Talk:John Sessions

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Citation required for the comment that his favourite newsreader is Moira Stewart, especially given the editor's apparent history of hoaxing. - Just zis Guy, you know? [T]/[C] AfD? 19:41, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

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Although it's commonly made, the assertion that Sessions has a PhD is wrong. He did indeed study towards one at McMaster but didn't complete it.  is an interview with Mr Sessions and makes this clear. Should the claim therefore be struck from the biography (or is it sufficiently well known that it should be mentioned and debunked)? AndyofKent 21:29, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the link (I've taken the liberty of editing it so it goes direct to the interview). I put the bit in about the PhD but wasn't aware he hadn't completed it so have edited the article to reflect this. --Thoughtcat 13:26, 11 November 2006 (UTC)

Political affiliation.
There is a note in the article in the section "Personal Life" where John's political preferences are mentioned stating that he supports UKIP & goes on to say "despite being openly gay". I am not certain that his sexual orientation would preclude him from supporting UKIP (or any other party) or that UKIP have made any statements which would indicate the party has any "anti gay" Policies. A brief search of their Policies would seem to bear this out, but if any other information is available, then fair enough. As it stands I wonder if this comment should correctly be included in the article? Eagleash (talk) 15:25, 20 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Noted that the sentence/phrase referred to above has now been deleted & replaced by "& is openly gay".Eagleash (talk) 21:21, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

Where was he born?
Where was he born? Was it in 'Largs, Ayrshire' or 'Bedford, Bedfordshire'?. The article says both. It needs sorting out. One (or both) must be wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.99.238.67 (talk) 21:58, 16 July 2018 (UTC)


 * It was Largs, as confirmed by Sessions himself here, and also here, here, here, here.... etc.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 13:27, 27 March 2022 (UTC)
 * John was lying to sound more interesting. John's twin Maggie was born in Bedford. The birth certificate is the proof. Not that it matters (as I am not a published source) but John was a friend of mine and asked me to change Wikipedia as he was not very tech-savvy. Captainquo (talk) 07:41, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks for clarifying. Do you know where the middle name "Gibb" came from, as that is not shown on the birth certificate?   Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:13, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
 * PS: The birth certificate uploaded here appears to be genuine and is for John Marshall [sic], with the birth date of 11 January 1953, and birth place stated as Bedford.  This is certainly curious.  The information in Wikipedia is based on reliable published sources such as newspaper obituaries, rather than primary sources such as birth certificates.  However, it may be worth noting the discrepancy in a properly composed footnote, or even in the text.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 07:12, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
 * John was born in Bedford as evidenced by the birth certificate Captainquo (talk) 07:42, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
 * We need to recognise that usually reliable sources give his birthplace as Largs. In this case, I think it would be good to follow the useful advice (not policy) at WP:CONFLICTING: "If the conflict is about an interpretation of the facts rather than a simple matter of fact, and cannot be resolved by demonstrating some of the conflicting sources to be in error, in order to maintain a neutral point of view, include all significant points of view with appropriate attributions. In those cases, it is up to the reader to choose which source they want to believe personally and not the task of Wikipedia editors to choose for them. Instead, the article should contain a mention that different points of view exist. If the issue is a simple matter of fact (e.g., a birth date) but cannot be resolved, this can be reported by presenting the apparently most plausible choice in the text while adding a footnote with the alternatives."  Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:20, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
 * PS: I'm pretty sure that the image of the certificate itself will be deleted, per normal practice. It's not really needed anyway.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 12:17, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Reference to place of birth: It no way detracts from this biography whether this information is correct or otherwise. It does appear though that Sessions (Marshall) wasn't born in Largs but merely preferred to say that he was. I've been reading about Thomas John Capel and there is a similar dispute about his birthplace, albeit in an earlier century. The solution on that page is to suggest that Father Capel 'preferred' to say he was born in  Ramsgate and not Ireland. Just suggesting that it is a helpful phrase for future contradictions. Dorkinglad (talk) 15:29, 29 June 2024 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for speedy deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for speedy deletion: You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 02:51, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
 * John MARSHALL - birth certificate.jpg

From: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/information-management/reproduction-of-birth-death-marriage-certificates.pdf 2.3.Reproducing completed forms You are authorised to reproduce certificates for all purposes other than providing evidence of an event (see 4 below), subject to the restrictions listed below. This may include publishing in a book or magazine, or placing a copy on the internet. You must:  Acknowledge Crown Copyright.  Comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998. This means, for example, that if you propose to reproduce the contents of any certificate containing personal data about any living individual, you should obtain the permission of that individual(s) before you do so — Preceding unsigned comment added by Captainquo (talk • contribs) 09:03, 9 October 2021 (UTC)

Years active
IMDB and other sources say that he was active until 2020, which is this year.

https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/news/6032/rip-john-sessions/

https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0785938/filmotype/actor?ref_=m_nmfm_1

https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0785938/filmotype/self?ref_=m_nmfm_4

https://news.sky.com/story/john-sessions-whose-line-is-it-anyway-star-dies-aged-67-12122607

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/john-sessions-actor-comedian-dies-aged-67/?utm_content=news&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1604408023

Should this get changed to 2020, or should it be left at 2017? MikaelaArsenault (talk) 14:38, 3 November 2020 (UTC)
 * I have added the items to the television work list that are already on the respective Wikipedia pages. There is also a (sourced) part earlier which mentions his work on the radio in 2020. I am not sure why this was changed back to 2017 when that was already there, but I have changed it back to 2020 considering the work he did in 2018, 2019, and 2020. 84.92.90.18 (talk) 13:20, 9 November 2020 (UTC)

Place of death?
The Scotsman says John Sessions died in Austin. Texas not South London. https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/obituary-john-sessions-scottish-born-comedian-and-actor-3029498 Published Monday, 9th November 2020, 10:25 am. Retrieved Tuesday, 19 July 2022. 82.69.118.203 (talk) 12:47, 19 July 2022 (UTC)

Do we really need the Birth Certificate?
I find it incredibly strange to see Sessions' birth certificate as an image. I've never seen this in any other article of a person on Wikipedia and it feels slightly invasive. His place of birth is not a significant enough factor to warrant a birth certificate being uploaded as some kind of proof. 86.132.140.146 (talk) 00:15, 26 December 2022 (UTC)