Lewis Gilbert film versions of Willy Russell's plays "Educating Rita" (1983) and "Shirley Valentine" (1989). Gilbert also directed the film "Stepping Out" (1991). Gilbert was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1997 Birthday Honours for services to the film industry. In 2001, Gilbert was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute, the highest accolade in the British film industry. In June 2010 he appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme "Desert Island Discs". In it he said that his 1970 film "The Adventurers" was a disaster, and that he should never have made it. On
Simon Bamford has also designed and directed several international tours including "The Big Day" in Sofia, Qatar and Dubai as well as "Educating Rita" in Kuala Lumpur. In 2004 he took a production of "Shirley Valentine" to Karachi to help raise money for a new school. He has been a theatre reviewer for "The Stage" newspaper since 2006 and is guest speaker at film conventions in Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Bottrop, Münster, Orlando, Boston, London and New York. Simon Bamford Simon Bamford (born 22 May 1961 in Bedford) is an English film, television and stage actor. He is well known for playing the