Andrew Lynford
Encyclopedia
Andrew Lynford is a British
television
presenter
and actor
. He is widely remembered for playing the role of Simon Raymond
in the popular BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
and presenting Playdays
for Children's BBC.
Lynford trained at the Mountview Theatre School in London
. He has had many theatre
Roles including Ralph in Bouncers; Tim in Up On The Roof; Adrian in The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole
and Hal in Loot
, among others. He is also a veteran of musical theatre, starring in The Little Shop Of Horrors
; Oliver!
; The King & I and Anything Goes
.
In 1996 Lynford joined the cast of EastEnders where he played Simon Raymond
, the homosexual brother of Martine McCutcheon
's character, Tiffany Raymond
. His character made headlines in the British press, following a gay
kiss
with the show's resident bisexual, Tony Hills
(Mark Homer
), who happened to be dating his sister at the time. Both Lynford and Homer left the show in 1999.
After leaving EastEnders, Lynford started presenting various shows for television, including Wild Thing, Taste Today and the comedy quiz Arty Facts, which he also devised. He still acts and has recently appeared as Mike in Making Time, a BBC pilot, and on tour in various plays around the UK.
Lynford has also written a 1970s musical called Disco Crazee, which was produced by Bruce James
in 2005, at the Edinburgh Festival
and subsequently toured Britain. More recently, Lynford directed The Cheeky Chappie, a play about the comedian Max Miller, Side By Side By Sondheim and Ken Hill
's The Curse of the Werewolf at the Union Theatre in London. In 2006/7/8 he directed the comedy Dirty Dusting at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and on tour in Ireland and Scotland, and in 2008, Menopause the Musical
at the Tivoli Theatre, Dublin and on tour. In 2009, he directed Menopause the Musical on tour in the UK. He also works as a theatre producer for Paul Holman Associates. He recently directed the UK Theatre Productions of Mum's The Word
and Alf Ramsey Knew My Grandfather for producer Robert C. Kelly.
He has contributed as a writer to the sketch show Titty Titty Bang Bang and written gags for Dick and Dom
for the Sky One Quiz Are You Smarter Than A Ten Year Old? He has also scripted many pantomimes across the UK.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is widely remembered for playing the role of Simon Raymond
Simon Raymond
Simon Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Andrew Lynford. Simon was introduced in 1996 as the homosexual brother of Tiffany Mitchell. His relationship with the bisexual character Tony Hills featured a gay kiss that caused controversy in the UK; numerous...
in the popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and presenting Playdays
Playdays
Playdays was a children's television programme from the United Kingdom. The series ran from 17 October 1988 to 28 March 1997 on Children's BBC , and was aired in reruns until 2003. The show was the successor of Play School, and, like its predecessor, was designed as an educational programme...
for Children's BBC.
Lynford trained at the Mountview Theatre School in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He has had many theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
Roles including Ralph in Bouncers; Tim in Up On The Roof; Adrian in The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾
For the TV-series, see The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ is the first book in the Adrian Mole series of comedic fiction, written by Sue Townsend. The book is written in a diary style, and focuses on the worries and regrets of a teenager who believes himself...
and Hal in Loot
Loot (play)
Loot is a two-act play by the English playwright Joe Orton. The play is a dark farce that satirises the Roman Catholic Church, social attitudes to death, and the integrity of the police force....
, among others. He is also a veteran of musical theatre, starring in The Little Shop Of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors (musical)
Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
; Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
; The King & I and Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
.
In 1996 Lynford joined the cast of EastEnders where he played Simon Raymond
Simon Raymond
Simon Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Andrew Lynford. Simon was introduced in 1996 as the homosexual brother of Tiffany Mitchell. His relationship with the bisexual character Tony Hills featured a gay kiss that caused controversy in the UK; numerous...
, the homosexual brother of Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon is an English singer, television personality and Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress. McCutcheon had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s; however, it was her role as Tiffany Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders that made her a household name in the UK...
's character, Tiffany Raymond
Tiffany Mitchell
Tiffany Dawn Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Martine McCutcheon from 1995 until 1998. The character was created by the writer, Tony Jordan...
. His character made headlines in the British press, following a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
kiss
Kiss
A kiss is the act of pressing one's lips against the lips or other body parts of another person or of an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, affection, respect, greeting, friendship, and good...
with the show's resident bisexual, Tony Hills
Tony Hills
Tony Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Mark Homer.-Storylines:Tony arrives in Walford from Norfolk on 7 September 1995 with his sister, Sarah Hills . He is unsympathetic and sells ecstasy with a friend, Dan Zappieri . Eventually, he quits dealing after Dan...
(Mark Homer
Mark Homer
Mark Homer is a British actor of stage, television and film. He is best known for playing Tony Hills in the popular British soap opera EastEnders from 1995 to 1999. His subsequent work includes guest appearances in Silent Witness and Spine Chillers, both also for the BBC...
), who happened to be dating his sister at the time. Both Lynford and Homer left the show in 1999.
After leaving EastEnders, Lynford started presenting various shows for television, including Wild Thing, Taste Today and the comedy quiz Arty Facts, which he also devised. He still acts and has recently appeared as Mike in Making Time, a BBC pilot, and on tour in various plays around the UK.
Lynford has also written a 1970s musical called Disco Crazee, which was produced by Bruce James
Bruce James
Bruce James is an American social worker and Democratic party politician from Clifton, New Jersey. Originally elected in 2005, James currently serves as the Director of the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders....
in 2005, at the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
and subsequently toured Britain. More recently, Lynford directed The Cheeky Chappie, a play about the comedian Max Miller, Side By Side By Sondheim and Ken Hill
Ken Hill
Ken Hill was a critically acclaimed English playwright, and theatre director.He was a protege of Joan Littlewood at Theatre Workshop...
's The Curse of the Werewolf at the Union Theatre in London. In 2006/7/8 he directed the comedy Dirty Dusting at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and on tour in Ireland and Scotland, and in 2008, Menopause the Musical
Menopause the Musical
Menopause, The Musical debuted March 28, 2001 in Orlando, Florida, in a 76-seat theatre that once housed a perfume shop. The original cast members were Shelly Browne as the Power Woman, Patti McGuire as the Iowa Housewife, Pammie O'Bannon as the Earth Mother and Wesley Williams as the Soap Star...
at the Tivoli Theatre, Dublin and on tour. In 2009, he directed Menopause the Musical on tour in the UK. He also works as a theatre producer for Paul Holman Associates. He recently directed the UK Theatre Productions of Mum's The Word
Mum's the word
Mum's the word is a popular English idiom. It is related to an expression used by William Shakespeare, in Henry VI, Part 2.- Meaning :"Mum's the word" means to keep quiet, to say nothing. "Mum" is a Middle English word meaning "silent"...
and Alf Ramsey Knew My Grandfather for producer Robert C. Kelly.
He has contributed as a writer to the sketch show Titty Titty Bang Bang and written gags for Dick and Dom
Dick and Dom
Dick and Dom are a children's comic double act consisting of the presenters Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood. They are primarily known for presenting children's television, such as Dick and Dom in da Bungalow for 5 series between 2002 - 2006...
for the Sky One Quiz Are You Smarter Than A Ten Year Old? He has also scripted many pantomimes across the UK.