John Alkin

Early life

After attending public school at Stamford until the age of 18, Alkin went onto study at Cheltenham College. There, he started a hotel management course, training as a chef, intending to follow in the family business of catering. However, he took an interest in the college drama productions and after the establishment won an inter-country drama festival he decided to change his career to the stage.

In 1966, Alkin was taken on by Everyman Theatre as an assistant stage manager, doing odd jobs like making tea and sweeping up. Gradually, he worked his way up and after a year with the company, moved to London, appearing at theatres in Richmond and Bromley, as well as having appearances on television.^[2][3][4]

Acting career

Alkin is best remembered for two roles: DC Tom Daniels in Thames Television's police drama The Sweeney and barrister Barry Deeley Q.C. in Granada Television's drama Crown Court. One of his earliest television appearances was as Robert Martin in the 1972 BBC TV production of Jane Austen's Emma.

In 1978 Alkin played Flight Lieutenant Andre De Beers, a character based on the real-life Baron Jean de Selys Longchamps DFC, who attacks the Gestapo Headquarters in Brussels, German-occupied Belgium, in the Secret Army episode "Day of Wrath".^[5]

He also appeared in numerous guest roles on TV shows such as Z-Cars, Timeslip, Minder, The Sandbaggers, Space: 1999 and Doctor Who.

Spiritual healing

He left acting in the mid-1980s to set up a spiritual healing centre with his second wife, Lee Everett Alkin, former wife of DJ and TV comic Kenny Everett. He was involved in meditation and became aware of its healing powers as a teenager in the 1960s.^[6][7]