Talking Pictures TV Film Festival: a triumph in St Albans

It’s March and what better way to celebrate to arrival of spring than with a weekend with the wonderful Talking Pictures TV at their film festival in St Albans. Sarah Cronin and the team created another triumph with fantastic guests including Hayley Mills, Madeline Smith, Caroline Munroe, Rick Wakeman alongside many more.

For me the highlight of the festival is simply the experience of being there and having the opportunity to chat and listen to so many lovely, interesting people with a common interest in films and TV of the past. Sarah was there on the Saturday morning to welcome everyone as we arrived and what a true inspiration she is! She is absolutely dedicated to the channel and the festival and works extremely hard to make sure that everyone has a great experience.

The first things to greet you as you enter the festival are the many stalls selling a range of merchandise and products. Noel was there to chat and meet people and, I have to say, you are going to struggle to meet a friendlier person. He was great fun and had time for everyone who wanted a chat. I bought his book and, although I have only just started reading it, it is already a fascinating account. Definitely one to buy.

Also in need of a mention is the incredibly talented Steve Lilly who is a regular at these events and was there with his superb range of artwork. Steve is a hugely talented artist and has been commissioned to do the artwork for the new TPTV magazine, Intermission which is testament to his talent and great ability.

Sarah opened the festival bringing her usual joy and effervescence to the stage. She is fabulous to listen to and is vibrant, entertaining and a pleasure to listen to. We also had the brilliant Noel Cronin and Mike Read who are loved by so many as The Footage Detectives (they can be seen every Sunday at 5pm – don’t miss!)

Another superb member of the exceptional Cronin family is Archie. He is a wonderful entertainer and the audience absolutely loved him. He definitely has a great career ahead of him.

For me, one of the highlights was meeting Hayley Mills. She was a tremendous guest and it was a real treat to listen to her brilliant interview with Mike Read. It felt such a privilege to have the opportunity to listen to her talk about her life and career in such a great setting. Hayley had so much time for the audience members and spent time chatting with the many people who waited to meet her after her talk. I bought her book which I know will be another excellent read.

All of the guests were superb and it was obvious that they enjoyed the event very much and were part of the Talking Pictures family. A special mention must go to Andre Vincent who was both interesting but also incredibly funny and entertaining. Hopefully he will return to other TPTV events as he is just brilliant.

Another person I was excited to meet was Kate Garner, daughter of Chas from Chas and Dave and a superb singer and musician in her own right. Kate played the piano beautiful and sang some songs which the audience clearly loved. It was a privilege to meet and chat with her too. A truly love lady who I would also like to see again at another event.

The Talking Pictures TV film festivals always have a wonderful friendly family feel about them. I’ve been to several in Stockport and Liverpool but this was my first trip down to St Albans. Was it worth the drive from the north west? Absolutely! Will I be at the next event in Monmouth? Of course! If you do have an opportunity to attend one of these festivals then I highly recommend it. They are the most wonderful team and I can guarantee that you will come away with fantastic memories and a desire to return again and again.