This page provides details of newspaper articles, reviews and interviews featuring Lyn Paul or the New Seekers, which appeared in the UK press during the 1980s.
Scroll down the page or select a year from the table below.
Lyn Paul married Vince McCaffrey in 1980, but the wedding day smiles didn't last long. The couple returned from their honeymoon to find that their home in Liverpool had been burgled.
In October Lyn sold her story to the News Of The World.
The Times, Thursday, 14th February 1980, page 27.
Personal Choice
The Times' TV preview highlighted Lyn Paul's appearance on Pebble Mill At One.
"Pebble Mill At One (BBC1, 1.00pm) has the first live transmission from a nuclear submarine at sea. Five fathoms deep, inside Dreadnought, cruising off the island of Arran, Lyn Paul will regale the crew with songs that are appropriate to the day."
Daily Star, Saturday, 5th April 1980, page 2.
Lyn weds at last
News item reporting on Lyn's wedding to Vince McCaffrey. Includes a photo of Lyn.
The Sun, Saturday, 5th April 1980, page 1.
Finders Seekers!
Picture exclusive by Richard Reed.
News item reporting on Lyn's wedding to Vince McCaffrey. Includes a photo of Lyn and Vince on their wedding day.
Daily Mail, Thursday, 10th April 1980, page 3.
Raiders take the magic out of Lyn's honeymoon
News item reporting on the theft of £30,000 worth of Lyn and Vince's belongings from their home while the couple are on their honeymoon. Includes a photo of Lyn and Vince at home.
Daily Mirror, Thursday, 10th April 1980, page 1.
Bride Lyn robbed of £30,000
Front page news item reporting on the £30,000 raid on Lyn's home. Includes a photo of Lyn and Vince on their wedding day.
Daily Star, Thursday, 10th April 1980, page 6.
Raid heartache of pop bride Lyn
News item reporting on the £30,000 burglary at Lyn's home. Includes a photon Lyn and Vince on their wedding day.
Daily Mail, Friday, 11th April 1980, page 17.
Lyn quits her house of heartbreak
by Stephen Oldfield.
News item reporting on Lyn's and Vince's plans to leave Liverpool following the £30,000 raid on their home. Includes a photo of Lyn.
Daily Mirror, Friday, 11th April 1980, page 3.
Lyn flies south
Short news item reporting on Lyn's plans to leave Liverpool following the £30,000 raid on her home. Does not include any photos of Lyn or Vince.
News Of The World, 5th October 1980, page 5.
A FOOL LIKE ME: The life and loves of pop star Lyn Paul (Part 1)
Too Good To Be True: What the fans didn't know about the very private lives of the New Seekers by Lyn Paul talking to Sharon Ring
Sharon Ring's article painted an unflattering picture of Lyn's life with the New Seekers. Amidst the tabloid tales, however, were a few quotes worth keeping:
Peter Doyle: "Peter Doyle was the best musician in the group and probably the most creative. At one time he and I were dating and had a wonderful relationship." Eve Graham: "Eve, seven years older than me, was the dominant personality."
"She was tremendous on stage ... a powerhouse the moment she opened her mouth to sing." Marty Kristian: "Marty was quite a character with a great sense of humour." Paul Layton: "He was the peacemaker, always asking us to patch up our fights. Poor old Paul, he took an awful lot of stick." Peter Oliver: "I took to Peter from the beginning ... good looking, light-hearted and fun to be with."
News Of The World, 12th October 1980, page 9.
A FOOL LIKE ME: The life and loves of pop star Lyn Paul (Part 2)
My shared affair with Jack Jones by Lyn Paul talking to Sharon Ring
At Christmas Lyn Paul starred in Puss In Boots at the Cambridge Arts Theatre ,,,
Cambridge Evening News, 24th December 1982.
Fun zips along in the panto tradition
review by Alan Kersey
"Lyn Paul (remember the New Seekers?) made an interesting Principal Boy. I am not one of her greatest fans but she coped well with her new role despite being one of the victims of the pre-Christmas 'throats'."
During 1984 Lyn Paul continued to perform in cabaret - her performance at Blazers in Windsor went down particularly well with Peter Hepple. At Christmas it was time for another panto ...
The Stage and Television Today, 8th March 1984,
page 5.
WINDSOR: Lyn Paul
review by Peter Hepple
"Lyn Paul is not one of those cabaret singers who comes on stage apologetically and cajoles audiences into taking notice of her. She has been around for a few years, in the social clubs, in ballroom groups, in pantomimes and summer shows and as a star personality in a chart-topping group, the New Seekers, and knows her worth and what she can do.
Thus, although she was officially in the support spot at Blazers, Windsor, her act had a lot of the top of the bill about it. The presence is there ... with a mixture of good old-fashioned glamour ... and a great voice which has never been properly appreciated.
The song selection at Blazers was very much the standard pick, I Will Survive, New York, New York, No Regrets and ... I Am What I Am. But even they were enough to show that Lyn Paul has the style, and the closing Sedaka medley, neatly segued and demonstrating the range of this writer's compositions, also did the same job for the singer's talents."
The News [Portsmouth], 21st December 1984, page 11.
Golden Egg Is Family Face
by Caroline Ball
Caroline Ball reported on the opening night of Mother Goose. Commenting on Lyn Paul's performance, she wrote: "Ex-New Seeker, Lyn Paul, and the multi-taloned Evil Spirit, June Lewis, gave the audience the chance to hiss, boo, clap and cheer. Mind you, the Good Fairy could not resist the opportunity to teach the world to sing and promote a certain brand of soft drink."
In 1985 Lyn Paul sold her story to The Sun, something she'd later come to regret. She also made the news when her flatmate, the Bucks Fizz singer Mike Nolan, was injured in a coach crash. At Christmas Lyn turned up in Torquay for the annual panto, Cinderella.
The Mail On Sunday, 18th August 1985, pages 12-13.
Analysis EXCLUSIVE: "IT'S A PAIN" Jonathan Margolis on the drama-packed return of Bucks Fizz.
Lyn Paul was featured in an article about Bucks Fizz and the recovery of group member Mike Nolan, who had been badly injured in a coach crash in December 1984.
"Mike's friend, ex-New Seekers singer Lyn Paul, has moved in with him since the crash - but love isn't the answer to his problems ...
"I've always had a good relationship with Lyn. The romantic side of it is over, but we found that we're better living together."
"It's more fun that way. There's no arguing."
For Mike and Lyn ... living together means just that."
The Sun, Monday, 19th August 1985.
MY BEDROOM SECRETS: Lyn Paul rips back the covers to reveal the truth about her star lovers
Lyn talks about her relationships with Michael Crawford and Freddie Starr and about the "love match" between Eddie Large (from comedy duo Little & Large) and Patsy Ann Scott.
MY BEDROOM SECRETS: Sexy secrets of showbiz by Lyn Paul - Day Two
Lyn talks about Fraser Hines, Jack Jones, Lennie Bennett and Mike Yarwood.
The Sun, Wednesday, 21st August 1985.
I've proved Mike Nolan isn't gay! by Lyn Paul
Lyn talks about Bucks Fizz star Mike Nolan, Andy Williams and DJ Tony Blackburn, who she is reported to have described as "boring."
The Sun, Thursday, 22nd August 1985, page 3.
Boring Tony in blast at dim Lyn
The Sun prints comments made by disc jockey Tony Blackburn on his Radio London show in response to the previous day's article where he was described in The Sun as "the biggest bore of the lot."
Sunday Mirror, 29th September 1985, page 9.
Fizz star Mike in pub brawl
by Keith Richmond
The Sunday Mirror reports on an incident which occurred while Mike Nolan and Lyn Paul were having a quiet drink in a pub following a Bucks Fizz show in Slough.
The Times, 7th December 1985.
The Times listed the pantomimes showing at theatres throughout the UK.
In her review of Cinderella at the Princess Theatre, Jasmine Tanner heaped praise on the Ugly Sisters, played by Simon Barry and Alan Vicars: Lyn Paul's performance was also well received.
"Lyn Paul has not lost her singing talent, and bar a couple of apparent word slips, was particularly good as Prince Charming."
On 13th November 1986 Lyn Paul appeared on the popular TV show 3-2-1. To coincide with the programme an interview with Lyn was published in that week's TV Times.
Meanwhile, in Bromley, preparations were being made for the annual panto ...
News Of The World, 1st June 1986, pages 16-17.
Brain damage agony of Bucks Fizz Mike
by Sharon Feinstein
Mike Nolan again mentions Lyn in an article about him:
"We aren't lovers and never have been. We're just good friends and come and go as we wish.
When I'm depressed I hardly talk to Lyn. She just has to look at me and knows she should leave me alone."
The Times, 22nd August 1986.
Spectrum: I sold it through the grapevine; Pop music in advertising
by Bryan Appleyard
"Pop and rock find their way into ads in a variety of ways. Coca-Cola's worldwide hit I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing in the early 1970s came from an almost unknown song called True Love And Apple Pie which the company bought in to use as a radio ad."
Bromley Times, 8th November 1986, page 19.
Panto show with the big stars
The Bromley Times previewed the forthcoming panto at the Churchill theatre,
"Lyn Paul, formerly of the New Seekers ... has been seen on Wednesday Night At Eight, Pebble Mill At One, A Question Of Pop, Celebrity Squares, Give Us A Clue, Definitions and 3-2-1."
TV Times, 15th-21st November 1986, pages 16-17.
Singer Lyn's secret heartache
by Stewart Knowles
Double page spread featuring colour pictures by Roderick Ebdon and an interview with Lyn by Stewart Knowles. Lyn talks about touring with Jack Jones in 1975, moving into Mike Nolan's flat in 1984 and reveals that she has regrets about the stories which appeared in The Sun newspaper the previous Summer:
"When someone offers you money ... it is very tempting and you don't think about the repercussions.
I spent two months with the writer and, when the articles appeared, it wasn't at all the way I had anticipated. It was purely bedroom stuff, which isn't very pleasant for those who have been written about.
But you can not make amends. There is nothing you can do except hope that the people mentioned will know that it wasn't done with any malice."
The Times, 29th November 1986.
The Times gave its annual round-up of the year-end pantomimes.
DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT: Roy Hudd, Bill Pertwee, Lyn Paul, Lambert & Ross, Roger de Courcey and Nookie Bear.
Churchill, Bromley, Kent (01-460 6677). Dec. 15 - Jan. 17
As inevitable as Christmas itself, the annual panto ... Lyn Paul starred alongside the Krankies in Aladdin at the Sunderland Empire.
Sunderland Echo, Monday, 7th December 1987.
Panto season means boys will be girls
by Alistair Robinson
"THE GREAT BRITISH panto is traditionally a rather confusing affair ... What with principal boys and pantomime dames it's usually a case of boys will be girls and girls will be boys.
But when it comes to gender-bending, this year's show at [the] Sunderland Empire will take some beating.
As well as Lyn Paul as Aladdin, there's Janette Krankie - or is it Wee Jimmy? - playing a boy and Ian Krankie playing a woman."
Sunderland Echo, Wednesday, 9th December 1987,
page 19.
Top panto opens at Empire on Friday
"Ian and Janette will play Widow Twankie and Wishee Washee respectively, with Lyn Paul, who has been forging a successful career as a solo artist since leaving the New Seekers, as Aladdin."
Babes In The Wood
Grand Theatre,
Wolverhampton
(programme cover).
The big event of 1989: Lyn Paul gets married to Alan Young.
Hello!, 16th September 1989.
The 16th September edition of Hello! magazine featured a short article about Lyn Paul's wedding.
The Sunday Times, 5th November 1989.
`He's a pinstripe wizard ...'; The Who
by Kate Saunders
"Fifteen years ago Tommy was taken deeply seriously. To suggest that it was not on the same artistic level as Il Trovatore was to be a total philistine. When the New Seekers, squeaky-clean Eurovision winners, recorded a version of Pinball Wizard in the mid-Seventies, there was widespread moral outrage how dare they pollute this masterpiece with their middle-of-the-road harmonies? Now, however, Tommy is emerging as a jolly sing-along, The Who's novelty act."
What one means one day, you know, one may not mean the next. Circumstances change, opinions alter. Jane Austen, 'Northanger Abbey'
Truth is the cry of all, but the game of few. George Berkeley
If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. Albert Einstein
Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth. Desiderius Erasmus
There are three sides to every story - yours, mine and all that lie between. Jody Kern
I don't care what is written about me so long as it isn't true. Dorothy Parker
I think the measure of your success to a certain extent will be the amount of things written about you that aren't true. Cybill Shepherd
Write the truth and no one believes you: it's too alarming. So you might as well make it up. Fay Weldon
Journalists
Reporters are faced with the daily choice of painstakingly researching stories or writing whatever people tell them. Both approaches pay the same. Scott Adams, 'The Dilbert Principle'
Journalists say a thing that they know isn't true, in the hope that if they keep on saying it long enough it will be true. Arnold Bennett, 'The Title'
No news is good news; no journalists is even better. Nicolas Bentley
Journalists are people who take in another's washing and then sell it. Marjorie Eldershaw
To the majority ... a woman is either somebody's mother or a whore. Alexander King, 'Rich Man, Poor Man, Freud and Fruit'
To have no thoughts and be able to express them - that's what makes a journalist. Karl Kraus
Hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil - and you'll never get a job working for a tabloid. Phil Pastoret
Tabloid journalists. What a bunch of sneaky, sleazy, creepy, mischievous, lying, shit-stirring bastards! Freddie Starr
The only qualities essential for real success in journalism are rat-like cunning, a plausible manner, and a little literary ability. Nicholas Tomalin
The hand of God, reaching down into the mire, couldn't elevate one of them to the depths of degradation. Charles Winninger (Dr. Enoch Downer), 'Nothing Sacred'
Newspapers
Some newspapers dispose of their garbage by printing it. Spiro Agnew
I read the newspaper avidly. It is my one form of continuous fiction. Aneurin Bevan
I prefer films to newspapers because papers tell lies about real people and films tell the truth about imaginary ones. G.K. Chesterton
The advertisements are the most truthful part of a newspaper. Thomas Jefferson
Everything you read in the newspapers is absolutely true, except for that rare story of which you happen to have first-hand knowledge. Erwin Knoll
Once a newspaper touches a story, the facts are lost for ever, even to the protagonists. Norman Mailer
For the press, progress is not news - trouble is news. Richard Nixon
Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper. George Orwell, 'Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters'
Publicity
There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary. Brendan Behan
Wooing the press is an exercise roughly akin to picnicking with a tiger. You might enjoy the meal but the tiger always eats last. Maureen Dowd, 'New York Times'
Publicity can be terrible. But only if you don't have any. Jane Russell
There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about. Oscar Wilde
