This is long overdue, but finally the UK has it’s very own answer to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, the Avenue of Stars in Covent Garden in London.
The BBC have the story of Sir Michael Caine opening the walk with the first 100 hundred stars already placed.
He said it was a “great honour” to do so.
“I think it’s incredible,” he said. “Plus you may notice this is a little prettier than Hollywood Boulevard.”
British and Commonwealth celebrities are eligible to get a star on the pavement outside St Paul’s church in Covent Garden’s Piazza, known as the actors’ church.
Acting legends on the inaugural list include Bob Hope and Cary Grant, who were both born in the UK, and Australian-born Errol Flynn.
So you get the idea, what does surprise me though are some of the names on the list, like Ant ‘n’ Dec:
TV presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, known as Ant and Dec, who were among the first batch of stars to be honoured, said they thought the walkway was long overdue but had been shocked to be included.
Dec said: “They are all proper showbiz legends. We were standing in the Green Room saying we shouldn’t be here. It’s amazing, and tonight has been amazing.”
Here’s the full list…
Sir Alfred Hitchcock
The Beatles
The Sex Pistols
Sir Trevor McDonald
Dame Maggie Smith
Coronation Street
(Lord) Richard Attenborough
Sir Charles Chaplin
Ant’n’Dec
Victoria Wood
Sir Cliff Richard
Dame Gracie Fields
Christopher Lee
Cary Grant
Hugh Grant
Sir John Mills
Sir Alec Guinness
Sir Rex Harrison
Bob Geldof
(Lord) Laurence Olivier
The Rolling Stones
Glenda Jackson
Sir Peter Ustinov
Nicole Kidman
Michael Palin
Cilla Black
Julie Walters
Frankie Howerd
Sir Ian McKellen
Sir Ralph Richardson
Sir David Frost
Peter O’Toole
Alan Whicker
Sir John Gielgud
Tony Hancock
Dame Peggy Ashcroft
David Bowie
The Bee Gees
Pink Floyd
Dame Shirley Bassey
Dame Edith Evans
Ken Dodd
Tommy Cooper
Benny Hill
Stan Laurel
Lenny Henry
Eric Sykes
Dame Edna Everage
Sir Harry Secombe
The Two Ronnies
John Cleese
Dame Thora Hird
Arthur Lowe
Leonard Rossiter
Paul Eddington
Chris Tarrant
John Thaw
Robbie Coltrane
Sir Sean Connery
Dame Judy Dench
Sir Michael Caine
Dame Margot Fonteyn
Sir Anthony Hopkins
Dame Julie Andrews
Charles Laughton
Queen
Robbie Williams
Errol Flynn
Sir Michael Gambon
Sir Noel Coward
Richard Bryers
Sir Alan Bates
Bob Hope
The Kinks
Dame Vera Lynn
Brenda Blethyn
Peter Cook
Les Dawson
Rowan Atkinson
Peter Sellers
Bruce Forsyth
Spike Milligan
Sir David Jason
Ricky Gervais
Albert Finney
Morecambe and Wise
Dame Diana Rigg
Sir Nigel Hawthorne
Kenneth Branagh
David Niven
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
Sir Roger Moore
Dame Elizabeth Taylor
Billy Connolly
Richard Burton
Alan Bennett
Sir Dirk Bogarde
Dame Alicia Markova
Dame Helen Mirren
(Lord) Yehudi Menuhin
Eric Clapton
Tom Jones
Some wonderful names there, but Hugh Grant, Ricky Gervais? I can stretch to Robbie Williams I guess, but there are some bizarre choices up there. Seems like they thought they’d better add in some new stars to make it popular with the younger audience.
Cary Grant, Charles Laughton, Kenneth Brannagh, Dirk Bogarde, Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington, Morecombe and Wise, Tommy Cooper….oh I can’t go on, I’d copy out about half the list there. So it’s probably easier to stick with the choices that shouldn’t be there. Which do you think don’t deserve to be up with those greats just yet, or even at all?
I guess it could extend to the CommonWealth.
It’s UK Walk of Fame rainbow, so understandably the priority list, or maybe those who will ever get their names on the list are British?
I’m not sure about some of the other names on the list, but Nicole Kidman has my vote. She is easily the most iconic actress of our time and more than deserves her place on the walk of fame.
three more suggestions for the ‘hall of fame’ tommy steele, soon to be in ‘scrooge’ @ the palladium – rudolph nureyev, if you missed him dancing with dame margot, boy did you miss out – the shadows.