The Steeple Times

Category: Achievement

  • Reader Event – An Evening with Steven Berkoff: An Acclaimed Actor Who Walks Against The Woke

    Reader Event – An Evening with Steven Berkoff: An Acclaimed Actor Who Walks Against The Woke

    Matthew Steeples invites you to a discussion-dinner with ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘Rambo’ star Steven Berkoff in London on Wednesday 26th November

    Matthew Steeples invites you to PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie in London for an evening where he and Steven Berkoff will converse not only about an astounding career that began in the 1960s that has seen this “go-to villain” appear in  Octopussy, Rambo, The Tourist and The Krays, but also one of a “baddie of umpteen blockbusters” who’d actually like to be remembered just as “a man who walked against the tide.”

     

    Always a disruptor and anything but timid, this actor, writer and producer’s views on everything from his fellow thespians to the #MeToo movement will be visited. Steeples will ask Berkoff about when he played Harvey Weinstein in a one-man show and delve into the darkness and satire of Greek and East; there will be exploration of Berkoff’s life growing up in London’s East End after the Second World War and a tour of his time at the heights of Hollywood and more recently in  hits such as The Vikings and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

     

    On 26th November at PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie – following on from rip-roaring evenings with amongst others Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York author Andrew Lownie and Manhunt and Crime Suspect host Peter Bleksley – you will get to enjoy a delicious 3-course dinner after 45-minutes of conversation and questions with this taboo-breaking actor best known for his “Berkovian theatre” style. Of one thing be certain, this will be a night where there’ll be nothing ‘woke’ on the menu either literally or figuratively.

    Tickets are priced at £85 per person and include a glass of Prosecco on arrival and half a bottle of either red or white wine per person also with dinner.

     

    Taking no prisoners: The wise words of Steven Berkoff against woke wazzockery…

    • “We are becoming people who have everything and feel nothing.”
    • “I like evil people… I’m like a surgeon who is happiest when working with a very diseased body.”
    • “When I write about working class people I do so in ways that reveal them at their absolute magnificent worst.”
    • “Now on a Saturday night it’s Strictly Come Dancing… Sometimes I look at it and there is something in it that actually turns my guts.”
    • “Pubs should stay open… People should be meeting, communicating. People need somewhere to love each other, talk to each other. The one cultural outlet is the bloody pub.”
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    Booking

    TIMINGS

    • The event is to be held on Wednesday 26th November 2025.
    • Arrivals for Prosecco in a private setting on the first floor of PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie from 6.30pm.
    • Matthew Steeples in conversation with Steven Berkoff at 7pm prompt with audience questions to follow for 45 minutes.
    • 3-course dinner with wine, with options for those with particular dietary requirements, to follow. Guests will have the opportunity to chat with Steven Berkoff and Matthew Steeples during the dinner.
    • After dinner, guests will be welcome to continue discussions downstairs at the legendary PJ’s bar for further cocktails and conversation.

     

    ADDRESS

    • The event is to be held at PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie, 52 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 6HH.
    • The nearest London Underground station is South Kensington (District, Circle and Piccadilly lines); it is located just 5 minutes away on foot.
    • The event is to be held on the first floor of the building; access is by staircase only.

     

    PAYMENT FOR TICKETS AND BOOKING QUERIES

    Deadline for booking – Wednesday 26th November 2025 at 12 noon; tickets can only be purchased in advance and guest names must be supplied for allocated place settings.

    Tickets can be purchased at a rate of £85 per person. Please make payment by bank transfer to:

    • Bank: Barclays Bank
    • Account Name: Longreach Publishing Limited
    • Sort Code: 20-90-74
    • Account Number: 63608697
    • IBAN: GB13BUKB20907463608697
    • SWIFTBIC: BUKB
    • Please reference payments “BERKOFF” and include your surname and the surnames of any guests also to aid our record keeper.

    Should you have any queries of questions, please contact Jane Monckton at [email protected]

     

    SET MENU – 3 course dinner, Wednesday 26th November 2025

    The ticket price includes a glass of Prosecco on arrival, ½ a bottle of either red or white wine per person and a choice of one of each of the following:

    STARTERS

    SEARED TUNA wasabi & avocado purée, toasted sesame seeds, yuzu and soy dressing

    SCOTCH BEEF CARPACCIO wild rocket, parmesan, mustard dressing

    BURRATINA shaved truffle, baby plum tomatoes, rocket, toasted focaccia

    CRISPY FRIED ARTICHOKES caper and herb mayonnaise

    MAINS

    THE PJ’S BURGER 8oz patty, mature cheddar cheese, bacon, iceberg lettuce, pickle, smoked crackling mayonnaise, fries

    CHICKEN MILANESE wild rocket, artichoke & Reggio cheese salad, toasted sesame, tahini honey dressing

    GRILLED SEABASS FILLET French beans, cherry tomatoes, black olives & pesto

    ROAST CAULIFLOWER STEAK chickpeas and roasted red pepper, chipotle hummus, chimichurri

    PUDDINGS

    CLASSIC CRÈME BRULEE

    BELGIAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE

    CHOCOLATE & VANILLA CHEESECAKE white chocolate sauce, mixed berry compote

    SELECTION OF SORBETS & ICE CREAMS three scoops

     

  • Hero of the Hour 2023 – Oscar Award Winning Actor James Martin

    Hero of the Hour 2023 – Oscar Award Winning Actor James Martin

    As the modest ‘An Irish Goodbye’ actor James Martin wins an Oscar, we join those celebrating his truly deserved success and his becoming the first star with Down’s Syndrome to win at the Academy Awards

    Many readers of The Steeple Times are big fans of the North Yorkshire born television chef James Martin and one of our readers, Gary Hazell, is involved in distributing his eponymous gin. 50-year-old farmer’s son Mr Martin brings joy to many every Saturday on ITV1 and his “silky smooth, flavor rich gin” most definitely goes down a treat; his passion for cars both classic and modern is also clear and he is most certainly just the kind of role model the nation needs.

     

    After winning a BAFTA in February for his role in the short film An Irish Goodbye and last night – on the very day of his 31st birthday – adding to that with an Oscar at the 95th Academy Awards, another James Martin is now also making waves. Here, indeed, is a Northern Irishman most definitely headed to becoming one of the best-loved and most deserved luminaries of 2023.

     

    This particular James Martin is a rising star actor whose career began when he was a guest on his father Ivan Martin’s U105 radio show on Father’s Day and Christmas Day in his youth.

     

    Of this in December 2014, the radio presenter remarked of his son: “I never look at my son James and think: ‘There’s James and he has Down’s Syndrome.’ I just think: ‘There’s James.’ It has always been that way… James is a remarkable young man and I admire him so much. He has never let his disability hold him back. He is an ambassador for Mencap and he has spoken at the European Parliament and to the Assembly at Stormont.”

     

    Responding about his father in the same interview for the Belfast Telegraph, the undoubted star of last night’s ceremony in Los Angeles added: “My dad and I are very close… We have great craic and a lot of banter… Dad is also supportive of my acting… I love to act and want to be a good actor.”

     

    The 23:29-minute film was the second collaboration between co-directors Tom Berkeley and Ross White. It was released on 4th March 2022 and of his son’s success winning an Oscar for it, Ivan Martin today told BBC Radio Ulster: “All I ever wanted was for James was that he’d be happy and, I tell you what, he’s happy now… It’s been a journey. You get to the Oscars and everybody keeps saying the prize is getting there, but, truth to tell, you want to win and I had my doubts about it because one of the opposition films was a Disney film and they had it in the last week… They had really been ramping up the promotion for it, but, calm heads win the end… A film we can all be proud of… It’s just crazy. There were a few tears shed, but what an achievement. Just delighted.”

    Subsequently James Martin appeared in the BBC’s Ups and Downs and starred opposite Anna Friel in ITV’s Marcella and last night he was well and truly celebrated. Speaking ahead of An Irish Goodbye being named the Best Live Action Short, Martin shared:

     

    “The timing of it has been just perfect. You know, you can’t plan somebody’s birthday to be on the Oscars. So, it’s a big day, [but] I just want to enjoy it really, just enjoy the experience.”

     

    “I was just in the airport going down the escalator and [I heard some say:] ‘Well done An Irish Goodbye.’ ‘I’m just thinking to myself: My God this is amazing.’”

     

    “I always say to people, never judge a book by its cover. Not just getting a BAFTA, but going to LA is a big deal… It’s just nice to be included.”

     

    Later, after his win and having had the 3,000 audience sing Happy Birthday to him, the modest-to-his-core actor told BBC News: “We’re just so proud to be representing Northern Ireland. To be on that stage in front of all of our cinematic heroes – it was a special moment.”

     

    An Irish Goodbye – which was written and directed by Tom Berkeley and Ross White and also stars Seamus O’Hara, Paddy Jenkins and Michelle Fairley – has been described as a “black comedy following the reunion of estranged brothers Turlough and Lorcan following the untimely death of their mother.”

     

    Going further in an 18-page press notes release, the 23:29-minute film’s production team added:

     

    “Under the watchful eye of odd-ball parish priest Father O’Shea, the brothers’ pained reunion is worsened by the fact Turlough must now make new care arrangements for Lorcan, who has Down Syndrome.”

     

    “A robust and dedicated farmer, Lorcan’s dream of continuing to work the land he grew up on is thwarted when Turlough decides he’s sending him to live with their aunt on the other side of Ireland.”

     

    “But when the brothers discover an unfulfilled bucket list belonging to their late mother, Lorcan senses an opportunity: he’ll only agree to leave the farm once he and Turlough have themselves completed every single wish on their mother’s list… All one-hundred of them.”

     

    Today, we join all those saluting the actor James Martin and urge readers to join us in raising a glass to his latest award with a snifter or two of the chef of the same name’s London Dry Gin. Cheers!

     

    The full film can be watched on BBC iPlayer by clicking here.

     

    Editor’s Note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party.

     

    Oscars 1
    ‘An Irish Goodbye’ is a short film written, produced, and directed in 2022 by Tom Berkeley and Ross White. The film stars James Martin, Seamus O’Hara, Paddy Jenkins and Michelle Fairley and is set on a farm in Northern Ireland.
    James Martin and Ivan Martin
    The award-winning actor with his radio presenter father, Ivan.
    Oscars 2
    On-stage to collect their award; the team behind the film used their acceptance speech to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the star-of-the-show. Co-director Ross White also stated: “Deary me, thank you so much the Academy for this incredible, incredible honour. Thank you to our fellow nominees, all the nominees for your work, and your work it inspires us so very, very much. Thank you to everybody back home and Northern Ireland who helped us make this film. We wish we had the time to list you all here, but you know who you are.” He then continued: “There’s something very important we’d like to speak about as well. This award is actually the second most important thing about today, because it’s this man’s birthday. He’s out here in Hollywood, wearing a leopard print suit jacket. We’d love to use the rest of our time up here to sing for James.”
    James-Martin-Motors-Into-Gin
    The actor’s English namesake… ‘The Steeple Times’ reviewed ITV1 ‘Saturday Morning’ presenter James Martin’s London Dry Gin in January this year and lauded it as showcasing “tradition with a twist.” To purchase a bottle, click here and do join us in urging the pair to team up for a joint tellybox appearance; it’d make for great viewing.