MEETING DAVE PROWSE ALIAS DARTH VADER

 

The first Star Wars film – Episode IV: A New Hope, was released on 27^th December 1977. This retroactively entitled movie was followed by the sequels Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), forming the original Star Wars trilogy. As everyone knows they went on to become a phenomenal success worldwide.

For the 20^th anniversary of Star War, Words & Images duo Rob and Ann arranged to go down to London to meet up with Star War’s arch villain, Darth Vader – alias Dave Prowse. The resulting article was featured in the December 1996 edition of sci-fi magazine Infinity – yes Rob and Ann have been working together that long!

We met up with Dave Prowse at his London gym where we chatted over a mug of tea. He was a great host, very friendly and easy to talk to. He made us so welcome. A tragedy that he is no longer with us.

So, for Star Wars fans, here’s a re-print of the article:

Star Wars – Twenty Years On.

Doom is where the Darth is!

Can you imagine the evil Darth Vader lecturing on road safety? Or Frankenstein’s monster signing autographs for little children? Maybe not. But Ann Evans discovers that these good deeds are all in a day’s work for the man who played them: gentle giant Dave Prowse…

When Darth Vader was unmasked in Return of the Jedi, we finally saw the face of the sad old man who professed to be Luke Skywalker’s father. But it was a bit of a shock to the millions of devoted Star Wars fans who knew that the person really behind that black dome was six -foot seven muscleman, movie actor Dave Prowse.

Twenty years on, the real Darth Vader is looking a whole lot more sprightly than he did in his movie swansong. We tracked him across galaxies and universes to his gymnasium, just south of the River Thames in Borough, London, where Dave reveals that the face belonged to an actor called Sebastian Shaw.

“Everyone knew I was Darth Vader,” says Dave. “But when he was unmasked, there was someone else. It really was the dirtiest trick. But then Return of the Jedi was a terrible movie to work on, unlike Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back – they were terrific.”

However, even the original Star Wars brought some disappointment. “Originally I was going to do everything,” he recalls. “I did the dialogue all through the movie and was supposed to re-do it in the studio to improve the sound quality, but at the last minute they dubbed in the voice of an American actor, James Earl Jones. I was very annoyed about that.”

But apart from those upsets, Dave loved working on the Star Wars films, and creating the character of Darth Vader. “I was virtually left alone to do what I wanted. There would be a few stage directions, like you come in that door and go out the other one, but all the actions and mannerisms of Darth Vader were mine. No one told me what to do. The makers of the film were very concerned that stunts were carried out safely, however, and they brought in a fencing coach who taught me to fence for the laser sword fight scenes. I did all the fighting in the first film, half in the second but none in the third; the fencing coach did all the scenes in Return of the Jedi.”

Monkey Suit or Mask?

Dave has never had an acting lesson in his life. But in fact, he was originally given the choice of two parts in Star Wars, after being spotted in A Clockwork Orange playing a beefy bodyguard.

“They offered me Chewbacca first,” said Dave. “But I didn’t fancy walking around in a monkey suit all day. I asked what the other part was and they said it was Darth Vader, the villain of the film. So, I said, “Right I’ll have that part,” which was probably the best decision I’ve ever made. People always remember the baddie, don’t they?”

The film turned out to be the biggest money maker of all time, taking a staggering £600 million. But during the filming none of the cast could foresee the tremendous impact Star Wars was to have on audiences (and popular culture).

“We thought we were making a load of rubbish! laughs Dave. “Mind you, the makers obviously had faith in it. No one spends £22 million on a film if they don’t think it’s going to be any good.”

Location scenes were filmed in Tunisia, the rest was shot at Elstree Studios. Many of the props were scaled down models which the actors didn’t get to see at all. But not all. “We had a full-size Millennium Falcon for example. But when you see me in my cockpit, twiddling all the knobs, what you don’t see is eight blokes outside, rocking it and shaking it like mad!

“People used to say, I bet you had a wild time, partying. But we had no social life at all. I was up at 5am, had a two-hour drive from my home in Croydon to Elstree. From 8.30am to 5pm I worked on the film, then it was back to run the gym and do my own training. There was no time for parties.”

Dave has no souvenirs from the filming of Star Wars. After spending five months working on the film he was just glad to get it all over and done with. And by the time The Empire Strikes Back started, Star Wars was such a colossal hit that security on the film set was really tight. “No one was allowed in or out,” he explains. “Even if you wanted to take anything out as a memento, you couldn’t. They were paranoid about it.”

Dave recalls that Star Wars fever had a marvellous effect on his career. Offers of work came rolling in including a 12-part BBC TV series, Confessions and Carry On films, and even a role in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. On top of this there were guest appearances on such classic comedy shows as Benny Hill, Stanley Baxter and the Morecambe and Wise Show. “I played Eric and Ernie four times,” grins Dave. “It was a bit of an accolade to be invited to appear in one of the plays wot Ernie wrote!”

Falling on his feet

Dave never set out to be an actor. As a young man he had just one ambition – to become Mr Universe. “I was 6ft 5 inches and 11 stone! So I decided to put weight on. By the time I left school, all I wanted to do was lift weights. I started buying body building magazines and had pictures on my wall of Steve Reeves, Hercules in the movies, who I admired for 44 years before eventually getting to meet him. My sole purpose in life was doing weightlifting and body building.”

Dave got up to 20 stone and became British Heavyweight Lifting Champion, a title he held for three years – 1962, 1963 and 1964. He also did the Highland Games for three years and became the first person ever to simultaneously lift the famous Scottish Dinnie Stones which weigh 340lb and 445lb a piece. Eventually he held six different British records, all the while striving to achieve his main ambition.

Then came shattering news. “I was told by one of the competition judges that I’d never become Mr Universe. At 6ft 7ins and 26 stone I asked why wouldn’t I? And was told it was because I’d got claw toes. You can work on practically every part of your body to improve it – but there’s not a lot you can do about the shape of your feet!”

With his ambitions shattered, Dave had to change direction. “I thought, if I’m doing all this training, I may as well try and get some money out of it, so I turned professional and became Britain’s Strongest Man, touring around, demonstrating physical feats of strength.

From this he was offered his first job in acting, in a play at the Mermaid Theatre where they needed someone to walk on stage and pick an actor up off the floor. Hardly award-winning stuff but it got him his union ticket. Other parts followed including Jabawaki in The Rose Medallion and Casino Royale with David Niven. He got his first starring role in Space 1999 and went on to play Frankenstein’s monster in two Hammer chillers made in the early 70s. “They were great fun,” recalls Dave. “If fact it was funnier playing in horror films than in comedy when often the comedian would be so wound up trying to be funny that he wasn’t – with the exception of Kenny Williams, he had me in stitches every time he opened his mouth.”

Darth in Disguise

Dave says that the most satisfying work he has undertaken during the last two decades is his role as the Green Cross Code Man. “The Government offered me a decent contract to devote myself entirely to the Green Cross Code for seven months a year, touring all over the world, talking with kids. You’d go to school to give a talk and with Star Wars being on then, the kids wouldn’t think it was the Green Cross Code man talking to them, they all knew it was really Darth Vader in disguise in a superman suit! All the questions would be about Darth Vader – never any about road safety!”     

Dave also made a record for children, called Stop, Look, Listen and Think. “I sang it to my daughter as Stop, Look, Listen and Stink! And that’s what caught on. All the kids sang it and it stuck in their minds. They’ve probably passed it on to their kids.”

At the end of 1989 Dave had an accident with some weights and he had to have a hip replacement operation. While getting over that he suffered a fall in the gym and damaged his ankle, necessitating another operation. “The most important thing for myself was to carry on doing the Green Cross Code Man,” said Dave. “But being barely able to walk – well you couldn’t have Darth or the Green Cross Code Man on a walking stick. So I would sneak into school, get changed and hide until I could get to a stool in the hall, and then the children would all come to me. I’d be able to stand for a while and they’d come and I’d sign autographs, then once they’d gone I could sneak out again on my sticks.

“For 14 years I was the Green Cross Code Man. During that time, we reduced the number of accidents by half from over 40,000 to less than 20,000 a year. I visited 700 cities throughout the world, worked in 2,000 schools and talked to half a million children.”

Dave is still currently troubled by health problems, fearing that a replacement operation may be necessary on his other hip. Up until last year (1976) he was in a surgical boot and calliper. But it doesn’t stop him regularly working out at the gym which he has run for the last 26 years. Nor does it prevent him touring the world attending science fiction conventions – he has recently concluded ‘The Bad Guys Tour’ with Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface the psychotic killer in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

As well as working on a book about his life. Dave is also looking forward to the re-release of the Star Wars trilogy next year (1978) and the making of another three Star Wars films – with a 1999 release date for the first. “George Lucas is writing the new scripts now. He was waiting until the technical side – animation, special effects and so on – reached the stages it has now, before making another film, because he wants it to be really spectacular. And yes, I do really hope to be involved in the next three films. I would very much like to do it if I’m offered the role.

“Choosing to play Darth in the original Star Wars was probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. After all, you might not remember the goody in a film – but no one will ever forget Darth Vader.”

Next time: Rob and Ann join Dave Prowse and Gunnar Hansen for lunch in Coventry.  

                                                                      

 

 

 

Meeting Lance Henriksen

 

Lance Henriksen and Millennium co-star Megan Gallagher.
 

One of the nicest actors we’ve ever met, and who we’ve been fortunate enough to interview twice is Lance Henriksen. He is best known for his roles in action, horror and sci-fi movies, in particular Bishop in the Alien films. He also played Frank Black in Fox TV series Millennium. However, his list of films reaches to almost 100 movies, including The Terminator, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Damien, Omen II. Hellraiser, Pumpkinhead – the list goes on.

 

Our interview took place on a balcony at a Memorabilia Show, and Lance was enjoying the atmosphere of the event. “This is so much fun. It’s the first time I’ve done anything like this and its great fun, meeting the fans and talking to them.”

Rob Tysall and Lance Henriksen

 We asked him about his early ambitions to be an actor, to which he replied, “I always wanted to be an actor, even when I was a little kid. When I used to run away from home, I'd go to movies and sit all night watching Kirk Douglas. When I was 16, I tried getting into the Actors Studio and they told me to get lost. I said: 'I'll come back when I'm a man', and I came back when I was 30. I went to sea, I travelled the world ... I was waiting."

 

You can't do every movie - although I do a lot of them - and the thing I'm longing to do is… it's not that I think I'm funny…but I long to do a situation comedy. The challenge for me in a part is if it's something I haven't done. If I'm going to have a rough time doing it, then that's what I'll do. If I'm in the comfort zone, I can't. I have to get off-balance enough to be alive."

 

"I'm pretty slapstick in my life but nobody sees that. You get typecast. I'm from New York and I have a shit-detector that's outspoken. I'm very streetwise and the producers detect that. So, they get me on a movie and kill me. I go into their offices and I'm sure when I leave they say, 'You know, he'd be great to kill'. I've been killed every way you can imagine!

 

“In the Alien films, everything has happened to me. I’ve been ripped in half in the first one. The next one I was chopped up. In Alien vs Predator I was impaled on the Predator’s wristblades.” Laughing Lance added, “They keep bringing me back to life and killing me all over again!

 

Ann in conversation with Lance Henriksen

 “Alien v Predator was made in Prague, made in five months but it was five winter months and very cold, so really what you saw in the film was real, it was very cold. None of the sets were heated, and they were huge sets. None of the scenes were digital except perhaps maybe the crew ship going through the ice because it was impractical to do that in reality.

 

“It was amazing that nobody got hurt on this movie. You’d got this predator – a vast guy anyway but in his outfit, he was eight feet tall. He had to get into training, he had to train like a fighter.

 

“It was the most wonderful ensemble, everybody connected, and we’d all go out to dinner together. And after working with them, you do miss them. Colin Salmon for instance will always be my friend, I made some good friends that I still keep in touch with. I loved doing this film, the writer director Paul Anderson is a lovely guy – a bright, enthusiastic man.”

 As was Lance Henriksen himself!

We Meet The Kenilworth Artists

 We appreciate art in all it many forms, so going along to the Kenilworth Artists’ exhibition held in St John’s Church, Kenilworth, was a great morning out. Not least to see people actually getting out and about once more – following Government guidelines, obviously, but because of the amazing talent all in one room. The exhibition is on until Sunday 4^th July 2021.

You’ll find displays of hand-crafted items including paintings, ceramics, glass, mosaics, textiles, prints, cards and much more. And of course, you’ll have the opportunity to meet and chat to many of the artists about their work.

While the majority of the artists in this group have long been involved in their particular craft, the group as a whole only got together a few years ago. As individual artists, the majority of these talented people knew each other or knew of each other’s work, but many hadn’t met or joined together for an art event. 

Thanks to Jo Ricketts who works in fused glass, plus a handful of the artists, they organised the group Kenilworth Artists, which now has a strong presence on social media, and of course come together to put on fabulous exhibitions for the public.

Holding their current exhibition in the tranquil setting of 19^th century St John’s Church, is a perfect venue amid the sandstone arches and stained-glass windows. They have ensured that lockdown restrictions and safeguards are all adhered to, ensuring a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere on the opening day. Visitors could happily browse the artwork, talk to the artists, and even have tea and cake.

The work on display was incredibly varied; paintings included watercolours, acrylic and oils; from the brilliant wildlife and landscape works in all those mediums by Chris R. Saunderson, to the wide variety of photography and artwork created by Natalie Thurman.

As mentioned, Jo Ricketts makes the most beautiful and unique ornaments and decorative pieces from fused glass – working with flat glass and a kiln, her skills produce outstanding work. 

Also, creating artwork that captures the attention is Kevin Alexander whose tools include a credit card and masking tape as much as a paintbrush!

In their normal working life, two artists – Helen Jayne Woodcock and Karen Pittaway, share Karen’s studio in Old Town Kenilworth. Helen creates stunning fine art paintings, often of the streets, buildings and landscapes of Kenilworth amongst other settings. While Karen’s unique paintings have an influence of L.S.Lowry about them yet full of colour, light and fine detail which speaks of the story-teller in her.

Captivated by the unusual perspective of her latest ‘lockdown’ paintings of the Kenilworth street she lives on, Karen explained to me: “These have been such strange times, I wanted these paintings to look a bit strange – a bit disorientating, hence the bending of buildings. And one shows the people out in the street, clapping the NHS. To get the perspective of distance and what can actually be seen far off, I’ve found that looking at Google Earth helps!”

Husband and wife artists Anna and Richard Poynter were both exhibiting their paintings and hand-crafted works. Richard, making sleek wooden clocks and Anna making mosaics of wildlife amongst other things. And while both clearly shared a love of painting, their own personalities shone through in their individual styles of work.

Leanne Simmons’ passion for wildlife and nature is evident in her almost dreamy paintings in oils and watercolours. She says that she strives to produce vibrant, emotion-provoking pieces of art. Something which I have to say, she certainly achieves.

Meanwhile, Louise Hutton exhibited some stunning portraits – not least was her version of David Bowie’s iconic Ziggy Stardust look. She also creates large acrylic paintings of cars such as the Aston Martin and famous celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Amy Winehouse and George Harrison in a pop art style.

Finally, for our visit we chatted to Melanie Dearing, a trained architect who has been painting all her life, but recently has been concentrating on boats and harbours for their shapes and colours. Her striking canvasses revealed the fact that she is currently painting in just five colours – red, yellow, blue, black with a white background.

No doubt your visit will discover your own favourite artists and works of art. All were unique but had two things in common. All the artists lived in Kenilworth at the heart of the Midlands, and all are passionate about art.

This free exhibition which runs until Sunday 4^th July is in conjunction with Warwickshire Open Studios, www.wostudios.org

Discover more about Kenilworth artists on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kenilworthartists

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenilworth_artists/

This article was first published in B-C-ing-U on-line magazine:  https://b-c-ing-u.com/art/meet-the-kenilworth-artists/

If any Kenilworth artists would like high res copies of any of the images published here or on B-C-ing-U, please email Rob:  robert.tysall@outlook.com   

More images here and at B-C-ing_U.com

Dining Out at the One Elm Pub, Stratford-upon-Avon

One of our favourite places to visit is Stratford Upon Avon. There’s such a relaxed, unhurried feel about the town, whether you’re visiting one of its many attractions, discovering more about William Shakespeare through his works and places associated with his life, or just exploring its shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants.

You can be quite spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out in Stratford, and we were recently invited to go along to The One Elm in Stratford to sample their cuisine, and what a fabulous dining experience it was.

Nick Hart and Ollie Coulson

The One Elm is the second pub in the Peach Pub’s stable. Situated on Guild Street, it has a small car park but don’t panic if you can’t squeeze in as there are larger public car parks close by. The pub proved to be a spacious, welcoming place where you instantly felt at home whether you’d stopped by for a drink or a three-course meal.

Although it’s part of a chain, the chefs are free to create a very wide and extensive menu. One thing that remains constant however, is that they use high quality fresh ingredients, free range chicken, eggs and pork, with products sourced locally wherever possible, and all freshly cooked.

Being just 14 miles from Evesham – famous for its asparagus, every spring The One Elm has something of an asparagus campaign, using this delicious, locally grown vegetable in their menu.

So, when ordering, photographer Rob chose for his starter, classic British asparagus, smoked salmon, poached egg and Hollandaise sauce.

“It’s a classic dish and everything was as it should be,” said Rob. “The asparagus was as perfectly cooked as it could possibly be, there was a beautifully soft poached egg and a really good Hollandaise sauce. A wonderful starter.”

I chose breaded Brie and chilli jam which looked great and tasted delicious. I was worried in case the Brie would be too powerful, but I found it to have quite a delicate flavour. And that texture of the soft, warm, runny cheese inside the crunchy outer layer was delightful. Coupled with the sweet and tangy chilly jam it was divine!      

The One Elm has an excellent range of starters, mains and deserts, plus daily and seasonal specials. Prices for starters was around £5.50; main courses ranged from £9.75 - £14.50; or you could go for grills and sizzlers which ranged from £12.75 - £23.50. 

There was lots of choice if you just fancied a snack or a burger. There were meat, fish and veggie snacks at £3.75 each; soups and sarnies ranging from £5.50 - £9.50; burgers and chips – thick or thin, priced between £10.50 - £14.50. And all the puddings were £5. So, food to suit all pockets.

We found that the service was good, with friendly, helpful staff and everywhere was clean and comfortable. For our main course, Rob went for grilled salmon, sprouting broccoli, lemon and tarragon sauce and new potatoes. “The salmon just melts in your mouth and the sauce is perfect,” he commented.

I’d decided to go for something that I wouldn’t normally have, and chose slow and low beef dandy ribs, BBQ sauce, hash brown and slaw. Wow! I wasn’t quite sure where to start. It was definitely a meal to get stuck into – and finger licking good! In fact, Rob had to write some of my notes as my fingers were just too deliciously sticky to pick up my pen! The beef was so tender and the BBQ sauce rich and lovely. The diner on the next table had the same, and it was a thumbs up from both of us! So, thank you to our chef that afternoon, Chef de Partie, Dan Jeffs.

The One Elm serves a fabulous range of real ales, bottled beers and ciders, wines, spirits, cocktails and Champagne. If gin is your tipple, this is the place for you – a dozen gins to choose from – and it was the same for cocktails, lots of variety. To accompany my meal, I had a glass of Cotes du Rhone Rose, Les Cerisiers, Rhone, France. I found this light, pleasantly dry and not too sweet. Rob went for a pint of Longhorn IPA unfiltered which is brewer locally by the nearby Purity Brewery Co, based just a few miles down the road near Alcester.

“The ale was fantastic,” said Rob, who knows a bit about real ale! “It’s definitely one of the best IPA’s I’ve ever tasted.”

It seemed only fair to sample the puddings too. Rob went for chocolate brownie with Jude’s strawberry ice cream. The brownie was warm and very darkly chocolatey and went perfectly with the fruity ice cream. I had a rich, creamy raspberry ripple cheesecake which was divine!

Please can we go again!

Chef de Partie Dan Jeffs

The One Elm, 1 Guild Street, Stratford-Upon-Avon CV37 6QZ Telephone 01789 404919

www. www.oneelmstratford.co.uk

Please get in touch if you would like a restaurant review by Ann and Rob at Words & Images UK. 

A Little Bit of Collaboration!

Ann Evans & Rob Tysall

Collaborating for us isn't a new thing. We’ve been working on non-fiction articles as a team for many, many years. Words & Images UK is exactly what it says on the tin, Ann's words, Rob's images.

With my (Ann's) fiction hat on, I've been writing books for children, young adults and adults for years. But something new, is that Rob and I have collaborated on a fictional novel - a supernatural thriller. And the brilliant news is that Bloodhound Books, have accepted it for publication and it will be out in July 2018.

Creating non-fiction articles for publication involves two different skills – photography and journalism. But, writing a novel is a combination of both our imaginations, visions and writing skills. The only images are those in our heads – and the skill is in getting the pair of us imagining the same thing!

Although our book has only just been accepted, and we’ve only just settled on what its title should be, which is:  The Bitter End, people are already asking, “So how does collaborative writing actually work?”

For myself and Rob it’s been a sort of evolving situation. Neither of us could have made a deliberate decision such as, “Hey, let’s write a book together!” It was nothing that straight forward. We’ve simply found ourselves chatting about story ideas over the years, usually while travelling to and from jobs for magazines. If ever I was stuck for a plot, or had written myself into a corner, I could chat it over with Rob and he’d always come up with a great twist or a new idea. In fact, I’ve dubbed him my Ideas Man.

One day about four years ago, he came up with an idea for a book that he thought I should write. I listened and then said, “I can’t write that! It’s too dark. It’s too deep. I don’t think along those lines!”

But would he let the matter drop? No! His idea was growing and growing in his head and he wouldn’t let up.

For a while we didn’t make any actual progress, but we did a lot of talking, and plotting and planning, until finally, I relented and drafted out the beginnings of a story. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t how he had envisaged it. But it was a start and we decided not to scrap what was written but began working on it together. As any writer will tell you, editing something is a lot easier than editing a blank page!

Admittedly, his first suggestion that I change a paragraph sent me into spasms! Someone telling me what I should or shouldn’t write! Unheard of! But that’s where a solid friendship comes into play. We listened to each other’s ideas and reasoning, discussed every scene and sentence, and didn’t fall out! In fact. Some of the most tragic and intense scenes would reduce us to fits of laughter as words and ideas ran away with us.

There are dark sections in this book, especially from the viewpoint of one particular character (no spoilers here) where Rob was in his element and waxed lyrical while I typed. The practicalities of a collaboration, at least in our case, is that just one person does the typing, that keeps the style ‘uniform’. And I’m a much better speller, and faster typist – which I really need to be, as once his imagination is let loose, I’m hard pressed to keep up with his dictation!

So, imagine if you will, a male Barbara Cartland lounging on the sofa dictating his latest masterpiece to his secretary! It wasn’t quite like that, but you get the picture.

Creating the characters and their backgrounds has been great as a collaboration especially having someone of the opposite sex putting the male point of view over, and I think this shows in the dialogue and actions.

And discussing the plot with someone else provides a stack of events and dramas, that one person alone would not have thought of. For example, when halfway through the book, Rob says, “You know (character) has to die, don’t you?” And I scream: “What? No! You can’t kill (character)!” And Rob just nods and says, “Yes you do.” I admit I was reminded of the famous Stephen King quote: “Kill your darlings.”  (Don’t worry it’s not the dog…)

Now that our book is finished, I think the proof of the pudding as to whether the collaboration worked or not, is the realisation that without each other, the book would not have been written. And we’re still friends! And making a start on a sequel!

Q. So, collaborating with a friend, is it something you’ve done or tried to do? And did it work for you?

The Bitter End by Ann Evans & Robert D. Tysall. Published by Bloodhound Books, out July 2018.

More on Rob Tysall: https://www.facebook.com/robert.tysall   https://twitter.com/TYSALLSPHOTOS

 Have you read crime novel: Kill or Die, also published by Bloodhound Books. 

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kill-Die-Ann-Evans-ebook/dp/B06Y55N625

And have you read time slip YA thriller, Celeste, published by Clean Reads.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Celeste-Ann-Evans-ebook/dp/B00KQ8XIGE/

You never forget your first!

Delving deep into the dark and dusty Words & Images archives, we came across this photo from one of our very first articles. The photo is of Ivan Sokoroniec who made amazing models from matchsticks – ships, trams and windmills. He had an exhibition of his work at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry.

It was way back around 1988 or 1989 – (almost 30 years – Aagh!!) and off we went to tackle our very first article for a paying magazine.

It was in the days of film, and while colour had been invented, we later decided to get some of the shots printed in black and white as that was what our intended magazine – What's On, wanted at the time.

Much to our surprise, the magazine published our article and photos and paid us the princely sum of £9.

Since then we've had hundreds of articles published on all kinds of topics; funnily enough crafts and models have always figured quite highly in our work. But like they say, you never forget your first.

Wonder if Ivan is still around and still making his models.

Get in touch with the Words & Images UK team of Rob & Ann.

Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/wordsandimagesuk/

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Visit: www.tysallsphotography.org.uk

Visit: www.annevansbooks.co.uk