Neil Anthony
Biography
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In summaryNeil’s love of performance has been a lifelong passion. In the late 1970s he relocated to Australia and trained as a professional dancer with his ballet master being ex-Australian Ballet.
He returned to the UK at the prompting of composer Stephen Oliver, who encouraged him to gain professional experience on the West End stage. He appeared in a variety of shows, and gained his Equity card along the way. Seeking to expand his horizons, he founded his own dance troupe, performing a weekly gig at the Empire Ballroom, Leicester Square, exclusively to the synthesized music of the New Romantic movement (*see footnote). Whilst booked to perform live at the former ITV company, Southern Television, he befriended the station’s head of entertainment, Bryan Izzard. |
Effectively becoming the resident choreographer for a short while, he found himself increasingly involved in the production of a number of primetime ITV shows, including devising the Scarecrow Dance for Jon Pertwee and Una Stubbs in Worzel Gummidge.
In 1981 Neil and Bryan formed The Bright Thoughts Company, independently producing programming for the fledgling Channel 4.
Working from offices at the heart of Soho, he produced and devised much of the station’s performance-based entertainment output for many years. Using some of the cream of British and American talent, Neil worked with such comic legends as Arthur Askey, Leonard Rossiter, Julie Walters and Barry Cryer. Other highlights included filming in the USA with the renowned avant-garde jazz group, The Art Ensemble of Chicago; working with some of the early “alternative” comedians, including Ben Elton and Jim Barclay; and recreating the life and stage act of the inimitable music hall comedian, Max Miller.
His proudest success was the hugely acclaimed Top C’s & Tiaras™, first broadcast in 1983, which presented operetta and musical comedy in a manner never seen before on television. Recorded on location at a neo-Palladian country house, with all performances recorded-as-live, it featured the American soprano Julia Migenes, along with Peter Morrison, Marilyn Hill Smith, and Benjamin Luxon, and was one of Channel 4’s first critical and popular hits. Very much ahead of its time, the staging of Top C’s & Tiaras™ anticipated the explosion of interest in classical music as popular entertainment, from the 1990s to the current day.
Later, Neil thought it the right decision to pull out of mainstream producing whilst at the top of his game"It's the right thing to do. I don't take these things lightly. I'm convinced it's right. I have no regrets but a lot of special memories."
In the following years, whilst continuing to keep a hand in the world of television (advising on a number of editions of the ITV arts programme, The South Bank Show, as well as various regional ITV productions), staging and being involved with performance-based projects has remained an important part of Neil's life. His love of Britain’s built heritage has also come to the fore. Now based on the Kent coast, he founded a Building Preservation Trust and been instrumental in saving a number of Buildings At-Risk which are of historical significance. He is also actively involved with a number of charitable causes mostly centred around music.
Neil retains his strong creative vision. The relaunched Bright Thoughts Company will be looking both to develop new partnerships to further exploit existing brands and formats, such as Top C's & Tiaras™; and to distribute the back catalogue to the many streaming and broadcast platforms dedicated to archive programming.
In 1981 Neil and Bryan formed The Bright Thoughts Company, independently producing programming for the fledgling Channel 4.
Working from offices at the heart of Soho, he produced and devised much of the station’s performance-based entertainment output for many years. Using some of the cream of British and American talent, Neil worked with such comic legends as Arthur Askey, Leonard Rossiter, Julie Walters and Barry Cryer. Other highlights included filming in the USA with the renowned avant-garde jazz group, The Art Ensemble of Chicago; working with some of the early “alternative” comedians, including Ben Elton and Jim Barclay; and recreating the life and stage act of the inimitable music hall comedian, Max Miller.
His proudest success was the hugely acclaimed Top C’s & Tiaras™, first broadcast in 1983, which presented operetta and musical comedy in a manner never seen before on television. Recorded on location at a neo-Palladian country house, with all performances recorded-as-live, it featured the American soprano Julia Migenes, along with Peter Morrison, Marilyn Hill Smith, and Benjamin Luxon, and was one of Channel 4’s first critical and popular hits. Very much ahead of its time, the staging of Top C’s & Tiaras™ anticipated the explosion of interest in classical music as popular entertainment, from the 1990s to the current day.
Later, Neil thought it the right decision to pull out of mainstream producing whilst at the top of his game"It's the right thing to do. I don't take these things lightly. I'm convinced it's right. I have no regrets but a lot of special memories."
In the following years, whilst continuing to keep a hand in the world of television (advising on a number of editions of the ITV arts programme, The South Bank Show, as well as various regional ITV productions), staging and being involved with performance-based projects has remained an important part of Neil's life. His love of Britain’s built heritage has also come to the fore. Now based on the Kent coast, he founded a Building Preservation Trust and been instrumental in saving a number of Buildings At-Risk which are of historical significance. He is also actively involved with a number of charitable causes mostly centred around music.
Neil retains his strong creative vision. The relaunched Bright Thoughts Company will be looking both to develop new partnerships to further exploit existing brands and formats, such as Top C's & Tiaras™; and to distribute the back catalogue to the many streaming and broadcast platforms dedicated to archive programming.
*Note: Repertoire mostly electronica or techno-pop and some new wave, including Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Visage, John Foxx, Gina X, Gary Numan, B52, Flying Lizards, Psychedelic Furs, Human League, Marianne Faithful, Talking Heads.
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