The Graham Norton Show
Each week celebrity guests join Irish comedian Graham Norton to discuss what's being going on around the world...
Acting
Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for Smash Hits, and assistant editor for the magazine in the mid-1980s.
Tennant coined the phrase imperial phase to describe the period in which a musical artist is regarded to be at their commercial and creative peak simultaneously. This observation was initially self-referential, made as the Pet Shop Boys had achieved commercial success with four British number one hits ("West End Girls", "It's a Sin", "Heart", and "Always on My Mind"), had received critical praise for their first three albums and had expanded their creative horizons through innovative collaborations in the visual and performing arts.
Neil Francis Tennant was born in the town of North Shields, approximately 8 miles east of Newcastle upon Tyne, to William W. Tennant (1923–2009), a sales representative, and Sheila M. (Watson) Tennant (1923–2008). He has an older sister, Susan, and two younger brothers, Simon and Philip. The family moved to Greenfield Road (opposite the corner of South Bend), Brunton Park, Gosforth shortly after Neil was born.
Tennant attended St Cuthbert's Grammar School, an all-boys' Catholic school in Newcastle upon Tyne. His songs "This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave" and "It's a Sin" refer to his early life in Catholic school and the strict upbringing there.
As a child, Tennant taught himself to play guitar and piano and started writing songs. He also played cello in school. During his teenage years, he played in a folk music group named Dust, who were heavily influenced by The Incredible String Band. Tennant wrote several of their songs including "Can You Hear the Dawn Break?", which he regards as his first 'proper' song. He was also a member of the youth theatre at the People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne.
In 1975, having completed a degree in history at North London Polytechnic (now part of London Metropolitan University), Tennant worked for two years as the production editor for Marvel UK, the UK branch of Marvel Comics. He was responsible for anglicising the dialogue of Marvel's catalogue to suit British readers and for indicating where women needed to be redrawn for the British editions. He also wrote occasional features for the comics, including interviews with pop stars Marc Bolan and Alex Harvey. In 1977, he moved to Macdonald Educational Publishing, where he edited The Dairy Book of Home Management (1980) and various illustrated books about cookery, playing the guitar and other home interests. Then he moved to ITV Books, where he edited TV tie-in books. After having commissioned Steve Bush, then the designer of Smash Hits and The Face, to design a book about the group Madness, he was offered a job at Smash Hits as news editor of the British teen pop magazine in 1982. The following year, he became assistant editor. He also edited The Smash Hits Yearbook from 1982 to 1985. ...
Source: Article "Neil Tennant" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Browse movies and TV shows featuring Neil Tennant
Each week celebrity guests join Irish comedian Graham Norton to discuss what's being going on around the world...
An annual award ceremony presented by MTV to honor the best in the music video medium.
An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television, in which...
Michael Parkinson returns for a second run of his iconic talk show.
The MTV Europe Music Awards "(EMA)" were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popul...
The biggest night in the British music calendar, the BRIT Awards celebrate the biggest successes in music & pro...
Celebrities open up to Kate Garraway in intimate and moving interviews.
Live performances from much-loved music stars, alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra, at the BBC's Maida Vale Stu...
It was the Olympic Games we will never forget; an extraordinary event in Britain’s history with intense drama,...
Chris Evans returns to Channel 4 with his iconic show... but this time he's unplugged! Enjoy unfiltered convers...
On 2 July 2005 an estimated 3 billion people came together in the fight against extreme poverty. LIVE 8 - 10 co...
A celebration of some of the biggest names in music, offering an epic compilation of 60 songs performed over th...
Take one look at award-winning songwriter / artist Allee Willis and you see someone unafraid to be themselves....
Rising from the ashes of the legendary British post-punk unit Joy Division, the enigmatic New Order triumphed o...
Pet Shop Boys Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant embark upon a journey across England - but which England? Is it the h...
Elton John entertains a celebrity studio audience, answering questions and singing songs with his guests.
Writer Michael Bracewell presents an unusual and provocative look at the life and legacy of Oscar Wilde, the co...
Electronic Beats presents a very special short performance by Pet Shop Boys live in Berlin. The British pop duo...
Jennifer Saunders hosts a party of AbFab outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage.
Pet Shop Boys perform many of their biggest hits from West End Girls to Go West, with dancers and films before...
Documentary and live concert from the Savoy Theatre London, June 1997. Tracklist: The Dress Rehearsal - Opening...
Covering a 35-year period between 1985 and 2020, ‘SMASH – The Singles’ works chronologically through the duo’s...
After twenty years in the pop business, this is a celebration of the lives, work, and achievements of the Pet S...
The story of how George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley's Wham! turned one song into a cultural phenomenon. As well...
A career retrospective celebrating the timeless music of one of the world's greatest singer–Dusty Springfield....
The first collection of promo music videos from the duo Pet Shop Boys features "West End girls", "Love comes qu...
Documentary following a generation of post-punk musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringe...
Recorded live in December 2009 at the O2 Arena, London. The Pet Shop Boys' performed classic songs such as 'Wes...
Pet Shop Boys headlined the Isle of Wight Festival on Saturday, June 22, 2024, as part of their 'Dreamworld' Gr...
Formed in London in 1981 and consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, English sy...
The innovative and influential British filmmaker Derek Jarman was invited to direct the Pet Shop Boys' 1989 tou...
Back at the start of the 1980s, pop music was becoming as much about fashion as it was about the music itself (...
A look back at one of British music’s most enduring and significant partnerships, Pet Shop Boys, with highlight...
Years & Years singer Olly Alexander throws a spectacular New Year's Eve party as we build up to the midnight mo...