TV TIMES, 20 - 26 JANUARY 2001.
WHAT A WAY TO GO!
Starring in TV's top emergency drama is clearly a risky business. Only one actor survives from the original cast, and some and some of his mates went out in boxes!
This week sees the return of London's Burning, which has been a ratings winner for ITV ever since the series - based on a TV film by Jack Rosenthal - first came nee - nawing onto our screens in 1988.
But the boys (and, more recently, girls) of today's Blue Watch would barely recognise their Eighties forebears. One by one the old guard have been written out, some simply quitting th fire service, others making the ultimate sacrifice to boost the show's ratings.
Vaseline, played by heart - throb Mark Arden, was the first of them to die, drowned by in 1989 when he heroically tried to save a diver whose truck had fallen into Surrey Docks. Sub Officer John Hallam (Sean Blowers) was killed when he fell through a glass roof in 1996.
But worse was still to come. In the explosive final episode of the last series, one of the last two surviving members of the original cast, Sicknote, played by Richard Walsh, disappeared under a collapsing wall in a factory fire.
Now only one remains. "Sicknote was my great mate," reminisces Glen Murphy, the sole survivor from the Eighties. "And good luck to him. Richard is a proper RADA - trained actor; when he left he went straight into work on an Oscar Wilde play. I can just imagine him in a cravat!"
2001 - A NEW AND IMPROVED BLUE WATCH?
1) Connor Byrne, as Rob "Hyper" Sharpe, continues to live up his spiky reputation, but at home he provides a shoulder to cry on for his new flatmate, Sally.
2) Sam Callis plays Adam Benjamin, a veteran fireman brought in to replace Sicknote. Adam's a charming wheeler - dealer who encourages others to join in his dogey schemes.
3) Edward Peel plays John Coleman, the station commander. Viewers get an insight into the softer side following his romance with councillor Alison Hemmings.
4) Glen Murphy plays George Green. softened by his new love Andie, George has even learned how to cook! But his career hangs in the balance when he is accused of theft.
5) Ben Onwukwe plays Stuart "Recall" Mackenzie, whose euphoria at falling in love with pub landlady Elaine is spolied by the arrival of his son, would - be firefighter Ben.
6) Heather Peace plays Sally "Gracie" Fields, who's still dealing with the death of her lover Joe. Throwing herself into work, grieving Gracie remains one of life's firefighters.
7) Fuman Dar joins Blue Watch as Ronnie "Hi - Ho" Silver. Teased straight away when the lads discover he's a virgin, he finds support after he confronts a horrific emergency.
8) Michael Garner plays new dad Geoffrey "Poison" Pearce, a hate - figure who's lost none of his venom now he's been promoted to Watch Commander.
THE SURVIVOR
As the 13TH Series begins this week George Green, above, soldiers on as the last of the original Blue Watch cast. "I'm the only one left," says Glen Murphy, 43, who plays the tough ex - boxer. Son of British boxing champion Terence Murphy and himself a former boxer who fought for England, Glen isn't one to wallow in nostalgia. "I remember the excitement of working on the very first episode of the series, and thinking, "It would be nice to do another one." I've been saying that ever since - "nice to do another one..."
"We've had three or four of these changes at London's Burning, a complete shaking out of the cobwebs, an it's good for the series," he says. "But the show's like a family. We're working 12 to 15 hours a day, six days a week, nine months a year. We all rally around when someone's feeling down.
"There's no star name among us. It's the Fire Brigade that's the real star."
1988 - WHAT'S BECOME OF THE OLD WATCH?
1) John Hallam Sub Officer was killed in 1996 falling 8oft through a roof. He was played by Sean Blowers, who is still acting but has now mainly moved to behind - the - camera safety as a producer of short films.
2) Josie Ingham, Blue Watch's first female firefighter, was played by Katherine Rogers until 1991. Today, along with regular TV roles, Katherine works in theatre and is directing The Taming of the Shrew in Cardiff.
3) Sidney Tate Station Officer turned to drink, failed his medical, and was taken off duty in 1992. He was played by James Marcus who now combines a writing career with appearences in series such as The Bill and Heartbeat.
4) Mike "Bayleaf" Wilson quit in 1994 to set up a restaurant. James Hazeldine spent much of last year with the National Theatre. He's Pandora's dad in the forthcoming BBC series Adrian Mole - The Cappuccino Years.
5) Bert "Sicknote" Quigley disappeared in an explosion in the last series. Actor Richard Walsh, who was back on TV in the Heatbeat Christmas Special, is soon to tour in Oscar Wilde's Present Laughter.
6) Leslie "Charisma" Appleby - so called because he didn't have any - quit in 1992. Gerald Horan was seen in The Sleeper at Christmas and has just filmed a new BBC series, The Quiet Policeman.
7) Tony Sanders quit the fire service to start a posh designer shop in 1991. He was played by Treva Etienne, who starred in ITV's The Last Train in 1999 and is now winning awards as a director of short films.
8) Malcolm Cross that smooth ladies man, left to move abroad with his lady lodger in 1992. Rupert Baker, who played him, stars in the play Naked Justice which opens at the West Yorkshire Playhouse on Friday and later comes to London's West End.
9) George Green (Glen Murphy) soldiers on. "In the new series, we've got a fantastic new fire station in east London, which is 30 minutes nearer to my home," he says. "After all this time I deserve an extra half - hour in bed!"
10) Roland "Vaseline" Cartwright, a slippery womaniser, was killed off in 1989. Last year actor Mark Arden starred in An Inspector Calls in the West End. He'll be back on TV in Roy Dance Is Dead, a new series from C4.
11) Kevin Medhurst left Blue Watch in 1996, though he did turn up again for Geoff's stag party last year. He was played by busy actor Ross Boatman, who - like Mark Arden - is in C4's forthcoming Roy Dance Is Dead.
