Mike Raven(1924-1997)

Raven was born Austin Churton Fairman to classical stage actors. Before appearing in films he counted ballet dancing, Lieutenant of infantry and television producer as occupations. Fairman came to the public's attention as a pirate radio station disc jockey christened "Mike Raven". When the plugs were pulled on pirate radio Raven pursued a radio career, becoming a Radio 1 DJ. Raven's forte was Rhythm and Blues, and his Saturday night programe "The Mike Raven Show" became a leading authority on the subject. But as his stage name suggests Raven had an interest in the occult that lead him to a career in horror films. Raven cast a sinister figure with Merlin beard, tall stature and intense vocals- he was immediately cast in I Monster and Hammer's Lust for a Vampire. However it didn't quite work out and in both films Raven was singled out by the critic's pans, particularly in the Hammer film where adding insult to injury his voice was dubbed. Raven invested money in two independent films, Crucible of Terror and Disciple of Death. The pre- publicity for both these films centred on Raven's private life. Trying to build a reputation as a horror star, Raven's publicity delved into detail about his occult interests. If Raven's hype is to be believed Raven, his wife and their six children were often seen dressed in home made black clothes, and their house was reportedly decorated totally in black. Of the two films Crucible was the most poular, appearing on television with regular occurence. The unique Disciple of Death is so incoherent that it comes across as a Dada nightmare and was produced and written by Raven under clipped versions of his real name. However it remains obscure and was murdered by the critics, after which Raven never made another film and retired from the spotlight.