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Kevin Whately Returns to the Screen

Since his brilliant performance in one of the B.B.C.’s Murder In Mind episodes as an increasingly obsessed neighbour who manages to electrocute his noisy neighbour via his spa bath Kevin Whately seems to have been busy with various television projects. Rumours have been rife for months about a new series of Auf Weidersein Pet. These rumours have been confirmed as true by a series of articles and photographs of the reunited gang in several newspapers and magazines.

His most recent appearance was in an episode of the new B.B.C. police drama Mersey Beat. Kevin played the part of a man whose daughter had been murdered by her boyfriend several years ago. He began the episode by blowing up a police chief’s car (whilst her husband was in it) and stringing up his daughter’s murderer, making it look like a suicide. He quickly progressed to an identity parade, a police cell and then the local hospital after being punched by an over zealous officer. After a serious asthma attack he wheezed his way onto the hospital roof for a dramatic show down with the police chief herself where it transpired that he blamed her for helping to acquit his daughter’s killer by supporting the man’s claims that he was of unsound mind at the time of the attack. Fortunately he didn’t jump, despite the police chief quietly urging him to, and, we can look forward to seeing him in many future productions!

Back To Basics Weekend
Saturday 15th September 2001
 

Lecture at the Sheldonian Theatre

We assembled at ten o’ clock sharp outside the Sheldonian Theatre where we were due to attend a lecture about the Sheldonian itself. We were admitted to the theatre and listened to Bill Leonard who gave an informative talk about the Sheldonian’s history.

Christopher Wren was responsible for the architecture of the Sheldonian. He was head of astronomy at the university when the Sheldonian was commissioned and put his ideas forward which were accepted. This was Wren’s first large public building and was based on the design of the ‘Theatre of Marcellus’ in Rome. Wren of course moved on to grander projects, the most famous of which is St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Exterior of the Sheldonian Theatre from Broad Street

The Sheldonian is named after the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Gilbert Sheldon, who funded the design and consequent building to be used as a ceremonial hall for the university.

There was some dispute over the interior of the Sheldonian and whether or not the paintings on the ceiling were of a high enough quality for what was to be a prolific Oxford University building, or indeed whether or not the layout was ever practical enough to accommodate the vast quantities of students that would invariably pass through it during the year. Despite its quirks the Sheldonian retains it’s status as one of the most popular and well visited buildings in Oxford.

After the lecture the vast majority of the group climbed to the top of the Sheldonian and enjoyed some superb panoramic views of Oxford (the viewing tower having been used for Inspector Morse filming on several occasions to shoot sweeping scenes of the Oxford skyline). We had a few minutes to wander around the theatre and take in the history and atmosphere of the place that has seen thousands of Oxford’s finest students graduate before it was time to pop next door for a visit to the Bodleian Library.