I consider myself to be a ‘feminist’ – I have always loved being a woman, embraced the Goddess and unashamedly used every feminine wile in the book. So why have do some of us have a problem with International Women’s Day?
As many of you know from documented accounts of my family’s legacy, my Grandfather was one of the first registered bare knuckle fighters at The Ring in London’s Blackfriars in the 1920s, and yet I regard him as one of the biggest ‘feminists’ at a time when females were constrained to the Kitchen.
Sid ‘Tiger’ Thomas was one generation apart from me, but taught his offspring how to box, how to stand up for ourselves in a male dominated environment and that there were no limits to what we could achieve.
As a result of this confidence to have this freedom, my Mother Sylvia Anderson went on to become a pioneer for women in television, having created characters and storylines for iconic TV whilst surrounded by a male team. They were indeed hungry for her contribution and talent as they lacked her vision and creativity, but less able to give her the ultimate credit at the time, as women were not always celebrated.
I have always been my own person, taking risks and pursuing my own passions in spite of gender barriers and have encouraged my daughter and now granddaughter to do the same.
So why do some of us feel triggered to dispute the rhetoric of a day which celebrate an entire gender. Perhaps it is its own PR which can be deemed as both political and gender biased.
But if we look beyond the narrative – perhaps we can deploy our own interpretation and pay homage, not just to the suffragettes, but the women who have silently fought our corner, in both in our own environment and far reaching realms of our Planet – some of whom still do not have a voice, but are an integral part of the fabric of their society, and soldier on regardless without rights or recognition for their own talents or achievements.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in the United States, record numbers of women march along 5th Avenue, past a banner that reads ”Women of the World Unite!’, New York, New York, August 26, 1970. (Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images)
This is why I will always celebrate International Women’s Day, and would encourage us all to do the same.
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A late dark day in December, an email pops up in an old email inbox from an unknown address inviting me to a lunch in Margate! Margate? Where is that exactly, somewhere on the South Coast I believe, think I may have visited with grandparents as a child, but not really sure.
On further investigation I discover it is from someone called Richard Selwyn-Barnett. The name rings a vague bell, but I warily reply asking who he is and how he even got my email address, as it is an email I hardly ever use these days. He replies he has had it since the late nineties when he was based at Pinewood Studios, as was I, when he was doing a project with Norman Wisdom.
The response comes that he is an ‘Introducer’, a natural matchmaker, although not in the romantic sense, who puts groups of people together who may have a mutual synergy and share common ground. I am curious and dig a little deeper, he sends me his mobile number and I call it.
Quentin Tarantino & Richard
I have a surprisingly interesting conversation with this man, and he confirms that he is hosting a lunch in Margate, his home town the following month and that it will be attended by film producers, media artists and other industry heavyweights who are going to be there. He names them, and I am impressed, oh what the hell I think, nothing ventured, and even if this guy isn’t for real, the very least I will have achieved is that I have checked out Margate, which is being heralded as ‘the new Shoreditch’. because of the new creative premises popping up, so I will have achieved something on the day.
The drive to Margate was a good one, albeit a little longer than I thought, but I arrived there early to check it out, it was still Winter so the sea gulls were in full voice, but the beaches were deserted. I opted to warm myself up with a cup of hot chocolate in one of the small cafes still open for the locals off season, and eaves dropped on some pensioners taking their morning cuppa, and quickly decided that Margate wasn’t for me as it hadn’t quite ‘arrived’ as a creative hub. Maybe in ten years time!
Richard had organised the lunch at the most exclusive hotel in Margate ‘The Sands’ which seemed strangely out of kilter with the rest of the sleepy English seaside town, with its trendy designer interior and upbeat vibe. I got into conversation with a young bartender who looked equally out of place, as I ordered a drink before the group arrived. He confirmed that the area was due for a major uplift as artists like Tracey Emin were moving back in, and the drab appearance of the old town would soon be history.
As the group arrived, so did Richard Selwyn-Barnett, and he was true to his word as he introduced me to an impressive group of industry achievers, Joan Lane, who developed the award winning King’s Speech film, Bruno Tilley, the first brand creative at Island Records and others who prefer to remain anonymous.
Richard & Justin Chadwick
It was an impressive lunch and afternoon, and really the start of something great. Since this lunch two years ago, several projects have been started, numerous events attended and we have all been introduced to a variety of other industry members who have enhanced our lives.
I have just been told that a new category of Award has recently been created for ‘Best Introducer’ – guess who won it? I think you know – but not before time, as Richard is a rare breed, and he does it for the pure passion of putting people together. I am extremely grateful to him for contacting me after twenty years, and as he says when I try to thank him ‘just blame it on Norman Wisdom’.
September 29, 2026 1899 Sir Billy Butlin 1913 Stanley Kramer 1916 Trevor Howard 1931 Anita Ekberg 1935 Jerry Lee Lewis 1942 Ian McShane 1943 Lech Walensa 1946 Patricia Hodge 1956 Lord (Sebastian) Coe 1968 Luke Goss 1968 Matt Goss 1970 Emily Lloyd
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