Radio legend Ed’s dial mishap brings forth famous caller
Radio WM’s Ed Doolan has been telling me of the idiosyncrasies of older age.
The poor guy is currently blind in one eye after bursting a blood vessel – apparently it will recover but may take six months.
“I can still do the show,” he insists.
But it is certainly inconvenient in all sorts of ways.
So, for some reason or other he needs to get hold of Peter Tod, former director of Birmingham’s Hippodrome Theatre.
He looks him up in his contacts book – now that must be a contacts book to die for – and dials the number, but is forced to leave a message.
About 10 minutes later Ed gets a phone call.
“This very rich and fulsome voice comes on and says ‘did somebody call me from your number’?
“I replied ‘who am I talking to’?”
And it turns out to be Richard Todd, the film actor and real life war hero.
If that means nothing to you because you are under 40, let me explain that he has always been one of my favourites.
Somehow symbolised that stubborn streak which leads the British to stand up and be counted when the chips are down.
No more so than in the Second World War when Todd served as an officer in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and as a paratrooper in the 6th Airborne Division.
He was one of the first officers to land in Normandy on D-Day and famously met up with Major John Howard on Pegasus Bridge.
Todd would later play Howard in the film The Longest Day, with another actor portraying himself.
He also appeared in the The Dam Busters as Wing Commander Guy Gibson, probably the role he is best known for.
And I bet not many of you were aware of this … but Todd was the first choice of author Ian Fleming to play James Bond in Dr. No.
A scheduling conflict gave the role to Sean Connery.
How that would have changed film
history.
Now Ed has interviewed Todd on a few occasions and, despite the contacts book misreading, they were able to have a bit of a chat.
“He was able to tell me that he will be 90 in June and I promised to wish him happy birthday. It was wonderful.
“It was very gracious of him to even remember me.”
And Bright too would like to salute Todd along with wishing Ed all the best for a speedy recovery.
One hopes incidentally he did eventually get hold of Peter Tod!
Ed, a legend in his own lifetime, is now on air noon to 2pm.
