The Dinner Party- Rupert Graves

[Petermax]

Rupert Graves (Yan in the 1970s Famous Five series) stars in The Dinner Party, a one off television play broadcast on BBC1, Sunday 9th September at 2100 hrs.

A short preview may be viewed here; The Dinner Party

Rupert is very prominent in the first minute of the clip marching around his assembled dinner party guests.

[Kitty]

Thanks for this! Wanted to watch it, since some quarters have been labelling it Abigail's Party 2.0, but completely forgot it was tonight.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Thanks for the info Petermax.

I watched it. It was excellent.

[Jools]

I also watched and enjoyed it.

Meaningless trivia alert! I was in a TV programme called Starting Out in 1983 with Rupert Graves, who played a character called John. I think I have a photo of the cast somewhere, so if I do find it I'll see if I can work out how to post it here.

[Petermax]

I was in a TV programme called Starting Out in 1983 with Rupert Graves, who played a character called John.

Starting Out? That awakens some long dormant memories. Was that a teenage drama series filmed in Portsmouth by TVS or am I thinking something completely different altogether?

[Jools]

It was a teenage drama series but filmed by Central TV in Birmingham. Also featured Carol Chell (from Play School) and Kevin Lloyd (Tosh Lines from The Bill) amongst others. It was great fun to do and I sometimes play the DVD for my kids if I want to seriously embarass them in front of their mates

[Petermax]

Having done a bit of quick research on Google I now realise that I was thinking of "Going Out", a teenage drama series filmed in Portsmouth by good old Southern Television in 1981. Easy to confuse it with "Starting Out", it was over 25 years ago!

EDIT 11/09/07 I have just had had a quick look on Youtube and found a couple of clips of "Starting Out".
Starting Out 1 Starting Out 2

Jools, how about uploading a whole episode from your DVD copy?

[peppermint peppy]

Very good idea Petermax.I'd like to watch it .Dead sure!!!

[Jools]

In the second episode, I am the one withthe pink fringe and blue jumper. Happy days!

[peppermint peppy]

Jools this pink fringe is great.You made my day!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Great fun, Jools! How did you get the part, if you don't mind my asking? Did you go to Drama classes?

Anita

[Lucky Star]

Thats great Jools. When will the second episode be shown?

[Petermax]

What a great piece of early eighties social history Starting Out was, the whole setting takes me back. The clothes, the classroom, the sarcastic teacher, and the battered MK3 Cortina. What a classic yob car that was!

[Jools]

It was a brilliant experience. What a great period the 80s was

Anita - My drama teacher at school put me forward after answering an ad in The Stage wanting young actors for a new series. I auditioned at The Holiday Inn in Birmingham (very nerve wracking). On the day I met the guy who played Gripper Stebson in Grange Hill (swoon) who was also auditioning, but as I recall he didn't get a part. It was a real fun time, particularly as I had six weeks off school to do the filming!

[Ming]

I've looked at it for an age, and still can't find Jools!!