Britain's Star War Connections

In his monthly column for Essex Life, BBC presenter and director David Whiteley shares his insightful view on stories from across the county of Essex

- David Whiteley

ONE THING you may have gathered by now, if you regularly read my column in Essex Life, is that I’m a bit of a Star Wars fan. Well, not just a bit, but a big fan. In fact, I was born on May the 4th (as in May the fourth be with you, which is often referred to as Star Wars Day) in 1977, the year the movie was released. I have always loved the films. In fact, I can’t remember a time before liking Star Wars.

Let me take you back to 1983. I was six. I was only a baby when the first one, A New Hope, was released and just three when the sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, was in cinemas. So here I was, an excited six year old, about to see The Return of the Jedi with my dad at the flicks in Southend.

It was awesome! I sat in the third row, staring wide-eyed at the screen, as my childhood heroes battled it out with Jabba the Hutt, Boba Fett and imperial stormtroopers. On the way home, my dad bought me an ewok action figure. £2.50 from a toy shop in Leigh on Sea. It was a very special day.