Eh up, me old flowers

11/11/2025  -  10.00

Alex Alexandrou

I recently had the pleasure of attending a performance of a play entitled – Eh Up, Me Old Flowers! The play ran from the 9th-20th September at the White Bear Theatre, based in Kennington, in London. The play is a story of the life of comedian, Charlie Williams. It was written and directed by Chris England, whose credits include the play, An Evening with Gary Lineker and the irreverent but wonderful podcast, The Famous Sloping Pitch, which he co-hosts with Nick Hancock. It has just two characters, Charlie Williams, played by Tony Marshall, (Life on Mars and Casualty) and a visitor, played by Nick-Denning-Read (Red Dwarf and Trigger Point).

At this early juncture, I am going to state there will be no spoilers in terms of the main storylines of the play, as it is my sincere hope that it has an extended run, either by going around the country or at a major regional or London theatre. That said, I will give a small flavour of what to expect if the play gets its much hoped for extended run.

During the 1970s, Charlie Williams was one of the most famous comedians in Britain and one of the stars of the hit television programme – The Comedians. It is fair to say that Charlie, became the first black comedian to become a widely recognised and famous household star with his infectious laugh and self-deprecating and observational humour. Undoubtedly, he paved the way for many young black comedians of the time, such as Lenny Henry, to make the breakthrough in what can still be regarded as divisive and restrictive times for many people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

It can be argued the comedic material used by Charlie and other comedians of his generation would be regarded as inappropriate and questionable but context is everything, particularly with this play.

The play is premised on Charlie Williams, now retired, being visited by a stranger who questions him about his career and life. Through these questions, many themes about British life come to the fore that not only had relevance for the majority of the 20th Century that Charlie Williams lived through but also the current day. It also covers his time as a miner, professional footballer, his family life, the racism he had to deal with at home and abroad and his life after retirement. The First World War and Second World War are also covered, with the Great War revealing some interesting facts about Charlie’s father.

Chris England is to be commended for creating a five-star script that is challenging, hard-hitting and poignant. The performances of Tony Marshall and Nick Denning-Read were superb in the play. Both actors gave five-star performances, dealing with a sensitive subject with compassion, humour and gravitas, due to the thought provoking script by Chris England.
This play deserves an extended run and hopefully that comes about in the near future.

Biography

Alex Alexandrou is Co-Founder and Chair of the Football and War Network