The Sporting & Dining Club is thrilled to welcome larger-than-life actor turned mountaineer and cosmonaut, Brian Blessed, to the Isle of Man, for an exclusive appearance where he will be talking about his incredible life. Brian will visit on 16th July and will speak at the Palace Hotel & Casino, and the event is once again sponsored by Specsavers Opticians Isle of Man. A giant of a man accompanied by an eloquent wit and booming, operatic voice, Brian was born in 1936 and grew up in the mining village of Goldthorpe in South Yorkshire. His father was a miner who wanted a better life for his son; Brian lost three uncles in the pit.

At a young age, he displayed an acute talent for acting in school productions, but also had a penchant for boxing, a direction that would be short-lived. Always passionate about drama, he trained at the Old Vic Theatre School, and embarked on what was to become one of the most colourful and successful careers of a generation. The role of Old Deuteronomy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's acclaimed and long-running musical, Cats, was created by Brian and earned him a SWET nomination – and the hearts of the nation.

Not only a theatre stalwart, but a veteran of TV as well, Brian has starred in I, Claudius; The Three Musketeers, and Aliens V Wizards for the BBC, amongst numerous other shows. He has also hosted Have I Got News for You, and played The Narrator in a Tour of Prokofiev’s Peter & The Wolf. On the big screen he starred opposite Katherine Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Irene Papas and Vanessa Redgrave in Talthybius; played Vultan in Flash Gordon and Lord Locksley in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner.

Brian has published five books including Nothing’s Impossible and Blessed Everest, which was born from his love of mountaineering and his insatiable desire to stand on ‘the top of the world'. He has climbed Everest and reached a height of 28,000 feet – the highest a man of his age has achieved without oxygen. Brian has also completed a trek to the North Pole, an expedition to The Lost World in Venezuela, a climb to the summit of Mount Ararat in Turkey at 17,000 feet and has climbed Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia.
The intimate evening will include an audience Q&A as well as an opportunity for our members and their guests, to meet Brian in person.

John Wannenburgh of the IoM Sporting and Dining Club: “We are thrilled to welcome the hearty and king sized, Brian Blessed, one of the UK’s most cherished theatrical and movie icons, to the Isle of Man. Once again, we are all looking forward to another excellent evening".

Adrian Higgins, Director of Specsavers Opticians Isle of Man said: ‘Specsavers is once again delighted to be supporting this ‘Sporting & Dining Club’ event. We can’t wait to be captivated with stories from Brian’s life, not only as an actor, but also as an adventurer – all delivered by one of the most commanding and unmistakable voices in the business! It will be a pleasure to welcome him to the Isle of Man”.

The event will take place from 7.00pm, on Thursday 16th July 2015 at the Palace Hotel & Casino in Douglas.

Tickets:
Tickets are ?65.00 p/p for Members, and ?75.00 p/p for Non-Members, exc VAT.
Tickets available on email john@sportinganddiningclub.com, or, telephone 01624 617049 or 07624 495749