With Love for Lydia released on DVD in the UK and USA, it gives many another chance to see a much loved mini-series from the 70's. Strangely, at least in the UK, it hasn't been shown on TV for many years. So the DVD release it very welcome.
share Dear Stuart,
I got a present of the dvd Love for Lydia. I have to agree it's great to see it again.
Uncle Rollo, Aunt Bertie, Aunt Juliana and Mr Johnson have all died in real life too. As far as I know there may be one or two others who have died since.
I've looked up Mel Martin on the IMDB to see what she's at now. I'd love to know if she's had a good life since doing Love for Lydia and I'd like to see pictures of her.
They vanished out of our lives in the late 70's and I'd love to see where they are now.
I read the book.
Jim Burke
There is a photo of Mel circa 1997 here:
http://www.troth.demon.co.uk/pages/noah5.html
I have found some news articles mentioning her relationship with John Duttine (pictured below her at the link above), which began around 1994, a while after they co-starred in a TV movie called "Talking with Strange Men." I recently watched both "Love for Lydia" and "To Serve Them All My Days" on DVD, so it's been interesting to learn that the stars of these respective series are now a couple.
I have found no mention of children for Mel. She appears in stage productions fairly regularly. The Belfast News Letter reported on September 30, 1997:
ACTRESS MEL MARTIN - soon to be seen in ITV's Noah's Ark playing an ex-townie hoodwinked by an unscrupulous farmer - is sampling country living in real life.
The Love For Lydia star fell for John Duttine when they filmed a Ruth Rendell mystery together five years ago. Now the couple have bought a spread in Cornwall - after she was seduced by the area while filming Poldark.
"I've never lived in the country before, so it's a bit of an adventure," she admits. "But every time I have been filming, or visiting friends, in Cornwall I have loved it. So, we decided to make the move - even though we have just perfected our house in London.
"It's an 18th century farmhouse with eight acres of land, which we rent to a local farmer to keep a load of heifers on."
Thanks for the info on Mel Martin. I'm only now getting around to reading it.
Kind regards,
Jim
You're welcome, Jim. Just yesterday, I found a recent article (1/23/2005) in the "Mail on Sunday (London)" about Mel and John's impending move from their farmhouse in Cornwall to Yorkshire, where John will join the cast of "Heartbeat." In this article, Mel stated that she is now 57 (John is 55). It also said they were married in 1998, first marriage for both, though each had been in long-term relationships before. (And John has a 24-year-old son named Oscar from a previous relationship.) Mel talked a lot about her artistic and decorating interests. Let me know if you'd like me to send you a .pdf file of the entire article (about 3 pages).
Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
Yes, I'd like to see the article. Thanks a lot for the information.
Jim
Jim, I tried sending you an e-mail message -- did you get it? I need to confirm your e-mail address to send you the article.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
My email address is [email protected] or ir that doesn't work try [email protected].
Thanks again,
Jim
Dear Elizabeth,
I just heard that Christopher Blake who played Richardson in Love for Lydia died in February of this year from cancer. I can't imaging Lydia (Mel) being around without him. Do you know anything of his last days?
I heard Mel Martin moved to Yorkshire.
Does Mel stand for Melanie or what was she called at birth?
Nice to talk with you again.
Bye for now,
Jim
I had also seen the news about Blake's death here at IMDb. I don't know anything more about it, however. I also don't know whether Mel is short for Melanie or Melissa or something else. It is a curious name!
Did you receive the article I tried to e-mail you about Mel and John Duttine's move from Cornwall to Yorkshire?
Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
If you hear anything about Richardson's death let me know. I didn't get your email about their move from Cornwall to Yorkshire. I think you once sent me a photograph of Mel Martin but I can't seem to find it.
Do you know where Love for Lydia was shot? It seemed to be a lovely place.
It's great to hear from you again and thanks a million for coming back to me so soon.
Kind regards,
Jim
Jim,
I had used the addresses you listed earlier: [email protected] and [email protected].
While I didn't send you a photo of Mel, I may have posted a link to a site that had a photo as of 1995: http://www.troth.demon.co.uk/pages/noah5.html
This is from her guest appearance on a show called "Noah's Ark."
Sorry, but I don't know the "Love for Lydia" locations! But I did find a 1979 article about the series in which Mel saidof Lydia: "She starts out as a child, really, who is raised by her father and, after he dies, a relative in a small village. She is very protected, and develops this hunger for experience and excitement that eventually destroys the people around her and then destroys her, physically. I think of her as a sort of Zelda Fitzgerald."
If we can get your e-mail address sorted out, I'll send you this article, too.
Best,
Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
Thanks for the information. Do send me the article, I'd love to read it. If you use [email protected] it will get to me. I'm sure [email protected] works too.
What a perfect sum up of Lydia by Mel. Did you ever wonder what happened to Edward and Lydia when they walk across the grounds of the Sanitorium at the end of the series? Do you think Lydia lived on and that they married or did she die? Mel reckoned that Lydia destroyed herself physically. We could talk for hours about this and I'd enjoy it.
I gave it to my parents to watch and they thought it would have been better if Lydia had died at the end. I didn't ask him why. I would see Lydia if she'd died as floating around the spirit world as happy as Larry going from one party to another and then being a kind of recluse at the same time. I better stop I'm getting carried away. Love for Lydia just fascinates me.
I managed to get info on the filming locations of Love for Lydia from the archivist at LWT (as was). Check the main IMDB page for the series and then go to the 'Filming Locations' tab.
shareIt's been a few years since I spoke to you about Love for Lydia. I know there is a few locations mentioned in the location box but I'm curious about some more. In the last scene when Edward and Lydia are standing outside the sanatorium on the porch, is that a real place or a studio. They then walk across a field or the grounds, do you know where that is. Johnson's yard is another one I'd like to know where it is. When Edward arrives outside the hospital to visit Lydia do you know where that is and the hospital building. The last scene I'd love to know where that is. I know you like Love for Lydia as much as I do so that's why I'm asking you. I don't really expect you to know all these places.
Thanks again,
Jim.
Nowhere to be found anymore
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