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. 

LIVE MUSIC FROM TOM GRAY OF GOMEZ

Every week, with my two awesome friends audio mover-shaker Wayne and the filmically au fait James, we put together the highly acclaimed The Geekend radio show.

From what was just a miniscule acorn of a brilliant idea, cycle six months later, and we can boast shows and guests that honestly make me need to pinch myself to make sure I'm not stuck in some Matrix style machine-dream (check out the list further down this post).

But this week's show was one of my most enjoyable. To celebrate The Persuaders! 40th anniversary, I got to interview Brian Clemens, the fine fellow writer/producer of it (and a right royal British shed load more). But we were also very lucky to be graced with the presence of one fifth of Mercury Music Prize winning band Gomez, in the form of Tom Gray. Now, ashamedly I thought I didn't know any of their music. So when his dulcet tones burst out these magical musical poems (Flyaway Katie in particular), well I was most impressed. Post event I popped on to Spotify to discover what a numpty I was as Gomez are a band who you may not think you know, but actually, it's impossible not to recognise Whippin' Piccadilly or Options. I totally retract the pub admission Tom.

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.