Graham Fellows facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Graham Fellows |
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Fellows pictured in December 2017
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| Born | 22 May 1959 Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Medium | Radio, television |
| Genres | Observational comedy, stand-up |
Graham David Fellows (born 22 May 1959) is an English actor and musician. He became well-known in 1978 with his song "Jilted John," which made fun of punk-rock singing styles. This song became a big hit, reaching number 4 in the UK music charts. Later, in 1986, Fellows created a funny character named John Shuttleworth. This character also became very popular, especially through his radio show "The Shuttleworths" on BBC Radio Four.
Contents
Jilted John: How It Started
Graham Fellows was a drama student at Manchester Polytechnic when he first became famous in 1978. He sang a funny song called "Jilted John." The song was about a grumpy teenager whose girlfriend, Julie, left him for another boy named Gordon. The teenager complained that Gordon was "just 'cause he's better lookin' than me, just 'cause he's cool and trendy."
Graham Fellows explained that he wanted to record some songs. He found a small record company called Rabid. He made a demo, which they loved. So, they recorded the song properly a few days later. The song was first released with "Going Steady" as the main song and "Jilted John" on the other side.
Jilted John: A Big Hit
The famous radio DJ John Peel from BBC Radio One was the first to play "Jilted John" on national radio. He thought it could be a huge hit if a bigger record company promoted it. He was right! A major company called EMI International picked up the song. When it was played on the TV show Top of the Pops, the host, Kid Jensen, called it "one of the most bizarre singles of the decade." The song quickly climbed the charts and reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart.
Graham Fellows brought the Jilted John character back for the Big Chill festival in 2008. He even sang a new song there. In 2014, "Jilted John" won a special competition called the 'One Hit Wonder World Cup' on BBC Radio 6 Music. The character also appeared at the Rebellion Festival in 2016 and went on a 40th-anniversary tour in the UK in 2018.
John Shuttleworth: A Quirky Musician
In 1986, Graham Fellows created another popular character: John Shuttleworth. John is a middle-aged, hopeful singer-songwriter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He's a bit quiet and has some slightly nerdish habits.
John Shuttleworth often plays his songs on his Yamaha PSS680 portable keyboard. Some of his well-known songs include "Pigeons in Flight." John even tried to get this song chosen for the Eurovision Song Contest. A funny fake documentary called Europigeon showed his journey to submit a song for Eurovision. It featured real Eurovision stars like Johnny Logan and Cheryl Baker. As John Shuttleworth, Graham Fellows has released several albums and singles.
Other Funny Characters
Graham Fellows also created two other interesting characters:
Brian Appleton: The Music Expert
Brian Appleton is a rock music expert and a media studies teacher. He's from the Newcastle-under-Lyme area, but originally from Selly Oak in Birmingham. His girlfriend, Wendy, is an aromatherapist, but she became allergic to the oils she uses after she qualified!
Brian believes he secretly helped many famous rock bands become huge stars, but he never got any credit. For example, he claims he caused the famous pause in the song "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. He also says he accidentally helped Phil Collins start his singing career and gave Howard Jones the idea for using a mime artist in his hit song "New Song." Brian also thinks he influenced bands like the Thompson Twins and even Morrissey, claiming Morrissey was inspired to form The Smiths after hearing Brian's own song, "My Turn to be Poorly."
Dave Tordoff: The Ambitious Builder
Graham Fellows' newest character is Dave Tordoff. Dave is a builder from Goole who specializes in special concrete floors. He really wants to become a popular after dinner speaker, especially after seeing how easy it seemed for famous people like Kevin Keegan. Dave loves talking about how much money he has and his life on his ranch-style home with his wife, Mandy, and daughter, Courtney. In 2007, he planned to take up falconry as a hobby.
Other Projects and Appearances
Graham Fellows has done many other interesting things:
- In 1982, he played Paul McCartney in a play called Lennon in Sheffield.
- He released an album under his own name called Love at the Haçienda in 1985, which was re-released later.
- In 2000, he appeared in two episodes of the TV show Time Gentlemen Please as an ambulance man.
- Before creating John Shuttleworth, Fellows appeared in the popular TV show Coronation Street as Les Charlton. He also made a brief appearance on the show during his Jilted John fame.
- In 2007, he was in an episode of ITV's Heartbeat.
- He also presented a show on BBC Radio 4 in 2007, sharing his favorite poems and stories.
- In 2009, he read a book for Radio 4 called You're Coming With Me Lad, about a police officer's experiences.
- He played Dr. Persil in the TV show Ideal (2010) and played the famous comedian Eric Sykes in the BBC Four drama Hattie (2010).
- In 2015, Graham Fellows appeared on BBC One's Celebrity Mastermind, answering questions about a sailor named Donald Crowhurst. He came in third place.
- In 2018, Fellows planned a tour as himself and worked on a new album called Weird Town.
Personal Life
Graham Fellows divides his time between Leicester and Orkney, a group of islands in Scotland. He has three sisters. One of his sisters was married to the well-known television chef Ainsley Harriott.
Selected TV, Film, and Radio Work
- The Shuttleworths (five series 1993–2010) – BBC Radio 4
- Shuttleworth's Showtime (1994) – BBC Radio 1
- 500 Bus Stops (1997 TV series)
- Europigeon (TV mockumentary about the Eurovision Song Contest)
- John Shuttleworth's "Open Mind" (2006) BBC Radio 4
- It's Nice Up North (2006)
- Southern Softies (2009)
- Hattie – as Eric Sykes (2010)
- Ideal - series 6 episode 7 "The Ear" as Doctor Persil (2010)
- Father Earth (2022)
Images for kids
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Fellows pictured in December 2017
