The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
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Eric Sykes and the Variety Club of Great Britain
Artists attend lunch to raise funds for disadvantaged children.
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Overview
Members of the Variety Club of Great Britain attend a lunch and its supporters include actors and comedians Eric Sykes, Hattie Jacques, Larry Grayson, Deryck Guyler and singer Moira Anderson. Combe Pafford School for children with learning difficulties in Torquay is presented with a Variety Club minibus. Larry Grayson and Moira Anderson are appearing for the summer season at Torquay's Princess Theatre.
Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques starred as TV twins in the sitcom Sykes (1972 to 1979) with Deryck Guyler playing the policeman. Deryck Guyler was the voice of the adverts for Scotch Video Tapes in the 1980s. Eric Sykes battled deafness and blindness in his lifetime. His spectacles contained no lenses but were a bone-conducting hearing aid. He was multi-talented and came to prominence writing for The Goon Show before scripting and starring in his own sitcoms. Larry Grayson was a variety comedian and game show host known for his catchphrase Shut That Door! Variety UK started in 1949 and raises money for children. Variety was first started by showbusiness people in America in 1927-8.
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