Customer Reviews

Wendy Richard... No 'S': My Life Story

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Whether one is familiar with her as Miss Brahms on Are You Being Served? or as Pauline on Eastenders, fans of either show are sure to enjoy this lively and very personal memoir of (and by) actress Wendy Richard.

From her early years as the only child of somewhat nomadic parents in the licensing trade through to her courageous (and successful) battle in 1996 with breast cancer and her recent MBE award, Wendy is very frank and upfront in chronicling both her personal life and her career. She tells of her deep love for her parents and how the tragic loss of her father while she was still a child resulted in hardship for her and her mother. Following the deterioration and death of her mother around 1973, Wendy embarked on a series of disastrous relationships (three of which were marriages) that spanned a period of more than twenty years, and Wendy takes us through it all.

As an interesting touch, Wendy chronicles the story of Pauline (the character whom she has portrayed on the soap opera Eastenders since 1985) at the same time as she chronicles her own life story. Pauline has been a huge part of Wendy's life and she seems to feel a real attachment to the character. I am not a soap fan and have never seen Eastenders; nevertheless, Wendy's own life reads so much like a soap opera itself that the parallel story is somewhat appropriate, and I rather enjoyed her account of it.

The book contains 24 pages of photos (colour and b/w). There are a few stills from AYBS?, but most of the photos are from Wendy's own collection--photos of her parents, of her as a child, of friends and fellow cast members, of her precious pooch named Shirley (Wendy is a committed animal lover!), and of her at various functions and events.

In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this autobiography--so much so that I had trouble putting it down. Wendy comes across as a very down-to-earth and caring person, and one can practically hear that distinctive (and delightful) "Cockney" accent as one reads! When I finished the book, I felt, quite honestly, like I'd just finished a lovely letter from a dear friend. Very highly recommended to fans of AYBS? or of Eastenders.

Wendy Richard is one of Britain's beloved maternal figures better known for Pauline than Miss Brahms. This autobiography shows us her life up close and personal. She is one of those people who deserves more from life. If she was a mother, I bet she would have been a fantastic mother to any child. Unfortunately, she has had three marriages all ending in divorce for one reason or another. She now has love with John Burns but I think she could get married again. She has fought for her career and life and I think she is a wonderful role model. She is honest and candid and is aware of hurting others. When she thought about turning down an M.B.E. (Member of the Order of the British Empire), I wanted to reach in and slap on the television set. Of course, she deserves it. So what if she's a Conservative Monarchist and the Prime Minister is Labour. It doesn't matter, she has provided both great comic and dramatic moments. She has also had another bout of breast cancer since then and she has come through. God Bless you, Wendy.

Roger Miller sang "England Swings(like a pendulum do. . . " back in the sixties . . . and Roger hit on something "special" about England . . . "it swings"! . . .

England gave us Shakespeare . . . Hayley Mills . . . The Beatles . . . and Ms Wendy Richard MBE!!! . . .

Wendy has been a "presence" in British theater and television since the sixties . . . and continues even today in a long-running role as Pauline on "The Eastenders" on the BBC and on Public Television in America.

But i remember (and still watch) Wendy as "Shirley Brahms" in "Are You Being Served?" . . . one of the all time great "classic comedies" which began it's run in 1972 . . and which continues to be aired and enjoyed here in "the States" over Public Television. Wendy will always "be" Miss Brahms!

In this book, Wendy recounts her most intersting life . . . from childhood to adult "fame" . . . and it is obvious that "fame" to Wendy is not what it seems to so many of us. She is quite normal . . quite "human" . . . and quiye unimpressed with ther artifice of "fame" . . . She is proud of her success as an actress . . prouder still of her care and concern for animals . . . and happy that her "work" and "talent" and "person' has brought so much joy and pleasure and delight to so many who have watched her on "the tele" . . . so many who look upon her as a person they "know" though never actually met.

Wendy can make you laugh hysterically . . . smile gleefully . .and even "cry" with sympathetic recognition . .. in her filmed work and art . . . but she can accomplish these same effects by recounting her real actual life as well . . and she does this in this volume. (There is a photograph of Wendy, as a child, standing outside a pub which her parents operated . . . and then, she stands outside that very same pub as a full grown successful adult . . . after reading this book, this photograph is so telling . . . and one wonders what thoughts must have ran through Wendy's recollections as she stood there for this most recent photo . . .

One thing becomes perfectly clear: Wendy Richard is a Londoner . . she loves "her city" . . and is faithful to it. (And now she's "Wendy Richard MBE"! :)

This book is a great read . . and you'll meet a great person when you begin reading it: Miss Wendy Richard (no "S")!