My son is called Tom. His mum and I wanted something short that couldn't be shortened further, so we chose Tom, not Thomas.
So what happened? His own mother called him Tom-Bom until, at the age of 30, he objected.
We adopted the same strategy for our daughter. We named her Amy. She was Amy-Lou to her mum for years (her second forename is Louise), and even today is more often than not called Ames, one syllable fewer, but more letters.
Doh!
Photo of Tom in Ronda
Famous Toms (in alphabetical order)
Thomas à Becket
Thomas Becket, also known as Thomas à Becket (1120 – 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his death in 1170.
Becket's murder [Getty Images]
Becket engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the King in Canterbury Cathedral.
Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.
I know a thing or two about this Thomas, at least from fictionalised versions of this story. I studied "Becket", a play in French by Jean Anouilh, as part of my A-level French course. Indeed, in later life I played him in an English production of the play in Manchester. The film version, starring Richard Burton as the martyred cleric and Peter O'Toole as Henry II, was a great film. That came out in 1964.
The play "Murder in the Cathedral" (1935) by T S Eliot is all in verse and tells the story of the days leading up to the assassination of Becket and the assassination itself. This too was made into a film.
Thom Pearson
E
state agent in Spain. Also a star in a different way. In 2010 he sold us the house where we still live. I already knew him before. An all round good guy.
Because of La Crisis he moved back to the UK, to Essex, and earned his living from secondary double-glazing. He still has shared ownership of the estate agency Sierra Estates in Arriate and comes over fairly often to show properties. I learned from his associate Paco that they are about to open a new office in Ronda.
Thom Pearson [Photo: X]
Tom (and Jerry)
The best cartoon ever? Poor old Tom (the cat) always came off worse against Jerry (the mouse).
When I was a student at university in England our Thursday nights in the TV room in the hall of residence were the most important night of the week. "Tom and Jerry", followed by "Tomorrow's World" and then "Top of the Pops". I loved Thursdays.
[Image: IMDb]
Tomasz Schafernaker
Tomasz Schafernaker is a Polish-British meteorologist who currently works for BBC Weather.
Tomasz was born on 8 January 1979 in Gdańsk, Poland, and attended school both in his native Poland and in Britain.
Tomasz Schafernaker [The Guardian]
He was educated at the independent school St. John's College, Southsea, in Portsmouth, followed by the University of Reading where he gained a BSc (Hons) in Meteorology.
He normally forecasts on the BBC News Channel, Radio 4 or Radio 5 Live. In 2017 he was voted the most popular weather presenter in the UK in a public poll.
Schafernaker modelled for the front cover of "Attitude Active", a British gay magazine in January 2010 and was again photo featured by them in 2017. He lives alone in London.
Tom Bradby
Anchor for ITV News at Ten. Also the author of several novels.
I prefer ITV News at Ten to the BBC's equivalent, which, these days, is a bit bland and predictable.
Bradby makes cutting asides, about the news stories he reports. I like that.
Tom Bradby [Radio Times]
Tom Chaplin
Lead singer of Keane, one of my favourite groups of the 2000s. Chaplin's tenor voice is sublime.
I still listen to their albums regularly.
The band did not last long, partly because of Chaplin's fondness for beer while performing live.
Despite that, they left a major mark on the music of that decade.
There are rumours of a reunion. Let's hope so.
Tom Chaplin [La Vanguardia]
Tom Collins
A "Tom Collins" is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water.
This "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically served...
A "Tom Collins" [Photo ABC]
Tom Conti
Tom Conti is a Scottish actor, born of a Scottish mother and an Italian father.
I first became aware of him in the TV series "The History Man", where he was thoroughly believable.
He was even OK as the Greek lover to Pauline Collins neglected housewife in the film version of "Shirley Valentine".
He was also in the cast of "The Glittering Prizes".
Tom Conti [The Independent]
Tom Courtenay
Yorkshire-born Courtenay first came to prominence in the film "The Loneliness of the Long Distant Runner".
He also appeared in "Doctor Zhivago", "Billy Liar" and "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich".
Tom Courtenay was a brilliant actor, who preferred the theatre. In 1966 he became a fixture at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Memorable performances included "The Dresser" to Salford-born Albert Finney's "Actor", as well as in "The Rivals" (RB Sheridan), Uncle Vanya (Tolstoy) and "King Lear" (Shakespeare).
Tom Courtenay [Wikipedia]
Tom Cruise
A leading actor of his generation he starred in "Top Gun" before playing the lead in the "Mission Impossible" series.
He was also brilliant as the "wayward" lawyer in "The Firm".
Famously married to Nicole Kidman, with whom he filmed the controversial "Eyes Wide Shut", he later wed Spanish stunner Penelope Cruz. They too are no longer together.
Tom Cruise [photo: La Vanguardia]
Tom Hanks
"Sleepless in Seattle", "Saving Private Ryan", "The Road to Perdition", "Forrest Gump", "The Terminal", and "Philadelphia" are some of his movies. He also voiced Sheriff Woody in the "Toy Story" films.
He won the Oscar for best actor two years running for "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump".
What a star! Every role he played was a tour de force. He is the fourth highest earning actor in history.
Tom Hanks [Wikipedia]
Tom Jones
The sexy young Welsh crooner with a string of hits to his name ("It's Not Unusual" and "My, My My Delilah" were massive) turned into the elder statesman of popular music, collaborating with the likes of Santana.
Tom Jones, young and old [Wikipedia]
"Tommy"
The rock opera by the 60s group "The Who". Pete Townshend on lead guitar, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer, the late Keith Moon, left a major imprint on the rock scene of the time (the 60s).
Townshend is nowadays regarded as one of the great lead guitarists, certainly in many people's top ten.
[Album sleeve courtesy of Amazon]
Tommy Cooper
A really funny comedian. My favourite joke of his? "A man walked into a bar and went ouch. It was an iron bar."
A talented magician, he made a career out of his "failed" tricks. Born in Wales his family moved to Exeter in Devon, where I lived as a teenager. Cooper was three at the time. He had a distinguished military career before moving into entertainment.
Cooper died on stage aged 63 in 1984. I saw it happen!
Tommy Cooper [Wikipedia]
"Tommy Gun"
The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy gun") is a blowback-operated, selective-fire submachine gun, invented and developed by Brigadier General John T. Thompson, a United States Army officer, in 1918. It was designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare of World War I, although early models did not arrive in time for actual combat.
The weapon was also sold to the general public. Because it was so widely used by criminals, the Thompson became notorious during the Prohibition era as the weapon of choice of "The Mob" in the 1920s. It was a common sight in the media at the time, and was used by both law enforcement officers and criminals.
a "Tommy gun" [Wikipedia]
Tommy Hilfiger
Thomas Jacob Hilfiger is an American fashion designer and the founder of the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.
After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's Place in upstate New York in the 1970s, he began designing "preppy" clothing for his own eponymous menswear line in the 1980s. The company later expanded into women's clothing and various luxury items such as perfumes. It went public in 1992.
In 2006, Hilfiger sold his company for $1.6 billion to Apax Partners, who next sold it in 2010 to Phillips-Van Heusen for $3 billion. Hilfiger remains the company's principal designer, leading the design teams and overseeing the entire creative process.
Tommy Hilfiger [Wikipedia]
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor. He has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Jones established himself as a leading man in the 1990s, known for his gruff and authoritative film roles. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the thriller film The Fugitive (1993). His other Oscar-nominated roles were as businessman Clay Shaw in JFK (1991), Hank Deerfield in In the Valley of Elah (2007), and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens in Lincoln (2012). He played Agent K in the Men in Black franchise.
Tommy Lee Jones [La Vanguardia]
Other notable roles were in Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Under Siege (1992), Natural Born Killers (1994), The Client (1994), Batman Forever (1995), Double Jeopardy (1999), No Country for Old Men (2007), The Company Men (2010), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Jason Bourne (2016), and Ad Astra (2019).
Tom O'Connor (d. 2021 - aged 81)
A funny comedian who was ever present on British TV screens in the 1970s and 80s.
O'Connor, a former teacher, was also a television presenter and actor. Originally a comedian in working men's clubs, he progressed to hosting TV game shows such as Crosswits, The Zodiac Game, Name That Tune, Password and Gambit.
Tom O'Connor on "This is Your Life" in 1977 [Big Red Book]
O'Connor was born in Bootle, my stomping ground for 10 years. He became a mathematics and music teacher at the St Joan of Arc School, Bootle, and was also assistant headmaster. After work he appeared as a comedian in working men's clubs.
His television debut came when he appeared on The Comedians, but it was talent show Opportunity Knocks that shot him to national fame; he won the show three times. He was a subject of the television programme This Is Your Life in 1977 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.
Tom O'Connor (II)
This Tom O'Connor is the head chef at Restaurante La Cascada, at the Hotel Molino del Puente. Tom took over the kitchen when father-in-law Ian Love decided, at 62, that it was time to step out of the kitchen. Ian joined his wife Elaine "front of house", where he is head barman and waiter.
Ian, Elaine and Carly Love with Tom O'Connor
Tom is the partner of Carly, the middle daughter of the Loves, and they are the parents of Sofia, aged 5.
Tom is a trained chef and has worked extensively on the Costa del Sol. For three years Tom and Carly had a successful restaurant in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, before returning to the mainland following the birth of their daughter.
Tom Petty (d. 2018 aged 66)
Thomas Earl Petty was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was the leader and frontman of the rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. He was also a successful solo artist.
Over the course of his career, Petty sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.
He died, aged 66, of an accidental drugs overdose.
Tom Petty [Wikipedia]
Tommy Robinson
The least said about this extreme left wing activist the better. Famously infiltrated St Helens Council, installing one of his acolytes to cause trouble. I used to work there and witnessed it first-hand.
Robinson is believed to have orchestrated the riots following the murder of three young girls in Southport in 2023. Thinking he was safe lying on a beach in Spain he was arrested by Special Branch officers and brought back to the UK. He is in gaol in Wormwood Scrubs, the last I heard.
Tommy Robinson [Wikipedia]
Tom Selleck
A Hollywood actor famous for roles in "Magnum, P.I." and "Blue Bloods". His films include "Three Men and a Baby" (1987) and its sequel "Three Men and a Little Lady" (1990). He also had a featured role in "Friends".
A major supporter of gun laws in the USA, that's when I lost interest in the b***ard.
Tom Selleck [Wikipedia]
Tommy Steele
Born Thomas Hicks, but known professionally as Tommy Steele, this cheeky chappie is an English entertainer, generally regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.
After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele recorded a string of hit singles including "Rock with the Caveman" (1956) and the chart-topper "Singing the Blues" (1957).
Tommy Steele [Spotify]
Steele's rise to fame was dramatised in "The Tommy Steele Story" (1957), the soundtrack of which was the first British album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart.
He starred in further musical films including "The Duke Wore Jeans" (1958) and Tommy the Toreador (1959), the latter spawning the hit record "Little White Bull".
Steele shifted away from rock and roll in the 1960s, becoming an all-round entertainer. He originated the part of Kipps in "Half a Sixpence" in the West End and on Broadway, and in the 1967 film version.
As an actor, he notably appeared in the films "The Happiest Millionaire" (1967) and "Finian's Rainbow" (1968) and as the lead in several West End productions of "Singin' in the Rain".
Also an author and sculptor, Tommy Steele remains active at the age of 88. He was knighted in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment and charity and was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2021.
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional, anthropomorphised tank locomotive who originated from the British children's books The Railway Series, created and written by Wilbert Awdry with his son Christopher, first published in 1945.
[Image courtesy of Amazon]
Thomas runs on the Fat Controller's North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor. He became the most popular character in the series, and is the titular protagonist in the accompanying television series adaptation Thomas & Friends and its reboot Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go.
Thomas debuted in the 1946 book "Thomas the Tank Engine" - the second book in "The Railway Series" - and was the focus of the four short stories featured within.
In 1979, British writer and producer Britt Allcroft arranged a deal to make the television series "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends" (later rebranded as "Thomas & Friends"). The programme became an award-winning hit around the world, with a range of spin-off commercial products. Since then, Thomas has become commonly-known in popular culture.
Like the rest of the cast, Thomas did not initially have an individual voice in the English version of the television series; the voice acting consisted entirely of narration by various actors, including Ringo Starr and Michael Angelis.
Tommy Trinder (d. 1989 aged 80)
Thomas Edward Trinder was an English stage, screen and radio comedian whose catchphrase was "You lucky people!". Described by cultural historian Matthew Sweet as "a cocky, front-of-cloth variety turn", he was one of the United Kingdom's foremost entertainers during the Second World War.
Tommy Trinder [Photo: MUBI]
Known for his confident and direct style of comedy, Trinder first found recognition with his music hall revues in the late 1930s. During the war, he worked for ENSA and maintained a successful film career, starring in a string of Ealing Studios films including Sailors Three (1940), Champagne Charlie (1944) and Bitter Springs (1950). During the 1950s, Trinder became a television star, notably as the original host of Sunday Night at the London Palladium (1955–1958). In 1959, he became chairman of Fulham Football Club, a position he maintained until 1976. He continued to perform into the 1980s.
Tom Thumb
Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. The History of Tom Thumb was published in 1621 and was the first known fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangling with giants, and becoming a favourite of King Arthur.
[Amazon]
The earliest allusions to Tom occur in various 16th-century works such as Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft (1584), where Tom is cited as one of the supernatural folk employed by servant maids to frighten children. Tattershall in Lincolnshire, England, reputedly has the home and grave of Tom Thumb.[1]
Aside from his own tales, Tom figures in Henry Fielding's 1730 play Tom Thumb, a companion piece to his The Author's Farce. It was expanded into a single 1731 piece titled The Tragedy of Tragedies, or the History of Tom Thumb the Great.
In the mid-18th century, books began to be published specifically for children (some with their authorship attributed to "Tommy Thumb"), and by the mid-19th century, Tom was a fixture of the nursery library. The tale took on moral overtones and some writers, such as Charlotte Mary Yonge, cleansed questionable passages. Dinah Mulock, however, refrained from scrubbing the tale of its vulgarities. Tom Thumb's story has been adapted into several films.
"tom-tom"
A tom drum (also known as a tom-tom) is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century.
The drum called "Thammattama", played by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, is used in a of Buddhist rituals in that country. However, the tom-tom drums on the Western drum set clearly resemble the Sri Lankan version more than the frame drum.
A modern tom-tom drum [Wikipedia]
The Tom Tom was also the first GPS "navi". I had one and it was great. Not like Google Maps which often gets it wrong.
[Tom Tom]
Tom Whitelock
This Tom is a professional actor and musician. His biggest role to date was as Pete Quaife, the bassist in the group "The Kinks", in the award-winning West End musical "Sunny Afternoon".
Tom in "Sunny Afternoon" and in "A Clockwork Orange"
Other top roles he has played include Guy in the Altrincham Garrick production of "The Full Monty" and Donald in Dennis Potter's "Blue Remembered Hills" at "The Playmakers" of Stockton Heath, when he was still at school and an amateur. As a professional he played one of the droogs in "A Clockwork Orange", the controversial play by Anthony Burgess, at various venues in London; Juan in Lorca's "Yerma" at the Cervantes Theatre, London.
While still at drama college he took on top roles in plays by Leo Tolstoy.
Tom plays piano, keyboards, acoustic guitar, bass guitar and double bass. He often accompanies his wife Susannah Austin on recordings and at live performances.
Tom Whitelock is bloody good. Well, Tom is my son and he makes me very proud.
Links:
86 04 WKDA AntonioLobato Basic2 0 15secs 16x9 FINAL - The Film "Becket"
Everybody's Changing Closed Captioned - Keane
Thomas' Train (Season 1, Episode 5, UK, Ringo Starr)
Tom Jones 7 Songs
Tommy Steele - Flash Bang Wallop (Taken from Half a Sixpence DVD)
The Who - Pinball Wizard (Tommy Live At The Royal Albert Hall)
West End Live 2016 Sunny Afternoon
© The Crazy Guy
Photos:
East London and West Essex Guardian, Facebook, La Vanguardia, Warrington Guardian, Wikipedia,
Tags:
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