Cringing Cult of Celebrity in Oldham, Greater Manchester*

Famous residents and ex-residents.

You can tell us more about Oldham.

• *but what about those characters who are famous on a more local level, such as Elvis Presley (yes it is his real name) a really hard skinhead who drinks in the Abbey; * Erm, no it's not, and he's not hard, he's a bully who bricks it if you stand up to him ;)
• William Ash - fukkin No Mark.
• Tony Prince lived on St.Stephen St. and went to the Bluecoat School (Henshaws) and Oldham Minicipal Art School. He left school at 15 to become a jockey in Yorkshire where he was apprenticed with Willie Carson. When he returned to Oldham one year later he started singing with The Jasons in Oldham and became the town's frirst DJ at The Princess Ballroom before singing and DJing at the Top Rank Suite at Star Inn where he introduced the Beatles at the very start of Beatlemania. Tony left Oldham and become a TV compere on 'Discs-A-Gogo' in Bristol before joining Radio Caroline North in 1966 where he became crowned The Royal Ruler. He was with Radio Luxembourg for 16 years, 7 as Programme Director. In 1983, Tony and his Oldham bride Christine (nee HALL from Vulcan Street) started DMC, a record label for DJs which they still run today from Burnham in Buckinghamshire. They also published Mixmag magazine which EMAP bought from them for loadsadosh. Tony and Christine, their children Daniel and Gabrielle are still kept busy running the DMC World DJ Championships which they have promoted for 21 years, details of which can be viewed on their world-wide web site DMCWORLD.COM. Because of this event Tony is now better known in hip-hop circles here and in America than he seems to be on this site. DMC has branches in 30 countries and has changed the face of DJ launching the art of 'turntablism'. Tony Prince returned briefly to Radio on London's Capital Gold a few years ago and moved to Birmingham's XTRA AM where he commuted from London every morning to do the breakfast show. Both Tony and Christine have family in and around Oldham and his Grandmother Carrie was the war landlady at the Egerton Arms (where they held their wedding reception). You can read an interesting interview regarding the old days with The Jasons on another Lanachire web site http://www.MANCHESTERBEAT.com/ I hope this contributes to recognising another great Oldhamer. Tony Senior (Tony's nephew in law - also from Oldham).
• bernard cribbens[cary ons,cuffy,last detective,ealing comedies,coronation st etc]lived in kipling rd derker,oldham-still owes my mum 10 cigarettes.warren clarke-actor in many various roles[clockwork orange,moving story,firefox ,dalziel & pascoe etc.2 england capts at the same time-mike atherton,david platt,too many rugby players to mention all[mike ford,barry mc dermott,andy goodway,etc.dora bryan-actress-carry ons,british comedies,last of the summer wine.half the cast of corronation st/brookside/hollyoaks.
• Winston Churchill was Mayor here!
• michael coates played rugby for bradford bulls, chorley and now with leigh!!
• Lee Glasby and Big Al on The Revolutions Breakfast Show - FUNNY!
• Surely Andy Kershaw is from Rochdale, not Oldham.
• Kirk and Rita (Corronation Street). Mark Owen (Take That). Bernard Manning (Comedian). That's it - Oldham people are the product of over 100 years of intense labour and abuse in cotton mills, so not the best of towns for talent.
• Didn't gorgeous Philip Schofield (Scoff) come from Oldham?
• albert pierpoint professional hangman had a pub in hollinwood called "help the poor struggler"
• Bobby Ball used to live across the road from me!! Apparently he used to play football on the streets with all the 10 year old kids. And I have it on good (although legally questionable) authority that Susanne out of Hear'Say was a popular girl at Oldham College: the lads familiar with her say they can now only recognise her by the top of her head. Hope she brushes her teeth before she sings live.
• Suranne Jones is from round here I think - her that plays Karen off Corrie.
• Stephen Hoyle, or rather 'Hall' to his non-stage and TV mates, went also to Crompton House (he was in my year) and has been sporting 'bit parts' on programmes such as Fat Friends, GBH, Childrens Ward, Monseignior Reynard and more recently Eastenders (Ste- the Leeds accent was terrible) , hey but atleast he's still a nice guy! I've heard from people who were Anna Friels year, that she was a bitch, and claims to be Roman Catholic and yet went to a C of E school..well?
• Brian Glover, movie 'ard man (big bald guy off Alien 3, American Werewolf in London, and Ginger Sport teacher/twat off Kes, ex wrestler, top guy, now sadly deceased). Gary Barlow, and, I think, Mark Owen (bastards, they should piss off and stay away). A surprising amount of the cast, past and present, of Coronation Street, and, I think, Carlos the chef off Emmerdale (his son goes to Werneth prep, i know him, and he's a genuinely top guy- Carlos, that is) -RM
• That bloke who did talking telephone numbers. Sarah Lancashire.
• How about Phil Milligan ex Boxer who used to walk up and down Manchester St in Fifties asking for the bus fare to Huddersfield If you gave it to him he never got past the Lancashire Vaults while waiting for the bus
• Jacqueline Grice (knee Oldham - I kid you not!), former resident before moving to Bedfield, deepest Suffolk as a missionary. Let us not forget!.
• Well we all know that loads of famous people come from Oldham but what about those characters who are famous on a more local level, such as Elvis Presley (yes it is his real name) a really hard skinhead who drinks in the Abbey; Rambo that old weird guy who constantly walks all over Oldham, from Royton to Denshaw in full combat gear with heavy rucksack, seemingly for no reason.
• GOD(ANDY BARLOW)
• Root...bass playing, taxi driving, all round funny guy!
• Paul Scholes. Cannon & Ball!!! Alan Nield (Root). Michelle Homes (Rita, Sue & Bob, too...Corrie, etc) Tom Waite and Morgan Fletcher
• Mystic Meg hails from Shaw!
• Old actress Dora Bryan,Sarah Lancashire,Comedy Legend Uncle Piehead
• Percy from Coronation Street is an ex-local.
• Sir William Walton Sir Winston Churchill ( his 1st constituency ) Bernard Cribbins Dora Brian Paul Scholes Lord Haw Haw .. used to live in Shaw
• The little one from Little & Large used to live in Shaw Andy Ritchie, manager of Oldham Athletic and Demigod Willie Walton, long dead composer
• Inspiral Carpets are from Oldham (Clint Boon is now involved in Local Bands).
• Cannon and Ball
• Anna Friel went to my school (Crompton House in Shaw)
• Chod Dance group N-Trance record and are from Shaw.
• Various members of Coronation Street
• Mark Owen
• David Platt And Mike Atherton.
• The magnificent Eric Sykes comes from sunny Oldham.
• Hate to admit this but musical old farts, Barclay James Harvest, came from around Oldham.
• Andy Kershaw (if he can be called a celebrity)

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Last updated: 2010-01-29