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The Peep Times October - November 2003 |
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Metro Entertainment autograph signing, Los Angeles, CA View the beautiful pictures taken by Michael Fijolek when Dominic and Anthony signed autographs at the pop culture shop in Los Angeles on February 1, 2003.
Save the Children Benefit, Monrovia, CA We showed you some great photos by Micheal Fijolek in the last issue of Peep Times. Enjoy these additional shots by convention photographers Jo Beth Taylor and Kathy Wang. A huge thank-you goes out to all three photographers for sharing their work with us. Desmond's by KasiaIn addition to lovable characters, genuinely humorous and touching writing, and fine acting, Desmond's also played an important role in British society of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The show starred Norman Beaton and Carmen Munroe as the family patriarch and matriarch, Desmond and Shirley Ambrose. Often billed as the Cosby Show of the UK, Desmond's artfully brought the black experience to the forefront of the national psyche simply by empathetically portraying the everyday lives of an immigrant family from the Caribbean nation of Guyana. |
In
fact, Bill Cosby was so taken with Norman Beaton and Desmond's that
he invited Mr. Beaton to appear on an episode of Cosby and donned a
Desmond's cap during the shooting.
The family's barbershop serves as a gathering place for the community and attracts a gallery of regulars including fellow Guyanese and family friend Porkpie and African student Matthew. The Ambrose offspring grow up in Britain and challenge their parents with different cultural norms. The oldest son, Michael, is part of the young, upwardly mobile black set and is often chided by his siblings and father for his capitalist leanings. Like the role he brought to life, Norman Beaton was an accomplished musician who had played in a successful band back in Georgetown, Guyana, he had some difficulties with alcohol, he harbored a love for his homeland, and he persevered in the face of adversity – not only as an immigrant schoolteacher but later as a pioneer in black theater and television from the 1960s through the Thatcher era and beyond. Beaton flew home to visit Georgetown at age 60 and passed away within about an hour of his arrival at age 60. Dominic made his first appearance in the third episode, The New Stylist (or Expansion Plans) (Series 1, 1989). The shop is suffering from an outdated look and failure to keep up with the latest styles. The family convinces a wary and reluctant Desmond to take on a new stylist—the trendy, talented, and relentlessly upbeat Tony. Desmond does not warm to change easily and fears his own obsolescence, but Tony brings youth and much-needed business to the shop. Cheery Tony is the perfect counterbalance to Desmond's curmudgeon and the |
interaction between the two provides a lot of comic relief. In a light way,
Tony represents the incursion of English culture into Desmond's world.
Interestingly, the ice-breaking moment between the two characters is when
Tony reveals a knowledge and love for Caribbean music. A tacit bond is
forged. Tony is also quite the ladies' man, and one of the show's funniest
moments arrives when zany, endearing Auntie Susu – Shirley's sister from
Guyana – delivers a playful slap to Tony's rear end in Susu Again
(Series 4, episode 8, 1992). Dominic played Tony in Series 1 to 5, from1989
to 1993. Sources: Beaton biography at African American Publications; BBC Top 100 Sitcoms; Beaton biography at Museum of Television and Radio; History of Desmond's at Museum of Television and Radio; Desmond's episode guide at British TV Comedy.
VHS packaging design © 1992 PolyGram Video Limited. Top row, L to R: Robbie Gee (Lee), Carmen Munroe (Shirley Ambrose), Gyearbuor Asante (Matthew), Geff Francis (Michael Ambrose), Ram John Holder (Augustus "Porkpie" Grant); Bottom row, L to R: Dominic Keating (Tony), Kim Walker (Gloria Ambrose), Norman Beaton (Desmond Ambrose), Justin Pickett (Sean Ambrose), Lisa Geoghan (Louise ). |
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