Viv Nicholson
Encyclopedia
Vivian Nicholson became publicly known overnight within Great Britain in 1961 when she received £
152,319 (equivalent to more than £3 million in 2009 adjusted for inflation) in a football-pools
win and announced to the press that she was going to "spend, spend, spend". Nicholson became the subject of tabloid news-stories for some years.
By her own admission she found it hard to cope with the psychological
effects of the money she had won. She came to feel distanced from the people she had lived among, who in turn could no longer relate to her, and developed an ever greater longing for a much more affluent area.
After her husband Keith died in a car crash in 1965, her fortune rapidly dwindled to nothing: bank
s and tax creditors both deemed her bankrupt and declared that all her money, and everything she had acquired with it, belonged not to her but to Keith's estate.
Nicholson won a three-year legal battle to gain £34,000 from her husband's estate,but rapidly lost it all through some bad investments. After relocating to Malta
, she was rapidly deported back to Britain amid a storm of tabloid publicity after assaulting a policeman, and was admitted to a mental home to escape from her third husband, who brutally abused her during the four days they lived together (the marriage lasted only thirteen weeks).
She made many attempts to regain both her public profile and her lost wealth, such as recording a single
(entitled "Spend Spend Spend
", written by her brother) and appearing in a strip club
singing "Big Spender
", but none were successful.
After opening a short-lived boutique
she ended up penniless, and by 1976 claimed that she could not even afford to bury
her fourth husband, who had died (and with whom she had broken up three years earlier).
In 1976 Nicholson co-wrote an autobiography with Stephen Smith, titled Spend, Spend, Spend. It was later dramatised as a BBC
Play for Today
production Spend, Spend, Spend
in 1977. The adaptation was written by Jack Rosenthal
and directed by John Goldschmidt
(who won a BAFTA award for the filmed play) and starred Susan Littler
and John Duttine
.
A successful musical based on her life - Spend Spend Spend
- debuted in 1998 and subsequently ran in London's West End. A photograph of Nicholson also appeared on the cover of The Smiths
' single "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
" and "Barbarism Begins At Home".
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
152,319 (equivalent to more than £3 million in 2009 adjusted for inflation) in a football-pools
Football pools
A football pool, often collectively referred to as "the pools", is a betting pool based on predicting the outcome of top-level association football matches set to take place in the coming week. The pools are typically cheap to enter, with the potential to win huge money. Entries were traditionally...
win and announced to the press that she was going to "spend, spend, spend". Nicholson became the subject of tabloid news-stories for some years.
By her own admission she found it hard to cope with the psychological
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
effects of the money she had won. She came to feel distanced from the people she had lived among, who in turn could no longer relate to her, and developed an ever greater longing for a much more affluent area.
After her husband Keith died in a car crash in 1965, her fortune rapidly dwindled to nothing: bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
s and tax creditors both deemed her bankrupt and declared that all her money, and everything she had acquired with it, belonged not to her but to Keith's estate.
Nicholson won a three-year legal battle to gain £34,000 from her husband's estate,but rapidly lost it all through some bad investments. After relocating to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, she was rapidly deported back to Britain amid a storm of tabloid publicity after assaulting a policeman, and was admitted to a mental home to escape from her third husband, who brutally abused her during the four days they lived together (the marriage lasted only thirteen weeks).
She made many attempts to regain both her public profile and her lost wealth, such as recording a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
(entitled "Spend Spend Spend
Spend Spend Spend
Spend Spend Spend is a musical with a book and lyrics by Steve Brown and Justin Greene and music by Brown.In 1961, Yorkshire housewife Viv Nicholson won £152,319 in the football pools. When a reporter asked her what she planned to do with her new fortune, she replied, "I'm going to spend, spend,...
", written by her brother) and appearing in a strip club
Strip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
singing "Big Spender
Big Spender
"Big Spender" is a song written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the musical Sweet Charity, first performed in 1966. It is sung, in the musical, by the dance hostess "girls"; it was choreographed by Bob Fosse for the Broadway musical and the film...
", but none were successful.
After opening a short-lived boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
she ended up penniless, and by 1976 claimed that she could not even afford to bury
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
her fourth husband, who had died (and with whom she had broken up three years earlier).
In 1976 Nicholson co-wrote an autobiography with Stephen Smith, titled Spend, Spend, Spend. It was later dramatised as a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Play for Today
Play for Today
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...
production Spend, Spend, Spend
Spend, Spend, Spend (play)
Spend, Spend, Spend is an episode of the BBC's Play for Today anthology series first transmitted 15 March 1977Michael Brooke , BFI screenonline page on BBC1, recounting the life of football pools winner Viv Nicholson....
in 1977. The adaptation was written by Jack Rosenthal
Jack Rosenthal
Jack Morris Rosenthal CBE was an English playwright, who wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and over 150 screenplays, including original TV plays, feature films, and adaptations.-Biography:...
and directed by John Goldschmidt
John Goldschmidt
John Goldschmidt is a film director and producer. Goldschmidt was born in London, but grew up in Vienna leaving at the age of 16 to return to London. Goldschmidt has both Austrian and British nationality...
(who won a BAFTA award for the filmed play) and starred Susan Littler
Susan Littler
Susan Littler was an English actress who appeared in many television and stage productions in the 1970s and early 1980s, before her career was cut short by her premature death...
and John Duttine
John Duttine
John Arthur Duttine is an English actor noted for his roles on stage, films and television. He is well known for his role as Sgt George Miller in Heartbeat....
.
A successful musical based on her life - Spend Spend Spend
Spend Spend Spend
Spend Spend Spend is a musical with a book and lyrics by Steve Brown and Justin Greene and music by Brown.In 1961, Yorkshire housewife Viv Nicholson won £152,319 in the football pools. When a reporter asked her what she planned to do with her new fortune, she replied, "I'm going to spend, spend,...
- debuted in 1998 and subsequently ran in London's West End. A photograph of Nicholson also appeared on the cover of The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
' single "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" is a single by The Smiths that reached #10 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1984 before its inclusion on the compilation album, Hatful of Hollow...
" and "Barbarism Begins At Home".