Top Brummies

[Langstraat]

I'll tell you a story about the Richardsons.
A childhood friend (I'll cal him Bobby) served an apprenticeship as a glazier in West Bromwich. He perfected a method of erecting structural glass just at the time when it was all the rage to clad to outside of buildings. He started his own company and within a year employed his other four brothers and over 40 of his mates. They did very well. Winning contracts all over Britain from the south coast to Scotland. They were successful with their tender for the Richardson's Merry Hill shopping Mall.  A meeting was arranged to finalise the deal with the Richardsons. Bobby and his directors attended the meeting where it was explained that an arrangement fee would be applicable to be paid into a specified account. The average age of Bobby's company was 22, they had little business experience and they refused to pay this sweetener. Veiled threats were made to the effect that they would never do another job in the Black Country. With the bravado of youth this threat didn't concern them. Shortly after this meeting their lock-up unit burnt to the ground. Their fleet of classic cars which they had bought as a tax perk were mysteriously totalled when a JCB drove through the compound. Bobby's car was shot at in a drive by. After that he started to carry a gun (a replica) * I later took the gun from him.
They continued to win tenders and grew from strength to strength even without the door step contract, travelling out each Monday and returning Friday night. They were almost solely responsible for the glazing of the office blocks on the Isle of Dogs. After that major contract they won the contract for Meadowhall at Sheffield, Britains largest shopping Mall of the time, larger than Merry Hill. They were sub contracted by the Tarmac group. The crowning glory of Meadow Hall was a large glass dome. Bobby arranged for a twin rotor helicopter to lower it in place and organised a celebration for the site contractors on it's topping off..
Tarmac has been slow with their stage payments to Bobby's company and soon they were in cash flow difficulties. He raised as much cash as he could, borrowing from family and friends before the receivers were called in. Tarmac the main cause of his downfall stepped in and bought the business from the bank placing their own management in charge. Bobby bankrupted.
A sad tale which happened to many young company's caught up in big business; and the connection? Tarmac were the main contractors for Merry Hill and in the pocket of the Richardsons. The Richardsons sold out their interests to Merry Hill a while ago. According to the Birmingham Post last year the Brothers were worth over £600,000,000. I understand that the Richardson's Fort Dunlop project has also a Tarmac connection.
* I still have the gun.

[john2000]

I think we are moving away from the main point of this subject, ( Top Brummies ), we seem tobe move into an area of people who made money for themselves, no Charity work, but you can see what I mean about  "we never hear about the hero's of Brum," only the people who take / use Brum for themselves....

Or is it Charity starts at home ?

[Langstraat]

John,

Just keeping the momentum going nothing wrong in that surely, 333 views already that makes a change eh? 
Without a moderator to shift postings to a separate thread it's inevitable that the direction gets muddy.
'Top Brummies' can mean anything you wish.

[Phil]

Langstraat,

you obviously have never worked in the construction industry in any major town, or else you would know the events you have described are commonplace.

Phil

[Phil]

John,

I'll tell you a famous brummy who hardly gets a mention these days. Tony Hancock.

Phil.

[Langstraat]

No Phil I haven't worked in the construction Industry and the tale which was related wasn't wholly restricted just to that trade. It was to show that even those who we believe to be whiter than white can use their power to further their own aims.

Now back to the list before John shouts at us again

Although Johnny Walker has been a stalwart since my youth my favourite Brummy broadcaster was Les Ross, I used to hear him on BRMB when it first started and rarely missed his Sunday Lunchtime world phone round. Even when I left Birmingham I was able to find him on the air waves each time he switched  to another channel. Of late he's lost some of his charm and spontaneity but I still occasional listen through Broadband to his show.
I never cared for Tony Butler or my Dad's favourite Ed Dolan they were always too controversial

[Graham]

Phil,

Tony Hancock may be famous in Birmingham and suburbs, but ask someone abroad who he is/was and I think you'll see a lot of blank faces. I'm sorry but Tony could never even raise a smile on my face, and I presume it's that you think he's famous for, making people smile?

If you must vote for entertainers then go for people like Ozzy, ELO, ETC. They are world known.

[Jacqueline]

I never rated Tony Hancock either.

Lang we share the same likes in radio presenters. Love Les Ross to bits but like you not too keen on the other two. In fact i can add a third. Jeremy Kyle of the morning tv fame. Gosh he makes my blood boil when he says "look it's my name on the wall". Do you remember the competition for the arranged marriage on BRMB? It ended in divorce a short time after.....what happened to the bride??? Jeremy Kyle married her.

[Jacqueline]

Tyke,
  Sorry read your reply after i had posted.
Yes i know what you mean about other boards and bickering.

I was a member of a site some time back that now no longer has a chat forum. One member was unfairly banned which annoyed me because he was the heart and sole of the site and NEVER swore or said a thing wrong. In fact to this day i still have no idea what he did wrong. Anyway i stuck up for this guy which resulted in me being banned myself. So i sneaked in under another name. But i could not resist telling the site moderator who i was. Did he take it in good spirit? Did he heck he took the chat forum off.

I also had a rather rude comment off another site that i did use [no names mentioned].

These days i try to calm situations. Have been there and have the t shirt.

Now i only use this and one other site which i have been on for years and mainly ex pats...but just a handfull of us.

[Tyke]

What about Julie Walters as Mrs (two soups) Overall she never ceases to make me smile. She's in the re-runs of Diner ladies as Victoria Wood's Mum, much better than Hancock, he was always miserable.
I also liked Les Ros, I'm sure that if he had been more "presentable' he would have done well on Telly but he always looked a little odd. Although Beryl Reed wasn't a brummy she played Marlene for years with a broad accent as did Timothy Spall with a mixed Brummy yammy accent in Auf Wiedersehen Pet.
Carl Chinn is a well known Brummy historian who does Local History talks around the city, I've seen him a couple of times hes quite funny at times.

Jacky which site was it you refered to? I think I've been there too and got the Tee shirt lol

[Phil]

Graham,

I merely mentioned that Tony Hancock never gets a mention these days, but I will say that he may not have been everybodies cup of tea, but he was a little better known than just in the suburbs of Birmingham. He worked for over 20 years in radio and television and made 2 films.  Sadly comedians hardly ever gain world recognition. I can name very few comedians from England let alone Birmingham that can make a claim to world recognition.

Lets face it, our best actors are always cast as villians by American filmmakers, so what chance do our comedians have.

Jacqueline and Langstraat, Have to say I disagree with you about Les Ross, and the best thing that Tony Butler ever did was to give Les Ross a punch. Ed Doolan is by far the best of the three.

Phil