Something about Dora Bryan's appearance in a film was a guarantee of a particular kind of authenticity. Her performances in films like The Blue Lamp and A Taste of Honey added colour and character in the days of black and white. In THE WOMEN THEY LEFT BEHIND (2009) we told the story of Rita, the wife of a Grimsby fisherman. An offer of a trip to London in the Grimsby Evening Telegraph in 1969 had given George and Rita their first chance of a weekend away. 'The lady over the road said she’d look after my kids and we went to London. It was the first time George and I had been away together without the kids and it was the first time I’d been to London. We went down on the train and stayed at the Green Park Hotel. I remember going to Petticoat Lane and walking around Piccadilly Circus on the Friday evening; I wanted to see the lights and the ladies of the night. On the Saturday we went to a show with Dora Bryan at the Prince of Wales Theatre. We wen
Nick Triplow on books, films and music