Norman Beaton in London's West End. In 1970 he played the role of Ariel in Shakespeare's "The Tempest", which he described in his autobiography as "the most important role of my acting career", and also played a small role in the Frankie Howerd comedy film "Up the Chastity Belt" the following year. In 1975, he helped to establish the Black Theatre of Brixton. In 1975 Beaton played Nanki-Poo in "The Black Mikado", a modern version of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado". In 1976, Beaton broke into television in the series "The Fosters", which also featured a young Lenny Henry, and the following
...And Mother Makes Five ...And Mother Makes Five ...And Mother Makes Five is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1 May 1974 to 11 February 1976. Starring Wendy Craig, it is the sequel of "...And Mother Makes Three" and aired for four series. "...And Mother Makes Five" was written by Richard Waring, Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. Wendy Craig also wrote thirteen of the episodes under the pseudonym Jonathan Marr, including the whole of Series two. It was made for the ITV network by Thames Television. This sitcom was the follow-up to "...And Mother Makes Three", which had finished in June 1973.