The story so far... | Ed Tudor Pole

The story so far…

This website is the official source of all things about Ed Tudor Pole; his music, art and tales of his life and times.

We’re working on Ed’s story, discography, upcoming gig list and a shop full of goodies.

If you’d like to get updates when new content is added, join Ed’s mailing list by filling in this form.

In the meantime…

Get yourself a copy of Ed’s brilliant book, ‘The Pen Is Mightier’, from the vendor of your choice. Click on the photo to go shopping…

News

News here of upcoming gigs/merchandise in posts. Gig calendar.

About

Ed Tudor Pole (born Edward Felix Tudor-Pole on 6 December 1955) is an English musician, actor and television presenter best known as the lead singer of the punk rock band Tenpole Tudor during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He later became known to wider audiences through his acting work and as the presenter of the television game show The Crystal Maze.

Tudor-Pole was born in London into a family with aristocratic ancestry connected to the Tudor-Pole surname. He was educated at King’s School in Canterbury, where he developed an interest in music and performance. Before entering the music industry, he briefly worked in various occupations, including teaching and manual labour.

The Swords Of A Thousand Men 7in picture sleeve single

During the mid-1970s, Tudor-Pole became involved in the emerging British punk movement. He initially performed with the band Chelsea, appearing in an early line-up before forming Tenpole Tudor in 1977. The band became associated with the first wave of British punk rock, although their style also incorporated elements of pub rock and historical imagery. Tenpole Tudor gained attention for energetic live performances and humorous, theatrical songs.

The group achieved commercial success in the early 1980s with singles including Swords of a Thousand Men, which reached the UK Top 10 in 1981. Other notable releases included “Wunderbar” and “Throwing My Baby Out with the Bathwater”. The band released the albums Eddie, Old Bob, Dick and Gary and Let the Four Winds Blow before disbanding during the mid-1980s.

Alongside his music career, Tudor-Pole pursued acting. One of his earliest film appearances was in The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle, a film centred on the punk movement and the band Sex Pistols. In the film, Tudor-Pole portrayed a character intended as a potential replacement for vocalist Johnny Rotten. He subsequently appeared in several films and television productions during the 1980s and 1990s, including Absolute Beginners and Sid and Nancy.

From 1993 to 1995, Tudor-Pole presented the third and fourth series of The Crystal Maze, succeeding Richard O’Brien. His version of the programme adopted a more eccentric and energetic style while retaining the show’s adventure-game format. Although his tenure lasted for two series, it introduced him to a new television audience.

Following his mainstream television career, Tudor-Pole continued to work in music, film and live performance. Various reunions of Tenpole Tudor took place from the late 1990s onwards, and Tudor-Pole continued touring both with band line-ups and as a solo performer. He also appeared at music festivals and nostalgia events connected with the punk era.

Tudor-Pole has maintained a reputation as a distinctive figure within British punk culture, noted for combining historical imagery, humour and theatricality with the aggressive energy of punk rock. His career has spanned music, acting and television over more than four decades.