Richard Vobes
Encyclopedia
Richard Vobes is an entertainer, actor, independent film maker, writer and award winning podcaster. He has produced close to 3000 audio podcasts since January 2005. He has worked in both the corporate and broadcast sector. He trained in mime, was self taught in various circus skills and experienced in both 16mm film and video production.
in Hampshire
, 1963, moved to Horsham in West Sussex when he was five and attended the Forest School for Boys in until he left education in 1979. He worked in commercial printing and repro-graphics for a couple of years, became sound engineer, mime teacher amongst other short term employment.
He attended various drama courses and spent a year at the Desmond Jones School of Mime in London in the mid Eighties.
During this period, Vobes worked within the television industry as a Walk On role in numerous British television programmes, including; The Bill, Hercule Poirot, London's Burning, Eastenders, Wish Me Luck, Waiting for God.
Vobes also developed a children's television character, Percy Peeverly and wrote and hosted three series of Cartoon shows for the Services Sound and Vision Corporation for overseas transmissions to British Army based.
The corporate entertain industry, as well as festival, fetes and gala events saw him perform various street theatre and circus skill performances including juggling, uni-cycling, fire-eating, ladder walking, global walking and of course mime. He also performed feats such as walking on glass, robotics, lying on a bed of nails and walking on a slack rope.
As a mime performer Richard toured around the country in 1980's with a one man show called Tiny Aeroplanes and numerous other productions. He set up the Toadstool Theatre Company and appeared the Stirling festival among many others.
In 1994, Vobes developed and produced a pilot episode of a children's television episode entitled Snug and Cozi. This was shot on 16mm film and pitched to the industry. It was subsequently picked up by the ITV Network and produced by Scottish Television and broadcast on CITV (Children's ITV). Series one in 1996 and Series Two in 1997.
Vobes set up Vobavision, a television production company in the mid nineties to produce and pitch further television ideas for which much credit was given on the quality of the video pitches he presented.
The Internet offered an interesting way to provide entertainment directly to the consumer and Vobes began his daily podcast, The Vobes Show and behind the scenes show, The Naked Englishman from 2005 and continues to record and up load this to a loyal listener base across the world.
In August 2005 Vobes was awarded the 2005 People's Choice Podcast Awards Winner for its soundseeing tours. The show was sponsored by its listeners to make two excursions to America to record a series of podcasts as they carried out various road tips.
In 2006 Vobes discovered he had been infected with Acanthamoeba Keratitis, a blinding condition in his left eye caught from contact lenses. This attacked his left cornea over a prolonged period and in October 2010, the eye had to be removed. He now wears a prosthesis.
In 2011, Vobes launched a new documentary video series online exploring British history and travel. Its called The Bald Explorer. http://www.BaldExplorer.com.
Biography
Born in LissLiss
Liss is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.3 miles northeast of Petersfield, on the A3 road, on the Hampshire/West Sussex border....
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, 1963, moved to Horsham in West Sussex when he was five and attended the Forest School for Boys in until he left education in 1979. He worked in commercial printing and repro-graphics for a couple of years, became sound engineer, mime teacher amongst other short term employment.
He attended various drama courses and spent a year at the Desmond Jones School of Mime in London in the mid Eighties.
During this period, Vobes worked within the television industry as a Walk On role in numerous British television programmes, including; The Bill, Hercule Poirot, London's Burning, Eastenders, Wish Me Luck, Waiting for God.
Vobes also developed a children's television character, Percy Peeverly and wrote and hosted three series of Cartoon shows for the Services Sound and Vision Corporation for overseas transmissions to British Army based.
The corporate entertain industry, as well as festival, fetes and gala events saw him perform various street theatre and circus skill performances including juggling, uni-cycling, fire-eating, ladder walking, global walking and of course mime. He also performed feats such as walking on glass, robotics, lying on a bed of nails and walking on a slack rope.
As a mime performer Richard toured around the country in 1980's with a one man show called Tiny Aeroplanes and numerous other productions. He set up the Toadstool Theatre Company and appeared the Stirling festival among many others.
In 1994, Vobes developed and produced a pilot episode of a children's television episode entitled Snug and Cozi. This was shot on 16mm film and pitched to the industry. It was subsequently picked up by the ITV Network and produced by Scottish Television and broadcast on CITV (Children's ITV). Series one in 1996 and Series Two in 1997.
Vobes set up Vobavision, a television production company in the mid nineties to produce and pitch further television ideas for which much credit was given on the quality of the video pitches he presented.
The Internet offered an interesting way to provide entertainment directly to the consumer and Vobes began his daily podcast, The Vobes Show and behind the scenes show, The Naked Englishman from 2005 and continues to record and up load this to a loyal listener base across the world.
In August 2005 Vobes was awarded the 2005 People's Choice Podcast Awards Winner for its soundseeing tours. The show was sponsored by its listeners to make two excursions to America to record a series of podcasts as they carried out various road tips.
In 2006 Vobes discovered he had been infected with Acanthamoeba Keratitis, a blinding condition in his left eye caught from contact lenses. This attacked his left cornea over a prolonged period and in October 2010, the eye had to be removed. He now wears a prosthesis.
In 2011, Vobes launched a new documentary video series online exploring British history and travel. Its called The Bald Explorer. http://www.BaldExplorer.com.
External links
- Vobes.com
- The Naked Englishman - Richard Vobes' daily audio journal
- VOBES show RSS feed
- Vobavision.com- Video and media production
- BBC Website - BBC 'Digital Citizens' Profile
- .Net Magazine - .Net Magazine interview