Holocaust Memorial Day 2025

My talk covers my late father's personal account of the liberation of
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, which he published in 2015 (above):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liberating-Belsen-Concentration-Major-General-Nicholas/dp/1511541709/

Church of Scientology London

Lewes Old Grammar School, Lewes

Anne Frank Trust UK's Annual Lunch at the Hilton Park Lane:

with Lord Finkelstein whose mother was rescued by the British Army at Bergen-Belsen

Anne Frank Trust UK's Annual Lunch at the Hilton Park Lane:

with Rob Rinder, TV presenter and barrister

Anne Frank Trust UK's Annual Lunch at the Hilton Park Lane:

with Mala Tribich, Belsen survivor, Queen Camilla, Eva Clarke, Mauthausen survivor 

Anne Frank Trust UK's Annual Lunch at the Hilton Park Lane:

with Emma Barnett, Radio 4 presenter

Buckswood School, Guestling, East Sussex

HMD Hastings Jewish Community Event, White Rock Theatre, Hastings

Forest Hill School, south London

The Harvey Grammar School, Folkestone

World at One, Radio 4, 27th Jan 2025:
Listen here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/EZr4Hsj4EkpxmmQV9

Live interview on Sky News:

Watch here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jhax4iSWfbWi2CPn9

Being the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on 27th January 2025, this was a very busy time for everyone involved with Holocaust education. And the charity for which I am a speaker, Generation 2 Generation, was no exception. Here are some photos of the talks I've been giving recently. 

Many of the audiences said that the talk helped them realise the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the urgent need for effective human rights education in schools. 

The Session Man: Nicky Hopkins documentary launches on Amazon US

John Wood, Co-Producer, Peter Frampton and Mike Treen, Director

John Wood, Peter Frampton, Dave Davies and Mike Treen

Chris Kimsey, Peter Frampton, May Pang, Dave Davies and Rebecca Wilson

John Wood, May Pang and Mike Treen

John Wood, Chris Kimsey and Mike Treen

John Wood, Co-Producer, and Mike Treen, Director

Angelika Film Center Q&A

Angelika Film Center

Q&A: Peter Frampton

Q&A: Mike Treen, Director

Q&A: Peter Frampton, Chris Kimsey and Mike Treen

Q&A: Peter Frampton

Following its successful US launch in New York on 26 September 2024, attended by Peter Frampton, Dave Davies, May Pang, David Pomeranz, Sterling Campbell, Jon Carin, Chris Kimsey, Steve Holley, Brian Stanley and David Donen and in association with irocku, Berklee College of Music and MusicGurus, The Session Man: Nicky Hopkins was released on Amazon US and other platforms on 5 November 2024

World Premiere: Doc’n Roll Festival, Barbican Centre, London, 26 Oct 2023 – OFFICIAL SELECTION

The Session Man poster

Barbican Cinema 1

Kylie Olsson, Host

Q&A: Julian Dawson, Paddy Milner, Chris Kimsey, Mike Treen and Kylie Olsson

John Wood, Co-Producer, and Mike Treen, Director

Moira Hopkins and Graham Parker

Doc'n Roll Festival booklet

    

Don Powell and Alan O'Duffy

The world premiere (the first-ever public screening) of The Session Man was on 26th October 2023 at The Barbican, London - part of Doc 'n Roll Film Festival 2023. Notable audience members were sound mixer Alan O'Duffy, the drummer of Slade, Don Powell, Tanita Tikaram, violinist of Dexys Midnight Runners, Helen O'Hara, Nicky's widow, Moira Hopkins, singer-songwriter, Graham Parker, record producer, Chris Kimsey, singer-songwriter, Billy Nicholls, Tom Jones' pianist, Paddy Milner, Nicky's biographer, Julian Dawson, and the host for the Q&A was TV presenter, Kylie Olsson.

Veteran film, stage, screen actor and singer, Valentine Palmer, passes away at 86

 

Valentine Palmer as Monia in the Doctor Who serial, Day of the Daleks

 

 On 10 January 2022, Valentine Palmer, best known for his role as Monia in the Dr Who serial, Day of the Daleks, passed away aged 86, after a short illness.

Valentine studied music and singing at Guildhall School of Music in London and was awarded the King George VI Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and subsequently appeared in almost 100 of Britain’s best loved TV series, including two episodes of Dr Who, Minder, The Saint, The Professionals, The Sweeney, Emmerdale, Dixon of Dock Green, Crossroads and The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

Valentine as Lord Willoughby in The Six Wives of Henry VIII

He also played leading roles in numerous West End musicals including: Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella with Tommy Steele, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Dora Bryan, The King and I with Peter Wyngarde and Oliver with Helen Shapiro.

He also wrote, produced, and directed his feature film Fanny Hill which was a commercial success. As a result, he later worked in Hollywood as a script editor and later, in the UK, as a screenwriting coach.

In addition to the performing arts, Valentine also worked in the field of business and communication coaching as head of production for the company, Motivation Video, for 10 years with big-name clients like IBM and BP, and he set up his own company, The Academy of Communication, which he ran for 20 years.

Valentine was also an established writer and was commissioned to write the screenplay for The Singer as a vehicle for Cliff Richard. He was also commissioned to write the book for the West End musical, Zelda, about the wife of Scott Fitzgerald. In 2012, he was commissioned to write a biography of his great uncle, Second Officer Charles Herbert Lightoller, the only senior officer to survive the sinking of the Titanic. Titanic and The Strange Case of Great Uncle Bertie was published to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the tragedy. A firm believer in the 'Titanic Switch Theory' (that it was actually Titanic's identical sister ship, Olympic, that sank that fateful night and not the Titanic as part of an elaborate insurance fraud scam), Valentine went on to write several books and deliver lectures on the subject of the great ship and the mystery surrounding its loss.

Valentine Palmer, author of Titanic and The Strange Case of Great Uncle Bertie

His final project was working as producer/writer for the documentary The Session Man, about the life and career of legendary rock pianist, Nicky Hopkins, currently in production.

Valentine with Harry Shearer (of Spinal Tap and The Simpsons) at Olympic Studios during the filming of the Nicky Hopkins documentary, The Session Man

Valentine Palmer (24/7/1935-10/1/2022) who was originally from Crouch End, London, went to Brighton College, grew up in Thornborough, Buckinghamshire, lived in Brighton then moved to Malta and latterly lived in Grantham, leaves 5 children and 6 grandchildren.

In the media:

The Brighton Argus: Veteran actor and singer Valentine Palmer dies aged 86, (1 Feb 2022)

 

Ham & High: Prolific actor, writer and voice coach Valentine Palmer dies aged 86, (27 Jan 2022)

 

HertsLive: The amazing life of the Herts star who appeared in 100 British TV shows including Dr Who, Emmerdale and Minder, (26 Jan 2022) 

 

Grantham Journal: Grantham veteran film, stage, screen actor who appeared in Doctor Who, Emmerdale and The Professionals passes away aged 86, (24 Jan 2022)

 

My dearest mother has passed away - Pat Wood 1927-2022

My dearest mum - a real character, loved by all, always glamorous, and the kindest, warmest and most generous person you could ever wish to meet - passed away on 12 January 2022 aged 94. What a fantastic life she led and what a wonderful mother she was to me! I love her dearly and will always miss her - her warm heart, her smile, her kindness, her love, and most of all, her sense of fun ♥💔

 See also: https://www.facebook.com/johnalexwood/posts/10159541796164014