The Watcher

We should know them because between them they created/patented/invented at least 4 typeface/fonts. Although Zapfino, Aldus and Optima may not be known to many, PALATINO is extremely well known. "Just My Type" by award-winning author Simon Garfield gives further information.

The Zapf typeface is known worldwide.

Gudrun Zapf von Hesse, the world renowned calligrapher & typographer is 102 on 2 Jan, 2020. Surely worth a pick as her even more famous type-face creator husband Hermann Zapf (1918-2015) seemed to escape selection over the years.

Eileen Ash (nee Whelan) [108- oldest ever test cricketer], John Manners (105 - oldest ever first class cricketer & only surviving first class cricketer to play before WW2), John Woodcock (93 - cricket journalist whose father was born in 1857 & whose paternal grandfather was born before the Battle of Waterloo), Sheila Mercer (100 - former Emmerdale actress & sister of Brian Rix), June Spencer (100 - actress in The Archers), Clarissa Eden (widow of a former prime minister), Michael Medwin (96 & actor & boss of Trevor Eve in Shoestring), Glynis Johns (96 & Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins but too frail for a cameo in the recent Mary Poppins film), Tony Britton(95 - actor), Peregrine Worsthorne ( 96 next month & former editor, journalist & political commentator - esp on election nights), Wally Fawkes (artist of Flook for 35 years in Daily Mail & then in Daily Mirror, Christopher Tolkein (94 & author), Desmond Morris (91 & naturalist), Doreen Mantle (93 & actress).

Eileen Whelan (108 year old test cricketer), Roberta McCain (107), John Manners (105 - only surviving player to play first class cricket before WW2), Pearl Carr (96), Murray Walker (96), Glynis Johns (95), Tony Britton (95), Peregrine Worsthorne (96 next month), Henry Kissinger (96),Michael Medwin (96), Wally Fawkes (95), James Garbutt (94), Christopher Tolkein (94), Sidney Poitier (92), David Attenborough (93), Mel Brooks (93), Doreen Mantle (93),Desmond Morris (91), Lionel Blair (90), Christopher Plummer (90 next month), Frank Williams (88), Eileen Derbyshire (88), Virginia McKenna (88), Patricia Greene (88), Josephine Tewson (88), Trevor Peacock (88), Brian Murphy (87),

Walter ("Wally") Fawkes is 95. He drew the Flook cartoon in the Daily Mail for 35 years and when it was suddenly dropped Maxwell had it in the Daily Mirror for a while. He eventually wrote Flook as well but earlier on people such as Barry Took, Humphrey Lyttleton (a fellow jazz musician) & Barry Norman had written the cartoon strip which appeared alongside Carol Day and Rip Kirby strips.

Peregrine Worsthorne will be 96 on 22 December. He was a journalist & national newspaper editor in his time & is married to Lucinda Lambton who used to be a prolific broadcaster.

Kirk Douglas has apparently (in Daily Express today) given marriage hints to Michael as he has been married to his second wife (not Michael's mother) for 65 years who was 100 earlier this year.

Changed this afternoon. The perils of relying on Wiki - one only has to look at the fact that they state the longest marriage was by a Bradford couple of over 90 years but Guinness World Records never includes it.

According to Wiki Jean Heywood is still alive! (98)

Time that John Woodcock (born 1926) is added to this forum. He was cricket correspondent of The Times from 1954 to 1987 and has written for the paper every year since. He has outlived at least one successor (Christopher Martin-Jenkins) & amazingly his father was 70 when he was born. Not many alive today had a father born in 1856!!! Even more astonishing is the fact that his paternal grandfather was born before the Battle of Waterloo in 1815!!! Research online so far has only found the 2 living grandsons of the US President from 1841-45 to have a grandfather born earlier.

Michael Medwin is 96 and surely fits into this thread. He is a contemporary of the ageless Nicholas Parosns and like him appeared on stage & screen in the 1950's. Medwin may be best remembered as the genial boss of Eddie Shoestring in the series that starred Trevor Eve. When Eve decided to move onto other ventures after 2 series, Robert Banks Stewart was asked to come up with another series. He came up with Bergerac which was based in Jersey & ran for 9 series and even used plots that had been intended for further series of Shoestring!

Two British character actors who seem to remain under the radar are James Garbutt (born 1925) & Jean Heywood (born 1921). They played a married couple, (the Seatons) in the James Bolam drama When the Boat Comes In. Jean Heywood also played the housekeeper in All Creatures Great and Small. She replaced Mary Hignett (1916-1980) who played Mrs Hall the first housekeeper who was in the first three series but died after a risky double hip operation when initially she had gone into hospital for only a single hip operation but according to Wiki was persuaded by medical staff to have a more complicated procedure. Jean Heywood has outlived her predecessor in the role of housekeeper by almost 40 years.

Jon Pertwee's first wife is also still alive. She is the actress Jean Marsh & the co-creator of Upstairs, Downstairs. She made her return to the series when it was brought back over 30 years later but due to the success of Downton Abbey it disappeared without trace! Her co-creator Dame Eileen Atkins must also be a similar age.

Joan le Mesurier (b 1931) is the widow of John le Mesurier & former wife of Mark Eden. (ex Coronation Street) She was an actress & possibly best known for an affair with Tony Hancock. Eileen Derbyshire (b 1931) is best known for playing Emily Bishop in Coronation Street from 1961 to 2016 when she took a 6 month break which has now extended to 36 months. She will appear in a a recorded cameo next month to celebrate the 80th birthday of the only actor to appear longer in the soap - Ken Barlow played by William Roache. She is also the mother of the sports journalist Oliver Holt.

John Manners who was 105 yesterday & is the oldest ever first class cricketer having played county cricket in 1936. Gilbert Melville Grosvenor (b 1931) who was for many years the editor of the National Geographic Magazine which began in 1888 & has always had an iconic yellow border on its front cover. He is also the great grandson of Alexander Graham Bell.

I think a few are fed up with Paul Merton & his antics which he hones to perfection as he appears in every show. A few months ago Sheila Hancock got snappy with him by saying something about him appearing in every show so it was no wonder that he did so well. Merton tried to diffuse the situation with humour by saying that he played it at home but Wendy Richard famously stopped appearing due to the way he performed & many feel that Nicholas Parsons is rather generous towards Merton. A couple of weeks ago when it was a 2 horse race in the last round between Merton & someone who had only appeared once before, Fred McCauley (?) gave a challenge with nothing to say which gave the speaker who was the one in contention with Merton an extra point which proved decisive. Merton moaned about the ethics of the game.

An astonishing political link with history. The 10th USA President John Tyler who was born in 1790 & was President from 1841-45 still has two grandsons alive! They are Lyon Tyler (born 1924) & Harrison Tyler (born 1928) There can be very few other people alive who had a grandparent born in the 1700's?

Roberta McCain was 107 this February & looks a good bet to reach 108. She outlived her famous son John the Senator who forbid Trump to attend his funeral. Her husband was an admiral who died in 1981 & her twin sister lived to the age of 99.

Helen Shingler a retired actress was 100 3 days ago. She is the mother of Anthony Head (actor) & Murray Head (musician). Her husband lived to the age of 90 & died in 2009. Anthony Head is probably best known for playing Giles the librarian in Buffy & starring in the coffee ads with Sharon Maughan about 35 years ago.

Also 100 today is Marge Champion. She was the model for the dance moves that Snow White performed in the 1937 Disney animation Snow White when she was only 18.

Dame Frances Campbell-Preston is 101 today. She was Woman of the Bedchamber (lady-in-waiting) to the Queen Mother from 1965 to 2002. She was widowed in 1960 & her late husband was a famous Colditz prisoner. The Dame is sister-in-law to Joyce Grenfell (1910-1979) & obviously has the same health plan as the Royal Family - presumably Princess Margaret & possibly Prince Andrew are/were not subscribers?

Three famous actors all over 100. Who will depart the stage first? Kirk Douglas, Olivia de Havilland (the only adult actor still with us from Gone with the Wind) or Norman Lloyd?

Norman Lloyd reputedly the world's oldest actor will be 105 on November 8th 2019.