Saturday 15 March 1986 – Rose quite late – went to library etc. with dad . Met Bobbie in afternoon for tea -> Kings Head for meal+ show “A Taste of Orton”. Went to Garfunkles for ice bowl – got home late.
This would have been our/my first visit to the King’s Head Theatre in Islington, which specialised in such “dinner and show” stuff.
I remember very much enjoying this double bill of short plays. Gorilla In the Roses was about Joe Orton’s anarchic pranks involving hoax letters and defacing library books, while Funeral Games is an actual Orton short play, which was even more to our taste [did you see what I did there], than Gorilla, as I recall it.
The meal was also only somewhat to our taste – I think the quality of the food at the King’s Head improved over the decades, but it was still a bit school-dinners-ish in the mid 1980s.
That might explain our crazy craving for ice cream after the show, despite having had tea before the show and dinner during.
Kids, eh? Well, 20-somethings, anyway.
For the completists amongst us (probably just me) here are the diary entries for the next few days:
Sunday 16 March 1986 – Rose quite early despite late night. Went to Grandma Jenny’s in afternoon. Had a fairly early night.
Monday 17 March 1986 – 1st day back at work – decorators in etc. Met Caroline for lunch – Venice Place. Went to Concert Artistes’ [Association] in afternoon. Lazy evening in.
Tuesday 18 March 1986 – Busy day at work. Stayed in eve.
Wednesday 19 March 1986 – Work OK. Stayed in eve – did homework.
Thursday 20 March 1986 – Quietish day at work. Stayed in eve – doing dad’s accounts etc.
Friday 21 March 1986 – Busy day at office etc. Stayed in evening.
No, not a picture of Lisa Benjamin in 1986 – a portrait of Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, Duchess-Countess of Sutherland, by Joshua Reynolds, from 1786
Sunday 9 March 1986 – Earlyish start – went to Lisa [Benjamin]’s wedding + tea dance – went up to Keele after – quite tired + tipsy.
The Benjamin family and my family were close friends. I grew up with Lisa and her older sister Jane in our street, Woodfield Avenue. I don’t remember all that much about that particular wedding and I don’t suppose I did much of the dancing at the tea dance. It will have been a rather grown-up dancing affair, with embarrassing dad and mum dancing more to the fore than the sort of disco that might have floated my boat.
It seems I was using Keele as a sanctuary for exam-cramming. Petra was no doubt working hard for her first year law studies and we were possibly trying to encourage one another through studying jointly in this way. We both thrived with our studies that year, so I guess it did our studies no harm.
Monday 10 March 1986 – Worked pretty hard today at Keele – very tired + fraught. Had a fairly early night.
Tuesday 11 March 1986 – Worked hard again today at Keele – still tired + tense. Had nice meal in eve (late) etc.
Wednesday 12 March 1986 – Went into Union briefly in morning – saw people – left Keele at lunchtime – revised at home in evening.
Thursday 13 March 1986 – Accounts exam this morning – went relatively OK. Revised in afternoon + evening for QT [Quantitative Techniques].
Quantitative Techniques was almost exactly the same course as my Keele Subsidiary from four years earlier, known as Applied Statistics and Operational Research. But still it needed cramming, not least because of the effluxion of time between the two mini-courses.
Friday 14 March 1986 – QT exam this morning – had a few drinks after with people. Went to Royal Academy with dad in afternoon. Stayed in evening – very tired etc.
The Joshua Reynolds exhibition was a big deal that year and Dad was keen to see it between his retirement and the exhibition coming off.
Dad had invested a small proportion of his retirement savings in membership of the Royal Academy. I was allowed in with him as his guest.
Here are some reviews of the exhibition: in truth my memory does not serve me well about it.
Brian Sewell was characteristically sniffy about it.
I’ll use this architect’s style artist’s impression of Financial Training College again: by Google Flow / Nano Banana based on my instructions
I’m sure I didn’t mean to denigrate financial training courses by referring to FT College on Bramley Road as “school” in my diary at times. And for people who like financial training courses, denigrate means “put down”.
Monday 24 February 1986 – Went to school today – spent breaks chasing photos etc – accounts as well. Very busy course etc. Homework in eve.
Tuesday 25 February 1986 – School OK – very tough + tiring. Did plenty homework in eve etc.
Wednesday 26 February 1986 – College OK – hard work + pretty tiring. Stayed in eve – did some homework etc.
Thursday 27 February 1986 – Worked hard at college today – last day of proper teaching – revised for most of eve.
Wednesday 26 February 1986 – College OK – hard work + pretty tiring. Stayed in eve – did some homework etc.
Thursday 27 February 1986 – Worked hard at college today – last day of proper teaching – revised for most of eve.
Friday 28 February 1986 – Had mock exam in afternoon (went in to college late) met Bobbie after — went to see Pravda at National -> Turkish meal after — v. nice.
Saturday 1 March 1986 – Uneventful day — went to shop briefly + tea. Stayed in eve. Tried + failed to do any work.
From memory, the shop closed in February. I suspect there was a grace period between exchange and completion on the property and this visit was to help dad clear the place.
Sunday 2 March 1986 – Write off day! Had lunch – went to G[randma] Jenny in afternoon – did very little in evening.
Monday 3 March 1986 – College again today – QT [Quantitative Techniques] this week. Tough going + plenty homework in evening.
Tuesday 4 March 1986 – School quite hard going – tough course etc. Homework etc. in eve.
Wednesday 5 March 1986 – Rigorous day at college – finding it progressively harder to find energy for homework in evenings.
Thursday 6 March 1986 – Last formal day of teaching – revised quite a lot for mock in evening.
Friday 7 March 1986 – Went in to college early to revise for mock – took mock. Stayed in evening.
Saturday 8 March 1986 – Went to Croydon with dad today. Write off as far as work was concerned.
Bobbie & I caught this one just before it came off and I am so glad we did. I sense that it was Bobbie’s barrister crowd – she was still doing her pupillage at that time, who had persuaded her (and me through Bobbie) that you HAD to see this play before it comes off.
The last Friday evening – probably all that was available that last weekend of the run.
Anthony Hopkins was predictably strong as the barely disguised Rupert Murdoch-type figure, Lambert Le Roux. Ah, South African, not Australian, so couldn’t possibly be about Murdoch, m’Lud.
Super supporting cast too: probably my first sighting of a young Bill Nighy, plus Tim McInnerny, Kate Buffery, Peter Blyth…
Milton Shulman enjoyed the fun but didn’t much like the play in The Standard:
Even Michael Billington sort-of agrees – the play offers little insight into what might be a more ethical Fleet Street – but still the play/production was highly entertaining:
Heck, we were kids. (Early 20s). We loved it. I remember that evening at the theatre fondly.
According to my diary, Bobbie and I went on for a “Turkish meal after, very nice”. I suspect that must have been Capital Kebab House, which was pretty much the only Turkish show in that part of town in those days. Astonishingly, that place is still there, decades later, in The Cut. I must try it again some time.
Me and Terry as reimagined by Nano Banana 2.1 on my instructions
Wednesday 12 February 1986 – Busyish day at the office. Met Caroline [Freeman, now Curtis] for lunch – very nice. Stayed in evening did little.
Thursday 13 February 1986 – Work OK – busy in the office etc. Bought [rail] ticket / Len [Briegal]’s office lunch. Went to bed fairly early after lazyish evening at home.
No doubt, when I saw Len Briegal at his father-in-law Josh’s stone setting the weekend before, Len had suggested that we “do lunch” on learning that I was frequently visiting Euston at lunchtimes to get my advance rail tickets for Keele. No on-line booking in those days. If you wanted cheap advance tickets you turned up and bought them in advance. Len’s office was within spitting distance of Euston Station.
Euston 1986, as envisaged by Nano Banana 2.1
Friday 14 February 1986 – Work OK – quite busy. Went down to Selfridges in lunch hour to buy presents etc. Met Johnboy [John White] after work & had drink – caught train up to Keele – had dinner & reasonably early night.
Presents etc. can only mean Valentines Day presents, can’t it?
How could I possibly have finished work, had a drink with John, got the train all the way to Keele, had dinner and still had a reasonably early night? Clearly 23 year-old-me’s definition of an early night is at variance with that of the 40-years-later version of me.
Although the diary is silent on this point, Petra must have had that dinner ready for us in anticipation of my arrival. Thanks, Petra.
Saturday 15 February 1986 – Got up quite early – had a fairly lazy day tho – whiled it away – went over to Kate [Fricker] & Annalisa [de Mercur]’s for a while in afternoon – went to Hanley Garden [Chinese Restaurant] with Petra in the evening – very nice.
Sunday 16 February 1986 – Rose fairly early – did little for earlier part of day. Tried to do some work in late afternoon & early evening. Had a very nice Indonesian meal in evening.
Petra and I were clearly on an Indonesian food kick at that time, having dined Indonesian in London the weekend before. I’ll guess that Petra cooked this Indonesian food fest, as I don’t state that I cooked it. But I know that I was into Indonesian cooking at that time too. I have some hand-written recipes on jotters from that era that will need excavating at some point, after I have done with the diaries.
Monday 17 February 1986 – Returned from Keele first thing – office OK – quite tired. Had a lazyish evening + an earlyish night.
It’s time to write about Terry.
Terry Boarding, as envisaged by Nano Banana 2.1 on my instructions
I first met Terry on the Stoke-On-Trent railway platform one early Monday morning – I think back in November or December 1985. Terry was blind and was regularly travelling to London early Monday mornings. I had started to get into the habit of staying the Sunday night at Keele with Petra and catching that early Monday morning train myself. The early one that still allowed you to use the cheap weekend return rail tickets – the slightly later one was proper commuter prices.
Terry and I struck up a travelling companion friendship. I would look out for him on the platform if I was catching that train and we would chat the journey away together. Terry was an upbeat fellow. He barely needed help as he was familiar with his route, although he clearly did appreciate a bit of subtle guidance and assistance, which helped to speed up boarding and disembarking.
Terry was a very interesting fellow and we chatted about many subjects. He would have an interesting perspective on things – often coloured (if I might use that word in this context) by the fact that he was blind and therefore gaining his information from talking books and radio. My Grandma Jenny was going blind at that time and I was becoming a little more aware of how blind people cope with things, but Terry, who had always been blind, increased my awareness many fold. I very much enjoyed Terry’s company.
I have a feeling this particular Monday morning might have been the last time I saw him, although my last meeting with him might have come a bit later in the year. It was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Terry was clearly not in his usual upbeat mood and I asked him if anything was wrong. He told me that his recent hearing test had shown a rapid deterioration in his hearing – something he had been warned might occur at some stage in his life but he had been hoping not while he was still relatively young.
The prognosis was that Terry was likely to become profoundly deaf as well as blind. He told me that this had been one of his worst fears – that he would feel more-or-less completely locked in if he could neither hear nor see. He had spent his whole early life learning to cope – pretty well – with his inability to see, but his method had been to use his hearing to maximum effect as a partial substitute for sight.
I remember really not knowing what to say to Terry when he told me this dismal news. I could think of no real words of comfort for him. I remember expressing hope that his hearing would stop deteriorating, but he clearly had been told to expect the worst and was expecting no remission.
I also remember feeling absolutely dreadful about the fact that I was in a medium-term self-pity bad mood post Keele. I found my work dull, living with my parents again tedious and the long-distance nature of my relationship with Petra was straining. I sensed that this period was just a phase, but for sure I was feeling sorry for myself at that time. But then, when I compared my circumstances to those of Terry, I mentally beat myself up for wallowing about some pretty low grade, short-term unhappy circumstances, compared with the nightmarish situation that poor Terry was going through and could anticipate for the rest of his life.
I might have seen Terry once or twice more after he told me his bad news – I might be conflating parts of that memory, but I have never forgotten our travelling companion friendship and him telling me his terrible news one morning. I have often since wondered what became of Terry.
Tuesday 18 February 1986 – Work OK – had to go to Krapy Rub Snif [Finsbury Park] in the morning + then back to the office – all rush rush. Mum & Dad went out this evening so I had a nice evening all by myself.
From a profoundly serious memory that has endured for 40 years – that of Terry – to a rather ludicrous memory, courtesy of cousin Mark Briegal.
…did you know that Finsbury Park spelt backwards reads “Krapy Rub Snif”? It’s one of those facts that, once someone has told it to you, you never, ever forget it.
Mark was right. I never have forgotten it. And when I saw it written down in my diary, in an entry from 10 days after an entry for an event where I had seen Mark, I laughed out loud, having been reminded of the occasion on which I learnt that silly factoid.
Wednesday 19 February 1986 – Quite a busy day at work — etc — spent lunch hour sorting out weekend arrangements + such. Lazyish evening — did some work.
Thursday 20 February 1986 – Work OK – pretty busy tho’ – shops etc lunch hour – stayed in eve – sorting things out etc.
Friday 21 February 1986 – Hectic + not too pleasant day at work. Went up to Keele quite late (had Chinese meal late) – Petra not very well etc.
Saturday 22 February 1986 – Stayed in most of day looking after Petra etc. Cooked etc.. Popped over to see Kate & Annalisa for a while. Quiet evening in.
Sunday 23 February 1986 – Lazyish day — Petra still not very well — took photos etc. Went over to visit [Barnes] L Block mob + left during afternoon. Got home in eve.
I don’t remember what ailed Petra – probably just a bad cold or something of that ilk. I’m glad to see that I cooked while Petra was not feeling well. Chicken soup might well have featured in my medicinal cooking.
Goodness knows what became of the photos I’m supposed to have taken on that occasion. I’ll guess that Annalisa developed them, as she was deeply into photography at that time.
As for my visit to the L-Block mob…
Hayward in Barnes L54. My chair. That’s where I sat. What’s Hayward doing there?
I have several times displayed and mentioned in Ogblog pieces Mark Ellicott’s photograph of Hayward Burt sitting in MY chair in Barnes L54. I lived in that flat for two years between autumn 1982 and summer 1984. That chair was my chair. Some might say that I lived in that chair for two years.
As if I had a perennial right to that chair. Or any chair.
Anyway, now, with the help of AI, I can be restored to my rightful seat.
Me restored to MY chair in Barnes L54, albeit dressed like Hayward and surrounded by Hayward’s mess. Image produced by Nano Banana 2.1 on my instruction.
Some say that AI is going to overturn the entire world order, but on the evidence of the above doctored image, AI can be used as a tool with which to restore the world order.
Hayward had also replaced me as sabbatical Education and Welfare Officer a few months previously, so, in February 1986, Hayward was also blooming well sitting in my Students’ Union office chair too, now I come to think of it.
Photo Mart 1986, reimagined by Nano Banana 2.1 from a mid 1950s image
During this fortnight, we said goodbye to Dad’s shop, Photo Mart, which had been his business empire for best part of 33 years. That seems like a heck of a long time, until I realise that I started my own business empire more than 32 years ago now.
Dad’s shop – a relatively tranquil place, mid 1950s
I don’t think Dad’s place changed much over the decades. That site is now a rock bar, Project Orange. “Trendy” according to CAMRA , which, although an authority on real ale, might not be an authority on trendiness.
Anyway…
…here’s what I wrote in my diary around that time.
Wednesday 29 January 1986 – Returned from Keele first thing – had a sedate day at work & got some work done. Very tired in evening – went to bed quite early.
Thursday 30 January 1986 – Went to Golders Green for stocktake in morning – quite interesting. Spent afternoon in the office. Had a lazy evening in this evening.
Forty years on, I find terms like “sedate” to describe a day in the office and “quite interesting” to describe a stocktake in Golders Green somewhat impenetrable.
Friday 31 January 1986 – Work in office all day – except for rushing off to VL [Laurence Corner] for wages panic. Had a drink with Mike, Sandra, Terry + others after work. Mum + Dad went out in eve – had dinner listened to records etc, watched A Taste of Honey on TV.
I was reading plays like they were going out of fashion at that time and remember that I had really liked A Taste Of Honey by Shelagh Delaney. I don’t usually much like film versions of plays, but I thought this one was the dog’s bollocks…and still do.
Saturday 1 February 1986 – Rose early + went to shop with dad. Went through books, etc. Bought 2 pairs of trousers in Streatham + had lunch + then did some more work. Had a lazy evening at home pretty tired.
Gosh I remember buying those trousers, in a so-called boutique in Streatham. I was trying to smarten up a bit, but I don’t think I did anything like as good a job on myself as Nano Banana’s reimagining of me in my new trousers. I certainly didn’t dare to go quite that bright in colour in those days.
Me in trendy trousers, reimagined by Nano Banana 2.1
Sunday 2 February 1986 – Rose quite early – sorted out photographs etc. Had Italian lunch + then went to G[randma] Jenny in afternoon for tea. Went from Streatham to Kate [Fricker]’s place for supper – John [White] & Andy [Crawford] were there – phoned Pady [Jalali] & had bagels etc – had plenty to drink. Missed last tube train + stayed over.
What Kate was doing in Hampstead rather than Keele in early February I really couldn’t say. perhaps seeking some quiet study away from Keele during term time! In any case, that gathering sounds like it was fun.
Monday 3 February 1986 – Went home very early -> work after. Pretty tired at office but work OK. Had an early night.
uesday 4 February 1986 – Work OK – in office today. Lazy evening at home – did nothing very useful.
Wednesday 5 February 1986 – In office today – quite busy today. Had a quiet evening in.
Thursday 6 February 1986 – [No entry]
Friday 7 February 1986 – [No entry]
Saturday 8 February 1986 – Went to the library in morning -> Dad’s shop to sort out books etc – for last time. Quite tired in evening – stayed at home + did nothing.
Yup, we took those books of account home and I spent several evenings finishing off dad’s accounts and doing the sole-trader-closing-down tax returns, which was a money saver for dad and good “proper practice” towards my exams for me.
Sunday 9 February 1986 – Went to U[ncle] Josh [Moliver] stone setting – back to Sadie’s -> to Briegals [Jacqueline & Len] after with cousins etc for wine. Met Petra – went for Indonesian – very nice meal – came back late to stay after.
Josh Moliver centre back with arms stretched. From the front working back – Hannah Green (nee Pizan), Hazel Jacobs (nee Moliver), Jacquie Briegal (nee Moliver), Sidney Pizan, behind right, Sadie Moliver.
Josh was a lovely fellow whom I (and I am sure all who knew him well) remember(ed) warmly. All those depicted in the above 1936 picture (with thanks to Sidney Pizan) are no longer with us. Coincidentally, I attended Jacquie Briegal’s stone setting only a couple of weeks before writing up this article, in the autumn of 2026.
Not sure where exactly Petra and I dined that evening, but I’m guessing Bali on Edgware Road. Petra might remember.
Monday 10 February 1986 – Saw Petra off – went to cafe – read for a while. Work OK – quite tired tho! Had a lazy evening & early night.
Tuesday 11 February 1986 – Work OK – had to go to [tax] Commissioners meeting in Woolwich in morning – OK. Stayed in eve.
The tax commissioners in Woolwich would have been a client assignment, I hasten to add. I hadn’t (and didn’t) get dad into a tax pickle by doing his closing years tax returns.
Saturday 25 January 1986 – Got up reasonably early – tried to do some work – went to Newcastle for tea + did some shopping, went round to L49 for a while + then went home. Had chicken in yellow bean sauce for dinner – (I cooked) + turned in reasonably early.
Sunday 26 January 1986 – Again got up fairly early + tried to get some work done + read paper. Went over to Kate [Fricker, now Susan] in afternoon – Petra followed, as Ruth [Miller] did a bunk. Went home + had gevikeltekraut for dinner but not too pleasant evening thereafter.
I can’t remember who was living in L49 that year. Hayward Burt and Pete Wild were still in L54 – my old flat, I’m pretty sure. Something tells me that Ali Dabbs might have moved to L-Block Barnes that year.
As for the cooking, I took credit for the chicken in yellow bean sauce (mine would have had fewer peppers in it). I’m guessing that Petra cooked the gevikeltekraut, although it might have been a Benita Wishart special, that dish. I don’t expect either of them to remember.
That weekend’s cooking illustrated with help from Nano Banana 2.1
Monday 27 January 1986 – Tired today – went to town for a while – did a little work etc. The afternoon was again rather strained but went to the AGM in evening + got rather drunk there. Fairly late night.
Tuesday 28 January 1986 – Again quite tired – did a little work – went to town at noon – met Ashley [Fletcher], came back to Petra’s etc. Went to Pinocchio’s for dinner in the evening – had trouble getting back but managed to do so. Very nice evening, lateish night.
Wednesday 29 January 1986 – Returned from Keele first thing – had a sedate day at work & got some work done. Very tired in evening – went to bed quite early.
Thank goodness Ashley got a mention in the diaries – he gets most upset if he is absent from Keele-related diary entries from that era.
I sense that the strain of the long distance relationship was starting to tell on both me and Petra, based on these diary notes. Perhaps more tellingly, I was starting to sense that student life was now for other people, not for me.
One thing I particularly remember was finding the prevailing chart music that season especially trite. While the students were no doubt digging A-ha, Dire Straits & Billy Ocean, all riding high in the charts…
…I found those tracks intensely irritating at that time and, strangely, returning to them, still do.
My music listening was orienting towards big, big, symphonies around that time. I mentioned Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony in an earlier piece about returning to Keele. I also especially remember the strains of Bruckner’s Fourth echoing around my head in those days, as I stood on those cold railway platforms and sat in those trains back and forth [did you see what I did there?] to Keele.
It’s not as far away from student-oriented rock music as some readers might think. The riff in Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes is surely based on the motif from Bruckner’s Fifth, which is almost too cool for school…or too much of a steal for Keele.
Saturday 18 January 1986 – Busy day – did quite a lot of shopping, got hair cut went to Brixton etc. Went up West in evening, met Bobbie, went to see My Beautiful Laundrette + then had a Vietnamese meal. Very nice evening.
In the absence of my diary, I’d have sworn that I saw My Beautiful Laundrette with John White, but clearly I saw it with Bobbie. I remember thinking it a truly excellent film.
The restaurant we ate in afterwards was almost without question Saigon in Frith Street, which was pretty much the only Vietnamese Restaurant up west in those days.
Sunday 19 January 1986 – Rose fairly early + had large Chinese lunch with folks + lazyish afternoon & evening at home taping, reading etc.
Monday 20 January 1986 – At work in Sam Phillips factory this week – not too pleasant really. Had a lazy evening tonight.
Tuesday 21 January 1986 – Still at factory in Finsbury Park – working quite hard. Had a quiet evening at home.
Wednesday 22 January 1986 – Working at factory in Finsbury Park today. Went into town to meet John [White] after work – Andy [Crawford] was there too. Went to Punch & Judy – had a few drinks then on to Kowloon restaurant – got home quite late.
Thursday 23 January 1986 – Working in Finsbury Park today – which is OK if you like that sort of thing. Quite tired + had a lazyish evening in this evening – watched some TV etc.
I really didn’t like working in that Finsbury Park garment factory, did I? And who could blame me? It was cold and far from friendly.
Friday 24 January 1986 – Work or went to Finsbury Park in morning – rushed back met Caroline [Freeman, now Curtis] for lunch – worked in office in afternoon. Went to Euston – had a drink – went up to Keele – arrived late & very tired. Petra [Wilson] cooked mussels (delicious) in evening – very nice.
I had arranged a short break in Keele for the next few days, which included the AGM, which was one of those events that the previous committee was “expected” to attend, as this “order” from the Union attests:
Monty Mendelson (forgive me if the surname is not spelt correctly) was a manager at Newman Harris who worked primarily for partner Lesley Cohen, whose office was in an office building in Wigmore Street, around the corner from the main Cavendish Square office. Monty at that time looked after one or two clients in Stanley Bloom’s portfolio too (Laurie Krieger’s “empire”, if I recall correctly), which might explain why I got to use his office in his absence.
The other possible reason is that the computer room was in the Wigmore Street office and I was the designated youngster who was supposed to try and sort out the problems that the departing “computer manager” had failed to sort out.
Monday 6 January 1986 – Work ok today – in office all day. Pretty uneventful day. Got to use Monty’s office which is cozy. Had a lazy evening at home reading mostly.
Tuesday 7 January 1986 – Uneventful day at work – still got Monty’s room – a cushy number. Spent the evening at home reading a book etc.
Clearly this role in Monty’s office felt cosier and cushier, to me, than real hard graft at clients’ sites doing actual accounting work. Who knew?
Wednesday 8 January 1986 – In office this morning (Monty’s) – met Kate [Fricker] for lunch – went to Cinecittà [see below]– pleasant enough lunch. Went to Laurence Corner in afternoon – ok. Lazy evening in – watched some TV + read etc.
In the 1970s and 1980s, London was home to a very famous, eccentric Italian restaurant called Cinecittà, located right behind the old Debenhams department store at 74 Welbeck Street, on the corner of Henrietta Place in Marylebone. It was highly memorable for its unique setup: The Concept: It was a theatrical, self-service Italian restaurant designed like a movie studio lot. The Decor: Diners could choose to sit and eat their meals inside various novelty “movie sets,” most famously including a full-sized vintage train carriage booth.
Google’s AI mode
Thursday 9 January 1986 – Spent the day at Laurence Corner – ok. Had a quiet evening in – watched some TV etc + read books.
Friday 10 January 1986 – Went to office today – did budget for CAA [Concert Artiste’s Association]. Had a drink with Mike [King], Sandra [soon to be or just became King]+ Terry [errand “boy”] after work. Went up to Keele – pretty tired etc. Had dinner + earlyish night.
Saturday 11 January 1986 – Got up reasonably early – had breakfast at [the] SU. Went out in afternoon – saw Ali [Dabbs], Pitty [Graham Pitt], L54 [Alan Gorman, Pete Wild, Hayward Burt] etc – went on to Hanley. Saw “Plenty” at cinema + then went for drink – decided impulsively to eat at Hanley Garden + get cab home.
Sunday 12 January 1986 – Rose quite late – after getting papers etc. Ben [Benita Wishart] came over for latke “lunch” etc – went for walk in woods in the dark. Lazed some more – had dinner watched a lot of TV + turned in.
Monday 13 January 1986 – Returned to London from Keele. Work OK – in office all day doing bits of this + that. Pretty tired though – had a quiet evening in + early night.
Tuesday 14 January 1986 – In office today – pretty uneventful day all told. Stayed in this evening – got a few odds & ends done.
Wednesday 15 January 1986 – Work OK – nothing very exciting happened. Stayed in evening.
Thursday 16 January 1986 – Went to Sam Phillip’s factory today – fairly hard work. Went on to Andrea [Dean]’s in evening – for booze, fondue etc. Very pleasant evening with that crowd. Stayed over there.
Friday 17 January 1986 – Set off to Finsbury Park (Sam Phillip’s) – worked in factory all day – pretty tiring – had a quiet evening at home + earlyish night.
Here’s the diary extract for that weekend starting with Friday:
Friday 3 January 1986 – Went in to the office this morning – finished Ashley’s files. Met Caroline for lunch – went to Effes [meaning Efes] – v pleasant. Had a lazy evening at home + a fairly early night.
I’d forgotten that I sometimes treated Efes in Great Titchfield Street as a lunch place in the Newman Harris Cavendish Square days. My recollection was as a “soak up the beer after work” place, as I said in my write up of the Z/Yen Seasonal Party there, many years after the 1986 visit:
Update: Caroline remembers Efes as a lunch place more comprehensively than I do – even recalling that her luncheon of choice was No 13- chicken shish. Extraordinary powers of recall, that.
Saturday 4 January 1986 – Lazyish day – went to the high road in afternoon to library etc after lazing for most of the morning. Petra came over late afternoon – went up to town – saw Noises Off – very funny evening, went for late Italian meal. Came back to stay + late night.
Despite having been going for best part of four years, Noises Off was still filling houses and still had an excellent cast: Christopher Godwin, Stephanie Cole, Hugh Paddick, Michael Cochrane, Colette Gleeson, Timothy Carlton, and others too numerous to make it onto the newspaper classifieds at the time. Probably my first sighting of those people and probably my first sight of a Michael Blakemore directed piece too.
I do recall finding the play very funny – especially the middle act. I am really glad to have seen the original production of Noises Off, albeit not the very first cast.
Sunday 5 January 1986 – Saw Petra off this morning – had a big Italian lunch with folks – watched an old movie in the afternoon and had a generally lazy time at home reading etc.
Reynolds Sewell Standard 23 Jan 1986 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Reynolds Januszczak Guardian 18 Jan 1986 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Reynolds Lucie-Smith ILN 1 Jan 1986 The Illustrated London News (London, London, England) Newspapers.com
ILN 2 of 3 1 Jan 1986 The Illustrated London News (London, London, England) Newspapers.com
ILN 3 of 3 1 Jan 1986 The Illustrated London News (London, London, England) Newspapers.com
Pravda Shulman Standard 3 May 1985 Evening Standard (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Pravda Barber Telegraph 3 May 1985 The Daily Telegraph (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Pravda Billington Gradian 3 May 1985 The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
