Peter Duncan (actor): Difference between revisions

{{Short description|English actor & TVand presenter (born 1954)}}

Duncan's early career was as a stage actor, appearing as Jim Hawkins in ''[[Treasure Island]]'' followed by two years at Sir [[Laurence Olivier]]'s [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]]. His notable television roles include work on ''[[The Tomorrow People]]'', ''[[Space: 1999]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.entertainment-focus.com/tv-section/tv-reviews/space-1999-the-complete-second-series-blu-ray-review/ |title= Space: 1999 – the Complete Second Series Blu-ray review| website= entertainment-focus.com| date= 10 October 2015| publisher= | access-date= }}</ref> ''[[King Cinder]]'',<ref>{{Cite web| url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/lesley-manville-peter-duncan-being-with-him-and-his-family-feels-like-a-safe-haven-im-happy-soaking-9954117.html|title = Lesley Manville & Peter Duncan: 'Being with him and his family feels|website = [[Independent.co.uk]]|date = 2 January 2015}}</ref> ''[[Play for Today]]'', ''[[Warship (1973 TV series)|Warship]]'', ''Oranges & Lemons'', and season 2 of ''[[Survivors (1975 TV series)|Survivors]]''. In films, he appeared as Francois in the sex comedy ''[[On the Game]]'' (1974), the guitarist Kevin in ''[[Stardust (1974 film)|Stardust]]'' (1974), Kit Nubbles in ''[[Mister Quilp]]'' (1975), the luckless Richard in ''[[The Lifetaker]]'' (1976), and in a brief role in the film ''[[Flash Gordon (film)|Flash Gordon]]'' (1980), with his character dying after a few minutes on screen. Duncan starred in an episode of the children's television programme ''Storybook International'' as a young master in the tale of 'Cap O Rushes'.

He joined ''[[Blue Peter]]'' in 1980, and shortly afterwards it was revealed in a tabloid newspaper that Duncan had appeared nude in the [[Michael Papas]] [[psychological thriller]] film ''[[Michael Papas#The Lifetaker (1975)|The Lifetaker]]''. In ''The Times''<ref>{{cite news| url= http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article4943149.ece |title= 50 years of Blue Peter| website= timesonline.co.uk[[The Times]]| publisher= | date= | first= | last= | access-date= }}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> the BBC denied that he was ever a porn star. As late as 2007, the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'', was still mis-describing the film as a "skin flick".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/blue-peter-the-dark-side-459011|title = Blue Peter: The Dark Side|website = [[Daily Mirror]] |date = 16 March 2007 | via= mirror.co.uk}}</ref>

He ran in the first London Marathon in 1981<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/bluePeter/clips.asp|title=Peter Duncan runs the first London Marathon| website= nationalmediamuseum.org.uk| publisher= National Media Museum |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref> (in 3 hours and 10 minutes) and ran again in the 1991, 2001 and 2012 events. He was scheduled on October 3, October 2021, to run for the final time.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/peter-duncan|title=Peter's page| website= JustGiving.com| publisher= | date= | access-date= }}</ref>

Unusually, Duncan had two periods with ''Blue Peter'', being on the team from 1980 to 1984, and again from 1985 to 1986. During his stay with the programmeprogram me, he became associated with the kind of daredevil stunts previously popularised by [[John Noakes]], and these continued in his own spin-off series, ''[[Duncan Dares]]''. One of his most remembered such stunts occurred in 1980 when the ''Blue Peter'' crew put him out on a rope swing to clean the face of Clock Tower ([[Big Ben]]) without a [[safety harness]], thus creating much trouble for the BBC. It is documented in [[Richard Marson]]'s book ''Blue Peter 50th Anniversary''.

After leaving ''Blue Peter'' permanently in 1986, he returned to the stage, most notably in Mike Stott's ''Funny Peculiar'' and in the musicals ''[[Barnum (musical)|Barnum]]'', ''[[Me and My Girl (TV series)|Me and My Girl]]'' and ''[[The Card]]'' for which he was nominated for an [[Olivier Award]] for Best Actor in a Musical. In the 1990s he appeared in numerous [[pantomime]]s, some of which he also produced through his company Here's One I Made Earlier, including ''Robin Hood'' at the Lewisham (now Broadway) Theatre in South East London. He wrote and directed the Oxford Playhouse pantomime from 2006 to 2013 <ref>{{cite web|title=Oxford Playhouse {{!}} About Us| website= oxfordplayhouse.com| url= http://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/aboutus/|access-date=4 December 2013}}</ref> He played Charlie Peace at Nottingham Playhouse in 2013 and Jack Firebrace in Birdsong in 2014 and 2015. He played Wilbur Turnblad in the touring production of Hairspray in 2015/16.<ref>{{cite web |website= hairsprayuktour.com |publisher= Official Hairspray UK Tour Website |title= Cast - Peter Duncan| url= http://www.hairsprayuktour.com/cast/peter-duncan| access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref>

In 2007, Duncan took part in the [[Channel 4]] series ''[[The Games (UKBritish TV series)|The Games]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://observer.guardian.co.uk/ethicalawards/story/0,,1983641,00.html |title=Observer Ethical Awards |date=14 January 2007 |publisher=The Observer | website= observer.guardian.co.uk| access-date= 26 December 2012}}</ref> He has written and directed Pantomimespantomimes for Oxford Playhouse and the Cheltenham Everyman. Until 2019, he produced the Pantomimepantomime for the Lighthouse theatre in Dorset.<ref>{{cite web

| last= Brown| first= Peter |date=4 June 2007 |publisher= | website= LondonTheatre.co.uk |access-date=26 December 2012}}</ref> and filmed a documentary about the Scouts climbing Everest.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/1428402.scouts_fulfil_10year_dream_to_conquer_everest/ |title= Scouts fulfil ten-year dream to conquer Everest | website= thisishampshire.net| publisher= | date= 27 May 2007| accessdate= 26 December 2012}}</ref> His one-man show ''Daft and Dangerous'' appeared in the 2009 Edinburgh fringe.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/article/19300-peter-duncans-daft-and-dangerous/ |title= Peter Duncan&quot;s Daft and Dangerous| website= edinburghfestival.list.co.uk| date= | publisher= |accessdate= 26 December 2012}}</ref> Duncan featured in ''[[Through the Keyhole]]'' for the third time on 26 January 2019.<ref>[[Through the Keyhole#Series 6|Through The Keyhole Series 6]]</ref>

In 2014, Duncan competed in BBC1's acrobatic and circus show ''[[Tumble (TV series)|Tumble]]'' going out in the semi -final. He was nominated for an 'Offie' for his performance in [[The Dame at the Park Theatre]], London.

Duncan established The Natural Adventure Company in 2015 whichiwhich specialises in self-guided walking holidays and special interest tours, particularly in southeast Europe.{{cn|date= March 2022}} He is a Patron of [[British Youth Music Theatre]].<ref>{{Cite web| url= https://britishyouthmusictheatre.org/our-people/patrons|title = Patrons | website= britishyouthmusictheatre.org| publisher= British Youth Music Theatre| date= | access-date= }}</ref>

* ''[[The Lifetaker]]'' (1976) - Richard<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b738c588a|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222152143/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b738c588a|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 February 2019|title = The Lifetaker (1975)| website= bfi.org.uk| publisher= | date= | access-date= }}</ref>

[[Category:BlueEnglish Peterchildren's television presenters]]