Monday, March 19, 2007

Toby Flood's grandfathers

Serious political thinkers look away now: it's time for some more trivial connections.

Toby Flood, England's new fly half, comes from a theatrical background. Both his grandfather's enjoyed long acting careers.

His father's father Gerald Flood appeared in many cult shows of the 1960s and even made it into Dr Who in the 1980s. I remember him as Flashman's father - a character unknown to Thomas Hughes - in the BBC's flagellomaniac adaptation of Tom Brown's Schooldays from 1971.

His mother's father was Albert Lieven a German actor who, according to the IMDB, "fled the Nazis during the war years, only to portray Nazi menacers in British films". He appeared in many films, the best known being The Guns of Navarone and the best being The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.

Cricket (and Dr Who) fans may recall that Patrick Troughton's grandson Jim Troughton has played cricket for England in one-day internationals.

3 comments:

  1. As a History of Science graduate, I was struck by having a Hook and a Flood on the field at the same time.

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  2. Yes, Gerald Flood was the voice of the Fifth Doctor's short-lived shape-shifting companion Kamelion. Hadn't heard of Jim Troughton before - Pat's other notable descendents include Much from the BBC's latest Robin Hood and Harry Potter's adoptive brother.

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  3. Jim's father, David, should not be forgetten.

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