Crown Jubilee

Reports are now emerging regarding some of the planned festivities in honour of Queen Elizabeth II whose platinum jubilee bash is set to engulf the nation. Ed Sheeran is no stranger to multi-platinum record sales and multi-streams and he's said to be solid frontrunner to step up and perform the national anthem. Sir Cliff Richard is rumoured to be a guest of honour and could be joined by a glittering line-up of national treasures keen to kneel before the monarchy. Organisers are promoting this star-studded event as the “People's Pageant".

Comedian Bill Bailey, footballer Gary Lineker, dancer Jayne Torvill and gardener Alan Titchmarsh are all said to be interested in appearing at the event. There are also rumours being circulated online that actors Jeremy Irons and Tom Cruise may be present.

We've been gifted an extra public holiday for these celebrations. So here in U K, there'll be a 4-day bank holiday weekend that runs from Thursday 2nd June to Sunday 5th June. While some people will inevitably still have to work, hopefully most people will get at least some time off work across the 4 day period.

I've been to Ascot in Berkshire, though not for the horse racing it's famous for. A lot of British films have been shot in different parts of Berkshire.

I had to decide between including Tim Burstall or Charlie Chaplin but it was really no choice at all. Burstall's films I find much funnier and he doesn't tug the sentimental heartstrings in such a manipulative fashion as the cloying little tramp. Like Alan Arkin, I like Chaplin but don't love Chaplin. Box-office smash 'Alvin Purple' is awesome and he co-scripted the sequel 'Alvin Rides Again' (1974).

Michael Winner was a terrific genre director to my mind, though some critics consider him "it' so bad it's good" or crap, like Burstall and others on my list.

"The People's Pageant", as it is to be known, will document the entire reign of Queen Elizabeth II (thus far). The organisers of this showpiece event are working hand in hand with senior British establishment figures to ensure a festive banquet is served that is fit for a Queen. To this end, world-renowned, celebrity chefs Heston Blumenthal, James Martin and Gok Wan shall all be present, overseeing a dining experience that is set to be crowned by its diversity of palate.

Since beginning her dramatic rise to prominence in the mid-1980s, actress Helena Bonham Carter (26 May 1966, Islington, London) has enjoyed a storied career that's led to successes across the decades. Her fellow Islington girl Emily Watson (14 January 1967, Islington, London) has similarly made a seamless transition to playing character roles, having blazed a scorched trail through the environs of art cinema in the 1990s. They remain two of England's finest actresses working today.

English actresses like Sammi Davis (21 June 1964, Kidderminster, Worcestershire), Patsy Kensit (4 March 1968, Lambeth, London) and Emily Lloyd (29 September 1970, Islington, London) found success in the 1980s which then carried over to the 1990s. Westminster girls Minnie Driver (31 January 1970, Westminster, London) and Thandie Newton (6 November 1972, Westminster, London) have built successful film careers for themselves since starting out in cinema in the early 1990s. Tara Fitzgerald (18 September 1967, Cuckfield, Sussex) and Georgina Cates (14 January 1975, Colchester, Essex) worked steadily in cinema throughout the 1990s, but have concentrated more on commitments to theatre and television since the turn of the century. IMDB2 Film General messageboard favourite Kate Beckinsale (26 July 1973, Chiswick, London) became a major television star in the 1990s, like her father before her (comic actor Richard Beckinsale), carving out a formidable film career this century.

Among the English actresses who made their big screen debuts in the second half of the 1990s, faring particularly well this century, to my mind, have been Emily Mortimer (6 October 1971, Hammersmith, London), Kate Winslet (5 October 1975, Reading, Berkshire), Emily Booth (26 April 1976, Chester, Cheshire), Anna Friel (12 July 1976, Rochdale, Lancashire) and Samantha Morton (13 May 1977, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire). Rosamund Pike (27 January 1979, Hammersmith, London) worked in television in the late 1990s before being cast in her big screen debut as a Bond girl for the 007 spy franchise smash, 'Die Another Day' (2002). Naomie Harris (6 September 1976, Islington, London) appeared in television roles as far back as the 1980s; she finally made her mark in film when director Danny Boyle cast her in the hit franchise-starter '28 Days Later' (2002).

I think the future's looking bright once again for us here in England, what with movie actresses like Ruth Wilson (13 January 1982, Ashford, Surrey), Emily Blunt (23 February 1983, Wandsworth, London), Felicity Jones (17 October 1983, Birmingham, West Midlands), Keira Knightley (26 March 1985, Teddington, London), Carey Mulligan (28 May 1985, Westminster, London), Gemma Arterton (2 February 1986, Gravesend, Kent), Imogen Poots (3 June 1989, Hammersmith, London), Juno Temple (21 July 1989, Hammersmith, London) and Olivia Cooke (27 December 1993, Oldham, Lancashire) all currently reaching for the giddy heights. And then there's IMDB2 Film General messageboard favourite Emma Watson who was born in Paris, France ...