an “agenda” as Austin says, other than being as complete, accurate and sourced as possible. Bogus, mischievous, opinionated or unsourced information does get added unfortunately, but it is fairly quickly removed or flagged as needing a source. This seems to be a good thing, and I assume it is what happened with the now-deleted reference to Crime Through Time book, and with Austin’s own contributions if they were not backed up by any sources other than his own conclusions. As we know from Tina’s book, Peter Wyngarde did fib about some key aspects of his biography for many years, and again from Tina’s book we know that some of that seems deeper-rooted than just being about publicity, so I don’t have a problem with that aspect being covered.

Andrew Humphrey, London

____________________

Dear Andrew,

I have to agree with Austin re. the damage Wikipedia have done to Peter’s reputation with the Birmingham lie. W.P. kept this blather on view for an inordinate amount of time, and TWICE reposted it after I myself removed it. Given that the media have since picked up on this myth, as have bloggers and those using social media forums, the individuals that jealously guard the P.W. ‘biography’ page should have the decency to publicly retract what they said and apologise for the damage caused.. I won’t be holding my breath either!

Tina

Hello Again, Tina –

I decided after rereading my email and Andrew Humphries reply [See above for both], that I’d try again to add a contribution to the Peter Wyngarde biography on Wikipedia. I doubt very much that it will be left on there for long, not least because they would never admit to being wrong. Here it is so it can be memorialised before they delete it.

Austin Makinson

Dear Tina,

I’ve been visiting this website for many years now and have meant to drop you a line to say “Thank You” for sharing all this wonderful stuff with us fans. I don’t think there’s any better, more detailed ‘site on the net and you should feel immensely proud of yourself for all the work you’ve obviously put in to this invaluable archive.

Anyway, f**k ’em girl. You’re worth a hundred-thousand of those sort.

Long Live The King!

Alex Gardner

____________

Hello Alex,

Thanks for your email.

Thank you for your support. I’m so pleased that you’ve enjoyed visiting this website over the years. As for the individual you refer to: After a decade of hearing the same motheaten accusations, misinformed conjecture and tedious gay pick-up line, you become oblivious to it. I would’ve thought that the backlash he received to his character assassination of Peter back in 2018 would’ve been enough even for him to understand that no one has the slightest interest in anything he has to say.

Tina

Dear Tina,

I just wanted to say how much I’ve been enjoying all the new articles you’ve added to this website over the last few months. I’ve especially liked the Fan Fiction section. I was also thought that the ‘Spectre of Peter Quint‘ piece was exceptional and ‘Wikipedia: To Theheartofit‘ was nothing short of jaw-dropping. I’ve locked horns with many a Keyboard Warrior/Troll/bully online over the years but I have to admit, I’ve never had another bloke try to hit on me. Bizarre.

Re. Austin Makinson’s email [see previous message], I don’t have a Facebook account either, simply because I’ve heard that it’s mainly populated by idiots who don’t seem able to coexist with anyone without causing trouble and attempting to spoil everyone else’s enjoyment of the Internet, so I don’t understand what this guy is trying to get at [see following email]. Again, bizarre.

Well, thanks for all the work you obviously put into this Website. It’s a credit to you.

Eddie Burns

Hi Tina!

I’ve been meaning to drop you a line for a few weeks now to thank you for publishing my article [see ‘Wikipedia: To Theheartofit’]

I did hear from a friend who is a member of your Facebook group that someone had questioned the validity of my enquiry into Wikipedia. Does it mean that only those with a FB account have any kind of legitimacy? Christ, you can join any one of the social media platforms and forums with little more than a username, so what makes someone with a name like R*****d T****s think he’s entitled to question me? Perhaps I touched a nerve. I mean, could he himself be involved in some way with this Wikipedia clique – even ‘Theheartof’ himself? Just a thought.

All the best,

Austin Makinson

Thoughts On… Misinformation about Peter in the media, in books and on the internet

Dear Miss Wyngarde Hopkins

I’ve been reading with much interest the letters/emails on your website, especially the debate regarding Peter Wyngarde’s supposed “relationship” with Alan Bates, the sole source of which appears to be Donald Spoto’s disputed biography, ‘Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates’.

Despite being a gay man myself, I was sceptical of Spoto’s assertions, not least because of the reputation he has for his error-strewn books and pushing agendas. His 2014 biography of Sir Laurence Olivier was roundly panned by friends and family of the actor, as was his bio of Marilyn Monroe, for which he was not only described as being “arrogant and ignorant of the facts,” but also of having a “condescending attitude” towards those connected to Monroe who dared to challenge him.

It comes as no surprise to discover (courtesy of Wyngarde’s own writings) that this particular author had, yet again, opted for sensationalism over fact. Certainly that seems to be the case when discussing the “relationship” between Bates and Wyngarde. It was also no bombshell to read that some gay men (both ‘out’ and closeted), all of whom doubtless counted Wyngarde as one of their own, are now clinging desperately to the gospel according to Donald Spoto.

Mr. Spoto, who is himself openly gay and lives with his husband just outside Copenhagen, tends to be drawn to subjects that have a sniff of homosexuality about them, and unashamedly concentrates on that aspect at the expense of far more interesting areas of his subject’s life and career.

In respect of the atrocious treatment that has been doled out to you since your book was published: I have to say that the sight of some closet queen accusing you of using the whole of the first half of the book “trying to convince us that Wyngarde wasn’t gay,” is ridiculous to say the least. Did this person expected you to withhold photographs and other evidence simply to appease his misguided opinions? Evidently so.

If there’s one thing I find utterly repugnant as a gay man myself is some old poof bleating on about homophobia or some other ‘ism’ while oozing misogynism from every pour. God forbid that Peter Wyngarde, the assumed gay icon, actually loved a woman!

God bless you dear lady for all you have done, and continue to do, to promote Peter Wyngarde’s name and work. There are a lot of vicious people in the world but it doesn’t matter what they say or think, they will never change the truth.

Andrew Fowler, Cheltenham

Dear Tina,

I’m with Andrew Fowler and ‘D.M.Y. as far as Donald Spoto’s error-strewn books are concerned, and I doubt that anyone with an iota of intelligence would take as gospel his interpretation of Peter Wyngarde’s “relationship” with fellow actor, Alan Bates.

In addition to the misleading errors in the books already mentioned [see earlier emails from Andrew Fowler and ‘D.M.Y.], here are a few more that should cast further doubt on Mr Spoto’s spin and lack of research: In his book, “The Art Of Alfred Hitchcock”, which was published in 1977, Spoto claimed to have spent 1500+ hours watching and re-watching Hitchcock’s films, but then states that the character played by Joan Fontaine in ‘Suspicion’ has the surname “McKinlaw” when it is actually “McLaidlaw”. He also asserts that Anthony Dawson’s character in “Dial M For Murder” is “Swan Lesgate”. In fact, the character’s actual name is “Swann”, with two n’s, ‘though he poses as “Captain Lesgate” for a time during the film. Also, the famous director F.W. Murnau, is referred to as “Fred W. Murnau”, which he was never called.

In his biography, ‘Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford’, Spoto attempts to disprove Christina Crawford’s infamous wire coat hanger incident from her book, ‘Mommy Dearest’, by stating that Joan only kept very expensive hangers in her wardrobe, not the common or garden wire type as described. Therefore the beating could not have taken place!

As for the much-criticised Marilyn Monroe biography’:- while working on the book, Spoto had enlisted genealogist, Roy Turner, to assist with his research. According to Marilyn archivist, David Marshall, Turner had told him that he had supplied a large amount of detailed research to Mr. Spoto, but when the book was eventually published, Spoto had altered some of that research; not all, but just enough to ensure that the story fitted the author’s agenda. Doesn’t that sound similar to what Peter Wyngarde claimed happened to him in relation to ‘Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates’; that the facts had been altered in order to fit one of the major hooks of the book, namely the supposed sexual relationship between Bates and Wyngarde?

Just like the aforementioned author, the handful of rabble-rousers and contemptuous closet-queens that have been plaguing you since Mr Wyngarde passed have been cherry picking what best fits their narrative. By presenting Mr Spoto’s version of events as irrefutable “proof” they are, at best, making themselves appear utterly absurd.

With every best wish,

Ed Franklyn, North Bay, Ontario

Hi,

You may be delighted to know that those public toilets in Gloucester have now been demolished.

Quite by chance I met and subsequently worked with the arresting officer at Gloucestershire Police. The tactic of using Agent Provocateurs within the police service continued well into the 1990’s, and it really didn’t matter if one was guilty or not. At the local Magistrates Court, Senior Staff used to refer to it as “The Perverts Court”. All very distressing for a young man like myself (at the time who was in the closet). The most bizarre thing is that some of those officers involved in entrapment, early in their careers, became champions of diversity as they climbed the greasy pole to ingratiate themselves to their political masters. Total hypocrites.

Adrian Bird

______________________

Hello Adrian,

Thank you for your email.

There are some people who, despite having never met Peter and knowing nothing about this incident beyond what they’ve read in the tabloids, continue to contradict the man himself AND HE WAS THERE! Such arrogance appears to be a phenomenon of the Internet age, whereby random strangers profess to know more about a person and their lives than they do themselves.

When I was writing my book, ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers‘, I was given access to the original court transcripts, which had not been available to the press at the time. I was to include several exchanges between the magistrates, and both the prosecution and defence lawyers. This was the first time these conversations had ever been in print.

This piece above, which was written by Peter himself, explains how he viewed the matter. I expect that even THIS will be disputed by those individuals who believe that they are privy to information that Peter himself was not.

With Best Wishes,

Tina

Hi Tina,

This website is always interesting and informative and important in debunking the morass of misinformation from the ‘history’ numpties bestow on him. Keep posting!

Derek Stewart

Hello,

My Name is Peter. I come from Germany, and my English is not good. Sorry! I am a great fan from Department S. I saw the series in 1971 when I was 13 Years old. I am now 64 Years old, and I was ever now a big Fan of Jason King.

I wish you my very best thoughts.

Peter Weiland. 

Dear Miss Wyngarde-Hopkins,

Regarding the ‘Peter Wyngarde Was Gay Knitting Circle’.

According to the renowned Greek philosopher and polymath Aristotle, all bodies tend to move towards their natural place. In his model of the universe; the heavier the body, the more it will move toward its natural place. He therefore determined that the natural place for the earth was at the centre of the universe. He was wrong! If a man such as Aristotle can be wrong, it’s a cert that a handful of scrag-ends who never met Wyngarde and couldn’t find their own backsides with both hands and a map, are also mistaken.

Keep up the excellent work!

Paul Atkinson

Dear Tina,

I read your book recently and was really interested to see many of the documents the you mention in it [See The ‘Peter Wyngarde: A Life Amongst Strangers’ Companion], and to read the parts that Peter himself had written for his own autobiography [click here].

I do wonder why the self-important ‘Peter Wyngarde Was Gay Knitting Circle’ are still clinging so determinedly to this repeatedly debunked credo (by this I mean invalidated by Peter’s own writings). Perhaps they have said so much and so loudly that they dare not give in now or risk losing face? Perhaps they’re just trying to validate their own mundane existence? Or are they just so incredibly stupid they don’t know when to shut up? (Delete where applicable).

Best Wishes,

Oliver Selby

Dear Tina,

Another interesting snippet that Wikipedia and the ‘Peter-Wyngarde-Was-Gay Brigade’ have (purposefully?) overlooked, this time from the Daily Mirror (19/01/18):- Peter said he was straight and denied claims of a relationship with Alan Bates. He said: “I’ve never had any doubt about my sexuality. I’m mad about women.”

For the professional doubters and nit-pickers, the full article can be found at, PressReader.com – Your favorite newspapers and magazines.

S. Pryce

Dear Tina,

I completely agree. Why does anyone think Peter’s personal life is any of their business? I can only suspect that some people who are morbidly jealous of Peter’s achievements, fame and charisma think they are cutting him down by spreading salacious rumours. The reality is that Peter’s real fans wouldn’t mind or care whatever he’s done in his private life: it has nothing to do with the magnificent acting we so admire him for.

Tania Donald, Melbourne

Dear Tina,

With reference to the earlier posts regarding Donald Spoto: I’m afraid Mr Spoto has a reputation for playing fast and loose with the facts. His books are lively but quite salacious, I always suggest they are best treated as historical fiction. Needless to say, over the years Spoto has received numerous criticisms about his over focusing on his subject’s sexuality, and of his excessive reliance on anecdotal evidence. I know that Laurence Olivier’s son made similar complaints to those you have about Peter when Spoto published ‘Laurence Olivier: A Biography’ back in 1991.

It’s strange that very few people gave any credence to the Olivier allegations but when it comes to Peter they feel the whole lot can be repeated as though it were proven fact! I fail to see why some people feel they have a right to know about Peter’s personal relationships. If he were a politician attempting to tell us how to live our own personal lives then it might be in the public interest, but he is not and it is not. To my mind the correct answer to this sort of malicious gossip is “It’s none of your damned business!” If we all feel we have the right to a private life why should this not apply to someone like Peter?

Stewart Cook, Gloucester

Dear Tina,

I was fortunate enough to witness you tackling those morons on www.**********.co.uk yesterday after one of them had referred to Peter as a ‘Pervert’. Oh hell, Tina, there really are some f****ards online. It really makes you feel like going off grid sometimes doesn’t it ? Why the eff would anyone take the time to go on a fansite with the sole intent of disrespecting a person who everyone else is talking about in a decent and orderly way? Answer: because they’re pathetic little nobodies who think that doing so makes them important, when in fact they’re just useless idiots.

I remember us talking about this years ago. At the time you were telling me about your friend who ran Scott Bakula’s fansite, and that she would get pathetic losers doing the same there. Some people are just parasites, Tina; there’s something desperately wrong with them deep inside. They have no empathy, compassion or higher brain functions. They’re just drones who have never done, or will ever do, anything of note in their entire lives. As you well know, they’re also cowards as they know very well that they won’t be held accountable for any of the baseless lies they come up with, however damaging those lies may be.

You’ve always known exactly how to put the dumb f*cks where they belong by standing up to them and proving how stupid they actually are. I’ll bet it was something they didn’t expect when they happened to run into you! I know I’ve said it before, but if it wasn’t for you speaking up and defending Peter, no one else would do it. These parasites would be able to peddle their lies unchallenged if you weren’t around.

I came to the sad realisation only recently that some people are genuinely a waste of space. All they know is how to be negative and vile. That’s not your fault or mine, or the fault of your friend running the Scott Bakula ‘site, it’s just the way they are and they won’t ever change. You’re bound to be brought down by these sort of people from time to time; their stupidity and nastiness never stops, they’re out there in droves! People like us who have a sense of common decency, empathy and morals are in the minority. You’re doing a job for Peter now, and as in most jobs, some days are way shittier than others.

I hope you feel proud of yourself that you put these people in their place. If you’re not, then you should. Like I say, it’s bound to get on top of you from time to time, but you’re the only one defending Peter now, and you can’t let them win and ruin his memory. I know you know all this, but sometimes a reminder helps. I hope so anyway.

Marion Keane

Click HERE to read the story behind this.

Dear Tina,

I was reading an obituary for Peter online from one of the British dailies just now and couldn’t believe the number of errors in it, and not just the kind that only a dyed-in-the-wool Wyngarde aficionado would spot. Does no one do any actual research or fact-checking these days? It would appear not. All everyone seems to do is regurgitate the same disinformation as the last guy. But that goes for most of society, not just the tabloids. People just want to be spoon fed like babies and don’t seem to be able to think critically anymore. They’ll just mindlessly swallow any old crap. It’s little wonder that ‘fake news’ has become such a problem when it’s so easy to pass off unverified guess work, or worse still, malicious lies as fact.

Jackie Ashby

Thoughts On… Internet trolls and how they’re impacting Fandom

Dear Tina,

I’ve been reading the letters on this page about trolls and online bullies, and it’s put me in mind of the lady who runs the American branch of the Marc Bolan Fan Club.

She had been into Marc’s music waaaaaaaay before he had his first hit in the UK and was given permission to form a fan club in the States by Bolan himself. All went swimmingly until around 2011 when she started receiving abuse from a group of people who had congregated online and who are now challenging her right to use the word ‘official’ in the title of the club. She has tried publishing the letters she received from Marc during the 1970s, including those giving her permission to set up the club in the first place, plus those acknowledging her organisation as an official branch of his fan club but then all this gang did, no doubt to justify their campaign of harassment, was to insist she’d forged the letters herself. Whether they actually believe this claptrap themselves or are just attempting to convince other feebleminded idiots to join their hate campaign is unknown. What is certain is that they’re off the scale when it comes to insanity.

What is being created both in this context and on a wider scale, is a wholesale denial of truth. We now have a situation where people with absolutely no authority or personal experience or knowledge of a subject are attempting to beat down those who have. We saw glimpses of this during the Covid pandemic when eminent, world renowned scientists and doctors were attacked online and in person by people who hadn’t the faintest understanding of what they were talking about. Those reading this might think that we can’t compare the secretary/admin of a fan club/website with a scientist or surgeon, but it is the thin end of the wedge, and we should all be deeply concerned.

Best wishes and don’t let the loonies drag you down.

Alex Thorpe

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Dear Alex,

It would appear that all such morons attend the same troll training academy as I’ve experienced similar claims from a small group of lowlifes that have attempted to drag our Society down. I doubt there’s so much as a single brain cell to share between the lot of ’em!

Tina

Hi Tina!

I recently experienced a similar thing to the lady who runs the Marc Bolan fan club. It was on a music forum when some guy began arguing with me over the set list at a Bruce Springsteen concert some years back. I’d been at the gig, this bloke hadn’t and yet he went on and on and on. As someone has already stated on this page, there doesn’t appear to be facts anymore, just opinion. The world has gone stark raving mad.

Ken Simons

Hi Tina,

As long as I live, I’ll never understand the motives of trolls and other troublemakers. I’ve been the admin of a fansite for around 12 years and over those years have had experiences with idiots trying to disrupt, abuse and generally cause disharmony.

As you know, those of us who run websites, forums and social media groups often have a nodding acquaintance with each other and frequently exchange information about people who have caused problems for our respective ‘sites. Not unsurprisingly, the same names keep coming up again and again. I could give you the names of dozens of people off the top of my head who have been banned from this group or that forum because they can’t resist causing bad feeling or generally disrupting things with their vitriolic comments and rabble-rousing. While they must’ve had some kind of interest in film, TV, actors etc. to begin with to have joined certain associations and societies, they’re now becoming increasingly isolated as they’re gradually being ostracised by other fans and barred from one group after another.

I was recently contacted by a chap who’s been a member of my fansite for some time. He reported that someone with the initials P.S. had suddenly and without any kind of provocation, started to abuse him via our forum. I asked four other admins I have regular contact with if they’d heard of this person and wasn’t at all surprised to learn that he’d been removed and blocked from each of their groups.

The exchange of information between admins is vital if we’re to prevent people like P.S. from destroying what the rest of us love and enjoy. I’ve been considering the idea of setting up an association that all website admins can join to exchange information on potential and known troublemakers so that we can protect our respective ‘sites and our members from these simpletons.

Keep up the great work, Tina!

Name withheld to avoid retaliation

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Hi ******,

I think the idea of an association for fansite admins is a great idea. Although we’ve only found it necessary to ban a tiny number of people from our Facebook group, they have been some of the most spiteful, vindictive and fixated individuals I have ever had the misfortune to encounter (you know who I mean as you yourself have had dealings with at least 2 of them).

I also immediately recognised P.S’s. name as he was amongst the number referred to above. He has quite a reputation that is well deserved.

Tina

Dear Tina,

I thought that the advent of the World Wide Web would be the making of Fandom and that it would bring likeminded people from around the world together. Although there have been many new fan sites spring up over the years, many more have withered and died as a result of infighting and incessant trolling.

Look at ‘The Prisoner’ for instance. There are now several distinct factions that are constantly at loggerheads. The frightening thing is that the majority of those involved with such groups and websites, either as admin or members, are of an age where they should be acting with more maturity. As you’ve experienced yourself, once some of these morons get their teeth into you they’re like a dog with a bone, they simply won’t give in. I can only say that I admire your stoicism in facing these horrendous people down. They deserve nothing but utter contempt.

Regards,

Frank Goodier

Dear Tina,

I was so sorry to hear from a mate of mine that you’d been having so much trouble with idiot trolls on the Internet. Haven’t they anything better to do with their time? It’s about time that the law caught up with these loonies. I’d love to see the b*****ds squirming in front of a judge as they try to justify themselves.

You stay strong, and don’t let scum like this grind you down. Everyone is relying on you to protect Peter’s memory.

With best wishes,

Glynn Tannerhill, Oldham.

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Dear Glynn,

Thanks for your support. Sadly, I’m not the only one to be abused online by a moronic minority. Within 24 hours of actor, David Prowse MBE, passing away last month, the first smears had begun to appear on social media.

This was a man who’d spent much of his life raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity. It was because of his years of service with the Green Cross Code road safety campaign that he was given an MBE in 2000. So what had he done to deserve such hostility? Apparently he DARED to vote ‘Leave’ in the EU Referendum in June 2016! SHOCK! HORROR! PROBE!

Apparently, fans in America were asking what the problems was: “I thought the vote was supposed to be legitimate and democratic?” inquired one. “The impression you guys are giving is that he’d voted for the Nazi party or something!” quipped another. Well, quite!

In addition to spending 15 years making UNPAID visits to schools and youth clubs as the Green Cross Man, he was also the Patron of Walkoncemore[1] and Vice President of Phab Kids[2]. Furthermore, he worked tirelessly to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation UK[3], Prostate Cancer UK[4] and ActionAid[5]. However, in the warped world-view of these bigots, Prowse life was defined solely on how he chose to use his vote in a single referendum. As those American’s mentioned above might’ve said, go figure!

Tina

[1]: A spinal cord injury charity that raises funds toward a cure for the condition.

[2]: A charity that brings together people with and without disabilities, to learn from each other, and above all to have fun.

[3]: Make-A-Wish Foundation UK is a UK-based charity that grants wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions. It is affiliated to Make-A-Wish Foundation International.

[4]: The only UK-wide organisation solely focused on beating prostate cancer. 

[5]: Working with local partners to fight poverty and injustice worldwide, reaching over 13 million of the poorest and most vulnerable people and helping them fight for and gain their rights to food, shelter, work, education, healthcare and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives.

Dear Tina,

Many thanks for posting my earlier email.

I have to say that this area of the website smells so much sweeter now that the putrid stench of homophobia and racism have been removed, along with it’s purveyor.

I can only conclude from reading the diatribes posted on here last week that our cowardly friend is hiding something from wifey, which might explain all the pent-up anger and frustration he continues to aim at Peter. It would certainly account for the incessant rants about homosexuality. Instead of being a self-hating Jew, it looks for all intents and purposes that he’s the proverbial self-hating homosexual. I know that the Cornish can be a bit slow on the uptake, but maybe someone should tell Kev that being gay really isn’t that big of a deal.

John Manley, Taunton

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Hello John,

He wasn’t always so hostile towards Peter, as this post on our Facebook page from 2018 testifies. Several of his former friends have contacted me over the past 4 years (the length of time he has now been harassing me, Thomas Bowington – Peter’s friend and agent, and our website/Facebook group) to offer their support. They tell me that he used to be a decent enough bloke but now even they have washed their hands of him (evidently, ours isn’t the only fan group he’s targeted). Obviously something has happened in his life to have caused such a seismic shift in behaviour. You really have to pity people like this and moreover, the fools that choose to hitch their wagon to them.

Tina