Welcome to the October edition of the Auf Wiedersehen, Pet Newsletter. This month we look back on the life of Gary Holton with brand new features, newspaper articles, and much more. Gary passed away in October 1985, but his legacy still lives on thanks to his music and on screen characters, which include the lovable ladies' man, Wayne Winston Norris. 

• Gary Holton fan Lara Moran goes on the hunt for lost archives!
• 'If You'd Had Half The Life I'd Had' - by Richard Smith
• From The Archives - The Fall and Rise of Gary Holton
• AWP Goodie Bag Giveaway! - Are You A Winner?
• Gary Holton: Unseen In Marbella

Many Auf Wiedersehen, Pet newsletter readers would not have even been born in 1985, (the year Gary passed away) and so not be aware of these unearthed Newspaper articles. We hope you read them with respect and realise how the press not only treated Gary, but the rest of the cast, in an unfavourable light.

At the start of 2019, Gary Holton fan and 'London' local Lara Moran was interested in finding out if there was any archive media relating to Gary from the 1980's that wasn't already on the internet. The press back in the 80's were not what you would call 'kind' to Gary and the rest of the cast, looking for any little story that could be blown up into something it wasn't, and creating many horrible tabloid headlines such as 'Heroin Hoodlum'.

The British Library is home to a vast archive of material, including newspapers, and so this is where Lara's quest began!

Having grown up with Auf Wiedersehen, Pet being frequently shown in my house during the late 80s and 90s, I'd always had an interest in the background of Gary Holton. Wayne had always stood out to me even when I was too young to grasp the storylines (and sometimes the accents). Wayne was confident, full of charm and his bright blue hair made even the most depressing hut seem colourful. It was only this year when I decided to re-watch the series after years of not seeing it, that my intrigue for Gary Holton's life outside of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet peaked. I had lots of questions about other projects he'd done, his life in the Heavy Metal Kids and the negativity portrayed by the press regarding his private life.

The internet is a great tool for tracking down answers to questions about most things, however I felt that there was a bit of a void when it came to Gary Holton. It was easy to find interviews, photos and videos of him throughout his time in the limelight however, I was struggling to find archive articles from 1985. I had read on various sites and forums that the press had been incredibly unkind during this period and were hounding him on the set of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, and even following him out to Spain during the filming of Series 2. Yet I was unable to find actual examples of what the press had printed about him and felt like I was only seeing half the picture. Numerous websites explained that it was The Star who had set out to get Gary. They had once been a newspaper who he had worked alongside with, happy to speak to. However 1985 saw a turn in his personal life, and evidently publishing these personal matters attracted more attention for the newspaper than maintaining a friendly relationship with Gary. At first, I researched the history of The Star to see if there were any online archives dating back as far as the 80s but unfortunately, the only releases that have been digitally archived date from 2000. So, I'd hit a brick wall.

Will Lara find what she's looking for? Click the button below to find out what happened!

Whether you know him as the Heavy Metal Kid, or Wayne Winston Norris, Gary Frederick Holton was the business and he certainly lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, appeared on Top of the Pops, sold more records than the Beatles (In Norway!) raised funds for charity and still found time to work behind the bar of his Dad's pub in Welshpool!

Read Richard Smith's tribute to Gary Holton in full using the button below.

From The Archives - The Fall And Rise of Gary Holton

"To get on in this game you have to keep playing it, you have to become a lifer..."

Back in 1984, Gary spoke to Melody Maker about his life in music, and how Auf Wiedersehen, Pet was his 'proudest professional achievement'. Now in 2019, we still watch Gary in the classic series, and remember how he stole the scenes he featured in, and it's quite amazing how this small TV show which is now a cult classic was thought upon by Gary as such a huge part of his life.

AWP Goodie Bag Giveaway!

Did you enter our latest competition to win an AWP Goodie Bag featuring one of our brand new 'Magnificent Seven' T-Shirts? We can now announce that the winner is........Liam Kirwin! Please email us with your details so can get your goodie bag sent off!

We've added 3 brand new items to the store this month! The 'Magnificent Seven' Tee, Moxey's "Haven't Got Any Darts Though" Tee and our hugely popular "The Winner Is Yellow!...." boxed mug!

Grab one now whilst stocks last, so with Christmas approaching, don't be disappointed and miss out!

Gary Holton - Unseen In Marbella

Earlier this month Steve Turner got in touch with us to tell us about his trip to Ally's Villa and some unseen pictures from the cast & crew filming in Marbella during 1985.

Steve patiently waited until the timing was right, so we could unleash these pictures to the fans on the exact dates that they were taken, October 1985. We released these unseen images on our social media accounts on the days written, 16/10/85, taken just 9 days before Gary sadly passed away.

Gary Holton may have left us 34 years ago today, but his legacy lives on and always will. From his early career in music with The Heavy Metal Kids and later Casino Steel, to his roles in TV shows and films including Quadrophenia, Minder, Shoestring and of course Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Gary left an indelible mark which will survive for generations to come.

Gary Holton 22/09/53 - 25/10/85

The Auf Wiedersehen, Pet team would like to thank Lara Moran and Steve Turner.