WHERE ARE THEY NOW? John Alford

Actor John Alford made his name in children’s television but was also, briefly, a popstar! Then it all went horribly wrong…

John Shannon was born in October 1971 and went to stage school, landing his first, and perhaps best known role, as Robbie Wright in the long running children’s drama Grange Hill, using the stage name of ‘John Alford’. He spent five years in the series during which time he sang on the 1986 single “Just Say No”, after a storyline that featured one of the pupils becoming involved with drugs. The single made the top ten in the UK. After Grange Hill, Alford was cast in the evening TV series London’s Burning from 1993 and for the next five years, but in 1996, he crossed over to the music charts when producers Mike Stock and Matt Aitken helped John into the top twenty with a cover of “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”.

Released in February 1996, John’s version of the 1933 song went to No.13 and he quickly followed it with another cover, this time “Blue Moon”, coupled with “Only You”, which he broke the top ten, peaking at No.9 that Spring. A third hit was delivered that Autumn with Bread’s “If”, which made No.24 and was followed a couple of weeks later with John’s self-titled debut album, although this was less successful. A fourth and final single, “Let It Be Me”, was scheduled for release in early 1997 but this was scrapped and that was that. John appeared in the film ‘Mike Bassett: England Manager’ in 2001, but sadly his only ‘work’ since then has been in the national press with one scandal after another and for all the wrong reasons.

It would seem that both John’s music and acting careers are well and truly over. His most recent court appearance was in 2019 when he pleaded guilty to two counts of resisting an officer and was given a twelve month community order. Oh dear.