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New data WEEKEND  (#90/14, April 1990), pages 28-29, "Wendy Richard:  'Waarom ik geen vertrouwen meer had in de liefde...' " ("Wendy Richard:  'Why I No Longer Had Faith in Love' ")  (This Dutch popular magazine has an entire page dedicated to Wendy's love life, as she'd been married for the third time just the previous month.  The article's tone is very optimistic about her new marriage.  An English translation is available here, courtesy of your webmeister.  Featured is a handsome photo from Wendy's March wedding day of her accompanied by colleague Peter Dean.)

New data MIRROR WOMAN  (20 February 1991), page 11, "The Best Thing About a Friend"  (As part of its "Relationships" feature, this magazine talks about the dynamics of having a best friend and includes a couple of celebrity examples.  One is singer Dannie Minogue and the other -- and more of an interest to us here at the WRAP -- is Wendy Richard.  Wendy has a few paragraphs where she talks about a good friend of hers named Mireille Archer, who's also mentioned a number of times in Wendy's 2000 autobiography.  Her praise for Mireille is unreserved:
"She's great fun and incredibly supportive.  If I'm in a play or pantomime, she and Andy always come to the first and last nights.  And when I've had lean times they've looked after me and fed me. . . . Mireille is simply one of the nicest people I know.  She's unique -- a thoroughly nice person.  Very sympathetic and very understanding,  I have no family, no sisters, but Mireille is like a sister to me."
With the short article is a fine black-and-white casual snapshot of the two gals.  Wendy's smile is evidence enough of her affection for her friend.
)

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Articles from unknown newspapers and of uncertain date


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 THE MAIL ON SUNDAY:  EVENT (26 November 2017), pages 7-11, "Hang On A Minute, We're Not Out of Time Yet!"  (In this turgid, splashy supplement to The Mail on Sunday newspaper is a generous article that interviews Nicholas Parsons and Paul Merton about their popular and long-lived Radio 4 game show Just A Minute.  The entire feature is an interesting read in itself, but more to the point, it includes a short sidebar about Wendy, who appeared occasionally on the program over the course of 15 years:  "Wendy Richard (1988-2003)  Clever competitor and a stickler for the rules, the late EastEnders actress could be a little grumpy at times.  Developed a dislike of Paul Merton, for reasons unknown."  Article is accompanied by a stock publicity photo of Wendy standing next to Shirley Cheriton on the set of Albert Square.)


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THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (30 July 2016), page 1, "When Sitcoms Were Big Business" (This weekend arts review section of the Telegraph has a nearly full-page color photo of the Are You Being Served? staff of Grace Brothers, as a lead-in to an article about British sitcoms written by Miranda Hart.  While it's nice to see Wendy still showing up in the newspapers now and then, it's tempered with sadness in the realization that, with the passing of Frank Thornton a few years ago, the entire cast shown here belong now to the ages.)


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PRIVE (Nr. 51/2015), pages 16-17, "Na Dood Mr. Rumbold Nooit Meer:  'Are You Free?' " (After the Death of Mr. Rumbold, Never Again:  'Are You Free?') (A article in this Dutch entertainment magazine about the passing in 2015 of Nicholas Smith, the last of the original cast members for the comedy series Are You Being Served.  It includes some rather sad synopses of the careers of each of the other cast members who preceded him.  Wendy's could be translated as:
"Snappy, sometimes sweet, but always with a seductive touch.  She was the dreamy young saleswoman with genuine coarse accent, and invariably in short skirts.  She brought sex into the series, which counted 69 episodes.  After Are You Being Served the actress played a few years in EastEnders.  Breast cancer ended her career and ultimately her mere 65 years of life.  The disease appeared to be defeated on two occasions, but always came back.  She died in the arms of painter John Burns, her fourth husband, whom she married shortly before her death."
Photos of each of the deceased members of the cast accompany the article)
by Marion Florusse.


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EVENT (17 August 2014), pages 20-21, "No Hesitation, No Repetition ... No Nudity!"  (This entertainment supplement from the Mail on Sunday newspaper is a great issue.  There's a smashing photo-essay of Cecil Beaton's celebrity portraits and opinions from years gone by.  But more to the point, one of this issue's features is a two-page retrospective by Nicholas Parsons of his long-lived radio program Just A Minute.  He offers a paragraph or two, not exactly complementary, about Wendy's participation in the show:  "The only person who did not appreciate Paul Merton's humour was Wendy Richard.  I was very fond of Wendy and when I first knew her she was laid-back and humorous but she seemed to develop an antipathy towards Paul's challenges which she did not manage to conceal.  Her marked annoyance inhibited the audience.  After a while, Paul asked not to appear on the same shows as Wendy and, later, we stopped asking Wendy on altogether.  It was as though she allowed the harder personality of her EastEnders character Pauline to take over."  His assessment seems a bit harsh, though one supposes Parsons could evaluate better than anyone his contestants' performance on the show.  Nevertheless, your webmeister hesitates to accept his verdict.  Wendy, though she lived day-in and day-out for twenty years with her persona of Pauline Fowler, was nonetheless a professional who took great pride in her work and expected the same from others.  Perhaps this matter could bear more investigation.)


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SATURDAY (9 November 2013), page 19, "Whatever Happened To . . . EastEnders' Arthur Fowler" (A delightful interview article revisits actor Bill Treacher fifteen years after leaving Albert Square.  He speaks about his early life as well as life after "EastEnders."  His take on the show:
"EastEnders was very good -- fantastic scripts, which made it electric and I was lucky to have such a wonderful TV family around me."
Accompanied by one of the great Arthur and Pauline publicity photos from the mid-1980s.)


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THE PEOPLE:  SOAP SPECIAL (25 April 2010), page 22, "We'll Never Forget You..." (This newspaper insert would seem to be referring to actors who have passed away, but rather astonishingly the article is only about soap *characters* who have "died".  Really now, that's tacky.  Includes a stock shot of Wendy as Pauline, circa 2005.)

BELLA (19 January 2010), pages 6-7, "Nat's A True Friend" (A short article about the kind support that Wendy's friend and former colleague Natalie Cassidy provided to John Burns after Wendy passed away.  A modest photo of Wendy and Natalie from a few years ago accompanies.)

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY (10 January 2010), pages 46-47, "We're Free!" (A smashing two-page spread that notes the charity sale this month of many of Wendy's outfits and accessories.  But most delightful is a nearly full-page photo of the staff of Grace Brothers -- recreated by a number of Wendy's friends and former colleagues.  Most touching is that Miss Brahms is played by Natalie Cassidy, and Mr. Lucas by James Alexandrou.  The photo and article are accompanied by some succinct reminiscences by the various members of the faux-cast) by Elizabeth Sanderson.

CELEBS ON SUNDAY (3 January 2010), page 19, "My Life in Pix:  Hannah Waterman" (This weekend insert to the Sunday Mirror newspaper has a nice two-page spread focused on this former EastEnders actress.  Aside from a photo of a newly-svelte Waterman, there's also a nice pic of Wendy and her at the Variety Club tribute lunch for Wendy back in October of 2002.  Waterman's comment:
"This was a lovely afternoon at The Savoy.  It was the Variety Club tribute lunch and a special day.  Of course, we've lost Wendy Richard now, which is so sad, but it's nice to see her looking happy and healthy in past times.")


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DAILY EXPRESS (29 December 2009), page 21, "The Year We Said Goodbye" (This is a year-end roundup of the personalities who passed away during 2009, and of course Wendy is included.  It says of her:
"Though we know her best as the battleaxe Pauline Fowler on EastEnders, Wendy Richard, 65, used to be a blonde glamour girl, funny as Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and sexy-funny in Mike Sarne's 1962 chart-topping record Come Outside."
Accompanied by a small black and white photo)
by David Robson.

MAIL ON SUNDAY (27 December 2009), pages 44-45, "Natalie Lent Me £20,000 For Wendy's Funeral  . . ." (A splendid, but sad, interview with John Burns about his last days with Wendy and the difficulties after she passed away.  The full two-page spread definitively lays to rest many of the hurtful rumors circulating about him and provides some lovely insights about Wendy from the man who was closest to her.  Accompanied by a couple of nice color photos of Wendy, John, and Natalie Cassidy.) by Elisabeth Sanderson.

NEWS OF THE WORLD (27 December 2009), pages 60-61, "I Miss Everything About My Wendy . . ." (Considering the rep of the newspaper, this is a surprisingly nice interview with Wendy's husband, John Burns.  Interestingly, it came out on the same day as the Mail article and in fact some of the content of this "exclusive" interview is well-nigh identical to that in the other paper.  Perhaps both reporters sat in on the same talk.  In any case, the NotW article does offer one fresh insight about Wendy:
"If we went to the pub on Christmas morning and there were people who had nowhere to go, she'd always have them back to ours for one of her delicious roast dinners. . .  She was the most amazing woman in the world.  She wasn't one to cry or feel sorry for herself.  She just got on with things."
Accompanied by a couple of great color photos of Wendy in better days)
by Jennifer Wiley.

SUNDAY EXPRESS (27 December 2009), page 36, "2009:  Farewell to Pop Stars, Authors and Wits" (Like the above article, but this is a somewhat more in-depth Express article about the many keen losses to society during 2009.  Wendy is prominently noted for February.  Accompanied by a lovely color photo) by Jane Clinton.

WHAT'S ON TV (5 - 11 September 2009), cover, pages 3, 15, "Meet The New Miss Marple!" (This is more like it:  a fine introduction of a new actress, Julia McKenzie, stepping into the shoes of a well-established character.  The stage is set, but spoilers are avoided.  Wendy of course is mentioned, with a few small in-character photos, in regard to her appearance in "A Pocket Full of Rye", as Mrs. Crump.)

MAIL ON SUNDAY (30 August 2009), pages 32-33, "Actress Natalie Cassidy on Her 'Second Mum' Wendy Richard . . ." (A generous and informative two-page spread about actress Natalie Cassidy, late of EastEnders and Wendy's friend for many years.  Most of the article is about the young lady's recent work; it is the first third of the piece which is an excellent level-setting on her relationship with Wendy and with John Burns.  Ms. Cassidy's own words say it all:
"Losing Wendy so suddenly devastated me.  She was like a mother to me after my own mum died when I was 19.  John is like a second dad, brother and good friend all in one great package. . .  Wendy was not close to her natural family and we were the closest people to her.  It just felt right that we should mourn her together . . ."
The article includes a couple of photos of Cassidy, including one of her with Wendy from a year or so ago)
by Angella Johnson.

THE TV GUIDE (25-31 July 2009), page 29, "Dish . . . News from the world of Soap" (This New Zealand weekly magazine has a short, but nice article about the placement of a heritage plaque at Shepherd's Tavern pub in Mayfair, her childhood residence.  It goes on to quote Todd Carty about Wendy:
" 'She meant the world to me, like a second mum,' he said.  'She knew me from a very young age.  We hit it off from the first minute.' "
A stock photo of Wendy accompanies the article)
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OK! (#683, 21 July 2009), pages 75-79, "Wendy Richard" (A great article covering the event in London to unveil the Heritage Foundation plaque for Wendy at the Shepherd's Tavern in Mayfair.  Lots of good photos plus a later interview with John Burns.  Some fine tributes offered by her friends and colleagues) by Christian Guilitenane.

HELLO (20 July 2009), page 36, "Pub-lic Tribute From Famous Friends" (A half-page, well-illustrated article about the unveiling of Wendy's heritage plaque at the Shepherd's Tavern in London.)

TV TIMES (18-24 July 2009), page 4, "Wendy's Marple Farewell" (A half-page article about Wendy's last non-interview television role, as Mrs. Crump, in an adaption of an  Agatha Christie "Miss Marple" whodunit story.  The article is accompanied by a rather nice in-character photo of Wendy.)

HELLO (10 July 2009)  seeking this article   (Short article about Wendy.)

DAILY MIRROR (6 July 2009), " 'Enders Go Up West For Wendy" (A quarter-page article about the unveiling of Wendy's Heritage Foundation plaque in Mayfair the previous day.  Photos of a number of past colleagues are included).

HELLO (#1073, 26 May 2009), pages 18-20, "Famous Friends Join Her Husband John Burns to Celebrate the Life of Late TV Star Wendy Richard at the Maltese Hotel That Keeps Her Memory Alive" (And two months later, this lavish mag scores another win with this great article about the honoring of Wendy's memory at her favorite Maltese resort hotel.  Article includes some very poignant insights about the lady from her husband, John, as well as some excellent photos -- including one of actress June Brown shoving colleague Perry Fenwick into a pool) by Dawn Emery.

ALL ABOUT SOAP (3 April 2009), page 43, "Goodbye, Wendy" (Although inexplicably presented under the title "Celeb Secret", this is a straightforward and respectful four-paragraph report on Wendy's funeral the previous month.  Photos of some of Wendy's colleagues in attendance:  Todd Carty, June Brown, and others.)

BELLA (24 March 2009), pages 12-13, "Wendy's Showbiz Send-off" (A surprisingly sympathetic two-page spread about Wendy's funeral at St. Marylebone Parish Church in London.  The article notes that over 1000 mourners were in attendence.
Many nice photos of Wendy's friends and colleagues from over the years who were there, as well as a lovely large photo of the lady herself from around ten years earlier)
by Emma Robertson and Jo Dunbar.

HELLO (#1064, 24 March 2009), pages 48-50, "Wendy Richard's Widower John Burns Talks Movingly of Her Last Days and Their Enduring Love", "Wendy Richard Famous Friends Bid a Last Farewell" (Two absolutely superb articles may be found in the March issue of this large-format celebrity mag.  The first, an interview with John Burns, is a somber read;  he speaks candidly about Wendy, her condition, and her final days.  It's a very difficult story, especially in light of the "what ifs" he discusses, but one comes away from the article understanding Wendy -- and, yes, John -- all the better.  Definitely a read for every serious Wendy fan.  Fine photos of both John and Wendy (and Lilly) accompany.  The second article reports on her funeral at her parish church in Marylebone) by Dawn Emery.

OK! (#666, 24 March 2009), pages 18-19, 84-87 "Stars Bid Farewell to Wendy", "Todd Carty" (This issue is largely and lavishly dedicated to . . . Jade Goody, a young British celebrity who sadly also succumbed to cancer just a few short weeks after Wendy.  The main article about Ms. Richard reports on her funeral in London; mostly it's a photo spread of her many friends who attended.  The second article of interest is an exclusive at-home interview with ex-EastEnder Todd Carty, who speaks in part about losing his dear friend and former colleague.  Great photos of Todd -- and that's some pug!)

BEST (24 March 2009), page 5, "Tears For Wendy" (While the rest of the mag was filled with plastic surgery tips and fashion ideas, there was also a 3/4-page article reporting on Wendy's funeral.  A number of fine photos, both of Wendy and of many of her friends and colleagues who attended.)

NEW!  (23 March 2009),  "Wendy Has A Green Goodbye" (A brief article noting the choice of bamboo for Wendy's coffin, rather than wood or metal.  Also, a set of photos of some of Wendy's friends and colleagues who attended her funeral).

STAR (23 March 2009)  seeking this article   (With coverage of Wendy's funeral.)

INSIDE SOAP (21 March 2009)  seeking this article   (With an article on Wendy's funeral.)

TIME (16 March 2009), page 13, "Milestones" (Though the Economist - a British news magazine -- couldn't be bothered to acknowledge Wendy's passing this year, American news magazine Time saw clear to publish a short obituary for the lady known to so many on both sides of the Atlantic:
"A 22-year veteran of the British soap opera EastEnders, Wendy Richard, 65, endured years of tabloid gossip (sometimes fueled by her husbands).  Despite alleged attempts by producers to write her character off the show, Richard, who received a cancer diagnosis in 1996, didn't leave until 2006, saying it was 'time to move on.' "

The short piece has a handsome photo of a smiling Wendy, that looks to be from the late 1980s).

NOW (16 March 2009), page 9, "James's Tears Over Wendy" (It's probably too much to expect any celebrity magazine to back off when real people are experiencing real grief for someone who has really passed away . . .  So, keeping that in mind, this mag has a small article with some warm words from James Alexandrou, who played Wendy's on-screen son Martin Fowler in EastEnders:
"Wendy was a consummate professional and that's what she instilled in me."
Accompanied by a lovely photo from a couple of years ago of Wendy and James; she's beaming as if he were her own son.  The much larger article on the page is about Natalie Cassidy.)

WOMAN (16 March 2009), pages 3, 70, "Tragic Wendy's Secret Friendship" (A full-page article that tells of the support Wendy is said to have offered celebrity cancer patient Jade Goody.  The whole article is a bit lurid, considering that Wendy had passed away only a few weeks earlier, and Goody herself would succumb to her illness within another few months.  In contrast, the page 3 write-up by the magazine's editor pays sincere tribute to Wendy.  Some nice photos, both old and new, of Wendy though) by Sophie Mansell.

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY (15 March 2009), pages 30-31, "Wend Was a Legend . . ." (A very nice tribute to Wendy from her husband John Burns.  The article recaptures her last days, but also provides a fine summary of her life and career as well.  Accompanied by old and new photos; the article is essentially a mirror of this online version) by Antonia Hoyle.

THE TIMES (15 March 2009), "Funerals That Put Eco Minds At Rest" (A rather informative quarter-page article about the increasing popularity of ecologically friendly funerals and interments; concepts which The Times notes until a few years ago were requested only by old hippies and eccentric Americans".  Hmmm . . .  In any case, a stock photo of Wendy as Miss Brahms is offered as well as a mention that her coffin was made of bamboo, considered an earth-friendly material) by Emma Smith.

MIRROR (15 March 2009)  seeking this article   (Extensive interview about Wendy.)

DAILY RECORD (10 March 2009), pages 6-8, "A Fond Squarewell" (Forced puns aside, this is a fairly respectful article about Wendy's funeral.  Note is given to the fine turnout by Wendy's friends and colleagues, as well to her bamboo wicker coffin and the inclusion on the order of service of Wendy's famous chili con carne recipe.  Many photos of her well-known colleagues in attendance.)

THE LONDON PAPER (10 March 2009), page 2, "Last GoodBye" (A photo with caption from Wendy's funeral in Marylebone).

METRO (10 March 2009), pages 1, 11, "EastEnders Tribute At Richard's Funeral" (A modest set of photos of some of Wendy's colleagues at her funeral at Marylebone parish church).

HELLO (#1062, 10 March 2009), pages 80-81, "Wendy Richard 1943-2009" (An excellent obituary for Wendy in the one celebrity-watching magazine that has always seemed to treat her with respect.  The article is two pages long and summarizes her career as well as offering some tributes paid to Wendy by her colleagues.  It's lavishly illustrated with some of the loveliest photos of Wendy one is likely to find in one publication.  Definitely a keeper for the serious Wendy fan) by Alexandra Wilby.

OK! (#664, 10 March 2009), pages 22-23 "Tributes For Wendy" (A nice two-page photo spread in memory of Wendy is featured in this edition of OK! -- the first after her passing away in late February.)

NEW (9 March 2009), pages 27, 34, "EastEnders Star Wendy Dies" (The vapidness of this celebrity and fashion magazine almost compels one to hold it at arm's length.  It does offer a brief article about Wendy's passing, with the text probably from a canned press release.  It is accompanied by some of the nicer photos of Wendy from recent years; too bad the article has to appear on the 'Gossip To Go' page.  Also in this issue is what appears to be diary-like entries from the late Jade Goody.  She comments on Wendy's passing and, interestingly, notes that:
"We never spoke, despite what the papers say, but I've always wished her well."
Another recent photo of Wendy appears with the entry)
.

NEWS OF THE WORLD (8 March 2009), page 12, "Todd's Tribute To TV 'Mum' Wendy" (Short article noting that Todd Carty would deliver a eulogy at Wendy's funeral the next day.  Accompanied by a lovely photo of Wendy) by Matthew Acton.

REVEAL (7-13 March 2009), page 17, "Farewell Wendy" (A nicely done obituary for the lady, with a lovely large photo as well as a few smaller ones from over the years) by Hannah Doyle.

TV TIMES (7-13 March 2009), page 5, "Goodbye Wendy" (A gentle article offering an obituary for Wendy as well as tributes from friends of hers.  An absolutely lovely photo leads the story.)

THE WEEK (7 March 2009), page 15, "Actress Known For Playing Pauline Fowler In EastEnders" (This magazine is an exceptionally fine summary of major news stories of the week from a variety of UK, US, and European media sources.  It includes in this issue a 1/3-page obituary for Wendy, quoting a number of British sources, but manages to tell her story succinctly, and quite positively.  One of her better photos accompanies.  To no credit of EastEnders, the article pointedly notes the deterioration of Pauline Fowler in the latter years:
"Although in the early days Pauline Fowler showed a warmer side, she gradually morphed into 'one of the most irritating characters in popular drama', said Tim Teeman in The Times.  'She wasn't a scheming bitch, she wasn't a cuddly matriarch.  She was just miserable.'  This, of course, wasn't the fault of the actress, who doggedly did as she was told until 2005 [sic], when she quit . . ."
This issue of the magazine also includes a synopsis of the previous week's events on the British radio drama "The Archers".  Wendy would have been pleased . . .)

INSIDE SOAP (7 March 2009)  seeking this article   (Reporting on Wendy's passing.)

THE MIRROR (2 March 2009), "Wendy Was My Second Mum . . ." (A beautiful full-page tribute article from actor Todd Carty, who worked with -- and was friends with -- Wendy Richard for almost twenty years.  Besides talking about her last days, he also shares some keen insights about his close friend:
"She was a proud, private woman and you had to earn her trust before she welcomed you into her circle of friends.  She held [took] no prisoners, didn't suffer fools and wasn't afraid of saying what she felt. . . .  Once you got to know the real Wendy, she was the kindest, most loyal friend you could ever wish for."
Accompanied by a number of color photos from over the years)
by Beth Neil.

SUNDAY EXPRESS (1 March 2009), page 3, "Cheers, Wendy!" (A lovely full-page article which explores the connection between Wendy and the Shepherd's Tavern in Mayfair, London.  It recalls her growing up in the neighborhood, and includes some reminiscences by area locals.  A couple of nice photos are included: one of Wendy, one of some of the pub's current clientele) by Marco Glannangeli.

SUNDAY EXPRESS (1 March 2009), pages 58-59, "Wendy Richard's Remarkable Life" (A two-page obituary for Wendy, this article is well-researched and -written, including a few details about Wendy's colorful life that even now aren't generally known.  Really, the only thing about the article with which one might take issue is the statement that Wendy's personae of Pauline Fowler "was notorious for never smiling" -- which of course all Wendy-fans know is simply not true.  A number of great photos of her from over the years) by Clare Heal.

IRISH DAILY STAR (27 February, 2009), pages 1, 3, "Brave Wendy Will Be Missed No Ender . . ." (A full page article about Wendy's passing away praises her, as well as including tributes from colleagues.  No details on her career, interestingly enough, but a number of photos of Wendy, both young and old.)

EVENING HERALD (27 February 2009), page 16, "Tears for TV Wendy, Star Who Lit up our Living Rooms" (A lovely full-page obituary for Wendy is offered in this British broadsheet.  It's a glowing and positive tribute, speaking as it does not only of her illness, but also her impact on British television over the years as well as words of praise from colleagues past and recent.  A handful of iconic photos of Wendy accompany the article, though the one from 2002 is glaringly miscaptioned) by Jane Last.

THE IRISH TIMES (27 February 2009), page 12, "EastEnders Wendy Richard Dies Of Cancer" (News of Wendy's passing, mostly based on a canned Reuters article; yet it does a reasonably good job of summarizing her life and work).

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (27 February 2009), pages 1, 7, 31, "EastEnders Star Loses Battle With Breast Cancer" (This popular British broadsheet recognizes Wendy with a news article about her passing, along with an impressive half-page formal obituary.  The latter does a very good job summarizing her signal life and work (despite one error about her AYBS character of Shirley Brahms being a gay icon -- that actually fell to a different character on the show, played by her colleague, the late John Inman).  Of course, the paper does include mention of Wendy's pastime of working The Daily Telegraph's crossword puzzle.  The finest tribute paid was the description of the lady as:
". . . one of the best-known faces on British television during more than 20 years . . ." and:  "A convivial trouper who hugely enjoyed the trappings of soap stardom . . ."
A half-dozen color and black-and-white photos from the 60's to the 00's accompany the two articles, include a lovely pic of Wendy from 1996)
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THE SUN (27 February 2009), cover, pages 4-7, "Ender A Legend" (A smashing 5-page tribute to Wendy -- actually a trio of articles:  the first noting her passing and offering many words from her friends and colleagues; the second a broad look at her decades-long career; and the third a brief but warm personal comment by the articles' author.  Lots and lots of photos from over the years) by Sara Nathan, et al.

THE DAILY MIRROR (27 February 2009), pages 4-7, "Queen of the Square", "We'll Miss Brahms" (Lavishing 3-½ pages on Wendy's obituary, The Mirror offers a lovely final look at Wendy, and also summarizes her long career.  Oodles of old and new photos, both color and B&W.  The text of both articles is may be still be read here and here, respectively) by Nicola Methven, Alun Palmer.

THE IRISH DAILY MIRROR (27 February 2009), cover, pages 4-7, "Queen of the Square", "We'll Miss Brahms" (Much of this is the same material about Wendy's passing as appeared in the English edition of the DM; the main difference is that a lovely photo of Wendy graces the Irish paper's front page, and some of the copy is rearranged to allow more advertising space.  Still lots of good info and photos) by Nicola Methven, Alun Palmer.

THE DAILY STAR (27 February 2009), cover, pages 4-6, 40-41, "We'll Miss TV Wendy No Ender!", "Queen of Soaps" (Another multi-page obituary, the Star's offering is generous and offers perhaps the nicest set of color photos of Wendy at her best over the years.  A true celebration of a lovely life) by Katie Begley, Peter Dyke.

THE DAILY EXPRESS (27 February 2009), pages 28-29, "Glamour Girl To Soap Queen" (The Express lives up to its usual high standard with this 2-page obituary for Wendy.  It doesn't glitter as much as some of the others, which is okay; Wendy had her share of pain and heartaches, and those shouldn't be ignored.  Lots of neat black-and-white photos from over the years, with one very large eye-catching pic from her early modeling days.  The text of the article can still be seen at the Express's archive site) by Elisa Roche.

THE DAILY EXPRESS (27 February 2009), "Tributes To Wendy, Queen of Soaps" (This quarter-page article leads of the Express' coverage of Wendy's passing; offering a brief obituary and early tributes by colleagues.  Article can still be seen at the Express's archive site) by Elisa Roche.

THE INDEPENDENT (27 February 2009), pages 40-41, "Obituaries:  Wendy Richard" (This page and-a-half synopsis of Wendy's life and career falls surprisingly short.  It seems to dwell over-long on the perils of Pauline; it cites two different years for Wendy's birth; resigns itself to citing her other works over the years almost like a laundry list, and offers no photos of Wendy herself, just her characters of Pauline and Shirley.  I'd have expected better from this newspaper) by Anthony Hayward.


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DAILY EXPRESS (1 November 2008), "Sarne Tells of Sadness Over Silence With Wendy" (A short but extremely intriguing article that offers Mike Sarne's perspective on his relationship with Wendy back in the 1960s -- as well as their total absence of one afterwards.  Accompanied by a recent casual portrait photo of Sarne).

OK! (#645, 21 October 2008), cover, pages 69-80, 124, 148, 150 "Wendy Richard Marries John Burns" (The focus of this edition is a delightful and lavish article about the couple's wedding.  A report on the ceremony is combined with an excellent in-depth interview with both Wendy and John; it's a bittersweet read of course, given that it was the circumstances of Wendy's illness which prompted them to wed sooner rather than later.  The article is accompanied by a generous (and probably exclusive) set of photos of the blessed couple and their friends and colleagues in attendance.   Additionally, later pages of the magazine have more mentions of Wendy.  One is the celebrity round-up feature; it notes her meeting up by accident with ill celebrity Jade Goody at hospital and the two spending quite a bit of time discussing their mutual ordeal; another is a reference to Wendy's condition by actress Terri Dwyer.)

WOMAN'S OWN (20 October 2008), page 74, "Gillian: Welcome To My World" (A nice full-page set of entries about former-EastEnders actress Gillian Taylforth.  Delightfully, she speaks about Wendy:
"I was so upset to read about Wendy Richard's latest battle with cancer.  We worked together for EastEnders for 13 years and were close friends.  She used to make a brilliant chili and bring me a batch to work!  I haven't seen her for a few years now, but wish her all the best and hope our paths cross again soon."
Accompanied by photos of Taylforth as well as a lovely recent shot of Wendy.)

OK (14 October 2008), page 151, "Soap Legend Is Battling Cancer" (A short blurb in the Celebrity News Round-up section about the return of her illness.  Accompanied by a lovely photo of Wendy; probably from the March 2008 Children's Champion Award event.)

SUNDAY EXPRESS  (12 October 2008),  "Brave TV Wendy's Wedding Joy" (A brief quarter-page article announces Wendy's and John's wedding in London on Friday, 10 October.  Most of the space is taken up by a lovely black and white photo of the pair standing together with John holding Lilly) by Hilary Douglas.

THE IRISH SUN (11 October 2008), page 9, "I Feel Fantastic" (This piece about Wendy's wedding the day before is quite positive and includes a generous half-page photo of the lady waving as she arrives at the venue.  Article also includes a number of smaller photos of various EastEnders colleagues who also attended) by Dave Willetts.

THE IRISH STAR (11 October 2008), page 12, "Wendy Gets Wed" (Another article reporting on her wedding.  Includes an absolutely great color close-up photo, obviously shot on the street before the ceremony.)

IRISH DAILY MIRROR (11 October 2008), page 10, "Wendy Richard:  EastEnders Turn Out for Dying Star's Big Day" (Despite the lurid title, this is actually one of the better short articles about Wendy's wedding and summary of her serious health problems.  Accompanied by photos of some of her former EastEnders colleagues who attended, as well as a great candid photo of Wendy herself).

THE SUN (9 October 2008), page 10, "East End Spirit" (A surprisingly sympathetic caption accompanies a very nice quarter-page color photo of Wendy out walking in London).

DAILY STAR (6 October 2008), "I Quit Cos They Were Going To Marry Me Off" (An excellent half-page print article that is essentially the same interview as the online article with the same title.  A couple of superb photos of Wendy, one with John Burns.  One telling quote:
"I thank God every day that I had a wonderful job like EastEnders.  I was so fortunate to have that opportunity in life.")
by Camilla Tominey and Nigel Pauley.

DAILY EXPRESS (6 October 2008), pages 1, 3, "I Left EastEnders Because I Wasn't Happy With the Plot Says Wendy" (An absolutely superb feature interview with Wendy about her illness, wedding, and, yes, EastEnders.  The headline pretty much gives it away as to why she left.  Wendy mentions still missing her colleagues from the show, as well as how upset the media had made her over the years because of the way they'd disparage Pauline Fowler or fabricate stories about tension between the show's cast and crew.  One interesting comment she makes is about the so-called glamour of the show:
"After I left it was great to get my life back.  I've had to learn all over again how to relax because I had forgotten how to enjoy myself  When I was on EastEnders I'd come home, learn my lines, then you'd have washing to do, household things to do.  I wouldn't have time for socializing."
With the article are a number of excellent color photos of both Wendy and John, but the one of Wendy on page 1, shot by photographer Mark Kehoe, is the loveliest of all)
by Camilla Tominey.

THE IRISH STAR (6 October 2008), page 27, "I Quit Over Bad Scripts" (Quarter-page article that also reports on Wendy's illness, but as the headlines implies, leads off with Wendy's statement about why she chose to leave EastEnders after such a long time.  Includes a pretty-good photo from on the set, with Wendy, June Brown, and Letitia Dean) by Heidee Martin.

THE IRISH DAILY MAIL (6 October 2008), page 16, "Last Wish For Tragic Wendy:  A Wedding This Week" (A rather nice, though somber article about the return of Wendy's illness.  Has more detail than most.  A couple of nice color photos too:  one recent, the other about eight years old.) by Julie Moult.

THE IRISH SUN (6 October 2008), page 17, "We're With You" (An article in the Sun joins the many breaking the news of Wendy's recurring illness.  This particular piece summarizes her diagnosis, but focuses on the flood of encouragement and support that she has received since the news became public.  A couple of nice stock color photos accompany, one from 2006, the other from 2000) by Kathryn Lister.

 SUNDAY EXPRESS (5 October 2008), cover, pages 2-5, "I Have Chosen My Funeral Music", "Bus Ride To The Palace Via Walford and No.10" (Actually a pair of articles, this is an absolutely marvelous four-page spread in one of the few newspapers that always seemed to treat Wendy with respect.  The first of these exclusive pieces, quickly picked up by all the other media, hinges on the news that Wendy's illness has returned and spread; it talks in some depth with her about her current serious medical condition.  But in tone it preserves a remarkably positive approach -- probably largely due to Wendy's own practical and upbeat personality.  The article bears careful reading since it addresses quite sensibly many criticisms leveled against Wendy in recent years.  She makes an interesting comment on her career, by the way:
"I missed some opportunities.  I could have made more of some opportunities that were handed to me on a plate in the Seventies but I was so stupid I didn't realize it.  Having said that, I think I've ticked over all right.  It's been bloody hard work.  I've been fortunate but I've put a lot of hard work into it."
The second of the articles is a review of Wendy's life and career, and her take on some of the people she's known and things she's done.  With excellent insights into the lady and what's she really like, the article finally closes with a quote of hers that just about everyone can relate to:
"Sometimes when you look back you think 'Where has the time gone?'  It seems to have gone in the blink of an eye.  It's really weird."
With the articles are a half a dozen smashing photos, both old and new, of Wendy at her finest.  The one on page 3 is absolutely charming and the favorite of your webmeister.  The main article also appears online at the Express website)
by Camilla Tominey.

WEEKEND (16 August 2008), page 57, "What I See in the Mirror" (This weekend insert to the Guardian newspaper includes a short, but quite interesting interview with Wendy speaking rather candidly about her appearance.   She includes a jab at those who would criticize her in that department:
"To all those journalists who have been rude about my looks, I think, 'Well, let's see how you'd look if you'd been through what I have and come out the other side."
That's our Wendy!)
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WOMAN (28 April 2008), page 59, "My Place" (A nice little one-page article begins with:  "Wendy Richard invites us to join her indoors . . ." and presents a set of photos of her furniture and interior decoration with captions by Wendy herself.)

THE PEOPLE (27 April 2008), page 19, "Cardi & Coke, Pauline? -- TV Wendy Wraps Up at The Pub" (The 3/4-page article has two color pictures of Wendy off the clock enjoying a glass of wine on a cool spring day in London.  Unfortunately (though perhaps not unexpectedly) the photos have that long-lens look to them, which means some paparazzi couldn't stand to let the lady enjoy a few minutes of open-air privacy) by Marc Baker.

DAILY EXPRESS (24 April 2008), page 46, "I'd Die of Boredom Out in the Country" (In this 'Express Yourself" feature, Wendy gamely answers some either-or questions about her personal preferences about various things.  Some examples:
Cooking:  experimental or tried-and-tested?  "I create my own variations of things, since I'm a great believer in 'when in doubt throw in alcohol' because that'll improve anything.  I enjoy cooking and cook every day.  I do make a nice soup, very good gravy, a mean Bolognese sauce and an absolutely brilliant chili."
Technology:  gadget girl or technophobe?  "I'm a total technophobe.  I've only just learned to text.  I'm a good typist so John sets things up for me on the computer and I sit and type.  That's how I send an e-mail.  I intend to learn to shop online one day."
The article is accompanied by nice full-length black-and-white portrait of Wendy in a formal evening gown)
by Deany Judd.

RADIO TIMES (19-25 April 2008), page 110, "My Big Break" (One can almost miss this small treat of an article, which is buried in the middle of the magazine and located with this week's first airing of Wendy's episode of Benidorm.  The article is a very short blurb about Wendy's first break in the business:
"
I'd done the voiceover for Mike Sarne's 1962 hit Come Outside, and from that I got my first TV series -- Harpers West One.  After that I did The Arthur Haynes Show -- Michael Caine got me the job.  He and Johnny Speight, who wrote the show, started chatting to me in the ATV canteen.  I had no idea who they were.  Michael said, 'I think she'd be good for Arthur', and I was very snooty and said, 'you'll have to speak to my agent'. Fortunately, they did!"
Article has a couple of small pix of Wendy:  one from 1962 and the other from 2008.)

WHAT'S ON TV (19-25 April 2008), pages 14-15, "Battle of the Grans" (Another article covering Wendy's appearance in the comedy series "Benidorm".  It offers some words from Wendy about working on the series, as well as the hazards of being around her when she's trying to drive the mobility chairs that figure prominently in the storyline.  It mentions Wendy stays in contact with some of her former EastEnders colleagues, and also includes a interesting tidbit:
"Would I ever return to a soap?  I don't think so.  It's such a punishing schedule.  Besides, I'm enjoying myself too much."
Includes a pretty-good photo from the set)
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TV QUICK (19-25 April 2008), cover, page 23, "Cockney Rebel" (In an article very similar to those in various other TV mags, this week's TV Quick offers a full-page spread on Wendy's appearance on the ITV sitcom Benidorm.  Some nice photos and words, but it's a bit of déjà vu, since much of the interview text seems to read virtually word for word like those in the other mags.  Did they all buy a single interview from the same free-lancer?  One nice quote from Wendy on her philosophy:
"If you don't have bad times, you don't appreciate good times.  I don't get worked up over things.  I just do the best I can.")
by Mary Comerford.

TV CHOICE (19-25 April 2008), page 11, "Funny Lady" (A short half-page article in this guide to TV programming illustrates with words and pictures Wendy's appearance on Benidorm.  Indeed, pretty much the same pictures and same words as the other mags' articles from this same week.  It does though offer one unique quote from Wendy:
"I was a huge fan of the first series of Benidorm so I was absolutely delighted to be part of the show."
The story is accompanied by three photos, takes from the episode)
by Mary Comerford.

WE LOVE TELLY (19-25 April 2008), "Splashdown!" (A short sidebar article has Wendy's take on her scenes in Benidorm.  Accompanied by a sequence of photos of the in-the-pool action.)

TV GUIDE (19-25 April 2008), page 4, "Face of the Week:  Wendy Richard" (A sidebar article alerts the reader to Wendy's upcoming appearance in the situation comedy 'Benidorm'.  It also offers a couple of paragraphs of background data about her earlier life and most famous roles.)

SATURDAY (Daily Express) (19 April 2008), pages 11, 31, "Are You Being Funny?" (This weekend newspaper insert has a superb two-page article about Wendy's imminent -- for then -- appearance on the comedy series Benidorm, noting by doing so Wendy is returning 'to her comedy roots'.  She's quoted in the article about the series:
"For me, Benidorm has the same values that made those sitcoms of the 60s and 70s so good.   . . .  It's very, very funny.  It's full of characters that are a bit extreme and yet you all know people a bit like them."
She goes on to speak of the relief of being out of EastEnders, as well as about her past medical problems and the lessons she learned from her illness.  The article is accompanied by a great portrait of a casually-dressed Wendy, a clip of her from the show, and number of smaller pics of her from past years)
by Daphne Lockyer.

TV MAG (The Sun) (19-25 April 2008), cover, pages 14-15, "She's Back" (The article in this newspaper insert is all too short, but redeems itself with a quote from Wendy:
"
'I don't get on very well with the food', she reveals.  'I lived on cheese and tomato toasties, my own teabags from home and vitamin pills from the week I was there filming!' "
 -- As well as with an intriguing action shot that appears to show Wendy being shoved into a swimming pool!)
by Claire Brand.

TV TIMES (19-25 April 2008), pages 16, 87, "Back to Laughs" (This TV Guide-like magazine has a nice one-page article about Wendy's return to the comedy arena in the sitcom Benidorm.  The piece quotes her about her reasons for choosing the show:
". . . For a start, I was afraid to take on any more heavy drama because I didn't want people to say, 'Oh, she's just playing Pauline Fowler, but in a different frock'.  And, also, I wanted to go back to the kind of roles I played when I was starting out.  I wanted to do something more light-hearted."
The article is accompanied by a number of surprisingly cute photos from the show of Wendy in sun hat, red swimsuit, and mobility chair.  There's also a second article further back at the actual 25 April listings, with more photos)
by Daphne Lockyer.

SATURDAY (Daily Express) (12 April 2008), "Whatever Happened To?" (In an article about Anna Winger -- an alumni of EastEnders -- there is mention of Wendy and a photo of the two actresses together).

PERSONAL (Sunday Mirror) (5 April 1998), "Personal Pictures" (Wendy is included in the regular celebrity photo section of this weekly inset magazine).

S (Sunday Express) (30 March 2008), page 97, "My Favourite Photograph by Actress Wendy Richard" (A pleasant surprise greets the reader of this weekly newspaper supplement: a half-page interview with Wendy partly about the photograph of her with Albert Finney on the set of the movie 'Gumshoe'.  But she also covers other career highlights as well as touching on some of the work that she's doing in early 2008.  Of interest is this comment:
"Leaving [EastEnders] released a lot of pressure on me.  To do a show like that you have to get into a routine, and if you get out of sync with the shopping and housework, you're lost.  Now I can wander down to Selfridges at my leisure to get my food shopping and then phone up my partner, John, to come and get me in the car."
Accompanying the article is the black & white photo from 1971 that she's discussing, as well as a small, but elegant portrait photo.)

YOURS (25 March - 7 April 2008), cover, page 16, "From Walford to Benidorm" (This women's' variety magazine includes a excellent single-page article on what Wendy is up to these days -- including a turn on a popular ITV comedy, Benidorm.  It also touches on her exit in 2006 from EastEnders, and also notes her attempt to distance herself from Pauline's persona.  A telling quote about her feelings about the subject -- which most actors have probably shared at one time or another -- is included:
"I wanted people to know what I was like.  I heard one radio presenter had said some unkind things about me and I thought, that's amazing because you've never met me -- don't assume a character I'm portraying on screen is me, because it isn't."
The article includes a couple of modest, but very attractive, photos of real-life Wendy, and even this publicity shot of her on the set of Benidorm.)

DAILY MIRROR (10 March 2008), "Leaving EastEnders Was A Release.  I've No Stress Now" (With some distance between her and the show which occupied 22 years of her professional life, Wendy offers in this half-page article some comments about the reasons she left the soap.  The article can be seen at this news consolidator site) by Sara Wallis.

TV TIMES (8-14 March 2008), page 45, "Dog Rescue" (A short write-up of Wendy's appearance on this documentary series about "rescuing and rehoming unwanted dogs".  Accompanied by a small, but remarkably nice outdoors photo of Wendy and her dog, Lily.)

INSIDE SOAP (26 January - 1 February 2008), page 98, "Times of Our Life" (A one-page feature that looks at some soap stories covered by the mag in years past -- as if it hadn't been tedious enough reading about such fictitious events the first time 'round.  In any case, this articles recalls the ill-fated marriage between Wendy's character of Pauline Fowler and Joe Macer (played by Ray Brooks), and is accompanied by a couple of rather nice on-set photos of Wendy in character.  She's even smiling in one of the shots!  Shame they're spoiled by juvenile and un-funny captions).


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SATURDAY (Daily Express) (1 December 2007), page 17, "Whatever Happened To . . . EastEnders' Arthur Fowler" (It isn't surprising to find this to be an article about what Bill Treacher has been up to since leaving EastEnders in 1996.  Interestingly, he says:
"I'm no longer in touch with Wendy Richard, who played my wife Pauline, or the rest of the cast for that matter . . ."
There's nothing sinister about the statement; just an indication of Treacher's professional relationship with the show and his colleagues.  Article is accompanied by a great photo of Bill and Wendy, in character, circa mid-1992)
by Denise Dunk.

HELLO (#994, 6 November 2007), page 44, "Diary of the Week:  Lots for Ladies to Celebrate" (A short article about the Lady Taverners charity having held a fund-raising luncheon in Claridge's Hotel in London.  Among the photos of the attendees is one of Wendy standing with TV presenter Judith Chalmers.)

RADIO TIMES (27 October - 2 November 2007), pages 10-12, "Who's That Girl?" (A quite well-written article about a topic too lightly covered in the past: Wendy's participation in the Beatles' movie 'Help!' in 1965.  This mag's 'Behind the Scenes' feature story is ostensibly about the broadcast of a remastered version of the movie and its release (on 5 Nov 07) of a two-disc DVD set of the movie and various supporting material -- including, it is said, separate commentary by Wendy about her scene which was cut from the final version.  Better and better: the RT article also features a quarter-page sidebar with Wendy's comments about how she became involved with the movie.  The main article also includes director Richard Lester's recollection of why Wendy was chosen for the part:
"[She] suited the role as written, being attractive, cute, and buxom . . ."
The excellent article is accompanied by a number of very rare production stills of the movie, all of which are from Wendy's scene-that-was-not-to-be, including one outstanding color shot.)

DAILY EXPRESS SATURDAY (29 September, 2007), page 13, "Whatever Happened To . . . Mr. Lucas" (A one-page article about Trevor Bannister of Are You Being Served?  He remarks on the same phenomenon that Wendy did; namely, how popular AYBS? remains in America.  Accompanied by a couple of photos, one of which includes Wendy in a standard publicity shot from the show, probably about 1975) by Richard Webber.

HELLO (18 September 2007, #987), page 48, "Bowled Over At Westminster Abbey" (Despite its star-chasing format, this magazine manages to lend a bit more dignity and respect to the subject than do the vast  majority of other celebrity mags.  This week, in the regular feature 'Diary of the Week', a nice photo of Wendy appears of her in attendance of a charity event for the Lady Taverners on the grounds of Westminster Abbey.  Though the magazine article doesn't give a date for the event, it was in fact on the 10th of July -- indeed, just a few short hours after your webmeister's lunch engagement that day with Wendy).

HOT STARS (18-24 August 2007), page 74, "When Bad Clothes Happen To Good People" (Another example of how magazines seem to think 'celebrities' are obliged to exhibit perfect fashion sense every moment of the day; heaven forbid the individuals should deign to dress sensibly and casually.  In this particular case, Wendy is shown in raincoat, jeans, sneakers, and smoking with a cigarette holder.  Jeminy, give the lady a break, folks...)

HOROSCOPE (April 2007), cover, pages 8-10, "Love Lives of the Famous & Infamous:  Wendy Richard" (What a strange and sad magazine this is!  And it's not helped by the creepy picture on the cover of a pretty girl with ram's horns Photoshopped onto her head.  Between the covers, the mag is a hodge-podge of metaphysical drivel about how the stars and planets and other rocks in space are responsible for there being only 12 types of people here on Earth -- not to mention the page after page of advertisements for readings clearly designed to fleece people too ignorant or too lazy to exercise a little free will and make their *own* future.  Uh, sorry . . . Your webmeister was carried away there for a moment.  Right.  Back to Wendy . . .  There is one 3-page article which, if one looks beyond the 'transiting Saturn' and 'natal Neptune' doubletalk, does provide a moderately interesting overview of Wendy's life and personality.  The comments are predictably general, of course.  Nice color picture of our favorite actress, though)  by Helen Adams.

DAILY MIRROR (9 April 2007), pages 20-21, "Miss Brahms is Back" (The newspaper version of a recent interview that also appeared online, except the print version includes a recent portrait of Wendy with Lily, her new dog) by Alun Palmer.

TV TIMES (10-16 March 2007), page 5, "John Was a True Pro" (Just a very short article that quotes Wendy as she paid tribute to her long-time friend and colleague John Inman, who passed away the previous week.  Wendy said:  "John was one of the wittiest and most inventive actors I've ever worked with.  He was a brilliant panto dame and a very good ator -- a true professional."  With a very small stock photo of Wendy.)

CLOSER (6-12 January 2007), 87, "Closer Choices" (A standard up-coming show announcement; this one noting Wendy's presence on The New Paul O'Grady Show) by Jane Howdle.

INSIDE SOAP YEARBOOK 2007, pages 20, 23, "What A Year For  ... Wendy Richard" (Grit your teeth as you flip through the extra-large helpings of soap opera fluff and hand-wringing highs and lows, and you shall be rewarded with a couple of interesting articles.  One is an interview with Wendy about her upcoming final scene in EastEnders.  She comments on her reason for leaving, her favorite moments from Pauline's life, and even talks a little about life after EastEnders :
"I don't think old actors ever retire.  I have lots of plans for the future.  You haven't seen the end of me yet!"
And perhaps in connection with Pauline's departure from the mortal coil, the yearbook also includes an interesting spread that revisits the first cast photo of EastEnders from 1985 and notes where the two dozen actors and actresses are today.)


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WOMAN'S OWN (31 December 2006), pages 28-29, "It's Like Losing Your Best Friend" (This issue should be a keeper for any Wendy fan.  It's charged with a superb two-page interview with Wendy about the demise of Pauline Fowler and her life after EastEnders.  She puts a positive spin on the event:
"I feel much more relaxed.  All the tension has gone from my back.  I don't need to learn any lines -- that's a real freedom.  I haven't shed a tear."
-- As well as her take on how Pauline was removed from the picture:
"I knew [Pauline] was going to die, but I thought it was a shame. . . I suppose they wanted something explosive -- how depressing for Christmas!"
And an apparent change of heart about getting a facelift:
"My agent isn't keen, and if people are happy to employ me looking as I am, I might as well put it on hold."
A very sensible perspective, indeed!
The article is accompanied by a couple of smaller stock photos and an excellent large portrait of Wendy with Betty the dog.  Ready to retire?  Not hardly!)

SUNDAY MIRROR (31 December 2006), page 29, "Xmas Exit Was A Pauline Mess" (With a pun in the title that no more than two or three other newspapers also thought of, the Sun offers a half-page article about the final scenes of the storyline that will see the exit of Mrs. Fowler from EastEnders.  The article's author gratuitously slings unkind words against Wendy's acting, but does manage to offer one sound observation about the whole business:
". . . the launderette battleaxe will be missed.  Soaps need their bedrock characters -- and EastEnders is fast running out of familiar faces.")

ALL ABOUT SOAP (29 December 2006), pages 6, 14-17, "Showdown!" and "Murdered?" (A couple of articles about Wendy's character of Pauline, as her final scenes draw near.  Some nice shots of Pauline in action and storyline descriptions by Wendy.  She adds a personal note:
"Having played Pauline for a third of my life, I found filming her final scenes emotional.  It really is an end of an era."
Ah, end of an era, indeed. . .)

ALL ABOUT SOAP (29 December 2006), pages 32, "I Cried Like A Baby When Wendy Left" (In the same issue of AAS is an interview with James Alexandrou about his role in Wendy's last scenes in EastEnders.  Mostly a Q&A about the storyline, the article wraps up with some of his own comments on having to film their last scenes together.)

SOAPLIFE (29 December 2006), pages 3, 8, 20-21, "Silent Night" (A number of briefs mentions and photos of Pauline's final scenes, but more to the point an interview with Wendy analyzing Pauline's perspective and state of mind.  It also touches on her own feelings about the character's end:
"Wendy admits she was as sad to say goodbye to character as viewers will be. 
'But the time had come,' she says.  'I wasn't happy the way the storylines were going . . .' ")

INSIDE SOAP (24-30 December 2006), pages 28-30, "I'm Already Missing Betty the Dog Dreadfully!" (Beginning with the understatement "It's the end of an era for EastEnders", this great 3 page article recaps Wendy's two decades on the show, including plot highlights and some of her memories about the early years on the show.  She mentions the effect on her schedule the job change has meant:
"I filmed my final scenes on EastEnders back in October, and was looking forward to no more early mornings.  Then, just a week later, I was up at 5 am doing my next job!  So it's been back to the old routine for me -- with no lines to learn, though."
The story is accompanied by pack of excellent photos, with Wendy both in character and as herself)
by Allison Maund.

THE SUN (20 December, 2006), page 23, "Murder Most Fowler" (A half-page article reviewing the upcoming finale for Wendy's character of Pauline Fowler.  Accompanied by a trio of on-set action photos.)

WHAT'S ON TV (9-15 December 2006), pages 7, 8, "We're Your Real Parents", "You Liar!" (Two brief and breathless articles that speak of EastEnders plotline developments as if in a hushed whisper.  Only redeeming features are a couple of small photos of Wendy in character as Pauline looking rather glum.)

TV TIMES (9-15 December 2006), page 98, "Those Were The Days:  Wendy Richard" (A pleasant surprise awaits the reader on the last page:  a photo 'album' of Wendy over the years, including this handsome shot from 1972.)

ALL ABOUT SOAP (1 December 2006), cover, pages 12-13, "The Heat Is On!" (A two-page spread on the Pauline storyline as it draws toward a conclusion, though what it is exactly isn't clear.  A couple of good in-character photos of Wendy.)

IRISH DAILY STAR TELLY VISION (? December 2006), page 3, " 'Ender The Road For Pauline" (A page about the storyline in EastEnders that includes the departure of Pauline Fowler.  Nice photo.)

TV NOW (? December 2006), pages 34-35, "The End Of An Era" (An above-average article containing an interview with Wendy, plus a fine color photo of her with little Betty.  Although she speaks mostly about Pauline's final scenes, Wendy also comments a little about life post-EastEnders:
"I have no regrets on leaving EastEnders.  I am going to take a holiday and then get back to work.  So I'll still be getting up early -- but I'll have no lines to learn.")
by Rosaleen McMeel.

SKY (December 2006), page 77, "Today's Top TV" (Really just a half-page lead in the TV schedule section, but it showcases Wendy's appearance on the Gloria's Greats biography series.  Accompanied by an excellent portrait photo.)

INSIDE SOAP (25 November - 1 December 2006), cover, pages 12-13, 18, 24-25, 52-53 "Top 20: Wendy Richard" (This magazine of soap opera plot points and photos emphasizes the passing and funeral of Pauline Fowler, but there is a hidden gem in this issue for the Wendy-fan who can manage to wade through the first two score and ten pages of soap reviews and spoilers:  a two-page spread high-lighting Ms. Richard's career and personal life, accompanied by oodles of great photos, some dating back to the Sixties.)

WOMAN'S OWN (20 November 2006), page 88, "Wendy Richard Bids Farewell to Albert Square" (Pass by the strange articles such as "Witchcraft saved my baby" and "We get  underwear thrown at us" to find the 'Soap Update' feature, which has a nice photo of Wendy, and a paragraph about Pauline's coming demise.)

WHAT'S ON TV (18 - 24 November 2006), cover, pages 9, 11, "Will Pauline Die?" (A missable half-page teaser about whether Wendy's character will survive the accidental fire at the Fowler's house.)

INSIDE SOAP (18-24 November 2006), cover, pages 10-12, 34, "Fowler Fire Horror!" (A three-page piece on one of Pauline Fowler's final scene in EastEnders, as told by James Alexandrou.  Some rather fine photos from the set of Wendy as Pauline, not to mention a rather intimidating photo included as part of the cover montage.)

CLOSER (18-24 November 2006), 107, 119, "Closer Choices" (A couple of short blurbs about upcoming shows that will feature Wendy.  One is EastEnders, of course.  More interesting is her guesting appearance on Parkinson, a popular late-evening talk show.  A lovely, albeit too small, color photo of a smiling Wendy accompanies the latter write-up) by Lisa Marks.

INSIDE SOAP (14-20 October 2006), cover, page 11, "Will Joe Watch Pauline Die?" (The lurid title of the article reflects the breathless detailing of what is expected to be Pauline's exit from EastEnders toward the end of the year.  A couple of nice photos of Wendy in character.  Cover photo is precisely the same one used on IS's cover barely a monthly later -- do the layout folks think no one notices that sort of thing?)

NOW (2 October 2006), page 72, "Ordinary Boys" (An article on the non-celebrity boyfriends and significant others of various well-known actresses.  Wendy is mentioned in regard to her relationship with partner John Burns.  An excellent photo of the two, probably from early 2001.)

NEWS OF THE WORLD (1 October 2006), page 21, "2 a-Pauline Endings" (A short "exclusive" article that reports Wendy's character of Pauline Fowler will expire on a Christmas Day episode of the soap.  It goes on to note that, interestingly, "soap bosses have filmed two gripping endings") by Rachel Richardson.

CELEBS (24 September 2006), pages 6-7, "Wendy Richard Having A Very Bad Hair Day" (This insert to the Sunday Mirror should stick to being a television guide, and forego the lame and indeed unsavory celebrity-spotting articles.  With titles such as 'Brittany Battles Baby Bulge' and 'Nose Jobs Run In Our Family', one can only fear the worst on opening the mag to encounter 'Wendy Richard: A Very Bad Hair Day'.  But, surprising, the accompanying paparazzi-shot photos are not at all bad, but rather give a nice feel for Wendy's current hairstyle, her casual elegance -- and quite possibly her displeasure for photographers who invade her space.  Too bad really that the article is peppered with cheap and juvenile insults -- err, 'captions'.)

INSIDE SOAP (23-29 September 2006), pages 39, 41, "Meet The Producers" (A talk with EastEnders executive producer Kate Harwood is accompanied by a couple of photos including one large black-and-white photo of Wendy as Pauline Fowler.  And she is in fact smiling . . .)

SUNDAY (17 September 2006), page 10, "Celebrity Maths" (A throw-away picture-matching feature that shows a photo of Wendy, circa early-1990s, then a plus sign and picture of blonde English actress Zoe Tucker followed by an equal sign and a snap of actress Kate Thornton.  One supposes this is supposed to imply a resemblance between the three, but the attempt is unfortunately feeble and unconvincing.)

HELLO (22 August 2006), page 84, "Wendy Richard Tells Why She Really Quite EastEnders" (A short blurb about Wendy appears in the "7 Days:  A Round-up of News Reports"  section.  Short, but well-written and informative, the article quotes Wendy about her departure from the show:
"I just couldn't believe that Pauline would remarry -- anybody.  And I just made myself ill fretting about it.  I gave a third of my life to Pauline and you can't suddenly change your character.  So I wasn't having it."
The article blew it on the prediction that Wendy would marry in 2007, but the handsome photo of the lady -- actually, one of the better pics of Wendy after she changed to a short hairstyle -- makes up for that)
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RADIO TIMES (19-25 August 2006), page 8, "All The Square's A Stage" (A dazzling and unusual article that examines some of the better-known denizens of Albert Square through the lens of Shakespeare, and invites the reader to consider the connection of modern to ancient.  Absolutely superb photography; Wendy appears as Mistress Page from The Merry Wives of Windsor.  Your webmeister's only gripes are that Wendy isn't quoted at all, and also that the feature omits consideration of so many other intriguing EastEnders characters of years past:  what about Melanie Healy?  Kat Slater?  Mark Fowler?  Frank Butcher?)

CLOSER (19-25 August 2006), page 89, "Wendy's Facelift" (An interesting, albeit short, filler article about Wendy.  Beneath a recent stock photo of Wendy's scowling alter-ego is the following:
"Pauline Fowler's launderette overalls aren't the only thing Wendy Richard will leave behind when she quits EastEnders in December -- she's getting rid of her wrinkles too.  Wendy, 63, says: 
'I'm going to get my jawline done.'  She also plans to wed long-term partner John Burns . . ."
This is an intriguing statement, given that Wendy had said at other times, quite firmly, that she would not consider cosmetic surgery.)

WHAT'S ON TV (12-18 August 2006), page 7, "You're Divorced!" (More previews for a Wendy-related storyline of an upcoming episode of EastEnders -- I guess people enjoy having their shows spoiled like this; otherwise, why would they buy these kinds of magazines?  Anyway, Natalie Cassidy is interviewed on the details of the story.  Nice photo of Wendy, though it's a standard off-set publicity pic.)

ALL ABOUT SOAP (11 August 2006), page 11, "Pauline to Die on Christmas Day?" (Tactful as usual, this issue of the soap mag includes a paragraph speculating on the how Wendy's character of Pauline will make her exit from EastEnders.  The article is remarkable only in that it manages to say essentially nothing about the topic.  A couple of good photos.)

THE SUN (8 August 2006), pages 14-15, "Exclusive: Wendy Richard On Her 22 Years in Albert Square" (A follow-on to the previous day's news-breaking article, this piece focuses more on the personal side of Wendy's decision and her current situation.  Besides covering some very sobering details of her 2002 illness and its continuing effects on her health and stamina, the article also reveals Wendy's intent to "marry her long-term partner John Burns after she leaves EastEnders".  Isn't that nice!  The article sums it all up with a quote from the lady herself:
"I'm still here and I have lots of plans for the future.  You haven't seen the end of me yet!."
That's a girl!   The piece also has a good full-sized black-and-white recent photo as well as a number of smaller stock shots from the past twenty years.)
by Sara Nathan.

WOMAN'S OWN (7 August 2006), pages 4-5, "Why We Love  . . .  Wendy Richard" (Another ladies' magazine with the usual assortment of health tips, recipes, quasi-inspirational articles and weight-loss advice.  However, this issue has an excellent two-page spread of Wendy photos from over the years; some well-known, others not.  The write-up and captions are a little mushy, but overall quite upbeat.  Nice piece.)

THE SUN (7 August 2006), pages 1, 4-5, "Wendy:  Why I Quit" (An absolutely superb two-page spread, authorized by Wendy, explaining her motives for leaving EastEnders after 21 years on the show.  Her reasons appear to be the general direction of the show away from family-based storylines, exacerbated by the Pauline marriage storyline of 2005, which Wendy was evidently always quite uncomfortable about, believing it an inconsistent move for her long-time character of Pauline Fowler.  The article quotes Wendy:
"I would have stayed a bit longer if Pauline hadn't got married; I would have given it a go . . .  I suppose they thought, 'Well, we can't do much with her if she's going to remain a widow, if she wants to go, let her go'.  So I thought, 'That's it, I'm off '."
The article is a keeper for every Wendy fan.  Although The Sun conveniently offers a full transcript of the article on its website, the hardcopy paper has a couple of very nice recent photos of Wendy.  Interestingly, the hardcopy article is tagged as "an exclusive", though I'm told that it also appeared in at least one other newspaper at the same time.  It was with some amusement that one may note the paper's "Page 3" girls for the week offer their sympathetic opinions about Wendy's departure.)
by Sara Nathan.

TV TIMES (5-11 August 2006), page 28, "I Want Revenge" (A plot report, 'natch.  On EastEnders, Pauline and Sonia are still at loggerheads.  A pretty-good photo of Wendy in character, though) by Alison Slade.

TV CHOICE (29 July - 4 August 2006), pages 12-13, 28, "Soap Battle" (A short article on the week's upcoming episode of game show The Weakest Link, which is being billed as a 'soap special'; that is, actors from the three major British daytime dramas competing against other in a competition of wits.  Standard publicity photo of Wendy accompanies the article.)

HELLO! (#928, 25 July 2006), page 88, "Wendy Richard Bids Farewell to Albert Square" (For a celebrity magazine, Hello! is probably one of the better publications.  While one still finds within its pages hefty portions of gushing admiration for people richer than one's self, it does however convey a far greater sense of respect and dignity for its subjects than do the vast constellation of celebrity-ambushing mags.  In connection with Wendy's imminent departure from 'EastEnders', this issue offers a nicely done half-page synopsis of her career and life, and includes an attractive current photo as well as a stock shot of her as Pauline from 1985. The article mentions Wendy's might-have-been 007 connection:
"[Her participation on 'Come Outside'] led to an audition with producer Cubby Broccoli for a role as a Bond girl. 
"He wanted me, but I didn't go back," she later recalled.  "I was too nervous."
Ah, well.  Finally, there are a couple of speculations for the near future.  One is that Pauline Fowler will be killed-off in her final episode (which seems a pretty safe bet, by all accounts).  The other is that Wendy may find a role in the police series 'The Bill' (a show on which numerous EastEnders from the Beale and Fowler family have appeared, including Bill Treacher, Anna Wing, Todd Carty, and Gillian Taylforth, the latter of whom is in fact a current regular on the show.)

INSIDE SOAP (22 July 2006), page 8, "Goodbye, Pauline!" (A bit breathless in tone, this full-page article is nonetheless surprisingly positive in noting Wendy's pending departure from soap opera EastEnders.  Mostly it's a rehash of Wendy's official statement as well as reporting some praise indeed from BBC Controller John York.  A number of photos from highpoints of Pauline storylines.  A great lead photo.)

TV TIME (22 July 2006), page 5, "Ender The Road" (A brief half-page article about the 'dramatic exit' expected for Pauline Fowler now that Wendy's leaving EastEnders.  A couple of nice photos -- and an acknowledgement that, yes, Pauline *is* capable of smiling.)

THE TV GUIDE (20 July 2006), page 31, "Wendy Set for Dramatic Exit" (This New Zealand program guide magazine has a rather nice short article about Wendy's imminent departure from "EastEnders" after 22 years.  It recaps a few highlights of her character's experiences and offers a few fairly generic words from Wendy herself:
"I've loved every minute of being part of this fantastic show and will stay in touch with the many friends I've made."
Accompanied by a nice stock photo of Wendy from a few years earlier.  Looks like one of the BBC publicity shots.)

BIG ON TV (16 July 2006), page 7, "Gossip On The Box" (In this TV mag from the "News of the World" newspaper comes this short blurb about Wendy and a very intriguing topic which hasn't been covered much in previous publications or interviews.  To quote the article:
"Hard to believe now, but Wendy Richard - craggy old Pauline Fowler in EastEnders - could have been a Bond Girl!  She says she was approached years ago and did an audition. 
'It went well, but I wanted to do comedy.  I was daft.' "
Comments?)

THE SUN (15 July 2006), page 9, "In A Fowl Mood" (An article in the finest tradition of celebrity-bashing, this full-page piece features a likely paparazzi-shot photo of Wendy on vacation in Malta that does not show her to best advantage.  The write-up is hardly any better, though -- Wendy being as human as anyone -- there is probably a grain of truth in its assertion that she is still "coming to terms with her decision to leave Albert Square after more than 21 years.") by Alex Peake.

IRISH INDEPENDENT (15 July 2006), page 10, "Why It's So Hard To Wash Away That Soap" (Not an article about Wendy per-se, but it does use her pending departure from EastEnders as a springboard for examining the very real difficulties that actors can have in escaping from association with a character for which they are well-known.  Former Irish soap actress Biddy White Lennon, is quoted:
"If you play the same character for years, of course you're going to get typecast.  It's an occupational hazard."
  Specifically in regard to Wendy, the article notes that:
". . . She will almost certainly discover what a lengthy shadow her character Pauline Fowler casts when she's gone."
The article includes interviews with other actors who echo points Wendy has made in the past; namely, the 'production line' intensity and pressure of producing episodes for a soap opera.)
by John Meagher.

DAILY MAIL (11 July 2006), page 11, "After 21 Years, Pauline Leaves the Misery of Albert Square" (A handful of excellent photos round out this full-page article about Wendy's departure.  Besides recapping her history on the show and noting some storyline highlights for her character, the article interestingly speculates on "creative differences" being the reason for the change, though a statement by a BBC spokesman refuting that is also included) by Matt Born.

DAILY EXPRESS (11 July 2006), pages 1, 26-27, "Goodbye to the Grump" (A very good retrospective of Wendy's life and career; quite positive, despite the rude title.  The article includes a rather interesting -- and telling -- quote about Wendy and her role on EastEnders:
"It has always been said by successive producers and heads of dram at the BBC that Wendy would stay in EastEnders the way the ravens stay at the Tower of London. . .   She was a touchstone for the series and has represented all that is best about it."
For the sake of balance, the article notes a few of the unkind comments that have been made about Wendy, but it's clear to me from the context that they were very likely a result of simple jealousy on the parts of the folks so quoted.  In any case, a number of photos from over the years accompany the article, including a superb front page color photo and a eye-catching glamour shot from the Seventies)
by Simon Edge.

(IRISH) DAILY MIRROR (11 July 2006), pages 1, 8-9, "Ender An Era" (Another well-illustrated article covering Wendy's departure, though apparently written by the same author as of the Daily Record's article, though this one seems to be have a little more detail.  Only sour note is a sidebar by a different writer celebrating the end of the Pauline Fowler character as long overdue.  On the front page is one of the nicest recent photos of Wendy in-character that I've seen) by Nicola Methven.

THE SUN (11 July 2006), pages 1, 6-7, "Killed Off At Xmas" (This paper offers a lavish two-page spread breaking the news of Wendy's departure from EE.  Besides Pauline highlights through the years, and a pageful of photos from the show, the main article also includes a number of statements made by Wendy and the BBC about the circumstances.  Interestingly, this is the only article I've seen that wonders aloud what will become of the series, in light of the recent exodus of long-time cast members) by Sara Nathan.

DAILY RECORD (11 July 2006), pages 1, 3, "Ender An Era" (A short, but good article about Wendy's departure.  A very large photo of Wendy from 2006 makes this a full-page feature.  Focuses just on the EE aspect and doesn't provide biographical info.  Rather disconcertingly, it does dwell a bit on her medical condition, with some implication that the move is for health reasons.  Includes strong praise indeed from BBC executive (and past EE producer) John Yorke:
"Wendy occupies a huge place in people's hearts.  To star in two shows -- at two different times -- shows a level of skill and expertise that is easy to underestimate."
Accompanied by some nice Pauline photos and a timeline from the show with major milestones for Wendy's character)
by Nicola Methven.

(IRISH) THE STAR (11 July 2006), page 11, "It's the Ender Pauline" (Just a half-page article in this daily paper covers Wendy's announcement and sums up history of the character.  Some nice photos of Pauline from over the years) by Kathryn Rogers.

TELEGRAPH (11 July 2006), "EastEnders Veteran Wendy Richard Ends Her 21-Year Run" (A relatively brief, quarter-page article about Wendy's departure.  No biographical overview; just a statement of the facts and what appear to be excerpts from an official announcement.  A number of very good color photos from over the years of the show) by Hannah Webster.

THE PEOPLE (18 June, 2006), pages 28-29, "EastEnder Wendy Opens Her Heart About Love, Sickness and Soap Stardom" (This habitually sensationalist publication offers a surprisingly candid and richly detailed two-page interview with Wendy.  Some of the details, specifically about her illnesses, are a bit frank, but even so, the whole of the interview appears to provide some fine insights into the actress and the woman -- even a bit of humor:  ". . . I'd say I was organized and if men would only listen the first time you give them advice, things would be a lot easier."
From a career standpoint, of some interest is the statement that Wendy auditioned at age 19 for Albert Broccoli for a role in a James Bond film; an opportunity, sadly, which never panned out.  Article has nice photos from over the years)
by Garry Bushell.

INSIDE SOAP (27 May - 2 June 2006), pages 33, 39, "Daddy's Girl", "Over and Out?" (No text, just some photos of Wendy on the set at 'EastEnders'.)

TV TIMES (6-12 May 2006), page 24, "For The Love of Rebecca" (A run-of-the-mill EastEnders plot report.  Pauline-oriented, of course, with a great photo of Wendy in-character offering that freeze-an-ox look that spells certain doom for all who would cross Mrs. Fowler) by Alison Slade.

INSIDE SOAP (15-21 April 2006), page 35, "No Average Joe" (More breathless tidbits about utterly fictional people, but is accompanied by a surprisingly nice photo of Wendy as a rather unhappy Pauline.)

SOAPLIFE (#114, 24 March 2006), page 22, "Soap in Pictures:  Battleaxes!"  (A few nice Pauline photos accompany the usual low-down on a sensational storyline.)

TV NOW (11-17 March 2006), page 22, "It's All Over for the Fowlers"  (An article about a rather sordid Martin and Sonia storyline, but accompanied by a small photo that includes a nicely-dressed Pauline.)

WOMAN'S OWN (6 March 2006), pages 10-11, "My Indecent Proposals"  (Another Q&A-type interview with Wendy (perhaps done at the same time as the previous month's?), and far more interesting.  It actually focuses more on Wendy and less on her character's latest storyline, though she does remark that snide comments in the magazines do upset her.  Among the topics is Pauline:  "I feel very sorry for her -- she's had just about every problem life can throw at you.  Pauline's a very strong character, and I think I'm quite strong -- not hard, there's a difference -- and  a survivor."
As well as a rare comment on why she never had children:  "You're either going to have a career or you're going to be a housewife and mother.  I chose the career."
And about her illness:  "When I've been ill, work has been my salvation -- It's when you've got time to sit around and dwell on your health or problems that it brings you down."
Also, a nice photo of Wendy on the EastEnders set.)

SOAPLIFE (#112, 24 February 2006), page 19, "Something Old . . ."  (This picture spread from the previous week's episode of EastEnders covers the wedding of Wendy's character, Pauline.  Some nice photos, though the write-up itself is a bit rude.)

ALL ABOUT SOAP (24 February 2006), pages 10-11, "Love Is In The Square"  (Wendy is interviewed about the marriage of her character, Pauline Fowler.  The article is rather well-written and neutral in tone, and she slips in a comment or two of her own: " 'I've given a third of my life to playing Pauline Fowler, and I don't want to see her go,' says Wendy.  'I don't think you could change her if you tried,' she continues.  'The papers say she's always miserable -- but she does laugh sometimes!  She's hardworking and cares about her family -- and there's nothing wrong with that.' "
A rather refreshing change from those soap mags that write breathlessly about storylines as if they were real events.  Some nice photos accompany.)

THE GUARDIAN (16 February 2006), pages 10-11, "In The Early Days All I Ever Got Were Crying Scenes"  (This is the print version of the online interview of the same date already noted in the Online Articles section.  Still an excellent read, and a trio of very nice photos from, it looks like, 2005, 1995 and 1985.)

WOMAN'S OWN (13 February 2006), pages 10-11, "My Real-Life Love . . ."  (A Q&A-type article about the wedding of her EastEnders character, Pauline Fowler.  Somewhat misleadingly, the article's hook is about Wendy's "feelings for another co-star" -- which turn out to refer to Betty the dog. All the same, there's a couple of fine photos accompanying the article.)

TV TIME (11-17 February 2006), pages 14, 26, "I'll Always Be A Fowler", "Married At Last" (Two articles appear in this issue:  the second is a run-of-the-mill synopsis of the Pauline-centric storyline in the next episode to be aired; however, the first article is an insightful one about Wendy's thoughts on Pauline's marriage and how she's been perceived over the years:
"Pauline is often involved in gritty storylines and when she's given bad news, you can't expect her to jump up and down and be happy.  When she gets good news, you do see her laugh."
-- as well as her own way of dealing with being on such a demanding serial drama:
"I try to leave Pauline behind at the studio gates because I do have my own life ---  quiet as it is.  I work very long hours and I have been ill in the last few years, so I like to go home and relax."
The first article is accompanied by a large and excellent photo of Wendy)
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INSIDE SOAP (11-17 February 2006), cover, pages 14, 18-19, "Happy Ever After?"  (A nicely-written article, also about the Pauline wedding on EastEnders.  Wendy discusses the story line, commenting on her character's perspective on the matter:  ". . . Pauline is so used to being alone in her house.  her teaspoons go in a certain place, and the fruit bowl is always in the middle of the table.  You move Pauline's fruit bowl on pain of death!"
Accompanied by a set of photos that are superior to any of those seen in the other soap mags' coverage of the event.  The large photo on page 18 is particularly charming, and in Wendy's eyes and bright smile one may still see a strong echo of the beautiful young actress of the late 1960s.)

WE LOVE TELLY! (11-17 February 2006), pages 2, 4-5, "A New Groom Sweeps Clean"  (Another write-up on the Pauline Fowler wedding episode.  One of the better photos of Wendy and Ray Brooks in character.)

TV MAG (11-17 February 2006), page 9, "Happy Ever After?"  (An interview with actor Ray Brooks about the Pauline wedding episode of EastEnders.  A couple of nice photos of him and Wendy in character.)

SOAPLIFE (10 February 2006), pages 16-17, 43, "Yes Man", "The Last Dance?"  (Two articles in this soap plot-following mag focus on Wendy's primary storyline in EastEnders.  A handful of photos accompany, including an exceptionally handsome one on page 16.)

HEAT (4-10 February 2006), 107, 117, "My Favourite Telly", "Pick of the Day" (This low-brow celeb magazine lives down to its standards with some manufactured personality picking EastEnders as their favorite TV show.  The author of the second article must not have had her morning coffee, since her review of the Pauline and Joe proposal episode on EastEnders is both sneering and snippy.  Lighten up, lady!  It's just television.  Accompanied by a nice photo of Wendy as Pauline smiling, though) by Julie Emery.

INSIDE SOAP (4 - 10 February 2006), pages 4-5, "Pauline Says Yes to Joe!"  (A step above the usual run of soap plot magazines, Inside Soap has this week an Inside Scoop feature about Pauline Fowler which is described and interpreted by Wendy herself.  Some nice on-set photos accompany.) by Allison Maund.

TV NOW (3 February 2006), page 23, "Second Time Lucky?"  (In this glossy celeb magazine from Ireland, a half-page article about the current EastEnders story line involving Pauline Fowler includes a modest on-set photo of Wendy.)

THE IRISH PEOPLE (29 January 2006), page 4, "Bride and Grim"  (Yikes!  Wade gently through this collection of lurid headlines, unsettling articles, and scantily-clad women, and one may find the half-page spread on the present EastEnders story line involving Pauline Fowler.  Don't be fooled by the claim that Wendy's long-time character "has finally managed a smile."  Pauline has had her delightful moments for years -- it's just that some folks choose not to notice.  Short article accompanied by a rather charming B&W photo.)

ALL ABOUT SOAP (13 January 2006), pages 5, 10, 12, 42-43, "Real Lives:  'Dogs For Disabled Children Are Vital!' "  (Ignoring the great quantity of breathless gossip about fictional people, beauty tips, and lurid advertisements will reward the reader with the one article of substance in this issue: a write-up on Wendy's involvement with the charity 'Dogs for the Disabled'.  The story concludes with Wendy's own words:
"Cairn Terriers are good family dogs and great with kids.  When EastEnders asked if Pauline should have a dog I said it had to be a Cairn Terrier -- and Betty joined us!  She's wonderful -- she loves me and I love her.  That's the beauty of dogs and why I support what Dogs for the Disabled is doing."
Accompanying the article is a nice photo of her with a Cairn Terrier sitting in her lap.  Interestingly, her left hand rests on a bronze statue of a small dog:  almost certainly this is one of the series she commissioned after the passing away of her own Terrier back in mid-2005.  The issue also includes a number of other photos elsewhere connected with the current EastEnders storyline.)

INSIDE SOAP (7-13 January 2006), page 5, "Watch It!"  (A rather depressing article about a depressing storyline in EastEnders.  Still, it does have a nice shot of Wendy as Pauline.)


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INSIDE SOAP (19-25 November 2005), pages 48-49, "The World According To  . . . Wendy Richard"  (Wow!  An exceptional two-page spread, with lots of Wendy quotes about work, interests, health, and other things, not to mention some superb photos from over the years.  Another keeper for any Wendy fan.)

THE WEEKLY NEWS (13 August 2005), cover, "Can Joe Tame the EastEnders Dragon?"  (Wendy, as Pauline Fowler, appears on the cover of this weekly London rag.  The photo is surprisingly good, considering the rather severe pose and expression which I gather was chosen to underscore the unkind headline.  The accompanying article doesn't mention Wendy, but rather covers the introduction to EastEnders of a new character, played by Ray Brooks, who befriends Pauline.)

THE PEOPLE (7 August 2005), page 11, "Den & Buried"  (As lurid and raunchy a publication as surely was ever set to newsprint, this Irish weekly provides lots of reasons to give it a wide berth at the newsstand; however, this issue does offer a rather nice EastEnders on-set photo of Wendy and Letitia Dean.  The two are in mourning attire, for a scene being shot at Watford Cemetery, in east London.)

TVNOW (#268, 16-22 July 2005), page 26, "She's 21 Again!"  (No, not Wendy nor her character of Pauline, rather the reference in this article in the magazine's Soaps section refers to a storyline involving Pat Butcher (Pam St. Clement).  Of interest is the accompanying photo of Pauline which, despite the harsh lighting, gives a clear look at Wendy's new short hair style.)

INSIDE SOAP (28 June 2005), page 40, "Secret Smile" (A short plot synopsis about Pauline Fowler and her granddaughter Chloe/Rebecca.  A couple of so-so on-set photos of Wendy with Natalie Cassidy and James Alexandrou.)

TVNOW (#262, 4-10 June 2005), page 26, "War of the Grannies"  (In its Soaps section, this issue discusses some of the latest plot lines, including a page of narrative and photos for EastEnders, primarily focused on Wendy's character of Pauline Fowler.  The photos are not nearly as appealing as the July TVNow shot, but do give a better idea of her character's everyday look at this time.)

SOAP (20 May 2005), pages 18-19, "Pauline Flips Out!" (Another brief plot synopsis about the Fowler family, accompanied by an on-set photo of Wendy, Natalie Cassidy, and James Alexandrou.)

INSIDE SOAP (14 May 2005), page 8, "Going For Gold!" (A small photo of Wendy and June Brown on the set of EastEnders, holding an Olympic flag, in support of London's bid for the 2012 Games.)

ALL ABOUT SOAP (6 May 2005), cover, page 24, "I Want to Bring Chloe Home!") (Just a storyline summary that involves Wendy's character of Pauline Fowler for this week.  Wendy's comments about the plot are included, and one of her statements is rather telling:
"I can't say what happens when Pauline claps eyes on her granddaughter, but I can tell you that it's very emotional.  I put my heart and soul into those scenes!"
Much of the article page is taken up with some nice in-scene photos of Wendy and her colleagues)
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INSIDE SOAP (30 April 2005), cover, pages 10-11, 74, 98 "Pauline wants Chloe!" (A half-page article about the latest storyline in EE, involving Wendy's character finding a long-lost granddaughter.  The accompanying photo from on the set is quite good, plus other small pix as well.  A more interesting find is on the last page of the mag in the "Soap & Lather" section, which illustrates another current EE storyline with a color caricature that includes Pauline Fowler) by Sarah Ellis.

INSIDE SOAP (30 April - 6 May 2005)  seeking this article   (An article on a current EastEnders storyline may have a Wendy photo or interview.)

WOMAN'S OWN (25 April 2005)  seeking this article   (Possibly a short article involving a current EastEnders storyline.)

INSIDE SOAP (23 April 2005)  seeking this article   (An article on a current EastEnders storyline may have a Wendy photo or interview.)

SOAPLIFE (25 March 2005), page 8, "Wendy's Breast Friend" (A short, but very nice piece on the Gossip page covers Wendy's praise for her physician:
"My breast cancer surgeon Mr. Gilmore is my hero because he saved my life twice -- and I'm sure that of many others too.  Also, his stitching is so neat!"
Accompanied by a photo of Wendy sitting on a red couch.)

YOURS PUZZLES (#2, March 2005), cover, pages 42-43, "Meet Wendy Richard" (Evidently a new games and show-biz trivia mag from the UK, this publication hits an early high with a 2-page look at Wendy, as well as an excellently-edited cover photo.  The feature about WR offers a word-search puzzle (kind of like this one), and a set of four quotations of Pauline Fowler's (which, coincidently, all first appeared here).  A synopsis of her career is included, summing up with "Wendy also loves crosswords!")

TV TIMES (12-17 February 2005), cover, pages 3-4, "Candid Camera", "Once Upon a Time in Walford" (A nice, though smaller than hoped for, article about EastEnders' 20th anniversary.  A superb cover fold-out shot of key cast members is followed up with some looks at the start of the show, as well as a few shots of the cast prepping for the main portrait shot).

NEW ZEALAND TV UPDATE (February 2005), page 20, "Fairground Disaster" (Essentially just a breathless two-page recap of a recent disaster-on-the-Square storyline in EastEnders.  Wendy appears in one of the on-set photos, wrapped in an emergency blanket as her character Pauline and that of Dot are helped away from the storyline's, err . . . tower's, wreckage.)

DAILY MIRROR (28 January 2005), page 19, "Hatchet is Knifed" (A bit of a gossip article about the firing of an executive producer for EastEnders after only a few months on the job.  Wendy is mentioned in passing, in regard to her opinion about the matter, and there's a lovely stock photo of her, probably from a few years earlier) by Caroline Hedley.

EASTENDERS: SOAPLIFE SPECIAL (2005),  (Like most mags of the sort, this 20-year EE anniversary issue of Soap Life is filled with breathless descriptions of the fictional events on the show and drips with gossip about a number of the actors.  Looking beyond that, though, can yield the reader some valuable data:  there's an excellent 20-year synopsis of EE's major storylines, as well as some peeks behind the scenes.  The most serious shortcoming:  Wendy's near complete absence, aside from less-than-complementary photos on pages 5 and 7 and half a dozen small stock photos of Pauline.  Most notably, she's not mentioned at all in the "EastEnders Greatest" section.  Why would that be?  Not pretty enough?  Or notorious enough off-camera?  Or have exciting enough storylines, involving the crashing of cars and the discharging of guns?  Who knows?)


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INSIDE SOAP (20-26 November 2004), pages 46-47, "Loose Lips:  Wendy Richard" (A nice two-page spread with great photos and a number of short quotes from Wendy on a variety of topics; her on-screen son; her MBE; her late dog, Shirley; and others.)

ALL ABOUT SOAP (5 November 2004), page 18, "Demi's Drama" (A plot synopsis covering Pauline Fowler's looking after a wayward young neighbor girl having a baby.  Article is uninteresting, but is accompanied by a rather handsome on-set photo of Wendy and actress Shana Swash -- this is one of the last really good published photos of Wendy.)

YOURS (November 2004)  seeking this article   (Some general articles about celebrities may include a mention of Wendy.)

IRISH DAILY STAR TELLY VISION (24-30 October 2004), page 5, "A Spirited Performance" (A couple of paragraphs about the current EastEnders story line, with a rather good photo of Wendy as Pauline in a scene.)

MY WEEKLY (11 September 2004), pages 4-5, "Wendy's World" (This women's weekly magazine's interview of Ms. Richard offers an fine overview of her career and life across two pages, accompanied by a number of above-average photos, including a nearly-full page version of her 1999 publicity card. None of the details will be unfamiliar to any Wendy fan; nevertheless, the article takes pain to note that Wendy and Pauline are separate entities, and one may not judge the actress by the disposition of the character she plays. My favorite quote? "A few minutes in her company soon confirms that Wendy is a fun-loving girl. She has a subtle sense of humour which is permanently in the air waiting to be unleashed") by Bernard Bale.

HEAT (24-30 July 2004), pages 65-67, "Shock EastEnders' Revelation!" (In the Scandal! section of this embarrass-the-celebrity magazine, one would expect to find some real dirt on Wendy.  After all, the other pages are titled "Britney Pops Out of Her Dress" and "Stars Making Utter ... Fools of Themselves".  However, your webmeister was pleasantly surprised -- and puzzled -- to find Wendy's deep, scandalous secret is that ... "Pauline Used to be a Glam Pop Star!"  Perhaps the fact that she did "Come Outside" with Mike Sarne in 1962 is a revelation to the under-30 crowd who are probably Heat's main audience; however, for everyone else (especially visitors to the WRAP), this is old news indeed.  In any case, the article is a well done -- though perhaps inadvertent -- tribute to Wendy's first brush with stardom.)

TVNOW (#212, 5-11 June 2004), page 22, "SoapsNow! EastEnders: Runaway Bride" (This Irish TV guide has a run of the mill article summarizing the latest plot twists in EastEnders. Picture of Wendy as Pauline.)

RADIO TIMES  (17-24 April 2004), pages 38, 100, "Soap & Flannel", "Today Choices" (A couple of short half-column ruminations on the kinds of funerals that occur in EastEnders and how this one -- of Mark Fowler, Wendy's character's eldest son -- fits into that picture.  There is some implied compliment of Wendy in the praise the reviewers give to her Pauline in this particular storyline) by Alison Graham, Jane Rackham.

TV NOW! (#204, 10-16 April 2004), page 25, "So Long, Mark Fowler" (A bit of a spoiler, that title, on the EastEnders page of this TV schedule & gossip magazine, but the interview with James Alexandrou about this story line is accompanied by a pretty good on-set photo of Wendy and him.)

INSIDE SOAP (6-12 March 2004), page 45, "Wendy's Florida Family Fun!" (This normally over-dramatized magazine for the fan of soap operas surprises in this issue with a positive and nicely-done full-page article about a trip Wendy made to Disneyworld, in Florida, early in the year, accompanied by her partner John Burns, and his two daughters from a previous marriage.  Wendy is quoted in the article speaking about Mr. Burns:
"John turned out to be the one person I could really confide in and talk to about my troubles.  He cares about me, and looks after me.  I never thought I'd feel this happy."
The excellent article is accompanied by a trio of nice photos, including this whimsical one of Wendy on a merry-go-round.)


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SOAPLIFE (#53, 2003)  seeking this article   (May contain an interview with Wendy entitled 'My Life In Soap'.)

SUNDAY WORLD MAGAZINE (30 November 2003), page 59, "Rough Around The Edges"  (Another magazine specializing in celebrity-trashing lives down to its rep by including a photo of Wendy in a throw-away article featuring "stars without their make-up".  However, SWM manages to shoot its sensationalist self in the foot by including a rather attractive candid Wendy pic (indeed the exact same photo that appeared the previous week in Heat -- jeez, can't they even find some original material?) surrounded by a number of very uncomplimentary shots of various other female celebs.  Was the intent to make Wendy look comparatively good?  Or perhaps to take a subtle dig at the other gals (Cameron Diaz, Pamela Anderson, Rachael Weisz, et al.) for daring to not look as stylishly casual as this venerable British actress?  Who knows?  Actually, who cares?)

HEAT (22-28 November 2003), page 28, "Wendy Throws a Wobbly"  (With its usual unkind comments and over-familiar approach, this celebrity mag presents a full-page photo (probably shot with a long lens) of Wendy speaking with a London parking enforcement officer.  To be sure, it's actually quite a good snapshot; she's dressed for the autumn sensibly, yet with style.)

SNEAK (23 August 2003), page 60, "Will Martin Be Banged Up Again?" (Another breathless plot synopsis from Albert Square.  A fine half-page on-set photo of Wendy with James Alexandrou.)

TVNOW (#173, 23-29 August 2003), pages 19, 26, "EastEnders: The Fowlers" and "Green Fingers" (This Irish TV guide only speaks in terms of Wendy's EE character of Pauline. Two good on-set photos: one from 1985 and the other from 2003.).

BEST (#32/03, 12 August 2003), pages 30-31, Celebrity Insider: "The Day Wendy Richard Saved My Life" (An interview with Laila Morse, who speaks on her life and especially her bout with cancer in 2001, for which she credits Wendy with pressing Morse to finally seek examination and treatment. A fine photo of the two together as well).

OBSERVER-TV (22-28 June 2003), page 4, "SoapWatch" (No article in this TV listing guide, but an in-passing photo of Wendy as Pauline in the middle of a scene with a surprisingly svelte Sharon (Letitia Dean).

HEAT (17 May 2003), pages 28-29, "Look At Trendy Wendy" (This issue of the stalker of the stars magazine contains the usual embarrassing close-ups and long-lens shots of celebrities caught at less than their red-carpet best.  And to look at the Heat staff portrait on page 5, they seem like such nice people . . .  Anyway, the mag includes a two-page spread of Wendy dressed sensibly as she's out and about running some errands in London.  Tempest in a teapot, methinks.)

OBSERVER-TV (11-17 May 2003), cover, "EASTENDERS" (No article in this TV listing guide, but the cover has a surprisingly good photo of Wendy as poor Pauline Fowler apparently receiving more bad news over tea from her wayward son Martin).

NOW - CELEBRITY HAIR (Spring, 2003), page 44, "If Only We Could Get Our Hands On . . ." (In this issue of a British hair and grooming magazine, Wendy's character of Pauline Fowler -- presumably this is not a slam at Wendy herself -- is targeted by a hair stylist with a suggestion for a different "funkier" look. The result, simulated by a digitally-altered photo, is actually quite awful, leading your webmeister to conclude as charitably as he can that the piece must have been intended as satire rather than as a serious styling suggestion).

HEAT (15-21 February 2003), page 13, "Wendy lays into Jack" (A short article on Wendy's firm on-line rebuff to former EE cast member Jack Ryder's tactless comments earlier this year concerning her and -- of all things -- little Shirley) by Rachel Eling.

SNEAK (#40, 11-17 February 2003), page 5, "Scrap Two: Wendy Richard vs. Jack Ryder" (While overall a typically vapid example of the teen-set gossip magazine, this particular issue was slightly redeemed by a short article also about Wendy's response to Ryder's statements).

OK! (#353, 11 February 2003), page 115, "Wearing her Gold Heart on Her Sleeve: Hannah Waterman (An article about Waterman's support for the Variety club charity. A quite good photo, possibly from October of 2002, of her with EastEnders colleagues Wendy, Lucy Benjamin, and June Brown.)

THE LOOK (1 February 2003), page 33, "Celeb CV" (This entertainment insert for the Daily Mirror newspaper has a nice little feature on Wendy entitled "Wendy Richard (57):  EastEnders."  Of course, like so many other media, it got her age wrong -- she was actually 60 in 2003.  The body of the article:
"Lives:  In Central London with partner John Burns.  Famous as:  EastEnders' Pauline Fowler since the soap started in 1985.  Big break:  Working with Albert Finney in the 1971 movie Gumshoe.  She found fame in the '70s sitcom Are You Being Served? playing busty Grace Bros shop assistant Shirley Brahms.  Health:  She has suffered twice from breast cancer and underwent treatment last year.  Did you know?  Once a 40-a-day smoker, Wendy quit in 1983 after acupuncture."

Oddly, if Wendy stopped smoking in 1983, she'd certainly begun anew long before this 2003 article:  during 1999's Fighting Fit program, she talked about wanting to quit smoking again.  Accompanied by a stock photo of Wendy as Pauline Fowler).

SOAPLIFE (27 January 2003), page 41, "15 Things You Didn't Know About . . . Wendy Richard" (A fine half-page article with lots of goodies about Wendy -- though of course, to any regular visitor to the WRAP, none of the information is particularly new.  Still, it's a nice introduction to some of Wendy's most unique qualities and experiences.  One interesting insight:
"If there's one thing I can't stand it's bad manners . . .  Any form of rudeness gets right up my nose . . .  Especially in a man!"
With a fine photo of the lady from 1999.)

OK! (14 January 2003), page 141, "The OK! Diary: The Grand Order of the Water Rats Annual Ball" (No real article; just one nice photo of Wendy with Keith Simmons, the host of the ball. Actually, the event is documented in more detail (with a pretty nice photo of Wendy in the collection) on the Grand Order of Water Rats website.)


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HELLO! (#742, 3 December 2002), page 69, "Returns to the Square In Spite of Cancer" (An upbeat story noting that Wendy took two months off from the series for treatment and then returned to work part-time. It also recaps her career highlights and credits her with a most telling quote: "I'm not a celebrity. I am a working actress." Article is accompanied by an excellent photo.)

DAILY EXPRESS (20 November 2002), pages 1, 3, "Wendy's Back" (A quite positive article on Wendy's return to work on EastEnders while still under treatment for her illness. Four outstanding photos, including that attractive pic from the 'royal blue' shoot that was added recently to the Herself gallery.)

THE IRISH STAR (20 November 2002), page 22, "Wendy Is Winning Her Cancer Battle" (One photo of Wendy made up as Pauline Fowler accompanies this short, quarter-page article, also about her return to work. Complementary, it remarks that Wendy "has impressed her colleagues with her determination.")

OK! (#342, 20 November 2002), page 90, "The Queens of Soapland" (A rather interesting, photo-heavy article about the evolution of six British actresses from sirens of the screen in the Sixties and Seventies to present-day soap matriarchs. Wendy (well, yes, of course . . .), Barbara Windsor, Amanda Barrie, Lorraine Chase, Prunella Gee, and Jane Asher are featured.)

WOMAN (11 November 2002), page 45, "We're All Very Afraid" (A rather interesting piece about celebrities pet fears and phobias.  For Joanna Lumley and Winona Ryder, it is water; for Jennifer Aniston, a fear of flying.  And Wendy?  Well, let her tell it:  "I really can't stand insects, especially when they come near me.  One time I was sitting on a hay cart during filming [webmeister's note:  this was probably on the set of "Grace and Favour"] and I let out a piercing scream when a large spider dropped down my cleavage.  All these men were standing round and no one came to help.  One said, 'If you think I'm putting my hand down there, you've got to be joking.' "
A well-known publicity photo of Wendy holding her dog Shirley accompanies the article)
by Phil Tusler.

BEST (#44/02, 5 November 2002), page 28, "EastEnders Saved My Life" (A page-and-a-quarter article that addresses not only her recent illness and recaps her life's hardships, but balances it well with a look at the positive factors which have strengthened Wendy through her myriad trials. A surprisingly upbeat and generally pleasant article. A number of photos of Wendy from various years and characters; an excellent picture of her, John Burns, and little Shirley; I suspect it was shot at the same time as the series which appeared in Hello magazine on 9 Jan 01. Oddly, the pic on the magazine's cover is a mirror-image of one inside with the article) by Paul Simper.

OK! (#338, 23 October 2002), page 140, "Variety Club" (A piece on the October Variety Club event to honor Wendy , described as one the club's "most enthusiastic supporters." A couple of fine photos of Wendy with EastEnders co-stars Todd Carty and June Brown.)

HEAT (12-18 October 2002), page 28, "EastEnders Old and New Turn out for Sharon's Wedding" (No article; just one pic of a sharply-dressed Wendy among the many cast members who attended Letitia Dean's wedding in early Oct 02.)

INSIDE SOAP (11 October 2002), pages 7, 20, "Speedy Recovery" (It's refreshing to see a soap magazine offer an article of concern and support, rather than the usual unrelieved fare of gossip and tattle tales.  This issue of IS notes Wendy's recurring illness and wishes her a speedy recovery.  Accompanied by a very attractive photo.  A smaller photo of Wendy appears with an article about actress Lucy Benjamin's storyline this week).

OK (9 October 2002), page 133, "Celebrity News Round-Up" (A brief article appears noting that Wendy is to be honored by the Variety Club of Great Britain.  Includes a quote by Wendy in support of the charity, as well as a nice photo of her with John Burns and little Shirley.)

DAILY EXPRESS (9 October 2002), page 25, "Wendy is Honoured" (Short article about a tribute lunch for Wendy given on 8 Oct 02 by the Variety Club. She was feted "for her services to show business." A lovely photo accompanies the article.)

DAILY EXPRESS (4 October 2002), page 11, "EastEnder Wendy's New Cancer Battle" (An excellent two-page spread with the by-line of "As her peers prepare to honour Wendy Richard at a Variety Club lunch, the Albert Square star reveals her determination to overcome illness." Some interesting insights into the lady and the roles she's played - though it does inexplicably note her career as spanning "five decades". Accompanied by half a dozen B&W pix) by Maureen Paton.

WEEKEND (21 September 2002),  (A stock photo of Wendy accompanies a TV listing for Are You Being Served?)

TV TIMES (14 September 2002),   seeking this article   (May contain a small article.)

INSIDE SOAP (13 September 2002), pages 13, 48, 69, "Caught in the Act" (Just a nice pic of a smiling Wendy at the 2001 annual Flora charity run, accompanied, inevitably, by the usual snarky remark masquerading as a witty comment about the picture.  When will these mags learn?  Also, a couple of photos of Wendy in character as Pauline from various recent scenes of EastEnders.)

HEAT (7-13 September 2002), page 103, "Pick of the Day" (A photo of Wendy in-character as Pauline; not a particularly good shot. However, the write-up is redeemed by the description of Pauline as "the patron saint of cardigans".)

DAILY EXPRESS (5 September 2002), page 7, "TV Wendy faces new cancer fight" (A positive and fairly low-key article about Wendy's latest bout with cancer: describes the circumstances; and notes the highlights of her career. A number of photos, too, one stock shot of Miss Brahms and two other exceptionally nice photos of Wendy herself) by J. Boulton and P. Broster.

THE IRISH SUN (5 September 2002), page 11, "EastEnder Wendy's New Cancer Battle" (A quarter-page article about the obvious topic. Accompanied by a stock shot of Pauline from early 2001) by Clodagh Hartley.

IRISH DAILY MIRROR (5 September 2002), page 9, "We Will Beat Cancer" (A pair of articles, a half-page each, one on Wendy and the other athlete Geoff Boycott, with summaries of their illnesses, and career highlights. Wendy's article is very positive. Accompanied by a stock Pauline shot from early 2001) by Miccola Methven.

DAILY MAIL (5 September 2002), page 5, "EastEnder Wendy in her third battle to beat cancer" (3/4-page article about her illness with a short personal and career summary. Two handsome photos, including a color shot on the front page) by Mark Reynolds.

INSIDE SOAP (24 May 2002), page 73, "Caught In the Act" (The popular soap magazine presents Wendy in one of the entries for this regularly featured section.  It's just a so-so shot of Wendy with a youngster who's been soliciting spare change for the Dogs At Risk, Europe (DARE) campaign.  Photo is accompanied by a snide comment by the editor, and makes a frivolous joke of the fact of Wendy's fine work over the years with animal welfare causes.)

YOURS (#5, May 2002), pages 15-17, "Life of Drama" (An excellent three-page article that recaps Wendy's career, with emphasis on her stint with 'Are You Being Served?'.  While there's little about Wendy's life here that a true fan wouldn't already know, it does provide some interesting insights about her idea of leisure, her take on doing charity work, favorite episode of AYBS? and her spoken accent.  Overall, a gem of an interview which -- bonus! -- is accompanied by a couple of superb photos (here and here.)

INSIDE SOAP (15 March 2002), page 35, "Dead Shocking" (A less than interesting one-page article, part of which notes a 1997 storyline about Pauline Fowler where she discovers she has long-lost relatives in Ireland.  Small on-set photo of Wendy as Pauline).

INSIDE SOAP (1 February 2002), page 74, "Family Lies" (A short paragraph about the feuding between Wendy's character of Pauline Fowler with Peggy Mitchell, offering an idea of how to resolve the tension.  Not terribly interesting, though it is accompanied by stock publicity photos of both characters.)

WOMAN'S OWN (28 January 2002), page 43, "A Minute With . . . Wendy Richard" (A single-page question and answer article, plus a large, very attractive photo of Wendy plus a couple of smaller stock shots. The interviewer's questions are intelligent and fun, and Wendy seems to have answered in depth, providing some interesting insight on a modest range of subjects. Definitely a keeper for the true Wendy-fan) by Vicky Spain.

HEAT (12-18 January 2002), page 26, "Peggy And Pauline's Catfight" seeking this article (A couple of blurry video screen grabs of a verbal slugfest between the two EastEnders characters. The shot of Pauline (Wendy) is not particularly well done -- though the short pseudo-gossip article that accompanies indicates it was an entertaining episode . . .)


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NOW (26 December 2001), page 25, "Now Year's Honours List" (A look at a commendable trend in EastEnders toward including older actors. No, Wendy wasn't listed among the "elderly", but there is an on-set picture of her as Pauline sitting with actor Ian Lavender, who was indeed on the list.)

WOMAN'S WEEKLY (4 December 2001), pages 8-9, "Wendy Richard: "My Mum Always Hated My Voice!" (British ladies' periodical with recipes, celebrity gossip, that sort of thing. Excellent 2-page interview with Wendy, probably to coincide roughly with the release of her then-new book. Some nice insights in the article; this is another keeper for the true Wendy fan. A very handsome picture, too) by Angela Court.

THE IRISH SUN (29 November 2001), pages 4, 5, "Queen Liz in the Queen Vic" (A very handsome color photo of Wendy with Queen Elizabeth, and Barbara Windsor. The accompanying article, by Charles Rae, gives a paragraph or two to supposed friction between Wendy and Barbara about hosting the Royal visitors.)

DAILY RECORD (29 November 2001), page 3, "E.R.s 'Enders" (A quite handsome photo of Wendy with Prince Phillip. The accompanying article, by Jan Kerr, had little to say about Wendy, other than to imply a rivalry between her and actress Barbara Windsor.)

THE SUNDAY TIMES (28 October 2001), Section 5, Page 1, "Bust-Up at the Beeb"(Article is about Marmaduke Hussey, chairman of the BBC. The large photo with the article shows him on the set of EastEnders with Wendy, made up as Pauline, at his side, along with others of the cast. Judging from the characters present, I'd estimate the photo probably dates from 1987 or 1988.)

DAILY EXPRESS (29 September 2001),  seeking this article (Contains a partial-page article about Wendy with photos.)

THE WEEKLY NEWS (#7631 - #7634, 22 September 2001 through 6 October 2001), "My Life's Story" (An excellent four-issue spread of articles based on extracts from Wendy's book. Though presented in a bit of a sensationalist fashion -- consider the newspaper --, the overall tone of the articles is quite positive. A welcome bonus is that many of the photos that accompanying the articles are rarely seen shots which are not from her book. Wendy is also on three of the four front pages.)

TV NOW! (#71, 18-24 August 2001), page 6, "EastEnders Party" (Photo of Wendy dressed in black and red, with Letitia Dean at a party celebrating EastEnders' 16th year.)

OK! (17 August 2001). seeking this article (Another piece on the EastEnders' party. Possibly a photo of Wendy with other cast members.)

OK! (#276, 10 August 2001), page 183, "The OK! Diary: British Forces Foundation Gala Event" (A article about a charity ball that Wendy -- and quite a few other celebs -- attended at the 5-star Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Two small photos of Wendy.)

TV TIMES (4-10 August 2001), page 4, "Insider Special" (No article, but a nice photo of Wendy, casually dressed, with two dozen other current EastEnders cast members. This was actually available at the time as a computer screen wallpaper image from the BBC's EastEnders website.  Curiously, she's not included in the similar cover photo that features most of the other cast members.)

WALFORD GAZETTE (#34; Vol. 9, Issue 2; mid-2001), pages 8-9, two articles: "Our Dinner With Wendy Richard" and "Star-Struck Fan Remembers to Curtsy" (Three nice B & W photos, but the treat is in the two articles -- the first a very well done full-page piece by Irene Feldman -- written about a visit Wendy made to New York City around the summer of 2001, and her tag-up with some of her fans there. Definitely worth the effort and the expense of sending away for this back issue of the Gazette. Check the W.G. website for details.)

DAILY EXPRESS (13 June 2001),  seeking this article (Contains an article on 1980s stars, including some mention of Ms. Richard.)

HELLO! (#666, 12 June 2001), page 19, "The Cast of EastEnders Celebrate A Winning Streak at the British Soap Awards" (A short article on EastEnders' excellent showing at the mid-2001 BAFTA event. Accompanied by a great shot of Wendy surrounded by her colleagues from the series.)

THE SUNDAY TIMES - Culture (10 June 2001), page 60, "From Grace Brothers to Albert Square: Wendy Richard" (No article, but a great photo of Wendy on the set of Grace and Favour. It appears in conjunction with a TV listing of 12 June for the show about her career: "Wendy Richard -- A Life On the Box".)

OK! (#267, 8 June 2001), pages 10, 15, "British Soap Awards 2001"(Two photos of Wendy with the EastEnders cast at the awards ceremony in May. Also, page 181: short text article about Wendy by colleague Laila Morse.)

HELLO! (#653, 13 March 2001), page 68, "Prince Charles Throws a 50th Birthday Party for The Archers" (One large photo of Wendy -- in a sharp suit and tie -- with Prince Charles and other well-known Archers "aficionados".)

CANDIS (February 2001), page 14, "Fighting Spirit" (Six photos -- including a cover shot -- three of which are quite nice and rarely seen. An excellent interview with Wendy about her 1996 bout with breast cancer. Frank, but very positive.)

SOAPLIFE (February 2001), page 45, "Fowler Play!" (Two photos -- including a cover shot -- and analysis by Wendy of Pauline's motives. Amusing to note the mag played fast and loose with the photos: on the cover, the image is reversed, and on page 45, Wendy's sky-blue outfit has been re-processed to appear red) by Sally Brockway.

SUNDAY MIRROR PERSONAL -- TV WEEK (28 January 2001), page 43, "It's War, Baby" (An excellent shot of Wendy with Natalie Cassidy.)

INSIDE SOAP (19 January 2001), page 39, "Profile: Pauline Fowler" (Two nice photos -- including a cover shot. Analysis of the baby Chloe story line by actress Natalie Cassidy) by Allison Maund.

TV QUICK (13-19 January 2001), page 6, "Nanny Knows Best?" (Two fine photos -- including a cover shot; short article about the baby Chloe story line.)

THE TV MAG (13-19 January 2001), page 4, "Battle Over Chloe" (Two photos -- including a cover shot. Half-page article about the baby Chloe story line) by Stafford Hildred.

WOMAN'S OWN (15 January 2001), page 39, "EastEnders: Family Misfortunes" (A couple of quite charming photos of Wendy holding a baby -- including a cover shot using a reversed image. Some detailed analysis in Wendy's words of Pauline Fowler's motivation in a current major EastEnders storyline) by Deirdre O'Brien.

HELLO! (#644, 9 January 2001, page 14, "Wendy Richard" (a long, very positive and well-photographed pair of articles; one about Wendy and her sister Kay; the other about her recent MBE -- with some great shots of partner John Burns, too. Extensive interview. A real treat!) by Madeleine Kingsley.

RADIO TIMES (6 January 2001), page 13, "Questionnaire:  Wendy Richard" (A delightful question and answer article that offers Wendy's opinion on a variety of interesting personal topics.  Your webmeister's favorites:
What would you be doing now if you hadn't become an actress?  "I might have followed in my parents' footsteps and gone into the hotel business or catering."
Who would you like to play you in a film of your life?  "Jane Leeves, who plays Daphne in Frasier -- she's tall [webmeister's note:  JL is 5'10"] and very attractive."
What would you most like to change about yourself?  "I'd like to be taller and have longer legs.  I'd love to be able to wear those high heels I had in Are You Being Served? . . ."
Accompanied by a surprisingly nice caricature portrait.)

SOAP STARS (2001)  seeking this article   (Apparently an annual special, this magazine may have an article regarding Wendy.)


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OK! (2 December 2000).seeking this article   (A modest article about Wendy.  No other details known at present, though it seems likely it was related to the release at about that time of her autobiography.)

HELLO! (#640, 5 December 2000), page 61, "Wendy Richard: Publishes Her Life Story" (A brief article about a party Wendy threw in connection with the release of her autobiography. A half-dozen photos of her colleagues, and a great one of Wendy herself.)

INSIDE SOAP (24 November 2000), pages 40-42, "Don't Call Pauline Miserable!" (A superb three-page spread looks at both Wendy's career and life, as well aspects of her character of Pauline Fowler on EastEnders.  The article seems to have been timed to appear about the same time as her autobiography this same year.  Some great photos appear, both of Wendy herself, and a few stock shots from various shows -- there's even a baby picture from about 1944.  A couple of the nicest pix are here ) by Wendy Granditer.

WOMAN'S REALM (21 November 2000), pages 16-17, "Everything in Life is a Lesson to Learn" (A full two-page "celebrity interview", this article coincided with the release of Wendy's autobiography.  As an interview, it's a little suspect:  many, if not all, of the Wendy quotes in the article are word-for-word from her book.  Still, some good coverage and the photos of the lady through the years are lovely) by Ricchard Barber.

UK WEEKEND (11 November 2000)  seeking this article   (Possibly a small article about Wendy.)

OK! (22 September 2000), page 6, "BBC Television Centre Party"  (In an article ostensibly written to celebrate the BBC Television Centre's 40th anniversary there's a lovely photo of Wendy standing with Angela Rippon.)

INSIDE SOAP (15 September 2000), pages 4, 52, "Caught In The Act" (A feature of candid snaps of people who one assumes are celebrities in some way or another.  A great photo of Wendy doing warm-up exercises as part of the Flora charity foot race this year.  Also a smaller photo a number of pages later on-set at EastEnders, illustrating one of the week's storylines.)

THE MAIL On Sunday (30 July 2000), page 15, article "Thieves stole Wendy's memories".

MY WEEKLY (22 July 2000), page 20, "My Enchanting Little Mischief Maker" (This is a cute half-page article appearing as a "Celebrity Pets" feature.  It covers of course Wendy's little Cairn Terrier Shirley Brahms (the Second).  The dog's history is detailed and Wendy is quoted frequently.  Accompanied by a few photos of Shirley and of Wendy with Shirley).

ALL ABOUT SOAP (June 2000), page 4-5, "A Woman's Best Friend?" (A small blurb about Wendy's being pushed over by a large dog at the Bonio Awards in London that year.  Kind of cute, but the photos are too small to really be interesting).

OK! (12 May 2000)  seeking this article   (A minor article about Wendy.)

OK! (#209, 21 April 2000), page 45, "Gloria Hunniford" (A very long article about Hunniford's sixtieth birthday bash. One modest, but nice photo of Wendy and John.)

THE MAIL On Sunday (16 April 2000), magazine supplement, page 28, article "EastEnders at 15: Wendy Richards" (Superb photos and a great interview.)

HEAT (13-19 April 2000), page 8, "The Week in Pictures; Tuesday, 4 April, London" (The magazine lives up to its tacky reputation with a rather crude byline -- not to mention editorial shoddiness, since they spelled her name wrong. In any case, the subject of the article itself and sequence of five photos were innocent enough: Wendy posed at the Golden Bonio Awards with Izzie, the very large, prize-winning dog. The canine, unfortunately, decided he wanted to play, not sit for photos, and he caught Wendy, kneeling next to him, off-balance and pushed her over onto the floor. No harm done.)

RADIO TIMES EastEnders Anniversary Special (February-March 2000), page 39, "Profile: Pauline Fowler" (Fine picture; words on Wendy's portrayal of Pauline.)

RADIO TIMES (19-25 February 2000) (Pictures only.)

HELLO! (#598, 15 February 2000), page 71, "The Lord's Taverners Charity Celebrates . . ." (a short picture article about an anniversary party for this well-known British charity group. An exceptionally nice picture of Wendy accompanies.)

HELLO! (#593, 11 January 2000), page 26, "Diary Of The Week" (A full-page spread about a New Year reception hosted by Hello magazine itself at the Dorchester Club in London.  A small, but handsome photo of Wendy and John Burns appears at the top of the page) by John Rendall.


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INSIDE SOAP (22 October 1999), pages 6-7, (A short blurb about the upcoming special program EastEnders: Fighting Fit.  The sparseness of the article is more than made up by the great group photo that accompanies).

INSIDE SOAP (#134, 21 August - 3 September 1999), page 5, "Caught in the Act" (Despite the innuendo of this feature's title, the article is a montage of fairly harmless candid photos of various British celebrities.  There's a rather nice photo of Wendy, refreshingly natural-looking and dressed in running kit.  Although the tagline doesn't say, I suspect this was shot during her participation in the annual Flora Light Woman's Challenge charity foot race.  Also a couple of EastEnders cast shots on page 6 which include Wendy.)

SOAPLIFE (September 1999), page 52, "Full of East End Promise" (A lavish six-page spread offers a recap of 14 years of storylines for Wendy's soap opera EastEnders.  Considering her central role in the show for all those years, Wendy's character of Pauline is completely absent from the write-up, though she does appear in three of the group photos from over the years).

DAILY MAIL WEEKEND (10 July 1999), pages 18-20, "A West End Girl At Heart" (A excellent article and it's made better by the large format of this newspaper's TV guide.  The interview covers pretty much all of Wendy's life and many personal trials; it's up-beat, but without being saccharine, and it offers some surprising gems of insight, such as:  "Her background has given her a strange mixture of vulnerability and stoical toughness.  She's never become grand but, when she makes up her mind, she can be implacable.  She's self-protective because for too long there was nobody else to protect her."  Interesting!  Accompanied by a number of top-notch photos, both old and new.    One of them may be seen here.  This is really one of the best Wendy interview articles ever written.  Another definite keeper) by Lynda Lee-Potter.

OK! (#144, 15 January 1999), page 87, "Annabel's Diary: Variety Club Tribute to Cliff" (Short mention of Wendy's attendance at a Variety Club Christmas lunch. Quite a good photo of the lady.)


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OK (18 December 1998), page 115, "Annabel's Diary:  Water Rats - Grand Order's Annual Ball" (In the celeb-spotting section, Wendy appears in a photo while attending the, well, annual ball of the Grand Order of Water Rats, a charitable organization which arranges frequent fund-raising events.  This particular dinner-dance probably occurred in late November.  A delightful photo of Wendy at the ball which accompanied the article appears here.)

OK! (#140, 11 December 1998), pages 66, 69, "WENDY RICHARD AND SID OWEN" (The two actors go on a five-page shopping expedition in "London's top department store". Two outstanding full-page color photos of Wendy -- and also a telling quote: "I have a black belt in shopping!")

OK! (#137, 20 November 1998), page 99, "The Masquerade Ball" (This glossy gossip mag reports on a charity event in support of the Princess Diana Memorial Fund.  Wendy attended and also assisted in presenting some of the prizes for an auction.  A modest photo of Wendy with Paul Burrell (Diana's former butler).)

INSIDE SOAP (3-16 October 1998), page 4 "Caught In The Act" (Just a selection of mildly humorous photos of celebrities, with inane captions or comments added by the magazine.  Still, a nice photo of a smiling Wendy, at some unknown event).

Woman's Own (?? 1998) article seeking this article "My Best Friend".

SUNDAY MIRROR MAGAZINE (5 April 1998).seeking this article   (Possibly a snap or two of Wendy in the 'Personal Pictures' section for photos of the rich and famous.)

Time Out (March 25 - April 1, 1998) article "The Bitch is Back".

WHO WEEKLY (#315, 9 March 1998), page 10, "Star Tracks" (A single sentence, but with a very nice photo, noting Wendy's participation in the year's London Fashion Show.)

INSIDE SOAP (7-20 February 1998), page 5, "Caught in the Act" (Just a photo of Wendy with friend and colleague John Inman at an Are You Being Served reunion.  Usual un-funny caption included.)

INSIDE SOAP (10-23 January 1998), page 5, "Caught In the Act" (The soap and gossip magazine has a regular feature section by this name, which offers a handful of off-the-cuff celebrity photos tagged with comments that the writers evidently consider funny or clever.  A nice photo of a smiling Wendy sitting in the backseat of a vehicle, clearly during an evening out.  The photo is rather charming and is one of those rare pics that shows Wendy wearing her glasses.  The caption added to the photo is fairly innoculous:
Wendy's a firm believer in traveling light -- bar her flag, flowers, mags, bag . . .
Here's the photo.)


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WHAT'S ON TV (19-24 October 1997), page 58, "Was that Really Me?" (In this rather engrossing article, the magazine looks at some 23 present-day television actors and turns the clock back to each person's first claim to fame. For Wendy of course the article notes her stint as the "Come Outside" girl back in the early Sixties. Intriguingly, it goes on to quote Wendy as having said back then:
"As for being a singer -- don't make me laugh! Nothing is further from my mind. My great ambition is to be a comedy actress."  Accompanied by a nice publicity shot from the mid-1990s.)

WOMAN'S WEEKLY (23 September 1997), page 16, "We Laugh Non-Stop" (The 'My Best Friend' column in this issue is a one-page interview of John Inman, who provides some insights into Wendy Richard, his best friend.  In general, the article is high praise for the classy lady, though Inman doesn't hesitate to mention her few faults as well as her numerous virtues.  Article transcription is here.  Accompanying casual photo of the two is an exceptionally nice one) by Christopher Kenworthy.

HOMES & IDEAS (September 1997) article seeking this article "Behind the scenes with Wendy Richard" by Jan Orchard.

OK! (#66, 4 July 1997).seeking this article   (Mention of Wendy's presence at the Comic Heritage Awards.)

EVENING ARGUS  West Sussex, UK) (9 May 1997) article: "Wendy's all tied up" (A very short blurb in a regional newspaper about Wendy's fashion style.  The article includes a "nice picture" of Ms. Richard. (Thanks to Anneloes for this tidbit!), and reads:
"EASTENDER Pauline Fowler, alias Wendy Richard, was one of the three women among celebrities awarded for wearing ties by the Guild of British Tie-Makers.".)

RADIO TIMES (22-28 March 1997), pages 26, 93, "You Must Never Give in to Cancer" (A detailed and positive look at Wendy's fight with breast cancer, done as an introduction to her medical special, The Big C, which premiered this week. The article is quite thought-provoking and fairly well written; the two photos (especially the one on page 26) are both excellent.)

WOMAN (3 March 1997), cover, pages 18-19, "I Refused To Believe I Was Going To Die" (An interview with Wendy about her first encounter with breast cancer and the aftermath.  Transcript is here.  Actually most of what she speaks of is reproduced fairly closely in her autobiography from a few years later; nevertheless, it is a serious read about one woman's coming to grips with the illness feared perhaps above all.  Accompanied by excellent photos, including this cover shot) by Val Sampson.

BOULEVARD - THE EXPRESS ON SUNDAY (2 March 1997), page 21, "The Ex-Files" (A full page review of Wendy's difficult marital history.  Each of her three failed marriages is examined, though the article wraps up with a hopeful tone, noting Wendy's promising relationship with John Burns (who would eventually become her fourth husband, shortly before Wendy passed away).  Accompanied by photos of Wendy with each of the four men; all are photos we've seen before.  The article gets her age wrong, saying she is "50", in 1997, which is actually four years too young) by Alice Freeman.

MY WEEKLY (#337, 25 January 1997), page 18, "Wendy's Curious Collection"  (Coincidently, five years almost to the day after Wendy's frog collection was featured in Radio Times, the topic again finds its way into the pages of the media in this issue of the woman's magazine, My Weekly.  While there's some mildly interesting tidbits about Wendy's collecting of cruet [condiment] sets and Art Deco figurines, the one-third-page article disappoints in general, since a large part is just an antique expert's writing about the history of cruets.)


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NEWS OF THE WORLD (24 November 1996), pages 4-5, "EastEnders Nearly Cost Me My Life!" (This rag of a newspaper seemed to deal mostly in scandal and sensation, but this article about Wendy is actually informative and interesting.  The topic is Wendy's premature return to the set of EastEnders after treatment for breast cancer earlier in the year.  She's quoted extensively and offers many insights.  About returning to work:  "Unfortunately, I did go back to work too soon.  I knew it was holding up the schedule.  Everyone advised me to rest, but I thought, 'I'm a jobbing actress, a contract worker.  My contract is with the BBC, the work has to be done.'  Quite beside that, I love my job.  you could say I live for it."  Her take on her illness:  "I've never been ill before.  My attitude to it is that I don't have time to be unwell.  I have to keep going.  At first I refused to accept that I was ill, that I had it."  And about cigarettes:  "I've cut down on the fags, which to me must be the biggest miracle of all."  John Burns was quoted in the article too:  "Wendy has such a great sense of humour and is so easy to talk to . . .  We even saw Wendy featured on CNN news one evening detailing her cancer battle.  She gets recognised everywhere she goes in America because they lover her old series of Are You Being Served? which is still being shown over there.  We had a laugh over that together."
The Article offers a quartet of phtos of Wendy:  two portraits -- one with ex-husband Paul Glorney and another with current beau and friend John Burns; the other two photos look like random publicity stills of Pauline from the set of
EastEnders.  As a nice bonus, the article has a small side-line "Shot to Fame at Sweet 16" which details Wendy's introduction to celebrity by virtue of her pop music hit Come Outside) by David Jeffs and Jan Jacques.

OK! (#19, 28 July 1996), page 42, "OK! Comedy Awards:  Serious Fun" (An article about the annual Comic Heritage's Summer Ball and Comedy Awards mentions Wendy's attendance as an award presenter.  It includes a nice photo of her with Ernest Maxin, a fifty-year veteran of the British entertainment industry as actor, writer, choreographer, and producer) by Kate Sissons.

EVA (24 July 1996), page 3, "It's a Wendy House!" (Another cheap UK periodical with lurid stories such as "The Germans won't give me back my child!" and "I was fined £130 because I beat up his lover", but this issue has a breath of fresh air on page 3 with a gorgeous shot of Wendy and short blurb about her influence on the household of EE character Pauline Fowler:
"
'I feel that house is mine,' says Wendy Richard, who turns 50 [sic] on Saturday. 'I arrange the furniture and knick-knacks in keeping with her character. And I insisted that Pauline would have a bloomer loaf, not a sliced one.' ")

INSIDE SOAP (29 June-12 July 1996), page 48, "Profile: Wendy Richard" (This weekly UK magazine, with all the latest plot lines and pseudo-news from various soaps, scored a home run with a full-page color portrait of Wendy, and a modest column that chronicles her career, noting that "Wendy's become nothing less than a national institution".)

TV QUICK (#24, 15-21 June 1996), pages 6-7, "Arthur's Farewell" (A half-page blurb summarizing the EastEnders' story line about the end of the character of Arthur Fowler, as well as some highlights from "his troubled life".  Tellingly, the largest photo in the set isn't of actor Bill Treacher at all, but rather of Wendy as Pauline Fowler in mourning (which becomes her).)

TV TIMES (15-21 June 1996), pages 18-19, "Arthur's Last Farewell" (A two-page spread in the soap gossip section goes on about the funeral of EastEnders character Arthur Fowler.  A couple of good photos from the set of Wendy as the grieving widow) by Justine Holman.

NZ WOMAN'S WEEKLY (10 June 1996), page 16, "Oh No!  Not My Other Breast!" (This magazine is a bit of rag; its contents are along the lines of soap opera news, recipes for tripe, travel,with a heavier than normal does of astrology nonsense.  But this article turns out to be not just another bit of sensational fluff.  It is a bit of a rough read, as it covers an episode of Wendy possibly finding another occurence of breast cancer (on her right side), just a few months after her initial diagnosis and treatment.  Happily, it seems to have turned out to be a false alarm.  The article is detailed and quotes Wendy extensively.  Some of her words:
"I couldn't believe it.  My doctor had given me the all-clear and I had utterly believed him.  Now I had found another.  I thought, 'God, have I got to go through all that again?'  I went to bed scared stiff.  At that time of the night, as you lie there alone, all sorts of thoughts go through your head."
"When you start radiotherapy you can't get over the tiredness it causes in you.  I would come home after my treatment and even watering the house plants would leave me exhausted.  Whatever part of you is being treated quickly goes very dark, almost as if you've got a very bad case of sunburn.  You can't put soap and water on the skin because it stings."
"[A friend] told me from the outset, 'Never stop asking questions.  You must know what is going on, you must have the knowledge to fight this'  She was so right.  The more information I got, the more in control I felt.  Support like that is what got me through the worst time of my life."

A lovely professional studio portrait photo accompanies the article)
by Neil Wallis.

WEEKEND (8 June 1996), pages 8-9, "Nieuwe Angst Voor EastEnders-Ster Wendy Richard" ("New fear for EastEnders Star Wendy Richard") (This Dutch magazine evidently interviewed Wendy about a suspected re-occurrence of her illness which thankfully turned out to be a false alarm. The article is somewhat frank and a difficult read, given the subject; however, it does well in conveying firmly yet respectfully, the turmoil and stress that Wendy endured as she and her physician monitored the situation. Also, some insights about the support she received from others on the EastEnders set and her perspective on the effects of radiotherapy.)

WOMAN (27 May 1996), cover, (Wendy appears prominently on this issue of weekly magazine Woman, along with one of her EastEnders' colleagues, Susan Tully.  There is possibly an accompanying article, as well).

THE SUN (21 May 1996), page 17, "Albert Square Heroes Helped Conquer My Pain" (A nicely positive page-and-a-half spread that is presented as a first-person narrative by Wendy about how her colleagues at work helped her weather the emotional storm of her cancer diagnosis and treatement in early 1996.  Both the cast and crew went to lengths to accomodate Wendy's post-treatment needs and to encourage and comfort her.  The lady offers her own take on how she coped:
"I would pray to God for Him to keep me going.  At times I would get low but then I would drive myself on.  I wouldn't allow myself to wallow.  I don't think it helps your treatment if you do.  You have to keep positive.  There were black times, but you have to try to put them out of your mind.  I knew my cancer had been caught early and quickly, and there were lots of people worse off than me.  And in my heart of hearts I knew I would get better."
Good on you, Wendy.  Always . . .
The article is accompanied by couple of pictures, one of which is a large black-and-white version of the ever-elegant Wendy)
by Neil Wallis.

THE SUN (21 May 1996), page 17, "She Has Shown Such Bravery Says Doctor" (This sidebar to the above larger article provides the perspective of Dr. Carmel Coulter on Wendy's condition and attitude, as well as describing some of the precedures normally associated with the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.  Speaking about Wendy, Dr. Coulter says:
"Wendy was extremely brave.  She confronted the problem immediately and, despite her fears, kept a positive outlook.  She did exactly the right thing by taking immediate action. . .   [S]he showed immense courage.  I tell patients to try to keep their lives as normal as possible and Wendy kept on working throughout her treatment.  In fact she probably worked too hard, as she was exhausted, but she was determined to look to the future and was extremely positive."
Dr. Coulter was likely interviewed by the same reporter who wrote Wendy's article.)

WOMAN'S OWN (20 May 1996), cover, (A weekly magazine with Wendy and a couple of her EastEnders' colleagues on the cover.  It's not clear if the magazine also includes a related article).

THE SUN (15 March 1996), page 19, "EastEndBrrrr" (A brief report on how Wendy was copying with being back on the EastEnders set (shooting on location in chilly Jersey), only a few weeks after getting out of hospital.  She speaks a little of her difficulties:
"It gets very painful when it's cold.  The nerve endings in my chest are still raw and really hurt.  But I didn't want to back out.  I'm determined to carry on."
Accompanied by a couple of photos, one of which is Wendy, presumably between shooting scenes, being wrapped in a thick jacket by a crewmember)
by Alison Boshoff.

TV TIMES (11-17 May 1996), cover, pages 20-21, "Free At Last" (The headline has nothing to do with Wendy's decision to depart EastEnders in 2006, but rather stems from the storyline of Arthur Fowler's release from prison ten years earlier.  It's really just a write-up of that storyline, with commentary by Bill Treacher.  However, it's accompanied by an absolutely superb posed photo portrait of Bill and Wendy in-character, probably from about 1994.  Here's a cropped version of that photo) by Justine Holman.

TV TIMES (27 April - 3 May 1996), pages 18-19, "Pauline's Holiday Shock" (Almost an aside, this article is nonetheless hard to miss.  Besides a synopsis of the trip-to-Jersey storyline in EastEnders, it also has a rather handsome photo of Michael Tudor Barnes and Wendy on location and in character as Willy and Pauline.  Wendy looks lovely, in light of the fact that this was only a month or so after her February breast cancer diagnosis and initial treatment.)

INSIDE SOAP (#47, 20 April - 3 May 1996) seeking this article (Article and photo of Wendy.)

WOMAN (15 April 1996), cover, pages 16-17, "Don't Do It, Mum!" (This is a full-page spread that includes an interview with Todd Carty (who plays Mark Fowler in EastEnders) about his character and the current storyline on the soap.  He has some nice things to say about Wendy, of course.  The article also has three or four nice publicity photos of Wendy kitted out as Pauline Fowler) by Marianne Jones.

THE SUN (30 March 1996), page 5, "Someone's Getting Very Friendly With Wendy!" (A full page aticle that borders on the obtrusive, as it breathlessly reports on the budding relationship between Wendy and John Burns, who would be her companion for twelve years and eventually her husband.  The short story is accompanied by a couple of large photos, clearly paparazzi-provided.  It actually comes across as a little embarassing that a newspaper is trying so hard to present a normal relationship between two people as "news" or a "scoop".  Ah well, whatever sells papers, one supposes . . .)

WOMAN'S OWN (20 March 1996), cover, pages 16-17, "Arthur Gets His Revenge!" (This article is essentially a two-page recounting of the latest EastEnders' storyline involving Arthur Fowler.  The only bits of interest to a Wendy-fan are two delightful publicity photos of Bill Treacher and Wendy in-character as Arthur and Pauline -- though your webmeister suspects they were probably shot up to two years earlier.  One of them may be seen here) by John Millard.

THE PEOPLE (17 March 1996), Page 16, "Wicked Willy Ambushed by Arthur Fans!" (This article offers a short interview with actor Michael Tudor Barnes, who placed bad guy Willy Roper for a spell in EastEnders.  While it all about how seriously fans seem to be taking his character's villiany, there is a nice photo of Barnes with Wendy, both in character, probably shot on the Isle of Jersey, where the events of the stuoryline take place) by David Brown.

WEEKEND (#96/10, 9 March 1996), pages 40-41, "Wendy Richard: 'Onder De Douche Ontdekte Ik Het Knobbeltje' " ("Wendy Richard: 'I Discovered the Small Lump Whilst in the Shower' ") (Another interview with Wendy about her illness in 1996, done only about three weeks after her stay in hospital. In Dutch, with a great semi-formal portrait photo. The article itself (transcript is here) is quite frank and specific in its discussion of the topic.)

DAILY MIRROR (24 February 1996), Page 9, "I've Still Got 'Em" (A modest half-page story also about Wendy's departure from the hospital in Marylebone after her cancer treatment.  Wendy's relief at her release is clear from the article, as she speaks about what her immediate plans would be.  Accompanied by a nice photo of the lady saucily opening her jacket to show that all her, um, assets were still present and accounted for) by Jane Kerr.

THE SUN (24 February 1996), Page 5, "Get Well Soon Wendy! XXX" (Nearly a full page is dedicated by this article which notes Wendy's discharge from hospital after treatment.  While there are a number of positive messages relayed by The Sun from well-wishers, much more notable is the great color photo of a clearly exuberant Wendy outside the entrance to Princess Grace Hospital in Marylebone.  Accompanied by a couple of other smaller photos of an emotional Wendy) by John Troup.

DAILY MIRROR (23 February 1996), pages 1-3, "I'm Going To Beat This" (A rather splashy and lavishly illustrated article about Wendy's illness in early 1996.  The write-up is only about a quarter-page long.  It includes reactions of colleagues to the news of her conditions, as well as a detailed look at her private life, which it claims "has been packed with more drama and heartache than any soap."  In fairness though, it goes on to note that "professionally, Wendy's life has glittered."  Five excellent photos accompany the article, including one from 1963 and another from 1989) by Jane Kerr.


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MY WEEKLY (9 December 1995), cover, page 6, "Is There Life Before Soaps?" (A notch above the average variety of weekly women's magazine, this color magazine offers a fine cover photo of Wendy, as well as an article about her earlier personal and professional life.  Too bad this mag also gets her age wrong (birth year was 1943, not 1946).  The body of the short article:
"Pauline Fowler:  Wendy Richard (b. Middlesbrough, Cleveland, 20th July 1946[sic]) was brought up in London.  She trained at the Italia Conti Stage Academy but started her career as a singer, recording the No. 1 hit Come Outside with Mike Sarne in 1962.  She played supermarket manageress Joyce Harker in the BBC serial The Newcomers and clippie Doreen in On the Buses.  Then Wendy landed the role of busty sales assistant Miss Brahms in the comedy series Are You Being Served?, which mad her instantly recognisable.  She was in several Carry On films, Doctor in Clover and big-screen versions of Bless This House and On The Buses.  Her personal life has often been less than happy.  Wendy attempted suicide at the age of 28 after her mother's death.  By then, she had already been married once, to Leonard Black for just five months.  She later wed advertising executive Will Thorpe, but the marriage lasted only 18 months and she accused him of beating her.  Wendy married third husband Paul Glorney, a carpet fitter, in 1990, but they split up four years later.  Wendy lives in Baker Street, London."

Besides the great cover photo, the article is also accompanied by a nice color pic of Wendy and her dog Shirley, that looks like it's from her 1992 Reagents Park shoot).

INSIDE SOAP (#41, December 1995), pages 18-19, 29, 46, "The Wise Women of Walford", "Soap Box", "Mark To The Rescue" (A trio of mentions awaits the reader in this issue of IS.  The first is a brief sidebar review of the matriarchal characters in EE.  About Pauline Fowler, it has this to say:
"Headstrong and stubborn, Pauline often hurts her kids with her harsh words, but she is always there for them in times of trouble."
Fair enough!  The second spot is in the readers' mail section, where someone in Middlesex is surprised to learn that Pauline Fowler and Shirley Brahms are played by the same actress.  Finally, there's an interview with Todd Carty that includes a stock Pauline photo)
by Richard Arnold.

INSIDE SOAP (#40, November 1995), pages 18,19, "I Can't Wait To Leave!" (This article spans 1-1/2 pages and is actually a fine read about Bill Treacher's decision to quit EastEnders.  He comes across as a very sensible and practical man.  An interesting insight is his mention of telling Wendy of his decision to go:
"I thought long and hard about what my leaving would do to the Fowler family.  Wendy was the first person that I told and she stopped dead in her tracks and just said, 'Oh, Bill!' . . .  She was really shocked but I told her that I was burned out and that the producers had given me their assurance that the Fowlers would be alright."
This hardly sounds like a conversation between two actors who couldn't stand each other -- which is what many mags and rags would have their readers believe.  Accompanied by a couple nice photos of Wendy as Pauline, circa 1993-1994)
by Richard Arnold.

OK! (September, 1995), page 26, " 'Never Mind the Whales -- Save your Area' Says Wendy Richard" (This is a full-page article under the "OK Soapbox" feature heading and is a first-person editorial by Wendy on the topic of littering and how much she dislikes it.  Quite well written actually, the article goes beyond the simple esthetic aspect of the problem and notes the hazard which litter presents to wildlife and even touches on the concept of "the broken window syndrome".  All in all, a good read and refreshing change from the usual celebrity article.  Accompanied by a great stock photo of Wendy as Pauline, circa 1993.)

TV TIMES (May/June 1995) seeking this article (A regular feature of the mag is an artist's caricatures of celebrities.  This month it's Wendy turn.)

THE SUN (17 May 1995), page 16, "Ashes To Ashes" (Under the Bizarre feature section is this bit describing the filming of an on-screen funeral for the character of Debbie Bates on EastEnders.  The article's title, however, is as much a reference to the observation that many of the cast, between shots, took advantage of the lull to light up cigarettes.  Evidently most of the Fowler household, including Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) smoke.  And there are photos, so that makes it all news-worthy.
The photo of Wendy shows her puffing on a cigarette in a stylish holder)
by Andy Coulson.

TV TIMES (25 Feb-3 Mar 1995), page 76, "My Weekend :  Wendy Richard" (A concise half-page regular column presents in this issue a look at what Wendy does on her Saturdays and Sundays as well as her comments on one of her favorite TV shows.  Transcript may be found here.)

RADIO TIMES (11-17 February 1995), cover, pages 26-27, 74, "Great Dames of Albert Square" (A well-known photo of Pauline on cover. The magazine's cover story "The Walford Women" speaks only sparingly of Pauline Fowler, though a sidebar notes high-lights of the character's life thus fair, with a few more small photos of Wendy.)


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S (News of the World) (18 September 1994), page 19, "Albert Square Meals" (This weekly newspaper supplement is filled with the usual recipes, women's fiction, and advertisements for furniture and knick-knacks; however, it also has some diet recipes matched to various characters in the soap opera EastEnders.  How cute!  Represented with special photos are Ricky and Bianca Butcher (Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer) and Gita Kapoor (Shobu Kapoor).  Represented merely by a stock photo are Arthur and Pauline Fowler (Bill Treacher and Wendy), with what is labeled a "Lover's Diet".  Huh?)

NEWS OF THE WORLD (14 August 1994), pages 1-3, "Wendy's Boozing Sank Our Marriage" (Yes, this is the notorious hatchet-job two-page article about Wendy by her third husband, from whom she was separated by that time.  It's a disturbing and rather embarrassing read -- Wendy is portrayed in a very negative light.  In the interests of perfunctory fairness (one supposes), a few inches of type are dedicated to her "side" of the story, based on things she said in an unrelated interview five months earlier.  At least Wendy was able later to set the record straight -- both in a responding article in The Sun newspaper, and eventually detailing the NOTW article and the events surrounding it in her 2000 autobiography (see Chapter 19 for the full story). Perhaps most telling are a few simple rhetorical question she asks in her book:
". . . If I'd been an alcoholic -- as Paul alleged -- how would I have been able to hold down my job?  . . .  Could I [learn my lines for the following day] if I was drunk every night, as he insinuated?"
Despite the nasty things said about her, the NOTW article is accompanied by two or two rather nice photos of Wendy with other people)
by David Jeffs.

INSIDE SOAP (#52, 29 June-12 July 1994), page 48, "Profile: Wendy Richard" (A one-page feature article about Wendy; mostly well-known career highlights -- though it includes a whale of a mistake by referring to Wendy's pop music hit "Come Outside" as a 1960s sitcom. On the other hand, the accompanying portrait is outstanding.)

MY WEEKLY (26 February 1994), cover,  (And another magazine cover featuring Wendy!  She and Bill Treacher, her colleague on EastEnders, share the spread.  Within the magazine is a two-page article featuring an interview with Treacher.)

SUNDAY MIRROR (13 February 1994), page 7, "Mirror Mirror on the Wall" (What an odd article.  Pictures of Wendy and of Bette Midler are accompanied by some sort of cryptic text.  It's hard to tell whether the Mirror is trying to insult the two actresses, and if so, which one.  In any case, Wendy's photo is quite attractive.)

INSIDE SOAP (#18, February 1994), cover, pages 12-13, "Make Me Love You, Again" (Another article about an EastEnders storyline involving Pauline and Arthur Fowler. But of far more interest is Wendy's analysis of her character's perspective and motivation, as well as some comments about dynamics within the EastEnders cast.  Transcript is here.  Perhaps the finest Arthur-Pauline photo ever shot, too) by Josephine Monroe.

NEWS OF THE WORLD (30 January 1994), page 39, "I Count the Pennies -- Just Like Pauline!" (Just one week after the lurid and embarassing tell-all by Wendy's third husband, this now-defunct newspaper offers a much milder and more friendly article about the lady -- indeed, this story is credited to the same two writers, Wade and Ring, who did the previous exposé.  In any case, now Wendy fans can learn a little more about Wendy's view of the world.  How she learned to be frugal:  "Although we were never short of money my parents taught me to appreciate its value."  About humility:  "My dad taught me the importance of apologising.  It's important to admit when you're wrong.  My mum used to say, 'Try to do someone a good turn whenever you can, but never do a bad turn -- it will always come back on you.'  I think this a great saying and one I follow."  On her parents:  "I like to feel that both my parents can look over me.  I was lucky to have two of the most wonderful parents anyone could wish for.  I regret they are not here to enjoy the benefits of my successful career."
Two photos grace the article; one is an EastEnders publicity shot with Bill Treacher, the other a personal photo with husband Paul Glorney)
by Rebekah Wade and Sharon Ring.

NEWS OF THE WORLD (23 January 1994), pages 12-13, "I Wed Wendy and Ended Up With Pauline" (Pick up a copy of this issue and, right between the articles about how to win a lifesize statue of Elvis and a lurid report on hush money paid to (yet another) mistress of Bill Clinton's, one may find the two-page article detailing the difficulties in Wendy's marriage to third husband Paul Glorney.  Superficially, the piece appears even-handed:  it includes quotes from both Wendy and Glorney, and seems to point to some plausible obstacles that any marriage can encounter, such as work-related stress.  But no matter how one looks at it, the article still comes across as a distasteful airing of someone else's private affairs.  How is it the nation's business that a celebrity and her husband are having marital difficulties?  Still, despite the disagreeable basis of the article, it does at least provide some useful insights for Wendy fans, based on some of her quotes (assuming they weren't totally fabricated by the NOTW writers).  About her long-running role of Pauline:  "I love my job and I'll be in EastEnders for as long as they want me, but I have to admit, Pauline can be a depressing role.  As an actress, I have to sink myself into the part."
About the demands of the job:  "I'm often in bed at eight o'clock [in the evening], because I'm so tired after leaving at seven [in the morning] and working all day.  At work, I've always got the kettle on and I'm the agony aunt to whom the rest of the cast talk about their problems.  But now I've got problems I'm reluctant to go into work with a face like a yard of pump water."
The article is accompanied by a quartet of four photos:  a couple of
EastEnders publicity shots, one photo from her wedding to Glorney, and another paparazzi shot of Wendy walking her dog) by Rebekah Wade and Sharon Ring.

THE SUN (20 January 1994), page 3, "Eastenderzzzzzz:  Soring Has Wrecked Our Marriage Says TV Wendy" (A follow-on "exclusive" to the previous days's article in The Sun about Wendy's separation from Paul Glorney, her third husband, this story appears to be an interview with the lady herself.  In it, Wendy says that it was the fact that both she and her husband snored that put the strain on their marriage and aggrevated other existant tensions in their relationship.  The article ends with a hopeful note:  "But I really believe we can sort it out."  Sadly, of course, that was not to be.  Accompanied by a rather nice street photo of Wendy and Glorney walking Wendy's Cairn Terrier dog in the evening.  Both are bundled against the chill, so the shot seems likely to be special for the article) by Neil Wallis.

THE SUN (19 January 1994), pages 1, 4, "EastEnd Wendy's Marriage On Rocks" (An article under the byline of Sun writer Piers Morgan, who would gain much notariety in later years spouting off ignorantly on aspects of American society.  This short article reports on the sad fact of Wendy's separation from her third husband Paul Glorney.  The reactions of acquaintances are recorded, as well as a summary of her previous two failed marriages.  At least the two photos that accompany the article are rather handsome shots of Wendy from happier days) by Piers Morgan and Peter Willis.

WHAT'S ON TV (1-7 January 1994), cover, pages 8-9, "Back Together Again!" (A pretty-good article that quizzes both Wendy and Bill Treacher about the EastEnders storyline in early 1994.  The cover and page 9 have excellent photos of the two actors in character as the Fowlers) by Donna Hay.

SOAP (Issue 1, Vol. 1, 1994), pages 38-39, 49-50, "Where Were They Before?  Wendy Richard" (A nice page-long summary of Wendy's career before EastEnders.  It notes that Julia Smith, when casting the series, chose Wendy despite the actress already being known and not being a true Cockney.  An excellent full-page portrait of Wendy accompanies this main article.  A few pages later, when discussing EastEnders, Wendy also appears in a couple of standard publicity shots.)


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TV DAILY MIRROR (2 December 1993), Page 1, "It's Goodwill to All Men, Even Arthur" (In this full-page holiday TV highlights article, the Christmas storylines for a variety of soap operas are described.  The write-ups aren't that interesting, but the page is nicely graced by a posed photo of a happy Bill Treacher and Wendy, in-character and standing next to a Christmas tree, with Treacher in a festive red-and-white robe.  The photo is black-and-white, though your webmeister has seen other publications use a color version of the same snapshot) by Jane Ferguson.

INSIDE SOAP (#15, November 1993), pages 46-47, "I Will Survive!" (Another overly-serious article on the lives of fictional characters Pauline and Arthur Fowler, but Wendy's commentary on Pauline is worth a read, as is her stab at the BBC for not extending Grace & Favour for a third season. Also, an absolutely first-rate photo of Wendy as Pauline.)

SUNDAY MIRROR (3 October 1993), pages 31-32, "Run After Arthur?  There Isn't a Man on Earth I'd Chase" (This article provides Wendy's commentary about a current storyline in EastEnders, but also manages to give a nice glimpse into how Wendy sees herself, as well:
"I've got a lot sympathy for Pauline.  She hasn't had it easy.  As I've never had children, it's impossible to compare our lives -- but I think we share the same strength of character and determination.  Pauline's a survivor -- and so am I."
Accompanied by an excellent full-page of glamorous Wendy)
by Gillian Carter.

WHO WEEKLY (30 August 1993), page 14, "Picks & Pans" (In this Australian celebrity mag, amidst the splashy articles on the 'richest women in show biz' and bomb-bearing bats of World War II, is a short blurb about 'Are You Being Served?', which the reviewer was decidedly cool about.  Accompanied by a stock photo of Wendy on the set) by Gerri Sutton.

TAKE A BREAK (14 August 1993), page 2, "Driven Mad" (A delightful little blurb in this leisure magazine offers a recent photo of Wendy along with her confession about her driving skills:
"After failing six tests, EastEnders star Wendy Richard admits: 'Some people are just not temperamentally suited to driving and I'm one of them.  I tend to wander across to the other side of the road.' "

The very short article appears on the "Celebrity Circus" feature page) by Martin Smith.

SUN TV GUIDE (14-20 August 1993), cover, page 6, "Arthur Century . . ." (The cover of this program guide has a nice color photo of the Fowler family.  Article probably a description of the current EastEnders storyline.)

BELLA (Vol. 7, #30, 28 July 1993), page 44, "Showbiz Holiday Special:  We're all going on our summer holidays - Wendy Richard" (Another flavor of British ladies' magazine, with advice, recipes, stories about cute kids and fuzzy animals, this issue of Bella also contains a special section on where various stars like to vacation.  Wendy's story leads and there's an outstanding photo, to boot.)

SUN: WOMAN (17 March 1993), pages 1, 4, "EastMender:  I'm the agony aunt of Albert Square, says Wendy" (In an supplemental insert entitled "Sun Woman", the Sun newspaper offers what appears to be a nice little article about Wendy's role as confidant and advisor to the other cast members on the set of EastEnders.  Wendy herself appears gorgeously on the cover page of the supplemental section, wearing the same flared collar dress as in one of her publicity cards.  The picture, the article and another unrelated article that offers a number of tasty Irish traditional recipes are about all of interest in the issue.)

INSIDE SOAP (#10, June 1993), cover, pages 12-13, "Watch Out Arthur!" (Fluffy celebrity mag has an article about the EastEnders' 1993 storyline of Pauline Fowler and Danny Taurus. Wendy's quoted a bit talking about the storyline. Some insights into how her character thinks. Great publicity photos of Wendy in character with Billy Boyle (Danny) and Bill Treacher (Arthur).)

DAILY STAR (22 May, 1993), page 13, "Taurus Wins Lonely Hearts" (This is the leading article in the "Sat-Ha-Day" weekend insert in the Daily Star newspaper.  It's an interview with actor Billy Boyle, who played Danny Taurus in EastEnders at about this time period.  The character was a brief quasi-romantic interest of Wendy's character of Pauline Fowler and she's quoted briefly about Pauline's attitude toward Danny:
Wendy Richard, who plays Pauline, says:  "She's been feeling neglected and Danny makes her laugh.  But while Arthur gets away with cheating, Pauline would find it hard to take Danny seriously."
A handsome posed publicity photo of Wendy and Billy kitted up as their characters appears with the article)
by Pat Codd.

RADIO TIMES (15-21 May 1993), pages 44-45, "An Actor's Life -- And No Deviation" (A simply superlative two-page interview with Wendy, written by her co-star from Just A Minute, Clement Freud (hence the "no deviation" in the title); chock-full of interesting tidbits and insights (Wendy: "If I were talented enough to sing and dance, I would do Annie Oakley"). A back issue well worth picking up if you can find one. Accompanied by a lovely photo of Wendy that presents her as the essence of casual elegance) by Clement Freud.

THE SUN TV GUIDE (17-23 April 1993), page 1, "Pauline's Rocker Shocker" (A full front-page article pays tribute to the Wendy-centric storyline on EastEnders involving an aging rock star named Danny Taurus who has his eye on Pauline.  No quotes from Wendy, but a couple of superb color photos (one of which is here) grace the guide's front page) by Karen Hockney.

TV FIRST! (27 March - 2 April 1993), page GS-Four, "A Touch Of The St. Trops" (Arguably, the eye-catching photos of former EastEnder Michelle Collins are trumped by the pull-out gardening section, which has a great photo of Wendy at home as well as a concise statement of her outdoor decor preferences:
". . . Wendy Richard loves the vibrant colours and warmth of the Mediterranean . . .  Wendy uses the cool elegance of ferns . . . to contrast with the brilliance of fuchsias, busy lizzies, lobelia and geraniums."  She even has a word of her own:  "I go to garden shows to get ideas".)

TV QUICK (27 February - 5 March 1993), cover, pages 14-15, "One Good Egg Deserves Another!"  (A two-page article that offers a half dozen delectable recipes using eggs.  Has an excellent photo of Wendy with the resulting dishes; alas, it is quickly clear none of the recipes are hers -- they apparently are from the magazine's food editor, Trish Davies.  So, Wendy is just there as the pretty lass holding the fork.  But that's okay too!)

WHAT'S ON TV (13-19 February 1993).seeking this article   (May contain a small article about Wendy.)

RADIO TIMES (6-12 February 1993), page 31, "The Panel With Flannel" (This article noting the 25th anniversary of the BBC radio program "Just A Minute" has a sidebar, titled "Speakers Cornered" that quotes various Just A Minute guest participants from over the years.  Wendy is one of them of course.  A handsome photo is accompanied by the following:
"I'm thrilled to have been on a programme I admired so much.  My first two were with dear Kenneth Williams, who was so good.  I was apprehensive at first, particularly of Clement Freud, but I soon got the measure of him and his lists and of Derek Nimmo speaking so slowly when it was his turn.  Originally, I sat next to Derek but now I sit next to Clement.  I regard that as a promotion.")

RADIO TIMES (23-29 January 1993), page 10, "What I Watch"  (Part of the RT's regular "Preview" section is a small feature that asks different celebrities their likes in television programming.  In this issue, it was Wendy's turn to set down her viewing preferences.  Accompanied by a charming, though very small photo, it quotes Wendy as saying:
"I love watching Poirot, not just because of David Suchet's acting, but because I'm very much into Art Deco and I look at the figures on the mantelpieces.  I also enjoy the Ruth Rendell Mysteries -- the country scenery is so lovely and I like the accents and the lovely George Baker.  Patricia Routledge is wonderful as Mrs. Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances and Richard Wilson and Annette Crosbie are superb in One Foot in the Grave.  I'll watch Grace and Favour, if only to see Mollie Sugden -- I think she's marvellous.")

THE NEWS OF THE WORLD (3 January 1993), "Eastend Pauline Bows Out" (This article is short, but rather intriguing.  Appearing about the time that Wendy completed her second season with "Grace and Favour", it seems to indicate that Wendy had decided to relinquish her place in EastEnders as Pauline Fowler to focus on her comedy work.  As the article puts it:
"Now a third series [of Grace and Favour] is planned.  And Wendy has decided she can no longer juggle two roles."
Arthur Fowler's affair with Christine Hewitt was to be the plot device that would drive Pauline forever out of Albert Square.  As it turned out, of course, there was no third season of G&F after all, so in the end Wendy was spared the need to choose between her two most definitive roles)
by Charles Catchpole.


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SUNDAY MIRROR (8 November 1992), "Massacre In Albert Square" (This article recounts the BBC decision to dismiss a number of cast members from EastEnders, in order to prop up the shows ratings against its soap opera competitors.  One of the actors identified as under threat is Wendy, and the article reports:
"Wendy Richard -- an original cast member -- has been asked to choose between her EaswtEnders role as Pauline Fowler and Miss Brahms in Grace and Favour."
Accompanied by a few small headshot of the various actors mentioned, with Wendy's photo being twice as large as any of the others')
by Keith Richmond.

PEOPLE (1-7 November 1992), cover, page 12, "Pauline on the Style" (The magazine itself is yet another one of the popular weekly rags with an abundance of recipes, short fiction, celebrity news, and television listings.  This issue features a modest column about how Wendy personally puts to the shame the wardrobe of her alter-ego, Pauline Fowler:
"Yes, it's Pauline -- looking as if she wouldn't deign even to set foot in that rather grubby little caff in Albert Square let alone get all steamed up serving cuppas there.  One glimpse of her looking like this would deepen the furrow in old Arthur's brow with the thought that his missus must surely have got herself a fancyman.
But he needn't fret.  For this is actress Wendy Richard dressing as she likes, never mind Albert Square.  For one of the perils of playing Pauline is that she never gets to put on her glad rags much these days.  So Wendy gave us an exclusive glimpse of how she likes to put on the style when she's off the screen."
Accompanied by three very interesting photos of Wendy modeling a bit of her personal style
).

SUNDAY EXPRESS MAGAZINE (25 October 1992), pages 6-7, "Going Shopping: Wendy Richard" (A brief, but insightful article about a visit of Wendy's to the 'Success of London' shop in Marylebone. A couple of cute photos. Transcript is here) by Keir Knight.

FILMS IN REVIEW (October 1992), pages 302-306, "Wendy Richard" (An excellent five-page article on Wendy. Great picture of her in character. This article is actually the same as the one in Slide's later book Some Joe You Don't Know, with minor editorial changes. But whether you pick up the book or this mag, expect an exceptional summary of Wendy's career through EastEnders) by Anthony Slide.

VERONICA (29 August - 4 September 1992), page 94, "Grace and Favour: Vervolg op Wordt U Al Geholpen?" ("Grace and Favour: Sequel to 'Are You Being Served?' ")(Another article introducing the then-new follow-on to Wendy's most famous comedy series. Nice publicity picture of Wendy, and she's quoted (in Dutch) as well:
"I'm very pleased to be doing EastEnders, however, it is anything but a comedy.  The role of Pauline is weighty and doesn't lend itself to humor, although we do have lots of fun during the shooting for EastEnders.  Yet, to be sure, I also wanted to return back to those times when we were making Are You Being Served?  When I was approached to work on the follow-on series, I didn't hesitate a moment.  I said 'yes' at once, and have never regretted it.  It was great fun to be once more working with my old colleagues.")

KRO STUDIO (#33/66, 15-21 August 1992), page 71, "De Erfgenamen Van 'Grace Brothers' " ("The Heir to 'Grace Brothers' ") (An article in Dutch about the new -- for the Netherlands -- comedy series Grace and Favour. Wendy appears in the cast photo) by Clemens Dericks.

TV TIMES (1-7 August 1992), page 7, "Kiss and Tell" (A short filler article of Wendy telling about her first kiss: "I was very naive, and very, very nervous . . ." Excellent accompanying photo, from a few years earlier.)

TAKE A BREAK (#30, 1 August 1992), page 3, "Pass the Tissues, Pauline" (In this British magazine of games and gossip is a nice photo of Wendy and the following byline:
"EastEnders' Wendy Richard is overwhelmed by the kindness of the soap's fans. 
'Once Pauline said at a lingerie party that she wished someone would give her something pretty and a few days later a little girl sent me a lovely black hankie,' she says.  'It still chokes me [up] when I look at it.' ").

TV QUICK (#25, 20-26 June 1992), cover, pages 10-11, "Good Cause, Great Shirt" (Someone at this TV-guide-and-more magazine had the neat idea of putting a number of British television personalities in colorful T-shirts any of which may be purchased in support of variety of charitable causes.  Wendy (and little Shirley) rate the biggest picture of the group (which also includes EastEnders actresses Jacquetta May and Susanna Dawson) with her shirt designed by Blue Cross, an animal shelter organization) by Edwina Wynyard.

NEWS OF THE WORLD - SUNDAY (26 April 1992), cover, pages 8-10, "Wendy's EastEnders' Big Spender" (Quite a lavish article; definitely a keeper for Wendy-fans.  This 2-page piece provides some insights into the lady as well as a close look at her fashion preferences.  Transcript is here.  Accompanied by a couple of nice photos, which can be seen here) by Gill Pringle.

PRIVE (17-25 April 1992), pages 36-37, "Mr. Humphries in bed betrapt met een meisje!" ("Mr. Humphries Caught in Bed with a Girl!") (Dutch weekly magazine Prive offers a full two-page spread on the new series Grace and Favour.  While it includes a fine publicity photo of the cast, including Wendy, the article is pretty much just an interview with John Inman and a recap of the characters and their new situation).

MY WEEKLY (4 April 1992), page 9, "The EastEnder Who Went West!"  (An excellent full-page interview article about Wendy and her characters of Pauline Fowler and Shirley Brahms.  Transcript is here.  Accompanied by a couple of nice b/w photos, the better one of which is now in the Gallery) by Roz D'Ombraine Hewitt.

TV HITS (#31, March 1992) seeking this article (A television magazine with a small article or mention of Wendy.)

RADIO TIMES (22-28 February 1992), page 18, "My TV Dinner:  Wendy Richard" (A single-paragraph on this issue's Food page features Wendy's description of her favorite chow:
"It's a standing joke that I'm a curry fanatic.  I always have the same:  prawn curry, mutter panir (like a curd cheese, fried in cream sauce with peas), pilau rice, poppadoms and raita (yoghurt), mango chutney, lime pickle and a minty sauce.  I mix it all together and put it on my poppadoms with chopped raw onions!  it's quite fiery and does wonders for your taste buds, and I sit on the floor and eat off a giant wooden frog.") by Mark Lewisohn.

TV TIMES (#129, 15-21 February 1992), pages 82-83, "The Magnificent Seven" (To mark the seventh anniversary of EastEnders, TV Times asked seven of the regular cast -- including Wendy, of course -- about the show and what they consider the highlights.  Also includes a couple of in-character photos of Pauline Fowler.  This was Wendy's section:
"Producer Julia Smith almost didn't approach Wendy to play Pauline Fowler.  The part was not glamorous, and Julia didn't think Wendy, after starring in shows such as Are You Being Served?, would accept.  But Wendy told her: 
'I'm sick of glamour, I want to play my own age.  It's about time.'  She adds:  'You get a gut feeling about a series and I just knew it was going to be a winner.  I had my hair cut short for the first time in 19 years and hated it.  But other than growing my hair, I don't think Pauline has changed.'  Her highlights include Pauline's 25th wedding anniversary.  'But a scene that sticks in my mind was when Michelle and Lofty were sitting in the Square and he asked her to marry him.  That's a memorable moment.' ") by Tim Ewbank and Garth Pearce.

WEEKEND WORLD - News Of The World (26 January 1992)  seeking this article "Wendy's So Glad To Be Graceful" (Likely this is an article about Wendy's current work in 'Grace & Favour'.  Outstanding cover photo.)

RADIO TIMES (18-24 January 1992), page 18, "Who Collects What: Wendy Richard"  ("Antiques Roadshow" has been showing on British television for over twenty-five years -- comfortably longer than the very popular American version of the same name.  To illustrate the airing on BBC1 of the show, this issue of RT includes seven mini-articles where celebrities speak of their collections, and antiques expects assess the general subject (though not the specific items or value of the celebs' collections).  Wendy, of course, speaks of her frogs.  Transcript here.  Accompanied by a nice photo.)

WOMAN (6 January 1992), pages 52-53, "I'm Back, He's Free!" (A UK magazine for women with the usual recipes, diets, steamy confessions, and medical advice for one's love life. However, this week it also contained a fine two-page article interviewing Wendy about her return to the role of Miss Brahms for the then-new series of Grace And Favour. An excellent photo of John Inman and Wendy, and -- bonus -- a shot of Wendy from the set of Are You Being Served, with an in-joke... Transcript is here; it's a nice little interview, though a bit sad in retrospect, seeing how the marriage of which she spoke then so glowingly, did not last) by Daphne Lockyer.

RADIO TIMES (4-10 January 1992), pages 14-15, "They're Free!" (An interesting article about the return of the AYBS? cast to the small screen in 1991 with the series Grace and Favour. Wendy, Molly Sugden, John Inman, and Frank Thornton provide their perspectives on the new show, and there's a run-down on what the cast has been up to since the end of their first show seven years earlier. Great cover photo) by Hilary Kingsley.


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SUNDAY MIRROR MAGAZINE (15 December 1991)  seeking this article   (With an article about Wendy in regard to her series "Grace & Favour".)

CLOTHES SHOW (June 1991), page 97, "Who Wears What on Their Wedding Day" (This fashion magazine's issue features a variety of celebrity wedding photos, along with comments, mostly about the fashion sense of the brides' dresses.  It includes a charming snapshot of Wendy with friend Peter Dean during her March, 1990 wedding.  The comment is cloying and irrelevant, and your webmeister won't bother repeating it here.)

TV TIMES (22-28 June 1991), pages 14-15, "Where Are They Serving Now?" (As an intro to the revival of the Grace Brothers gang in 'Grace and Favour', this mag takes a rather nice look at where the major players from 'Are You Being Served?' have been doing in the 6 years since the series ended.  Nicholas Smith, Arthur English, and Mollie Sugden are noted has having done other television and stage work; Trevor Bannister, Frank Thornton, and John Inman appear to have focused exclusively on stage work.  As for Wendy:  ". . . the busty Miss Brahms, has found huge fame as downtrodden Pauline Fowler in the BBC's 'EastEnders'.  But Wendy is confident she can leave Pauline in Albert Square and turn on the glamour as Miss Brahms.  Wendy, who lives in London with her carpet-fitter husband Paul Glorney, is coy about her actual age . . .":
"For a while I've been approaching 40, but I'm not saying from which direction!"
Some great then and now photos of the whole crew.)

FAST FORWARD (#85, 24-30 April 1991) seeking this article (A television feature magazine, possibly with an article about Wendy.)

SUNDAY MIRROR MAGAZINE (14 April 1991), pages 21, 24-25, "EastEnders Wendy's West End Hideaway" (A two-page gem of an article in which Wendy tells how she landscaped the patio garden of her central London residence.  Transcript of the article is here.  Accompanied by a nice set of photos of the lady working and relaxing in her garden) by Liz Vercoe.

WOMAN (25 February 1991), cover, pages 12-13, (A full two-page spread that begins by examining some of the trials and tribulations of Wendy's character Pauline Fowler  But then, more interestingly, it goes on to provide some insights into how the actress deals with the complex life of Albert Square's matriarch, day in and day out, through thick and through thin.  The article wraps up with a charming statement Wendy makes about reaching 'middle age' --
"Age doesn't bother me at all.  I've been going grey since I was in my twenties.  When I was younger and had dyed hair, black roots used to come through.  Now grey roots come through and it doesn't show so much!  Seriously, I think 32 is the best age for a woman.  My mother was 32 for years and so was I.  For a while I've been saying, 'I'm approaching 40,' but I'm not saying from which direction."
Full transcript is here.  Both the article as well as the magazine's cover are graced with superb semi-formal portraits of Bill Treacher and Wendy.  Although the pix seem to be of the actors, rather than the characters they play, note that their characters still manage to shine through in these portraits:  Bill's easy-going no-worries Arthur, and Wendy's somewhat stern and matriarchal character of Pauline.  Interesting...)
by Hilary Kingsley (who is, by the way, the author of the BBC's EastEnders Handbook, published in 1991).


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RADIO TIMES (22 December 1990 - 4 January 1991), pages 4-5, "Dame For A Laugh"  (One of the blurbs in the 'On With The Shows!' section of the RT this week is a mention of Wendy and her new-found popularity by an old show:  "It tickles Wendy Richard that she's being 'discovered' again on American TV.  For not only is she being seen as poor old Pauline of EastEnders, she is also being ogled as the done-up-to-the-nines  Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? -- a hit there years after it ended here [in the UK] . . .  Both Wendy and John Inman, who played Mr. Humphreys, forever trilling 'I'm free', now receive wads of transatlantic fan mail."
It's accompanied by a marvelous photo of Wendy in her Dandini outfit.  She's standing next to Inman, who's wearing the dress and heavy make-up required for appearance this season as Aladdin's Widow Twanky, a role which, incidentally, Sir Ian McKellen has assumed during the 2004 and 2005 winter panto seasons.)

RADIO TIMES (8-14 December 1990) (excellent cover photo captioned "WestEnder! Wendy Richard goes glam -- but what would Pauline think?" Another large photo of Wendy as Pauline accompanies a modest article (transcript here) about an interview with Wendy speaking of her Albert Square character, as well as other aspects of her life and career. A sidebar notes other "Queens of the Soaps", such as Bet Gilroy, Sheila Grant, Angie Watts, Meg Richardson, Annie Sugden, Elsie Tanner, and Gussie Brown. An issue well worth snagging by any Wendy fan) by Hillary Kingsley.

FAST FORWARD (18-24 October 1990) seeking this article (A television feature magazine, possibly with an article about Wendy.)

SUNDAY MIRROR MAGAZINE (7 October 1990), cover (and other pages), "Winning Looks for a Great Lady"  (A great issue of this Sunday supplement to the Mirror.  Stunning cover photo of Wendy, and another two-page glamour pic within along with a brief style article about one of Wendy's favorite fashion designers, Frank Usher.)

FAST FORWARD (18-24 July 1990), page 14, "Star Birthdays" (Contains a short blurb about Wendy's birthday on July 20th, accompanied by a surprisingly nice stock Pauline photo from EastEnders.  The rest of the issue is pretty much what one would expect from a celebrity-adoring gossip and advice mag geared toward the teenage girl demographic.)

WOMAN'S OWN (18 June 1990), cover, pages 8-10, "Why I Got Married" (A lavish full three-page article celebrating Wendy's third marriage.  It's difficult to read, knowing as one does now that the relationship ended up turning out badly for her; however, during the interview Wendy also provides some keen insights and a perspective on her life, as well as some comments on her character of Pauline in EastEnders.  A transcript is here; and a couple of the nicer photos, including her portrait on the cover, are here) by Victoria Freedman.

RADIO TIMES (9-15 June 1990), page 86, "My Kind of Day" (A full-page article and picture written in the first-person about how Wendy spends her Sundays.  Transcript is here.   Somewhat sad to read, since this was written well before Wendy's third marriage had soured) by Nicki Household.

SOAP OPERA WEEKLY (Vol. 1, #27, 22 May 1990), pages 36-37, "Report From London, Part III: Overcoming Reality Obstacles" (Last in a trio of articles for US readers about the British soap opera business.  This one focuses in on how one British TV network will bring American soaps to the UK.  A couple of excellent photos of Wendy, as well as a continuation of her interview) by Marnie Winston-Macauley.

SOAP OPERA WEEKLY (Vol. 1, #26, 15 May 1990), pages 39-40, "Report From London, Part II: Why The Brits Don't Love Our Soaps" (A longish article about why US soaps don't translate well to the UK. It's only real interest is in the fact that it includes a substantial talk with Wendy on the subject. This was evidently one article of a set of three on the subject that she did for this magazine. Article is accompanied by her handsome 1986 portfolio photo) by Marnie Winston-Macauley.

SOAP OPERA WEEKLY (Vol. 1, #25, 8 May 1990), pages 36-38, "Report From London, Part I: Brits vs. Yanks" (First in a series of three articles introducing American readers to the world of British soaps -- or as they might be described: "long-running, continuing personal-saga serials".  This issue describes EastEnders and Coronation Street in broad strokes and notes the similarities and differences they have with their US counterparts such as Dallas and Dynasty.  Lots of photos of US and UK soap casts (Wendy appears in the group shot from EastEnders, of course), and she is quoted only briefly in this issue:
"
'No one in EastEnders has ever said a bad word about Coronation Street, yet they have slagged us off (put us down), stirring things up in the tabloids!' argues EastEnders megastar Wendy Richard as she sits, surrounded by her mates, in her favorite 'local,' the Duke of Wellington pub.") by Marnie Winston-Macauley

NZ WOMAN'S WEEKLY (7 May 1990), page 12, "Wendy Ties the Knot At Last" (A full-page article about Wendy's third wedding to carpetfitter Paul Glorney.  It's a little sad to read -- so full of hope, but destined to fail a few years later.  One other interesting point made in the article:  evidently Wendy had asked to be written out of EastEnders in 1989, being unsatisfied with what she considered low-quality storylines.  This was the reason her character Pauline became ill late in the year) by Hilary Kingsley.

BELLA (? 1990), "West Ender Wendy" (A short, but pretty positive interview with Wendy about her childhood and her new marriage.  Here's a transcript.  Above-average portrait too.)


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RADIO TIMES (23 December 1989 -5 January 1990), page 13, "Square Deal?"  (Part of a look at dramatic shows scheduled for the week on BBC TV, this short article quotes Bill Treacher and Wendy about what's going on with their characters in Albert Square and also what they themselves will be up to during the 1989 holiday season.  Accompanied by a nice -- though four year-old -- publicity photo of the two, it says of Wendy:
"As if they hadn't had their fair share of problems, Pauline and Arthur Fowler will need to work hard to avoid a miserable Christmas, with Pauline recovering in hospital. 
'She puts her family first and last, so she won't like the idea of Christmas without them -- but they'll really make it up to her when she gets home,' says actress Wendy Richard.
. . .  Wendy . . . is in pantomime in Bromley (with Ross Davidson, who used to play Andy in EastEnders) -- but she, too is making sure she spends Christmas at home, with fiancé Paul and her pet cockatiel, Little Henry. 
'It'll be lovely,' the actress sighs happily, 'just him, me and the bird.' ")

THE SUN (8 December 1989)  seeking this article   (May contain a rather sensationalist article about the apparent misbehavior of Wendy's boyfriend.)

PEOPLE (19 November 1989), pages 6, 12, "People People" (A lot of sensationalist, indeed downright unpleasant, stuff in this UK edition of People magazine.  But there are a couple of photos of Wendy, so it isn't all bad.  One is a stock photo of Pauline from EastEnders standing outside the door of the launderette and illustrates an article about some long-gone disgruntled former denizen of Albert Square.  The other photo is in the weekly feature of candid celebrity photos.  It's Wendy and her third husband at a party, and unfortunately, it's captioned in such a way as to take a cheap shot at Wendy's fashion sense.)

SUNDAY (News of the World) (12 November 1989), page 4, "People, Places, Parties" (A feature that provides the paper's writers an excuse for glib comments at celebrities' expense.  The caption for Wendy's photo is unusually banal:
"Is EastEnders up to scratch?  Well, Wendy Richard's nails sure are . . ."
But a nice photo accompanies, and that's all right then.)

MY WEEKLY (1 July 1989), cover, pages 8-9, " 'I'm Not A Bit Like Pauline!' "  (Extremely positive in tone; however, glaring inaccuracies and other problems call into question the validity of this two-page article.  The accompanying photos are nonetheless, in your webmeister's opinion, some of the finest he's ever seen of Wendy.  Transcript of interview is here.) by John Kercher.

WEEKEND (20 May 1989), page 39, "Weekend Star File:  Wendy Richard" (A superb full-page photo of Wendy dressed to the nines accompanies a set of stats and info bits, such as birthplace, favorite food, happiest experiences, and so on.  Transcript is here.)

SUNDAY MIRROR (23 April 1989), page 13, "You Are So Awful" (Not a slam against Wendy, thank goodness, but perhaps more a valid assessment of this article itself.  It's a full page feature that spouts typical astrological boilerplate and then asks select celebrities of the same sign whether they think the assessments are accurate.  Wendy provides a very brief opinion on the Cancerian (June-July) generalized reading.  Really, the only interesting aspect of the article is the large color portrait that accompanies it, of Wendy and then-boyfriend Paul Glorney) by Teri King.

DAILY MIRROR (30 March 1989), page 3, "Wendy Gets Her Man!" (This is a full-page article on the engagement of Wendy to her to-be third husband, Paul Glorney.  The story notes they'd known each other for three years, and it goes on to describe how Glorney proposed to Wendy.  It recounts too some of the rough spots in her life -- which seem an odd juxtaposition with the the spirit of the Happy Announcement.  A couple of superb color shots of the two.  What's nice to see is that Wendy did look truly happy.)

WOMAN (21 March 1989), pages 46-47, "Inside a Wendy House" (Ignore the rest of the magazine and focus on this interview with Wendy, which is surprisingly nice and includes a rare look at her home decor.  Transcript is here.  Best quote:
"I'm not a show business kind of person.  My friends have all known me for years.  We like each other for what we are, rather than what we do."
Some excellent photos, including these)
by Amanda Tinker.

WEEKEND (28 January 1989), pages 20-21, "I Was Ready to End It All" (This two-page spread examines a number of famous celebrities who attempted suicide at one time or another.  Sadly, Wendy was included in the list, due to some trying circumstances for her in the 1970s:  "Wendy Richard, one-time busty Miss Brahms in the comedy series Are You Being Served? and now middle-aged mum Pauline Fowler in EastEnders, attempted suicide after her first marriage broke up after only five months.  And, because her mother had died only a few months earlier, everything became too much for her.  'I took to my bed and stayed there for days, easting nothing,'  says Wendy, who was then 28.  'I started to waste away -- down to 7st [webmeister's note:  7 stone = 98 pounds = 44.5 kg].  In the end I swallowed an overdose of sleeping pills.'  Luckily for Wendy, the doctor had given her the type that weren't lethal."
With the article is a publicity photo of Wendy.)

SUNDAY MIRROR MAGAZINE (8 January 1989, #22), cover, pages 5, 16-17, "Seeing Red" (Wendy's the focus of a nice fashion feature in this issue.  Generously illustrated, including the cover, the mag presents her as a study in red and black, though the interview itself goes into much greater detail about her own fashion preferences.  Transcript is here.  Interestingly, the caption for one of the photos notes a brooch she is wearing as being from her own personal collection) by Thom O'Dwyer.


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SUNDAY MIRROR MAGAZINE (1988), page 17  (A feature article about the favorite walking locations of various famous British people includes an entry for Wendy, which provides her take on the acitivity:
Wendy . . . believes that walking refreshes both body and soul and it's her favourite way of relaxing after her gruelling schedule in the studios where the cast works six days a week, sometimes up until 10pm.  "I was never a great one for sports at school.  You can forget all that rounders stuff and rushing about.  But I've always liked walking.  I reckon it's one of the best, most natural forms of exercise.  But jogging?  Never.  I'm not mad!" Her favorite terrain is Regent's Park, just a stone's throw from her Baker Street flat in London's West End.  She's worked out a circuit that takes her around the lake, through the flower gardens and past the zoo.  Wendy, 42 [sic], is happy to have friends join her on her walks . . . "It recharges your batteries."
Accompanied by an almost-full-page photo of Wendy wearing a track suit, walking a dog in Regent's Park)
by Liz Gill.

WOMAN'S JOURNAL (October 1988), page 198, "Through the bathroom door" (A rather odd five-page spread on what various "public people" like to do or have around them at bathtime.  Wendy provided a modest contribution:
"I always pour a herbal mixture by Kneipps into my bath.  In the morning I am always going over my lines for the day's filming, but in the evening I try and blank my mind out or think of anything pleasant.  Occasionally I will read the Sunday colours supplements in the bath.  My bathroom toys are the Jacuzzi to relieve my bad back and, because I've always loved frogs, I have wind-up plastic ones that swim in the bath."

The brevity of the article is redeemed by the playful photo of Wendy 'in situ') by Robert Twedwr Moss.

New data ANNABEL (September 1988), "Life, Love and Me - By Eastenders Star Wendy Richard"  seeking this article   (Possible interview with Wendy.)

WOMAN'S OWN (20 September 1988), pages 36-37, "Slim With the Stars!" (In an article that shares the diet secrets of various UK and US celebrities, Wendy talks about her use of the Cambridge Diet and her delight at losing 20 lbs. of unwanted weight.  Of interest is the mention of what cuisine contributes to her needing to diet:
"Although Wendy doesn't eat much meat, her downfall is a weakness for Indian food and pasta!  She admits; 
'I love prawn curry with all the trimmings; special fried rice, poppadoms and vegetable side dishes.  My other passion is whole-meal pasta with masses of garlic butter!' "
Accompanied by a large photo of Wendy, smiling and showing off her figure in a stylish, albeit loose-fitting, sky-blue outfit -- though your webmeister will have to admit that his eye was also drawn, momentarily, to a most excellent photo of a svelte Victoria Principal a few pages further on where she speaks of *her* diet and exercise regimen.)

CHAT (16 July 1988, No. 29), page 1-3  (Wendy's on the cover, and that's the best thing about this issue of an inexpensive gossip rag.  There appears to be an article about how an astrologer of Wendy's acquaintance predicted for her happiness and success both professionally and personally.  With one small photo of Wendy with soon-to-be-husband Paul Glorney, as well as the great color portrait that graces the cover.)

WEEKEND (16 July 1988), pages 12-13, 24, "Here's to You, My Love"  (Your webmeister has really mixed feelings about this article.  It has a trio of exceptionally attractive shots of Wendy at her best, including a delightfully casual cover photo.  On the downside, however, the half-page write-up is very gossipy and heavily weighted toward describing the various low points of her life.  Transcript of this article is here.  The included horoscope reading is an unusual and curious item.  Of course -- as these things invariably do -- it says very little while purporting to say a great deal:
"Wendy Richard, July 20, 1946 [sic]:  Wendy, of TV's EastEnders, is bossier than most Cancerians and will tell people what they should wear and do -- as some of her friends have experienced.  Wendy's birthchart immediately shows she has had her share of tragedy in life.  Saturn (ruling death) joins the Sun (ruling life and her personality) in Cancer, which can either nurture life or take it away. . .   But her Uranus/North Node conjunction shows sudden spurts of good luck to save her from total despair, as when she got her part in EastEnders and met her present boyfriend, carpet fitter Paul.  Wendy can look forward to an exceptionally good year for romance and work.  She'll be particularly popular, but will have to work very hard and avoid being overly aggressive."
Hah!  All that work dreaming up astrological weasel words; it's still all rubbish, considering that they got Wendy's age wrong in the first place.)

RADIO TIMES (25 June 1988), pages 12-13, "King of the Wild Frontier" (A mildly interesting in-depth look at the television program King and Company, and its wildlife photographer host.  Mentions Wendy as a celebrity who joins Simon King on one of his nature forays.  Nice photo of Wendy in the field.)

NINETEEN (April 1988), page 108 (No Wendy article per se in this magazine geared toward the older teen-age female; however, the issue does contain a very rare full-page advertisement featuring a commercial endorsement by Wendy for "the Cambridge Diet". The accompanying pictures are all actually very nice. Intriguingly, she mentions a "glamorous stage role coming up". I don't know if that was just ad copy or an actual reference to pending work. This was in fact during the years when she was regularly engaged in Christmas panto productions.)

THE SUN (28 April 1988) seeking this article (Article is about the death of EastEnders colleague David Scarboro.  But Wendy does appear in a front-page picture; obviously an EE publicity photo.)

NEWS OF THE WORLD seeking this article (13 April 1988) (Has a two-page feature on Wendy.)

CELEBRITY (17-23 March 1988, #112), cover, pages 18-19, "Wendy's House" (A most charming interview with the lady, accompanied by a quartet of exceptional photos, including the issue's cover.  Transcript is here) by Mary Rensten.

SUNDAY EXPRESS seeking this article (6 March 1988) (Has a Cambridge Diet ad featuring Wendy.)

WEEKEND (1 March 1988), pages 4-5, "EastEnders - The Mope Opera" (Three years into EastEnders' run comes this two-page article complaining about the unrelentingly depressing storylines and characters of the drama program.  It finally sums things up by saying:
"Somehow or other those EastEnders must get their act together."
Guess they must have:  as of 2015, the show is celebrating thirty years on the air.  Article accompanied by a stock 1985 photo of Wendy as Pauline Fowler looking suitably put out)
.

RADIO TIMES (20-26 February 1988), "EastEnders: Three Glorious Years" (A anniversary article about the show. Does have one rather nice photo of Wendy as Pauline, posing with June Brown (Dot), and Gretchen Franklin (Ethel) on the deck of a boat on the Thames.)


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PRIVÉ (1987), pages 26-27, "Warom Wendy Richard Niet Langer Wilde Leven" ("Why Wendy Richard Didn't Want To Live Anymore")  (A nice two-page interview spread with lots of detailed personal info.  English translation is here.  With a couple of stock color photos on the EE set) by David Cotton.

RADIO TIMES (Vol. 255, #3338, 14-20 November 1987), page 20, "Albert Fare" (This pre-holiday issue of RT offers an article detailing "three traditional treats for sweet-toothed EastEnders", with a Christmas Cake recipe for Pauline Fowler.  Accompanied by a stock photo of Wendy which appears to be a cropped version of this one.)

RADIO TIMES (17-23 October 1987), page 6, "Bill and His Better Arthur"  (Actually a brief two paragraph interview with Bill Treacher of EastEnders, remarking on how "at times I find Arthur quite difficult to live with."  But more to the point, the article is accompanied by one of the better early photos of Wendy as Pauline Fowler.)

TV WEEK (19 September 1987) "Perils of Pauline"  seeking this article (An Australian TV guide mag, with an article about Wendy and how she is immersed in work on her new series EastEnders. With a couple of photos.)

WOMAN (29 August 1987), page 42, "What A Lot I've Got!" (As part of a feature article on celebrity collections, this ladies' magazine offers a look at Wendy's famous amphibian menagerie.  Transcript is here.  Great photo, too.)

WEEKEND (6-12 May 1987), page 30, "Wendy's Vested Interest" (A half-page picture of Ms. Richard modeling a knit yarn sweater vest.  There's a short description of the style and material of the piece, but no interview or personal information) by Rosemary Bouchy.

WEEKEND (22-28 April 1987), pages 4-5, "Where Did You See That Face Before?" (An interesting two-page spread about the early careers of many of the regular actors from the then-new soap opera EastEnders.  Wendy has a short paragraph:
"Wendy Richard, 42 [sic], who plays Pauline Fowler, mum to the show's problem family, was the best known of all EastEnders.  Twelve years as the busty Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and starring roles in The Newcomers (her first soap, 20 years ago), Please Sir! and The Fenn Street Gang had made her a household favourite after she had first found fame as the Cockney girl on Mike Sarne's 1962 No.1 hit Come Outside."
A nice stock black-and-white photo from
Are You Being Served? accompanies) by Graham Payne.

MY WEEKLY (#3826, 11 April 1987), pages 2-4, " 'I Couldn't Go On Playing Dolly Birds For Ever,' Say Wendy Richard" (Wow! A superb Wendy interview; with excellent rarely-seen photos. Wendy speaks on her life and career up through the first couple of years on EastEnders. A lot of fine insights; article impresses me as closer to the heart than most. A keeper for the true Wendy-fan. Check out the transcript here) by Syd Gillingham.

TV SCENE (March 1987).seeking this article   (In this Australian TV magazine is a mention of Wendy, along with a few other of her EastEnders colleagues.)

TV RADIO EXTRA (14 March 1987).seeking this article   (Wendy appears in one or more photos accompanying an article about EastEnders actress Anna Wing.)

RADIO TIMES (14-20 February 1987), page 9, "EastEnders: Two Terrific Years" (Nice photo of Wendy as the lead-in for a 'photo album' of the highlights of the first two years of the series. Pauline's in a couple of the other shots, as well.)

WEEKEND (Nr. 87, 7-14 February 1987), pages 42-43, "Wendy Richard Uit 'EastEnders':  Eindelijk Heb ik Mijn Prins Gevonden..." (Wendy Richard of 'EastEnders:  I Have Finally Found My Prince) (Another bittersweet article about Wendy's search for love and marital stability. The two-page spread -- which is mostly an excellent photo of Wendy -- examines the mistreatment she'd had at the hands of her previous husband, and her hopes now for a bright future with her new beau, Paul.  The article also provides some interesting, albeit brief, insights about her youth and her thoughts about having children.  The English translation, courtesy of your webmeister, may be found here.)

WOMAN'S OWN (7 February 1987), pages 28, 30, "Uncovered:  The Secrets Of The Stars' Bedrooms" (No, it's not what it sounds like.  Rather, this feature article asked a professional decorator to guess what kind of person belonged to various photographs of celebrity bedrooms.  So what did he say about the decor that turned out to be Wendy's?
". . . I think this person is quite artistic.  Someone who is a bit of a performer.  I don't say that simply because the bed is facing a huge mirror.  I think this is someone who likes putting on a show and being the centre of attention.  A very gregarious person . . .  Someone who goes out a lot, likes going to night clubs.  A bit of a sun-worshipper.  A very glamorous person.  Someone with a lot of clothes, who likes dressing up.  Someone who is always wanting to do her best."
-- Not too bad a guess, actually!  Article accompanied, of course, by a photo of Wendy's bedroom.)

TV RADIO EXTRA (17-23 January 1987), page 34, "Meet The EastEnders" (A TV program from south Australia features a detailed look at a few of the major players on the new UK soap.  After a paragraph or two about the character of Pauline Fowler, the article turns to Wendy:
"Wendy Richard's 20-year acting career has brought her mainly comedy roles.  So many of those have been Cockney characters it's often assumed she is a Londoner, but she was born in Teesside.  Miss Brahms, the bubbly shop girl in Are You Being Served?, is the role for which she is best known in Australia, but she has appeared in many comedy series including Dad's Army, Please Sir and On the Buses, in several Carry On films and in movie versions of On The Buses and Bless This House.  In the UK, Wendy is a household name in theatre comedies and a regular guest on TV quiz shows such as Celebrity Squares and Blankety Blanks.  She collects ornamental frogs."
Article is accompanied by a stock photo of Wendy with Bill Treacher.)

TV WEEK (10 January 1987), "From Laughs to Tears" seeking this article (An Australian weekly TV magazine with a one page article on Wendy, plus two pictures.)

WOMAN'S OWN (10 January 1987), pages 8-9, 11, "Pauline Would Be Proud Of Me" (Yet another Wendy article in this ladies' weekly magazine, and  a keeper it is for its excellent three-page photo spread and candid interview that delves into Wendy's personal and work life. Partial transcript is here.  The article leads off with a superb two-page photo of Wendy) by Jo Weedon.

VERONICA (10 January 1987), page 6, "Wendy Richard: Strong Personality in EastEnders" by Lodwijk Rijff / Jan de Beer. (Article is in Dutch; transcript here is in English. With a very good photo circa-1986 of Wendy.)


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PRIVÉ (1986), page 29, "Wendy Richard:  'Mijn man sloeg mij bont en blauw' " ("Wendy Richard: 'My Husband beat me black and blue'.")  (A quarter-page article, four years after the fact, about the physical and psychological abuse Wendy said she suffered at the hands of her second husband.  A sobering read; one can't help but wonder at what remained unsaid about the whole sad business.  English translation is here.  Accompanied by a nice publicity shot that's probably from five years earlier.)

RADIO TIMES (26 December 1986-2 January 1987) (A Christmas double issue. Excellent cover shot of Wendy as Pauline, in a four-generation posed photo, captioned "Christmas in Albert Square".)

VARA GIDS (6-12 December 1986), cover, pages 6-9, "De EastEnders Komen:  Engelands Populairste Serie Nu Ook Bij de Vara" ("The EastEnders are Coming:  England's Most Popular Series Now Also at the Vara") (A marvelous four-page spread about the "new" series EastEnders.  The article, in Dutch of course, introduces the major characters and describes a bit about the production of the series.  Lots of photos, including three of Wendy, all in character as Pauline Fowler) by Hans Unnekamp.

KRO STUDIO (#49/60, 6-12 December 1986), pages 6-7, "Eastenders, een hard hedendaags volksdrama" ("EastEnders: a hard modern-day popular drama") (A detailed two-page article, in Dutch, about the EastEnders phenomenon, with just a short blurb about her:  "At the start, only one of the actresses was already known:  Wendy Richard, the cynical  Miss Brahms from 'Are You Being Served?', seen now as a mother of two children, with a part-time job in the neighborhood launderette".  A couple of nice early EE stock photos of Wendy) by Henk van Gelder.

TELEVIZIER (6 December 1986, #49), pages 78-80, "EastEnders:  Het wel en wee rond een plein in Londen" ("The Ups and Downs Around a Square in London")  (Probably connected to the blurb noted in the next summary, this three-page article provides an introduction for the Dutch public to the BBC television series EastEnders.  The article pretty much just goes around the square and gives brief summaries of the main characters, including Wendy' role of Pauline Fowler.  Article is accompanied by a couple of stock publicity photos of Wendy/Pauline with other cast members on the set of Albert Square.)

TELEVIZIER (6 December 1986, #49), page 25, "Brits middagje op VARA-televisie" ("A British Afternoon on VARA-Television")  (A short blurb notes that three new British TV programs will soon be broadcast in the Netherlands, with one of the shows being EastEnders.  The series is described as "popular entertainment from East London that twice a week pulls the British toward the TV (with a summary on Sunday).  For the time being, VARA will show it each week for six months to gauge the reactions of the Dutch public.  The language could be a stumbling block because knowledge of London 'cockney' is not widespread.  The roles are filled with cast names that are virtually unknown in the Netherlands.  All but one:  that of Wendy Richard, who played Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served?"  Article is accompanied by a stock publicity photo of Wendy standing next to Shirley Cheriton on the set of Albert Square.)

JUST SEVENTEEN (#129, 3 December 1986), page 54, "SNAP!" (This is another magazine oriented toward teenage girls, with articles, interviews, fashion tips and pictures of handsome guys to swoon over.  On the last page is a set of in-the-act snapshots.  While I could mention the shot of Debby Harry with green hair, or Boy George and his mother, more to the point is a rather attractive pic of Wendy with a number of mustachioed gentlemen.  Also in this issue is a "frontline" news section with an article about Wendy re-entry into the pop music world.  Transcript is here.)

ANNABEL (September 1986), cover, pages 5-6 ,"East End Story" (Another women's magazine with stories, celebrity news and fashion tips, Annabel provided in this issue a feature interview with three of the primary actors from the then-new series EastEnders:  Peter Dean, Linda Davidson, and (of course) Wendy.  Transcript is here.  And a couple of nice photos of a casually elegant Wendy are here) by John Kercher.

FAMILY CIRCLE (August 1986), cover, pages 38-40, "Pauline Goes Upmarket!" (Great photos accompany this 3-page fashion article that goes beyond just clothes and actually offers some insights about Wendy herself, as well as a couple of anecdotes from years past.  Transcript is here.) by Billie Figg.

WOMAN'S OWN (31 May 1986), page 53, "Me And My Handbag" (A rather run-of-the-mill issue, though with a decidedly odd feature article this week which examines the contents of the purses of a trio of celebrity women:  Sue Nicholls, Amanda Burton, and of course, Wendy.  Perhaps it's a gal thing . . .  In any case, the article includes a handsome description:
  ". . . in real life Wendy is a stunning blonde with a good figure, a smart West End flat, a taste for Möet champagne and the handbag she carries is pure class."
Article is accompanied by a very handsome photo of Wendy -- and the items from her purse strewn across the table.  Cute!)

STORY (16 May 1986), pages 40-41, "Eenzame Wendy Richard: 'Ik heb niemand om eens lekker bij uit te hilen . . .' " ("Lonely Wendy Richard:  'I Have Nobody Whose Shoulder I Can Cry On.' ") (Yet another interview article, in Dutch, translation is here. Accompanied by a nice photo or two. Article evidently was done by Wendy during a difficult stretch of time, thankfully long past now) by Wouter de Vries.

WEEKEND (6 May 1986), page 30, "Wendy's Summer Choice" (The magazine's fashion feature this week is a brightly colored cotton knit sweater modeled by none other than Wendy herself.  Some interesting fashion insights about the lady comprise the bulk of the article:
"Wendy doesn't knit herself, but loves the smartly casual look and cool comfort of cotton knitwear. . .  When she's not appearing in EastEnders, Wendy is very elegant, favouring designer clothes in expensive fabrics.  For causal wear, she chooses smart jeans, with silk blouses and a leather jacket.  On more formal occasions, and this includes her chat show appearances, she likes beautifully cut wool crepe suits.  Wendy's fashion tip for those with a figure like hers -- slender, but with a bigger bust than hips -- is to choose skirts that give a neat, straight outline."
The cover girl for this issue is Wendy's co-star from EastEnders, Gillian Taylforth.)

RADIO TIMES (22-28 February 1986) (An extensive set of articles on EastEnders' first year on TV. Numerous photos of Wendy as Pauline (including a pencil sketch of her), as well as mention in connection with the Wogan show.)

NZ TRUTH TV GUIDE (15 - 21 Feb 1986), pages 4-5, "Men And Me" (This programming schedule from New Zealand provides a surprise:  a short but thoughtful interview with Wendy, where she talks about what she expects from a man and also why she hasn't accepted roles requiring nudity.  Transcript is here.  Accompanied by a delightful, but poorly-reproduced photo) by Ivan Waterman.

CELEBRITY (#2, 6-12 February 1986), page 11, "She's Queen of British Soaps" (Another UK magazine probably aimed at the impulse buyer, Celebrity is filled with color cartoons, advice, and stories such as "Fake Ghosts in Plot to Seize Fortune" and "Bullet-proof Bride of 'Dynasty' ".  This 2nd issue though has an interesting, though poorly edited, article about Wendy and a nice black and white photo.  Of particular note:  why Pauline's hair only stayed short for about a year back in '85, and the impact of her decision to pass on roles that would have been too . . . revealing.)


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seeking this article TELEVIZIER (1985) (Possible short article about Wendy in this Dutch TV mag.)

RADIO TIMES (26 October - 1 November 1985), pages 16, 58, "Family Matters in Albert Square"  (Another nice in-depth review of the Fowler family in the new soap opera EastEnders.  This article looks at Pauline and at Wendy's transformation into that character, and notes how different both she and actor Bill Treacher are from their on-screen husband-and-wife personas.  Also a few paragraphs about Anna Winger, who plays Pauline Fowler's mother, Lou Beale.  Excerpt of Wendy's comments are here.  Some excellent black-and-white photos of the actors accompany, as well as an interesting panoramic shot of the nearly-completed outdoor set) by Eithne Power.

VARA (12 October 1985), page 13, "John Inman:  'Ik hou zielsveel van meneer Humphries' " ("John Inman:  'I dearly love Mister Humphries' ")  (A nice two-page in-depth article about John Inman includes a small stock photo of Wendy from a late-series episode of Are You Being Served?)

TROS KOMPAS (12-18 October 1985), pages 16-17, "Mollie Sugden:  Inspiratie in de munitiefabriek" (Mollie Sugden:  Inspiration in the Munitions Factory") (As the title suggests, this isn't an article about Wendy, but rather a nice biographical sketch of her co-star on Are You Being Served?  But Wendy appears in a couple of the accompanying color photographs which illustrate the article) by Joop Bromet.

TELEVIZIER (12 October 1985, #41), pages 8-9, "De klant is koning bij Grace Brothers" ("The Client is King at Grace Brothers")  (This article describes the premise of Are You Being Served? and gives a thumbnail sketch of the main characters as well as some background information about the various major cast members.  Specifically in regard to Wendy, the article notes she was currently playing a major role in the "immensely successful series EastEnders", and goes on to quote Wendy:  "It's the second time," says the now more than forty-year-old actress, "that I have to speak with a cockney accent.  I come from Teesside in the north of England, but after a while no one else knows London better."
The article is accompanied by a number of photos of the cast from various episodes, a couple of which include Wendy.)

DAILY EXPRESS (3 October  1985), pages 22-23, "Why It's So Worthwhile For Wendy" (A short article noting Wendy's desire in the mid-Eighties to get away from the "dolly bird" image she'd firmly established in her earlier work.  Brief transcript is here.  It appeared as a  side-bar to a full-page article about the start of a new series called EastEnders, expected to rival long-running soap Coronation Street.  Accompanied by a rarely-seen B&W photo.)

WOMAN (10 August 1985), pages 30-31, "The Down-to-Earth World of Our Own Dear Soap Queen" (Wow!  A smashing interview with Wendy, chockful of interesting insights and quotes.  For one thing, she'd started on her autobiography in the early 1980s, but laid it aside for lack of time.  And apparently Wendy had been engaged at least twice before her first marriage to Len Black in the mid-1970s.  She goes on to comment succinctly about American soap operas:
"Whenever I've watched Dynasty, I can't believe it!  It's absolutely appalling.  The acting's dreadful.  I suppose people like it because it's fantasy and the sun always shines.  It's what I call bubblegum.  You don't have to think about it."
In regard to her reported use of clairvoyants, she offers these somewhat reassuring words:
"If you use a soothsayer, you should just use what they say as a guideline.  You shouldn't believe everything they say.  I'm certainly not obsessive about it."
And when she had to cut back her hair for EastEnders:
"Cutting it upset me more than I realized at the time.  I felt I'd lost some of my attractiveness."
You, unattractive?  Never, Wendy....
Too bad the few photos that accompany the interview are black-and-white, but the article itself more than makes up for it.  At some point your webmeister will try to make some time to generate a full transcript of these two delightful pages)
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RADIO TIMES (25 June-1 July 1988), page 12, "King of the Wild Frontier"  (A write-up on a then-new wildlife series mentions Wendy, one of the guest stars, and includes a nice photo of her out in the field.)

WEEKEND AND TITBITS (8-14 May 1985), pages 12-13, "Heartbreak Behind Wendy's TV Role" (Yet another good interview with Wendy (transcript is here). No real secrets if you've already read her book, though this is the only interview I've run across where she speaks of why she doesn't have children. Nice cover photo, too) by Geoffrey Morton.

THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE (28 April 1985), pages 25-26, "What A Set-To In the East End!" (Mention of how Wendy was recruited for EastEnders, and a rare photo of her off the set) by Andrew Stephen.

WOMAN'S REALM (13 April 1985), page 62, "Sunday Best" (A full-page interview with Wendy about how she spends her Sundays.  Transcript is here.  Nice photo too!) by Joy Nelson.

TELEVIZIER (30 March 1985), page 47, "Vraag het aan Wendy" ("Ask Wendy") (Another short article in this above-average Dutch television magazine.  English translation:
"Wendy Richard, once the smart Miss Brahms in the successful comedy series Are You Being Served (now in its final season on the BBC), has been promoted by British broadcasting to promoter and information-source for the new TV series EastEnders, that viewers may access on Tuesday and Thursday.  Anyone who feels they are 'out to sea' on the happenings around Albert Square can dial the number 482 4020 in order to hear from Wendy verbally what has been happening.  'There's a new description recorded usually twice a week,' says the now-42-year-old actress.  'but the series is very nice because it tracks [or attends to] how everything all builds up together.' "

There's a very good photo of Wendy as Pauline Fowler, from 1984 (she had a great smile).  Also in this magazine are other neat articles:  even a science section, and an introduction to computer graphics back in those days of the Commodore-64!).

RADIO TIMES (16-22 February 1985), pages 3-5, 50, "EastEnders" (Article -- written by none other than Tony Holland himself -- introducing the series' characters. Quaint map of the Albert Square set; small picture of Wendy as Pauline; on page 50, a rather nice B&W photo of her in character with Anna Wing and Peter Dean.)

KRO STUDIO (#1/59, 5-11 January 1985), page 63, "Concurrentie voor 'Coronation Street' " ("Competition for 'Coronation Street' ") (Dutch article about the start of soap series EastEnders.  Wendy's participation in the new show is singled out for note, as she was already well-known on Dutch TV for her role of Shirley Brahms:
"From the unmatchable pool of British actors, 18 have so far been found for the head roles.  If the series ever comes to the Netherlands, we will see a known face:  that of actress Wendy Richard, who played the role in Are You Being Served? of Miss Brahms, the clamorous assistant of Mrs. Slocombe.  She is a mother of two kids, votes Labour, and supports Arsenal [rugby team], is married to a man out of work, and herself has a part-time job in the local laundromat."
Small photo of Wendy accompanies.)

SOAP PREDICTIONS: EASTENDERS, No. 1 (1985) (A very drippy gossip magazine that promised "shock predictions" about various characters from the then still-new series. The writing is of little interest, but the mag does have about a half-dozen fine shots of Wendy as Pauline, all apparently from that late-1984 press day on the EE set. Also lots of pix of the rest of the original cast, including some photos of a very glitzed-up Susan Tully.)


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seeking this article DAILY STAR (11 October 1984) (Article of Wendy with one or more photos.)

seeking this article THE SUN (11 October 1984) (Article of Wendy, possibly with photo.)

THE SUN (15 May 1984), page 12, "In The Picture Tonight"  (A brief only mention of Wendy and a couple of other celebs having programs aired this day.  For Wendy, it was an appearance on Blankety Blank.  Small black and white picture accompanies.)

AKTUEEL (28 January 1984), page 51, "Wendy Richard" (A single-page article of mild interest that notes how Wendy is often mistaken for a shop assistant in real life, and how she had relatives in the Netherlands who would send her clippings of articles so Wnedy could remain aware of what was being said about her in the Dutch press.  The full English translation of the piece, courtesy of your webmeister, may be found here.  Article is accompanied by a stock photo of Wendy and second husband Wil Thorpe.)

THE STAGE AND TELEVISION TODAY (11 January 1984), page 6, " 'Cinders' charity cheque" (A very short blurb about how the cast of Cinderella playing at Dartford, helped raise money for the victims of the Harrods department store bombing shortly after the event occurred on December 18th of the previous year.  Wendy appears in the cast photo, and is one of three players identified by name.)


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WEEKEND (30 November - 6 December 1983), page 28, "Wendy's Choice" (This is a half-page fashion article that features Wendy doing some shopping for a new outfit:
"Like most stars appearing regularly on television, Wendy Richard needs lots of glamorous outfits to ring the changes.  So Weekend decided to lend a hand.  Photographer and designer Tommy Candler went shopping with Wendy to choose pattern and fabric . . .  Wendy chose Burda pattern No. 8128 . . .  Wendy is best known for her part in Are You Being Served? in which she plays Miss Brahms.  A new series is planned for next year."
The article offers a lovely photo of Wendy wearing the resulting ensemble)
.

PRIVE (2 July 1983), page 47, " 'Miss Brahms' weer veilig achter de toonbank" (" 'Miss Brahms' was safely behind the counter") (A short article in this Dutch magazine, but a nice read.  Here is the English translation:
"Now that in England there is a new series [season] of the television-hit Are You Being Served, Wendy Richard (Miss Brahms) is especially happy she is securely back behind the counter.  The program is like a home for Wendy, who suffers a very lonely life.  Wendy's two parents are deceased, and both her marriages have failed.  At age 36 [sic], her only distraction is drinking champagne at a local pub, where she is known as a chain smoker.  'I have no one,' says the on-screen so-cheerful Miss Brahms.  'Only a very old cat and forty houseplants.'  And her career went in the bin when the series Are You Being Served ended.  Wendy wasn't offered more than a few commercials.  The actress is overjoyed that the safe haven of 'Grace Brothers' department store is back, which incidentally will count many new faces.  When the series will be shown on Dutch television screens is not yet known."

The one-paragraph piece, like most articles, gets her age wrong; she was actually 40 in 1983.  It is accompanied by a very nice on-set photo of Shirley).

WOMAN'S REALM (19 March 1983), page 42, "These Are a Few of My Favourite Things . . ." (A pleasant little article that focuses on Wendy' frog-collecting habit.  Brief transcript is here.  Accompanied by a lovely photo.)

TV TIMES (5-11 March 1983), page 31 "3-2-1" (A short featured-programming write-up about the long-running game show, notes the presence of Wendy this week (along with AYBS alumnus Arthur English).  Accompanied by an whimsical publicity photo of the pair).


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TV SCENE (31 July - 6 August 1982), page 29, "Wendy's Heartbreak" (Geared toward TV-related "news" stories, as well as dubious advertisements, this magazine from down-under offers an unusually interesting, albeit brief, look at the break-up of Wendy's second marriage.  Article transcript is here, and in the Herself Gallery is the nice black-and-white photo that accompanied the article.)


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SLIMMING (September 1981), page 19, "ME:  what I LIKE & what I LOATHE" (This dieting magazine, strongly geared toward women, doesn't seem all that appealing -- though this issue does offer a full-paged illustrated article about chocolate (declared the "number one enemy" to one's figure, sadly . . .).  More to the point, a regular feature documents what selected celebrities like or dislike about themselves.  Wendy's entry this month is a bit shorter than most of the others, but still provides a couple of interesting insights.  Her likes:
"I like my hands.  They're nice.  I'm proud of the fact that I'm always punctual."
And her dislikes:
"I wish my legs were longer.  I'd like to be three inches taller -- with all the extra length below the knee.  I hate the way I get moody, specially at PMT times.  The smallest things irritate me then . . .  I get ratty with friends . . . then I feel guilty . . . which makes me more irritated!."

The picture that accompanies the article is a headshot cropped from one of Wendy's Hampstead Heath photos -- the one used for her 1977 Spotlight entry).

VERONICA (21 March 1981), pages 68-69, "David Croft en Jeremy Lloyd Helpen U aan de Lachstuipen" ("David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd help you convulse with laughter")  (A two-page article that is mostly photos from the Are You Being Served? series.  Wendy appears in one stock photo from the show) by Jan de Beer.

TROS KOMPAS (#12, 21-27 March 1981), cover and page 10-11, "Wendy Richard: Kikkers? Ik ben gek op die beesten . . .!" ("Wendy Richard: Frogs? I'm Very Fond of the Critters . . .!")(A two-page article in this Dutch clone of "TV Guide" appears to be an interview with Wendy as she speaks about her experience on the comedy show 'Are You Being Served?' (oh yes, and about her frog collection, too). A smashing cover photo.)

TITBITS (21 February 1981), page 20, "Why Wendy Broke Her Marriage Vow!" (The very misleading headline of this article is somewhat redeemed by the actual half-page interview with Wendy.  It essentially covers her career through the 1970s, and talks to her about the failure of her first marriage and the details of her then-current second marriage to director Will Thorpe.  Transcript is here.  Accompanied by a couple of nice photos, which can be seen here) by Mike Bennett.

PRIVÉ (24 January 1981), page 19, "Waarom mr. Rumbold nooit rijk woordt" ("Why Mr. Rumbold Never Became Rich") (Article, in Dutch, about Nicholas Smith, who plays Mr. Rumbold on AYBS? Shot from an episode includes Wendy, but curiously there is no photo of Smith himself in the article.)

PRIVÉ (17 January 1981), page 19, "Waarom miss Brahms haar leeftijd verzwijgt" ("Why Miss Brahms Conceals Her Age") (Full-page article in Dutch about Wendy.  English translation is here.  An excellent photo accompanies) by Peter Horvers.


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STORY (4 July 1980), pages 38-39, "Miss Brahms is verkikkerd op haar vele vriendjes" ("Miss Brahms is crazy about her many little friends") (Another Dutch article with a focus on Wendy's hobby of collecting frogs. Nice picture of Wendy with part of her collection. English transcript is now here.)

MIX (16-18 April 1980), pages 56-57, "Mij zien ze van m'm leven niet meer achter een toonbank" ("They won't see me behind a counter ever again") (In-depth Dutch article about Wendy's role on AYBS? and her real-life experiences behind the counter. Includes an outstanding portrait. English transcript is now here.)

seeking this article TV GUIDE (Sydney, Australia Edition) (8-14 March 1980) (I'm not sure of the details of the article in question, but I gather it was an interview with actress Molly Sugden in which she says:
"Wendy Richard is a lovely actress with a great sense of humour. Even when the camera isn't on Miss Brahms and Mrs. Slocombe, we spend a lot of time together behind the ladies' counter, and I couldn't share that time with anyone nicer than Wendy.")


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DAILY MIRROR (15 September 1979), page 17, "TV Sunday" (Just a postage-stamp-size photo of Wendy to accompany a TV listing for Star Turn Challenges that week on which she was a panel member).

TITBITS (8 September 1979), page 25, "Wendy's Wild About Frogs" (A brief 1/3rd-page article about Wendy's always accreting assemblage of anuran accessories:
"They're not everyone's idea of a cuddly toy, but as far as actress Wendy Richards [sic] is concerned, frogs beat teddy bears any day.  And just to prove it, Wendy, who plays Miss Brahms in TV's Are You Being Served, shares her flat in London's Baker Street with 300 of the creatures made of china, glass and felt.
It all started about three years ago when Wendy's co-star from Grace Brothers' department store, John Inman, told her a joke about a frog (which we need not repeat here).  Since then the collection grown by leaps and bounds as friends, relatives and colleagues have sent Wendy -- soon to be seen in an episode of the police comedy series Spooner's Patch -- frogs from all over the world.
Now she's got bean-bag frogs, antique frogs, jokey frogs, frog jugs, frog ashtrays, pink frogs, blue frogs, tiny frogs and monster frogs.
Now there's only one sport of frog missing from the menagerie -- a real live jumping one.  So watch this space!"
Accompanied by a pair of nice black and white photos of the lady posing with samples from her collection.)

TV TIMES (11-17 August 1979), page 51, (In the TV program listings for 15 Aug 79, there's a small black-and-white photo of Wendy from her appearance on the game show Definition.)

TIDBITS (August 1979), "I Wish I'd Been a Family Man"seeking this article (Article about John Inman, but it contains a nice stock photo of the AYBS? cast, including Wendy of course.)

TV TIMES (14 - 20 July 1979).seeking this article   (Wendy's appearance on 'Spooner's Patch" is mentioned in the TV listings portion of the magazine.)

REVEILLE (8 June 1979), pages 4-5, "When Comedy Isn't Funny!" (An interesting two-page behind-the-scenes examination of the "challenges facing TV executives, writers and actors".  Wendy's perspective is presented about halfway through the article:
Actress Wendy Richard, who has appeared in a number of sit.coms. [sic] including Nearest and Dearest, Not On Your Nelly, Please Sir, and Are You Being Served? with John Inman, told us:  "There is a lot of bitchiness in this business." At a cocktail party to introduce the cast of a new comedy series to each other, she met the star for the first time.  "She looked me up and down and said, 'She's no good -- she's too short and her boobs aren't big enough'." Wendy, who says working on Are You Being Served? is wonderful because everyone gets on with each other, added:  "On another series the star of the show used to get furious every time anyone else got a special close-up shot for slotting in later.  She used to clench her fists until her knuckles went white in a kind of controlled rage.  It was pure jealousy."  Shows like Are You Being Served? share the glamour equally between the stars, highlighting individual charcters week by week."
Accompanied by a small photo of Wendy that appears to be a stock AYBS publicity shot)
by Alan Shadrake.


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FILM REVIEW (November 1978) seeking this article (A black & white portrait photo of Wendy in an actress competition section of the magazine.)

HITKRANT (12 October 1978), page 21, "Wendy Richard kan geen warenhuis meer zien!" ("Wendy Richard Can't Stand to See Another Department Store!") (Nice article in Dutch; transcript in English is here. A couple of black and white photos: one is a posed shot of the Are You Being Served? movie cast; the other is a very nice late-Seventies portrait of Wendy.)

STORY (28 July 1978), page 33, Show Nieuws: "Miss Brahms hoeft niet meer to werken" ("Miss Brahms doesn't have to work anymore") (Two-paragraph article on Ms. Richard, accompanied by a very candid photo.  The story roughly translates as:  "You unexpectedly get the gift of a hotel from your parents!  This recently happened to Wendy Richard, better known as Miss Brahms in the series 'Are You Being Served?'  Her parents had enough of their hard work and transferred (?) their hotel, which is located just outside of London, to their daughter.  For Wendy to keep the property would mean no longer acting.  But the actress does not intend to give up Miss Brahms now.  She says: 'Acting is my passion and my life.  I have hired a good manager for the hotel so that I don't need to be there constantly myself.' ")

STORY (28 April 1978), page 65, "Miss Brahms Werd Bijna Onder de Voet Gelopen" ("Miss Brahms was almost trampled underfoot")  (In the news-about-stars section of this Dutch celebrity magazine is a rather interesting short article about her encounter with fans gone wild in the Netherlands.  Translation courtesy of your webmeister:  "Wendy Richard, Miss Brahms from Are You Being Served? along with her boss in the series Miss [sic] Slocombe, Mister Lucas, and the man with the largest flap-ears in the Western hemisphere Mister Rumbold came to The Hague to open a large fabric store.  That resulted in a huge tangle in the proximity of this new shop, because it seemed as if the whole of The Hague had come out in jubilation over the stars.  In several sections of the store, the two actresses and the two actors would hand out photos and signatures.  And that entailed a big scare, because an unscruptulous horde of people threw themselves as if one at the stars.  Wendy Richard was frightened by the mishap and struggled hysterically through the crowd!  A few minutes later she sat pale in the manager's office.  'I have an almost mortal fear of so many people together and when I saw them coming I thought:  you won't get out of that alive.  That's why I fled.' "  The writeup is accompanied by a nice photo of Wendy casually dressed surrounded by fans.)

AUSTRALASIAN POST (26 January 1978), page 46, "Are You Being Served?" (The mag itself is a bit of a rag, but in this issue at least, it has something for the Wendy fan: a review of 1977's movie of Are You Being Served?  A nice quarter-page black-and-white photo of Wendy in costume, and even a few words about -- and from -- the lady:
"Wendy Richard recalled that she came to Australia a year ago and discovered there was a real Grace Bros. in Sydney.  'I met their young Mr. Grace -- and sat on his knee.  He's a rather dishy young fellow who's rather different from our ancient 'young' Mr. Grace (79-year-old Harold Bennett).' "
It's unfortunate that although Jeremy Lloyd's and John Inman's work in real-life department stores is mentioned, none is made of Wendy's own time behind the retail counter)
.


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FILM REVIEW (September 1977), page 8, "Wish You Were Here?" (General blurb about the release of the movie version of Are You Being Served? However a couple of good publicity photos of Wendy with the rest of the cast.)

PRIVÉ (27 August 1977), pages 32-33, "Mrs. Slocombe wordt wéér 'moeder' " (Article, in Dutch, about Molly Sugden's character. Wendy appears in two large black-and-white photos.)

TV WEEK (20 August 1977), page 36, "The Mad, Mad Mob of Are You Being Served?"  (This Australian TV program guide offers a single-page intro to the then-new series set on the floor of Grace Brothers department store.  Described even this early as "one of Britain's most successful comedies ever", the show is said to be a hit in Australia as well since "people can readily identify shop assistants they have come across in their own lives".  A couple of black-and-white cast photos from the set accompany the article.)

PHOTOPLAY FILM MONTHLY (August 1977), pages 39-40, "A Visit To The Movie Set Of 'Are You Being Served?' " (Mostly an interview with John Inman, this two-page article only mentions Wendy in connection with a couple of accompanying photos.  Fortunately, this Wendy-sparse issue of the magazine earns redemption by a different article that contains precise instructions for recreating Farrah Fawcett's signature fluffy hairstyle.)

PRIVÉ (23 July 1977), page 52, "Captain Peacock: 'TV is de beste manier om je naar de WW te helpen...' " ("Captain Peacock:  'TV is the best way to help you to WW...' ")  (Article, in Dutch, about Frank Thornton. Excellent photo of Thornton and his wife. Wendy appears in a shot from the set of AYBS?)

REVEILLE (21 July 1977),  seeking this article (Contains an article on the comedy series 'Are You Being Served', with numerous photos of the cast, including of course Ms. Richard.)

New data MIX  (#30, July 1977), pages 8-9, "Wat Wendy Richard als verkooopster uithaalde, zou 'Miss Brahms' een kleur bezorgen" ("What Wendy Richard did as a Salesperson would make 'Miss Brahms' blush")  (This Dutch celebrity magazine includes an entertaining piece with Wendy describing some of her own experiences working behind the counter before her acting career took off.  English translation is available here (courtesy of your webmeister).  Accompanied by a couple of black & white photos.)

FILM REVIEW (July, 1977), pages 10, 12, "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grace" (Popular British film magazine. Short article about the filming of the AYBS movie. The writer talks to each of the various cast members. His chat with Wendy is telling:
". . .There are certain disadvantages to being in a comedy series, as Wendy Richard explained.
'It's not been a terribly easy career for me. I would sit around for a long time waiting for work to come in. Now that I'm known from this one series it seems to stop me getting jobs in other things. Two weeks ago I went to audition for a TV play, and when the chap realized I was in Are You Being Served? he said, "I can't have you if you're going to be easily recognized from a comedy show because I want to film this like a documentary." ' ") by Mike Munn.

VERONICA (11 June 1977), page 40, "TeleVisie" (In this Dutch weekly magazine, just a stock photo of Miss Brahms on a television listing page for an episode -- "German Week" -- showing this week).

VIVA (#22, 3 June 1977), pages 14-17, "De Eeuwige Del van het TV-Scherm" ("The Eternal Floozy of the TV-screen") (A nice article spread across four pages of this Dutch celebrity magazine.  It provides some interesting early insights about Wendy hardly ever seen in print:  her determination not to do nude work ("I look better dressed"); her wish to perhaps have a child ("but only one"); and her realization even this early on that she couldn't continue to play the "dumb blonde" forever.  Overall, a fascinating look at a complicated young lady.  An English translation of the article, courtesy of your webmeister, may be found here.)

WEEKEND (14 May 1977), pages 4-5, "I'm Always Free For Weekend!" (A quite unusual two-page spread in this Dutch entertainment magazine.  It's focused on Wendy during a working trip to the Netherlands in early 1977, but offers an interesting insight on the whole AYBS? phenomenon in that country at the time.  An English translation by your webmeister can be found here.  Some lovely photos accompany the article.)

WEEKEND (#3757, 2-9 March 1977), cover, pages 20-21, "The Man Who Changed My Mind About Marriage" (This general entertainment periodical has a nice page-and-a-half interview with Wendy about her life and her work and the new man in her life.  Some nice insights into her early experiences as a sales assistant in real-life and about the difficulty of getting work as an actress.  Transcript is here.  Accompanied by a couple of rather nice photos, including this one) by Dick Maino.

STORY (21 January 1977), page 44, "Voor de tweeling verveelde Mrs Slocombe zich dood" ("Before the Twins Mrs Slocombe Was Bored to Death")  (A one-page article about Molly Sugden's home life and the importance her twin boys had for her.  Accompanied by a stock on-set publicity photo from Are You Being Served? that includes Wendy as Miss Brahms.)

VERONICA (1 January 1977), page 52, "David Croft: Comedy-series Aan de Lopende Band" ("David Croft: Conveyor Belt of Comedy") (In Dutch, this article summarized Croft's work on three widely distributed comedy series: "Dad's Army", "Are You Being Served?", and "It Ain't Half Hot Mum". Predictably, Wendy appears in an AYBS? stock shot of the cast.)


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 VERONICA (4 September 1976), page 32, (A fairly nice photo of Wendy accompanies a TV listing for the program "Dokter Hogg terug" -- which of course is "Hogg's Back", on which Wendy worked in 1975.  The article translates roughly as follows:
"Dr. Hogg finds that his supply cabinet must be refilled and runs an errand to a local supermarket. But when he arrives home, he wonders with amazement what happened to his purchases along the way.")

TELEMOUSTIQUE (2 September 1976).seeking this article   (Wendy is mentioned in the television listings in this weekly French-language magazine.)

TELEMOUSTIQUE (8 January 1976).seeking this article   (Another Wendy mention in the program listings.)

STORY (17 January 1976), page 33, "Julie's lefde schiep 'die malle mister Humphries' " ("Julie's Love Created 'The Merry Mister Humphries' ") (Interview, in Dutch, with John Inman. One stock photo of Miss Brahms with the other characters on set.)


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TV TIMES (6 November 1975), page 49, "Domestic Dramas" (A brief blurb about this week's episode of Hogg's Back, with photo from the show.  Nothing really about Wendy herself, though.)

TV TIMES (25 October 1975), "A Hectic Life For A Pearl of A Girl" (A short piece, with a nice photo, noting Wendy's presence on the new show Hogg's Back, as well as a number of other series:
"Wendy Richard, the new Pearl in Dr. Hogg's hectic household, first caught public attention in the swinging Sixties as an unknown cockney voice on a Mike Sarne record called Come Outside.
Since then she has been busy getting herself seen as well as heard in a variety of comedy shows.  She has appeared in several Carry On films, been a barmaid in ITV's Not on Your Nellie and is currently appearing in her fourth season of the BBC's Are You Being Served?
In this afternoon's episode of Hogg's Back, she is rushed off her feet trying to do three jobs at once for the doctor (Derek Royle). 
"I have to make some very fast dress changes.  It's been a bit hectic swopping around," says Wendy.
When a good friend of the dotty doctor asks him to look after his daughter for a while, Dr. Hogg expects to find a small child waiting for him at the station -- not a well-endowed and very grown-up young lady.  But fortunately the doctor and Pearl get along better off screen. 
"I'm having great fun working with Derek," says Wendy.  "There are some extremely funny episodes in the series.")

STORY (14 February 1975), page 42, "Captain Peacock had de dood in huis" ("Captain Peacock Had Death in His House") (Intriguing article, in Dutch, that appears to be about Frank Thornton's run-in with some IRA terrorists at his summer home in Dartmoor. In any case, a shot from the set of AYBS? with Wendy in it.)

TITBITS (#4635, 9-15 January 1975), pages 14-15, " 'I'm A Little Cracked' -- Says Wendy the 'Barmaid' " (A purveyor of mild gossip, interpersonal advice, and saucy photos, nevertheless this magazine scores high on the Wendy-scale with a half-page interview that offers a long-unseen perspective of the barmaid/actress picking up steam on her chosen professional track. Best quote:
 "I think I'm employed because of my funny voice. It's like cracked glass."
Her view on 'Come Outside':
"It was good for me because I got lots of publicity at the beginning of my career.  But I do NOT want to hear it again." The interview was actually done late in 1974.)
.


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TV LIFE (April 1974). seeking this article (The second issue of this old UK monthly magazine contained an article about Ms. Richard, but no details are known.)


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RESIMLI ROMAN (#73, 11 July 1972), page 3, "Evlenme Dairesinin Onunde Serenat" ("Marriage Registration Before a Serenade") (This appears to be a secular Turkish entertainment periodical targeted mostly to the female demographic.  There are mild celebrity news stories, short fiction (evidently translated from English), storyboard-type soap opera photo articles, and Western-style product ads.  Kind of interesting, actually.  This issue offers a quarter-page B&W photo of Wendy and new husband Leonard Black exiting a registration office in London to the music of violins.  The caption essentially says as much, identifying her as "London's celebrated singer and rising artist, Wendy Richard".)

ABC FILM REVIEW (April 1972), page 18, "Take 11"  (This monthly movie review mag provides numerous blasts from the past with its varied coverage of UK and US film topics, as well as some gently risqué photos of then-current starlets. But of particular interest to us here at the WRAP is the inclusion of Wendy's most familiar Carry On publicity picture with the following write-up: " 'Hello Pinewood' we said, phoning the studio.  'How's Matron?'  'Coming along nicely' they said.  'We've just taken on a couple of nurses and an au pair girl.  They seem to be enjoying themselves.'  They were making the 23rd 'Carry On', called Carry On Matron, from which we picture the girls in question:  Lindsay Marsh is one of the nurses, Wendy Richard is another one called Miss Willing, and Zena Clifton is the au pair girl."
Too bad they got it wrong.  Wendy played a young mother, not a nurse, in that movie.)

TV TIMES (19-25 February 1972), page 26, "Wendy's Cheek and Backchat"  (A quarter-page article about Wendy and her participation at this time in the new series Both Ends Meet.  Transcript is here.  The modest piece is accompanied by a great B&W photo of a very casual Wendy.)


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WEEKEND (#3442, 10 February 1971), page 13, (From the large photo of the 'Up, Pompeii' set that appears on the cover, one might think that this weekly magazine intends to mention Wendy in connection with that revisionist Roman sitcom.  But no, instead, there is simply a caption --
"You are probably old enough to recall the Mike Sarne record hit 'Come Outside' and the girl who added voice-over remarks like 'Yer what?'  At last, folks, here she is.  Wendy Richards [sic].  Do you mind?"
-- accompanying a stunningly attractive black-and-white photo of Wendy wearing a skimpy knit bikini reclining on the grass.)

FILMS IN REVIEW (January 1971), page 45, "Film Reviews: No Blade of Grass" (A short, and not very positive, review of NBoG; however, the reviewer does acknowledge good performances by Anthony May, Wendy, and Lynne Frederick) by Tatiana Drowne.


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  THANET TIMES (1966), "In Weavers Green"  (This regional newspaper carried a short publicity blurb about Wendy's upcoming appearance on an episode of Weavers Green"Wendy Richard's mum owns a London public house, so it is natural that she should spend quite a lot of time behind the bar.  But she is also a very competent actress, as you can see for yourself in a forthcoming episode of Weavers Green.  Her scenes with Maurice Kaufmann were taken on the Norfolk Broads, and this is the bikini that Wendy wears."  The writeup is accompanied by a nice photo of Wendy in said bikini.)

TEEN STARS YEARBOOK (1966), page 30, "Rags / Sad, Glad: What They're Wearing" (This magaine provides a rundown on which young talents are hot in the area of music, society, acting, surfing, you name it:  "these are people teens dig the most" -- hmm, no one over 30 in this pack . . .  Wendy appears wearing a black-and-white dress which is described thusly:
"This poncho shift is Wendy Richards' favorite glad rag.  "No direction" dress has bell sleeves, tile design.")


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DISC (15 June 1963), page 9, "Disc Date" (In this popular music newspaper that's quite remarkable for all the articles on storied artists of the 1960s, one of the regular features takes a brief look at one of Wendy's post-Come Outside endeavours:
"Wendy Richard and Diana Berry -- We Had A Dream; Keep 'Em Looking Around (Decca F 11680) * * * -- Like Miss Davis, Wendy Richard has graduated from Mike Sarne sides to star billing on disc.  Here she chants in company with Diana Berry We Had a Dream, which moves well on a lyric about a collection of singers and DJs who turn up at the party.  Sounds like a nightmare to me!  On the other side the girls unison through an ordinary quick beater")
.

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS (#857, 14 June 1963), page 4, "Singles by Keith Fordyce" (Radio host Keith Fordyce's regular feature in this issue of NME takes note of Wendy's effort to repeat her musical success of the previous year:
"Imagine having a party attended by all your pop singer favourites plus half-a-dozen disc-jockeys.  It would certainly be a swingin' session.
This is the theme of 'We Had a Dream' sung by Wendy Richard and Diana Berry.
There's a complete 'Who's Who' of names, plus a good tune and a great twistin' rhythm.  The girls have a good chance of scoring with this one.
'Keep 'Em Looking Around' is an amusing ditty about dance-hall social conventions.  That's on Decca."

Nice accompanying photo of both Diana Berry and Wendy with none other than Jim Reeves; sadly, this was only about a year before his untimely death in a plane crash.)

POP WEEKLY (? June 1963),  seeking this article (Possibly another review of Wendy's single "We Had A Dream".)

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS (7 June 1963), page 6, "Come Outside Wendy Records With A Girl" (Under a brief article entitled 'Disc Signing' it is noted that:
"Two girl singers -- Wendy Richards, the Come Outside girl, and Lucille Hewitt of Coronation Street -- have novel releases next week.  Wendy, real name Wendy Emerton, duets with her friend Diana Berry on We Had a Dream on Decca.  Both are 20 years old and live in London  Lucille debuts under her real name, Jenny Moss, with Hobbies on Columbia."
It's interesting to note that Wendy's real name and age were not topics of uncertainty at that time, plus the clear association with her and Sarne's hit from the summer of the previous year)
.

THE VIEWER (12 January 1963), page 6, "Glamour Girls of TV" (A special article in this TV program schedule newspaper offers photos and write-ups of six attractive TV actresses of that day:  Wendy, Dorothy Provine, June Laverick, gameshow hostess Nancy Roberts, Jacqueline Beer, and Connie Stevens.  Accompanied by a lovely photo that makes it clear why she worked as a model, Wendy's write-up says:
"Here's a girl who knows how to sit pretty -- 19-year-old actress Wendy Richards [sic] (above).  You can see more of this blonde 'sitting pretty' as receptionist Susan Sullivan in Harpers West One.
You will remember Middleborough-born Wendy as the perky girl in Mike Sarne's hit record Come Outside.  She was some hit too!
)
by Kevin Ross.


1 9 6 2

RECORD SONGBOOK (1962),  seeking this article (While the main article in this song lyric periodical is about UK singer Cliff Richard, a smaller article concerns itself with Mike Sarne and Wendy, who of course had their song on the charts this year.)

NEW RECORD MIRROR (22 December 1962), page 11, "Mr. Controversy 1962" (An article about Mike Sarne, accompanied by the well-known photo of Wendy and he walking down a gravel path in Regent's Park, London.  The article is rather unusual, focusing on the eccentric and outrageous aspects of Sarne's personality and habits) by Peter Jones.

THE VIEWER (3 November 1962), page 3,  seeking this article "Tyne Tees Topics" (In this issue of what appears to be a northeast England regional television guide, there's a column about local-girl Wendy, accompanied by a handsome B/W photo.  Judging from the photo, the article is probably reporting on her appearing on the TV show Harpers West One.)

TV TIMES (19 October 1962), page 22, " 'Come Outside' Girl Joins Harpers West One" (Excellent article on Wendy before she was an established television name; transcript here. Many insights about this young woman just breaking into serious acting. Piece includes a portrait of Wendy at her early sophisticated best) by Charles Bayne.

VALENTINE (1 September 1962), page 4, "Come Inside Mike!" (The "Personality Page" of the newspaper featured Mike Sarne in this issue, but it has something quite interesting to say about his lovely singing partner too:
"The voice of Sarne in Cockney, the lyric, the Blackwell music, and the saucy gimmick of the girl's micky-taking comments all added up to a HIT.  And that gal?  She is Wendy Richard, a model.  She thought the studio session was for pictures -- not sound!"
A couple of nice (if grainy) photos of the two accompany the article)
by Hal Langham.

PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY (September 1962), cover (Wendy appears, uncredited, in a cover shot for this British shutterbug magazine.  Interestingly, the edition is dated only a few months after her work with Mike Sarne on 'Come Outside' hit the UK Pop charts.  The caption for the cover photo is fairly sparse:
"This Month's Front Cover:  Just a few yards of river, an inexpensive beach ball, two pretty girls, and a whole load of know-how -- and you too can produce a colour picture like this.  Barrington-Martin shot this on Ektachrome sheet film just a few seconds before it started to rain!  The attractive swimwear the girls are wearing comes from Demoiselle, 6 Market Place, W.1."
The photographer mentioned is probably Michael Barrington-Martin.)

GIRL (Vol. 2, #33, 18 August 1962), page 10, "Helen Shapiro Calling:  Take-over from Elvis" (This is a quaint British periodical newspaper evidently targeted for pre-teen young ladies.  Among the full-page cartoon strips and advertisements for chewing gum and bicycles is this quasi- gossip column by pop singer Helen Shapiro.  In this issue, she writes mostly about Mike Sarne, but as a pleasant aside mentions the female half of the "Come Outside" duo:
"[The popularity of 'Come Outside'] was a surprise for someone else beside Mike Sarne.  Part of the success of the disc was due to the spoken comments of the girl, sort of taking the mickey out of Mike as he sang.  This girl is a model, and I'm told she turned up at the recording studio under the impression that she was to do an ordinary modeling job for the cameras!  You can imagine what she felt like when she learned she was to do a vocal.  But she did it extremely well, don't you think?  And now she's finding herself a pop celebrity.  Her name is Wendy Richard.  And that's a famous pop name, too, isn't it?")

MELODY MAKER (21 July 1962),  seeking this article (A mention or article of unknown content.)

DISC (14 July 1962),  seeking this article (May include an interview with Mike Sarne and Wendy Richard.)

DISC (23 June 1962), page 6 (This newspaper with the latest stories and features about the music and artists has a photo of Wendy with a number of other "top names from the pop music world".  (From left to right:  singers Don Charles and Carole Deene, Wendy,  dancer Jeff Dexter, singer Kenny Lynch, guitarist Jet Harris, singer Doug Sheldon, and songwriter Ian Samwell.  Wendy and the other artists had attended a Record Hop at Greenwich [London] Town Hall hosted by Samwell in mid-June of this year.)

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS (#806, 22 June 1962), pages 9, 12, "Outside With Mike" (A fine article credited to Wendy and written in the first-person, describing her new-found fame and how she came into the role of the "Come Outside" girl. Especially interesting since it was written at the time the song was at the top of the charts; however, Wendy's recently told me that she didn't actually write the article herself.  I can only guess that it was issued by her agent or publicist at the time.  Accompanied by a couple of so-so newspaper-quality photos of her and Sarne) by Wendy Richard.

MELODY MAKER (9 June 1962),  seeking this article (A notice in this issue of Mike Sarne and Wendy Richard appearing at the Blackpool Festival of Jazz and Pop.)

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS (11 May 1962), page 8, "Latest Chart Newcomer Is Another Actor Turned Singer" (This informative music-industry paper offers a short article focusing on Mike Sarne's background and includes the most commonly seen photo of Mike and Wendy in Regent's Park, London.  The article has this to say about Sarne's latest piece Come Outside (which was charting for the first time that week at #22):  ". . . a novelty disc rather than a comedy number, a tuneful little parody of the sort of conversation you could expect to hear in any dance hall.  Supplying some of the bored answers, like "get lost" and "go and ask Lil" to Mike's entreaties to "come outside" is shapely model Wendy Richard, seen with Mike in the picture on the right.")

MELODY MAKER (5 May 1962), page 6, "Pop Disc Page" (Essentially a music-business publication, this newspaper contains a short review of the Sarne & Richard single 'Come Outside', which had not yet hit the pop charts.  The article:
"Mike Sarne:  Come Outside/Fountain of Love (Parlophone). --  Outside may be a bit 'far-out' to make the charts.  But it must still be nominated one of the most outstanding comedy discs for ages by a British artist.  Outside, written by MD Charles Blackwell, is an ingenious laugh featuring Wendy Richard 'feeding' Sarne with Cockney jargon.  Love is a mediocre coupling, but Outside should be a consistent favourite on radio shows.")


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