He is an icon of our age - the ultimate awkward and lovelorn teenager. Adrian Mole is seared into the hearts of many of us and those memories will come into sharp focus this this week, which marks 40 years since he first appeared in print.
Written by the late great Leicester author Sue Townsend, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ was published on October 7, 1982 and has become a part of British culture. Adrian may have been fictional but he felt real to many, growing up in the very real Saffron Lane area of Leicester before moving to the equally real Ashby.
The books were a smash-hit success and have spawned various adaptations - including the BBC radio serialisations and a musical - but the 1985 ITV adaptation is perhaps the best known. It featured a cast of unknowns and famous faces, but what became of them? Let’s mark 40 years of Adrian Mole and find out…
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Gian Sammarco - Adrian Mole
There’s no other place to start than with Adrian himself. Played by Northampton-born Giancarlo - Gian - Sammarco, the awkward teen was played with perfection by Gian who captured the world of Adrian, even if his glasses and ties were not part of the source material.
Gian was already an established child star having acted in The Innocents on stage in his home town. The play was directed by Michael Napier Brown who put in a good word for Gian when he auditioned for the part of Adrian. He got the role and starred as the titular character for two series of the ITV adaptation - his first TV role.
From there, he went on to appear in classic ITV soap Crossroads as well as star in several episodes of the BBC’s Doctor Who before he quit acting altogether in 1990. Gian has been married twice and has since trained to be a nurse, most recently working as a mental health nurse back in Northampton.
Stephen Moore - George Mole
Adrian’s dad George was far from a perfect role model for his son and was played with great aplomb by established actor Stephen Moore. Unlike his consistently unemployed character, Stephen was rarely out of work, appearing on both stage and screen from the 1970s until his death in 2019 at the age of 81.
Prior to bagging the role of working class George - a man who had numerous affairs as well as jobs - Stephen had starred in the 1976 ITV drama Rock Follies, playing the part of left-wing teacher Jack. He also was known as the voice of Marvin the 'paranoid android' in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - a role that inspired the Radiohead hit Paranoid Android.
Over the years, he also had roles in Brideshead Revisited, Lovejoy and The Thin Blue Line. He also appeared as the colliery manager McKenzie in the British film, Brassed Off, which starred Ewan McGregor and the late Pete Postlethwaite.
Dame Julie Walters - Pauline Mole
Adrian’s mum Pauline was just as bad as his dad, being consistently out of a job and wandering off with other partners, but things were more straightforward for those playing her.
On TV, Pauline was played by two very different, but equally iconic people, with the first being Dame Julie Walters who starred as Pauline in the first series as she left George to live with her neighbour Mr Lucas in Sheffield. Julie’s career is one of the most successful in recent British history, winning several BAFTAs and a Golden Globe for her work. Her services to acting were even rewarded with a Damehood from the Queen in 2017.
She was already a known face when she took on the role of Pauline, having starred in Educating Rita and ever since has become one of the most familiar faces on screen, with roles covering pretty much every genre going. Dame Julie’s best known roles include the film version of Billy Elliot, both Mamma Mia films and on TV for her work with Victoria Wood in the sketch show Wood and Walters as well as classic BBC sitcom, Dinnerladies.
Lulu - Pauline Mole
Singing superstar and Eurovision winner Lulu took over the role of Pauline for the second series. It does sound like a bizarre bit of casting but the Scottish songstress had already shone on screen in movies including To Sir, with Love - a film to which she also sung the main title theme.
Lulu is best known as a singer though, with hits including Shout, while she was one of four acts to win the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest after there was no rule to prevent ties back then - a situation that was labelled a “farce” by some countries who threatened to never return.
After a few years in the relative entertainment wilderness, Lulu hit the big time again following her guest spot on the Take That song Relight My Fire in the 1990s and has never looked back, getting celebrity starring roles in the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off. She also had a swear-filled guest spot on RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2021.
Beryl Reid - Grandma Mole
Multi-award winning Beryl Reid bagged the role of George’s mum - and Adrian’s gran - and was no stranger to the screen, already having a 40-year career under her belt by the time she appeared as Grandma Mole.
One of her earliest roles in 1954’s The Belles of St Trinians before she rose to fame for her part in the film The Killing of Sister George - a role for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe - but one which courted controversy due Beryl’s character, June ‘George’ Buckridge, being a lesbian.
From here, she bagged appearances in Doctor Who as well as spy drama Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy/Smiley’s People before the role of Grandma came her way. After the two series on ITV, Beryl had only one more role - an appearance on The Comic Strip Presents… before her death in 1996 at the age of 77.
Linsdey Stagg - Pandora Braithwaite
The object of Adrian’s affection, Pandora was the girl who the loveable geek truly fell for. The teen would remark about Pandora's 'treacle-coloured' hair - something actress Lindsey Stagg also had for the role. She, like Gian, was Northampton born and was put up for the role by none other than director Michael Napier Brown, meaning he has a lot of credit to take for the Adrian Mole series.
Prior to bagging the role of Pandora, Lindsey was one of 500 girls to audition for the part but did enough to impress casting bosses, starring in both ITV series. However, the role - and the entire acting profession - did not seem to agree with the then child star.
Reports suggest that Lindsey was unhappy with acting and left it behind her following the second series’ conclusion in 1987. She has since retrained as an aid to families in the Manchester area for antenatal and postnatal support.
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