INTERVIEW: Film Critic, Author & Radio Personality, Mark Kermode

The following interview was broadcast on The Geekend, Radio Reverb on 29^th October 2011.
 

GG: Welcome to The Duke of York’s Picturehouse, here in Brighton. As part of your tour continuing throughout October and November 2011, appearing live, in actual 3D in locations throughout the UK with your new book The Good, the Bad and the Multiplex, Mark Kermode right here… welcome. I expected you to be wearing a Stetson, what with the theme of your book…

Mark:  Funnily enough when we were doing the cover of the book, somebody said exactly that. Obviously it’s a take on The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, so yes, let’s put you on the cover in a Stetson. Then everyone thought about it and decided as the only way people recognise me is from my hair. So it was simply a marketing decision; if you can’t see my hair, then it’s not me. I am apparently definable only by my hair. That’s why on the back of the book is a picture of me with my hand over my face in which the only part of me you can see is my hair. 

GG: Your new book, I’ve just finished it, and just like your radio show and podcasts on BBC 5Live with Simon Mayo, the book is particularly honest, outspoken and full of your satirical expert opinion on films. I like to think of you as the people’s film critic. 

Mark: (Laughter) Which people though? That is the crucial question...

INTERVIEW: Writer and producer Brian Clemens

What a wonderful chap. Brian Clemens chuckled and plugged his way through our interview with ease, like the seasoned pro that he is. Renowned for the ever-so classy handling of his slice of UK cult-televisual pie, most would say it was The Avengers; that quaint, idiosyncratic upper-class British adventure-cum sci-fi production, that Brian's name would ring most familiar. Not the only celebrity in the family, Brian is permitted to boast about his achievements; he even has a medal to show for it all...

The following interview was broadcast on The Geekend, Radio Reverb on 10th September 2011. 

INTERVIEW: Actor, David Prowse

The iconic role of Darth Vader may have been the performance that brought David to his height of fame, but this chap is a character himself. Having played an exhibition of monsters and heavies throughout film and British cult TV, from The Saint to Doctor Who, The Tomorrow People to a flirtation with comedy in the Morecambe & Wise Show, perhaps David was always destined to portray the similitude of a cinematic god.

The following interview was broadcast on The Geekend, Radio Reverb on 3rd September 2011.

GG: You are the man behind the mask of Darth Vader; the light-saber wielding, hand severing, Obi-Wan slaying, Dark Lord of Star Wars. Now I’m sure all avid Star Wars fans know this inside out including myself, but for the benefit of our listeners, how did you get the part of the galaxy’s most feared super-villain; Darth Vader?

INTERVIEW: Battlestar Galactica's Richard Hatch

With his Hollywood-white teeth on constant display, Richard Hatch, star of Battlestar Galactica, gave me some of his time amid the hustle and bustle of the visitors to this years London Film and Comic Con. With appearances in 70s shows such as Hawaii 5-0 and The Waltons, it was a science fiction series that was to launch his career to an all new cosmic orbit. Richard played Apollo on the good star-ship Battlestar Galactica from 1978-79. Set light-years in the future, fine and upstanding Captain Apollo, the ever-spirited space fighter pilot, ventures through space with the rest of the post-apocalyptic human survivors from decades of warring with the Cylons (a cybernetic race hell-bent on the destruction of the human population), in search of a new, fabled homeland called Earth.

Over twenty years later, after attempts to bring about another breath of life into the premise of Glenn Larson's original, Richard then reprised his involvement with the franchise becoming the terrorist-turned-politician Tom Zarek in the fantastic 2004 reimagined adaptation. 

INTERVIEW: Doctor Who's Carole Ann Ford

The year is 1963 and a young girl of just 23 years of age embarks on a journey of a life time. In a little blue box, accompanied by authoritative actor William Hartnell, both sign up to what is pitched as a children's series so influential, over 40 years later, is still going strong around the globe. Of course I am referring to Doctor Who; that cult British television staple. 

On 16th July 2011, I interviewed actress Carole Ann Ford after she paid her Doctor Who DNA dues, carrying out a signing session for Doctor devotees of all ages, celebrating the release of four new Doctor Who classic novelisations. Despite the soggy London air, the queue of fandom well surpassed the alloted one hour, concluding that said 'childrens series' had definitely shed it's blue stabilisers. I discovered that Carole will be joining the rest of us as new episodes are aired, with a fervid layer of reverence, even a sonic screwdriver couldn't penetrate...

INTERVIEW: Mark Waring at Empire Big Screen

I’m turning this introduction upside down a little, by opening with a brief background to the iconic screen animator and inventor of animation technique Dynamation; Ray Harryhausen. I attended Empire’s Big Screen (the magazine’s virgin three-day event celebrating all things filmic) with a leap in my heart when I spotted that there was to be a panel dedicated to the celebration of this man. I grew up with white knuckles watching Jason ward off the sword wielding Skeleton’s and followed every silent fatalistic footstep Harry Hamlin took evading Medusa’s stony gaze in Clash of the Titans (1981). Even now watching the films again, I chuckle with delight when I discover Doctor Who’s Tom Baker moonlighting as an evil sorcerer in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973).

This nonagenarian was responsible for no less than 16 feature films, and like one of his monsters, his influence spiders off into a web of notoriety inspiring the likes of Steven Spielberg to James Cameron, with some of the most magical creature creations ever seen on screen. All with personality and character; the magic that truly brought these stop-frame models to life, made the viewer believe what they were seeing could actually be real, in some far flung corner of the world that many of the characters ventured to.

It was at this panel where I met marvellous model-manipulator Mark Waring. Mark was a guest speaker on stage, citing Harryhausen as an inspiration in his very successful career as an animator. Here is my interview with him post-panel...

INTERVIEW: Author, Alwyn W Turner

As part of my reporter/ contributor role as Geek Girl on the radio show The Geekend, I was really chuffed to get Alwyn W Turner as my first on-air interview. I'd like to thank him for being a wonderful guest and for writing his latest book; 'The Man Who Invented the Daleks: The Strange Worlds of Terry Nation', which I devoured and also reviewed on the live broadcast. I think I can now remove my supportive third wheel, as my journalistic vehicle steps up a gear. After reading my interview with him, I would also highly recommend popping over to his personal website, which is a really good read in itself.

INTERVIEW: Buck Roger's Erin Gray at LFCC with 'The Guild' exclusive!

On Sunday 10th July I attended the London Film and Comic Con 2011. You can read my full account of it here, but one of my absolute highlights from the weekend was meeting Erin Gray. With a background hum of R2D2 tweets and the crowd of avids milling about the Earl's Court 2 arena, a beacon of beauty in the form of Buck Rogers' very own starlet Willma Deering, kindly gave me a few minutes of her time to talk about the cult 80s TV classic as well as a web series exclusive that I cannot wait for! Here is my audio file, plus the transcript...enjoy!