David Parkin finds himself on the wrong end of a showbiz punch up

I KNOW Frank Sinatra’s original Rat Pack had a reputation as hellraisers but I didn’t expect their modern day tribute act to be quite the same.

However news reaches me that the Rat Pack tribute act that I booked for the lunch to celebrate the life of Leeds lawyer Rodney Dalton have been at the centre of a spectacular bust up.

Fortunately it didn’t happen on the day of our event, but it did take place a few days before during another performance.

According to a report in The Sun, former EastEnders “star” Des Coleman, who played Sammy Davis Jr, punched Frank Sinatra impersonator David Alacey while they were performing at a golden wedding party at a bungalow in a village in Kent.

Des, a weatherman on Good Morning Britain and ITV News Central, was arrested and taken to a local police station but released without charge after bandmate Paul Drakeley, who plays Dean Martin in the trio, told police Des had acted in self defence as David had thrown the first punch.

David told The Sun that dad-of-four Des lost his head during a version of the Sinatra favourite That Old Black Magic.

He said Des accused him of playing it too fast and stopped the track as the trio sang at the £1m bungalow.

Words were exchanged between them before they went into a side room at the property and that is where the fists flew.

“The guests were in shock because there was blood from my eye and nose,” David told The Sun.

“They got some ice and called the police.

“Des told the guests, ‘Don’t blame me’.”

He told the tabloid newspaper that he plans to refund the golden wedding couple, who are in their 70s, and pay to get bloodstains out of a carpet.

He said he has now had it with Des, with whom he has worked for 20 years.

He said: “I don’t ever want to lay eyes on him again.”

This all happened in February, less than a fortnight before our event in Leeds in early March.

I thought at the time that I didn’t recognise the Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin performers from the photographs on the act’s website.

I’m not a watcher of EastEnders, but Des played womanising wide-boy Lenny Wallace in the BBC One soap, appearing in 253 episodes between 1996 and 1999.

And, according to The Sun, during his time in Albert Square, Lenny had a fling with Patsy Palmer’s character Bianca Jackson, sparking a pregnancy scare.

I had heard of Des Coleman as he is a popular figure in the East Midlands where he has presented the weather on both the BBC and ITV regional news.

In 2011, the BBC sacked him as a weatherman on East Midlands Today after he protested his innocence over a firearms charge during a live broadcast.

He had been accused of threatening a motorist in an alleged road rage attack on the M1 in Buckinghamshire.

But he was cleared of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence after evidence came to light about the credibility of the alleged victim.

When he next appeared on screen delivering a weather report, Des put the wrong temperature on a map and told viewers: “You cannot believe everything you see or read.”

So, given I knew that Des Coleman played the Sammy Davis Jr role in the Rat Pack tribute act, I was surprised when a stocky, bald guy turned up to our event.

I’ve not seen Des perform before, but I thought the guy playing Sammy Davis Jr was brilliant.

And if I could get a wig as realistic as his, I’d definitely currently be wearing a syrup.

I see that Ol’ Blue Eyes impersonator David Alacey has found new performers to take the roles of Dean and Sammy.

And Des is now singing with a different Rat Pack tribute act.

The Sun’s headline on its story about the bust-up between the Rat Pack tribute act was: “Ol’ Black Eyes”.

Rodney would have liked that.

:::

I’M delighted to say that the Rodney Dalton Tribute Lunch raised a total of £23,300 for charity.

And I didn’t have to fight anyone either.

Rodney’s wife Helen, son Henry and daughter Claudia, wanted the money to go to support the Leeds Cancer Centre, where he received incredible care and support.

We have donated the money to Leeds Hospitals Charity and Gail Chapman from the charity said: “It is a huge amount to have raised and it will make a difference to patients receiving care at Leeds Cancer Centre.”

She said that her and colleague Paula Guanaria “were blown away by the event you organised in tribute to Rodney, the room was full of love and it was great to hear some of the amazing stories and anecdotes from people who thought so much of him”.

Paula added: “Not only was an incredible amount raised which will make such a difference it was one of the best and enjoyable events that we have been privileged to attend.”

I was flattered that they have booked me to compere the Leeds Children’s Hospital Charity Ball in September.

I know that Rodney’s family are planning to visit the Leeds Cancer Centre to see how the money raised will be spent by the charity.

And I’m already thinking about what other charity events I can organise.

How about a white collar boxing match between rival Rat Pack tribute acts?

I know what you’re thinking.

That’s Somethin’ Stupid.

Oh well, That’s Life.

:::

THERE has been a double dose of positive promotion news for sport in Leeds recently.

Not only have Leeds United returned to the Premier League after winning the Championship, but the city’s professional rugby union club, the Leeds Tykes, also were promoted to National 1 after winning National League 2 North.

I was fortunate enough to be at the club’s final match of the season at their home ground The Sycamores at West Park Rugby Club in Bramhope thanks to an invite from former Lloyds Bank executive Jamie Allison and his wife Clare, who sponsor one of the players.

The club is supported by plenty of big hitters from the business community and it was nice to catch up with Alastair Da Costa, chair of Leeds Tykes and a big hitting lawyer once of DLA Piper.

I first met Alastair during my time at the Yorkshire Post and remember meeting up with him in Hong Kong when I was on a trade mission from Yorkshire and he was running DLA Piper’s Asia and Middle East operation.

He is the chair and pro-chancellor of the University of Leeds and this week received a CBE for services to higher education from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle.

Under his leadership, the Leeds Tykes have wasted little time basking in the glory of their promotion and appear to be strengthening things both on and off the pitch.

Wealth management firm Titan Wealth has signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement to become Premier Partner of Leeds Tykes supporting the club’s “ambitions to climb the rugby pyramid and establish ourselves as the leading rugby team in Yorkshire”.

And this week the Tykes announced that long-serving rugby league executive Gary Hetherington is to become the club’s first President.

Gary is well known from his time with Super League club Leeds Rhinos which he has been involved with since 1996 and is stepping down from his role as chief executive at the end of this season.

But he has been involved in the Tykes organisation from its inception in 1997, when Leeds Rugby was founded – the world’s first dual-code rugby club.

If Gary can bring a fraction of the success that the Rhinos have enjoyed during his time there - eight Grand Final wins, four Challenge Cup wins, three League Leaders Shields and three World titles for the men's team along with Challenge Cup and Championship glory for the clubs women’s and wheelchair teams - then the Tykes will be very happy.

And a bonus is that Gary is also a good bloke with a humility and sense of humour that you don’t always find in those at the top of sports organisations.

:::

WATCHING a clearly emotional Frank Lampard interviewed this week on Sky Sports after his Coventry side were beaten by a last gasp Sunderland goal, made me think.

The over-used term “gutted” probably didn’t begin to sum up his feelings after Sunderland scored a header from a corner less than 20 seconds before the end of extra time in the Championship Play-off semi-final.

Lampard and opposing manager Regis Le Bris were probably drawing up their list of penalty takers at the end of 120 minutes of football which saw both teams all-square.

But then an awkward header by Dan Ballard sent over 40,000 Sunderland fans at the Stadium of Light into raptures.

I’d seen the phrase “‘Til the End” flash up on the advertising hoardings around the ground throughout the match and surmised that it was probably a meaningless motivational slogan dreamed up by some bright spark in the club’s marketing department.

Never could a phrase have summed up a situation better.

I bet the person that created it is due a bonus.

Anyway, I’m not here to discuss that.

My point, I think, was that fans of football clubs like nothing better than to see emotion in their players and managers.

But then when that emotion is not fuelled by elation but by disappointment, that’s something that rival fans enjoy just as much.

That emotion really can backfire.

Remember Kevin Keegan’s “I will love it…” rant about Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United?

I bet you there were plenty of Leeds supporters enjoying Lampard’s dejection.

They have never forgiven the man they dubbed “Fat Frank” for denying them promotion in the Championship Play-offs when he managed Derby County in 2019.

There was talk that the celebrating Derby side damaged the dressing room and latent bad blood from the ‘spygate’ saga earlier in the season when Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa admitted sending scouts to watch Derby training before a match.

I might be a Derby County fan, but I’ve got no great loyalty or affection for Frank Lampard.

He took his team straight back from Leeds to a pub in the Derbyshire village where he rented a house and ran up a £2,800 bar bill that night.

I only know that because it was helpfully shared on social media by a member of the bar staff.

It included 209 beers, 75 Jagermeisters, 65 vodka shots, 54 Sambucas, 38 shots of tequila…and a Diet Coke.

Yes, coming from two goals down to win 4-2 at Elland Road was an achievement, but at that point of the season the club had won nothing.

In fact, they went on to the final at Wembley and lost to Aston Villa with Lampard later leaving to go back to Chelsea to become manager.

So I can understand why Lampard was disappointed after the match.

But I bet there was a publican in Coventry who was even more gutted.

Have a great weekend.