1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,400 Can I ask you about working with another actor? 2 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:05,600 Who, who did have a reputation for being somewhat difficult 3 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:07,800 around that time? But he is one of my favorite 4 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:10,700 actors and it's a film that I've watched fairly recently and 5 00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:13,800 enjoyed it enormously. And it's Peter Sellers in the 6 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:15,800 Blockhouse. How was, how was Peter Sellers 7 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,500 to work with wonderful? Absolutely. 8 00:00:18,500 --> 00:00:21,600 Wonderful guy. No problem whatsoever with 9 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:23,300 Peter. As far as I was concerned. 10 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:25,800 Hmm, we just, we just got on fine. 11 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:31,000 He was a very, very fine actor. As you said, we just got on with 12 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,800 it purely. Professional relationship, it's 13 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,200 curious, isn't it? I think some actors with with 14 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,200 reputations like that, just turn out to be perfectionists. 15 00:00:39,700 --> 00:00:42,400 Oh yes, absolutely. He was serving was a 16 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:47,200 perfectionist is no doubt about that but hopefully we were okay. 17 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,100 The Block House of very, very good film. 18 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:54,200 The problem with it was that it's nobody quite knew who owned 19 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,100 it. So it didn't get repeated very 20 00:00:57,100 --> 00:00:58,700 much or seen. Yeah. 21 00:01:00,500 --> 00:01:02,700 Around the world which he should have been considered a good 22 00:01:02,700 --> 00:01:38,400 film. Hello you lot, it's your 23 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,200 favorite uncle compiled here. Again, with minutes of fun 24 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:45,600 packed into an hour or so. My guest this week is the writer 25 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,700 and summer. I know Bob Fisher Bob and I were 26 00:01:48,708 --> 00:01:51,600 talking for quite a bit before I press record and we were among 27 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,400 other things. We were talking about that whole 28 00:01:54,700 --> 00:01:59,300 ontology thing and we drop into the conversation where Bob is 29 00:01:59,300 --> 00:02:00,600 talking about Not scarred for life. 30 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,800 So what is scarred for life? Bob, okay. 31 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:08,100 Scarred for life is, I didn't write the box, but it's there 32 00:02:08,100 --> 00:02:10,600 are two huge books. Now by two guys called Stephen 33 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:15,100 brother, Stern and day of Lawrence, and they're just a 34 00:02:15,100 --> 00:02:19,200 compendium of absolutely exhaustive, account of kind of 35 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:24,400 1970s and 80s kids, mainly TV, but other bits and pieces in 36 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,400 there as well, and all the stuff that traumatize the kids of that 37 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:29,700 generation. So I read the book. 38 00:02:29,708 --> 00:02:31,500 A books. I thought they were fantastic 39 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:37,100 and I ended up I was working on. I was a local radio presenter on 40 00:02:37,100 --> 00:02:41,300 BBC, t's for 20 years. So I'm 20 2017 when the first 41 00:02:41,300 --> 00:02:45,600 book came out, I got Steve and Dave on my radio show was guests 42 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,900 and we got on like a house on fire and then we've ended up 43 00:02:48,900 --> 00:02:50,900 touring. We do a live scarred for life 44 00:02:50,900 --> 00:02:52,800 show. I host it and basically 45 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,800 interview the pair of them on stage about their memories of 46 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,500 all of this stuff. So that's taken on like a weird 47 00:02:58,500 --> 00:03:00,500 life of its own over the last Couple of years. 48 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,000 Obviously, we had a couple of years off but we've gone back to 49 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,100 Italy, six months and it's been really nice. 50 00:03:06,100 --> 00:03:09,300 So it's kind of really interesting hearing we do the 51 00:03:09,300 --> 00:03:12,900 show and then afterwards we do a Q&A with the audience and it's 52 00:03:12,900 --> 00:03:17,100 really interesting hearing like other people's Recollections of 53 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,900 light strange things that they were traumatized by his kids and 54 00:03:19,900 --> 00:03:22,900 it often is stuff that you wouldn't expect. 55 00:03:22,900 --> 00:03:25,700 Like the stuff that kids were scared off is often not what 56 00:03:25,700 --> 00:03:28,200 what you would expect. It's not obvious stuff. 57 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:32,700 It is like, you know, an hour. Advert or some kind of weird 58 00:03:32,700 --> 00:03:36,300 cartoon that wasn't intended to be scary at all, but just got 59 00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:38,900 kids in the wrong way or you know, it's just something that 60 00:03:38,900 --> 00:03:43,200 was kind of like, nosy, Bonk nosy, but he's a bit one from 61 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,100 different. Jigsaw that like it. 62 00:03:45,100 --> 00:03:46,900 No. But I know why was that intended 63 00:03:46,900 --> 00:03:50,600 to be scary in the slightest to know, the producers of Jigsaw 64 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:52,300 and Adrian Headley who was in The Mask? 65 00:03:52,300 --> 00:03:55,100 Just thought it was a Whimsical funny character, but it's one 66 00:03:55,100 --> 00:03:58,100 that comes up again. And again, when we do the show 67 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,400 like we show a The film on the screen and happy people. 68 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,800 You know, there are 50 year old people in the audience that have 69 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:06,900 to look away. So Christ. 70 00:04:06,900 --> 00:04:08,600 No, it's nosy bog. So. 71 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:09,500 Yeah. Stuff like that. 72 00:04:09,500 --> 00:04:12,000 It's really interesting. What about the original bungle? 73 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:14,200 Yeah. Oh God. 74 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:15,200 Yeah. You just like you. 75 00:04:15,208 --> 00:04:17,800 Look at that and you think you think what what were they 76 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:20,800 thinking? Whoo-hoo on the production. 77 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:24,000 Team of rainbow. So that costume and saw those 78 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,300 eyes. Boring into your soul and 79 00:04:27,300 --> 00:04:28,400 thought. Yeah that's it. 80 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:30,900 That's the one. That's what Kids will love is 81 00:04:30,900 --> 00:04:33,100 this terrifying? Bug-eyed bear. 82 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:35,300 Have you seen that? If you seen those, you know 83 00:04:35,300 --> 00:04:39,100 there's websites that have like a badly stuffed family pets. 84 00:04:39,900 --> 00:04:42,000 Yeah. So what are those like one of 85 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:50,200 those? Because we got a lot of British 86 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:56,200 tell you when I was a kid. And the so think about this the 87 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:00,300 thing that it didn't scare me but it unnerved, Me, which I 88 00:05:00,308 --> 00:05:03,600 think is probably the common reactions that was what 89 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,500 interests me more actually is that kind of stuff was the, you 90 00:05:06,500 --> 00:05:08,300 know, the Phoenix of the carpet from. 91 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:10,600 Yeah, absolutely. I watched it reasonably recently 92 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:11,300 actually. Yeah. 93 00:05:11,300 --> 00:05:14,000 So the actual Phoenix, it's right? 94 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:16,600 Yeah, yeah. Just unnerved me. 95 00:05:17,300 --> 00:05:18,900 Yeah. And it's and it's not a great 96 00:05:18,900 --> 00:05:22,300 pieces. Not special effect is no, yes, 97 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:26,100 absolutely yeah. No, yes, it's in. 98 00:05:26,300 --> 00:05:29,500 It's intriguing the things that that just strike a chord with 99 00:05:29,700 --> 00:05:35,200 some kids and I think that's why I kind of I can understand why 100 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,000 some people say no. No, you're wrong these feelings. 101 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,800 Do, you know, you're imagining them because it seems to be so 102 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:44,100 subjective, you know. It's a different kids were 103 00:05:44,100 --> 00:05:46,800 affected by very different things and often the things that 104 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:48,900 just weren't intended to scare them at all. 105 00:05:49,700 --> 00:05:51,300 They I find that really interest. 106 00:05:51,300 --> 00:05:54,100 Yeah. The the only really scary thing 107 00:05:54,100 --> 00:05:57,400 I can think of from my childhood was The Count from Sesame 108 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,600 Street. Right. 109 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:06,000 Okay, I think it was because he had purple skin anyway. 110 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,900 Anyway anyway if we're going to get purple, is it your arm out? 111 00:06:09,900 --> 00:06:17,400 Yeah. You and the haunted generation 112 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:19,500 radio shows listen to some of the Heart. 113 00:06:19,500 --> 00:06:21,000 Right? Which is what you do and 114 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:22,600 Mixcloud. Yeah, yes. 115 00:06:23,100 --> 00:06:27,200 And and just a sample quote, just jump down and I wrote it 116 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:30,400 down. Oh, you played a thick To The 117 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:33,300 Tomorrow People. And you said, I do this. 118 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:35,500 This makes me think of Peter Davidson and navy blue 119 00:06:35,500 --> 00:06:38,700 Underpants. Yes, it does. 120 00:06:39,500 --> 00:06:42,400 Because Peter Davison was in the tomorrow people wearing navy 121 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:45,900 blue and the punch. I'm in time entirely literal 122 00:06:45,900 --> 00:06:47,900 with these things. If you looking for Eddie level 123 00:06:47,900 --> 00:06:50,600 of profundity or hidden depth, you come to the wrong person, 124 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:54,900 okay? And and right, can you tell me 125 00:06:54,900 --> 00:06:58,400 is this really intrigues? Me people listening to this, you 126 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:00,700 know? Yes, this is a It's called goon 127 00:07:00,700 --> 00:07:02,300 pod. It's about the Goon show, but 128 00:07:02,300 --> 00:07:05,300 it's more than that. It's about sellers seeking 129 00:07:05,300 --> 00:07:08,200 Milligan even been team, you know, and their solo stuff. 130 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:10,700 And obviously you've joined me today to talk about a particular 131 00:07:10,700 --> 00:07:16,900 film specifically, but I like these conversations to be to 132 00:07:16,900 --> 00:07:20,200 open up a to be quite Broad and people that listen to this, I 133 00:07:20,207 --> 00:07:22,100 think I generally British comedy fans. 134 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:23,000 Yeah. Okay. 135 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,400 And and, you know, old go contemporary but also classic 136 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:29,300 British comedy and the Iron Horse. 137 00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:36,800 Of certainly of BBC sitcoms for 30 years was was, was certainly 138 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:41,300 Last of the Summer Wine 3077, 70s counter. 139 00:07:41,700 --> 00:07:46,100 Now, can you tell me about your fascination with the show? 140 00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:49,300 Yeah, absolutely. I mean it was a program that I 141 00:07:49,308 --> 00:07:53,800 loved as a kid as I indeed. I love lots of sitcoms as a kid, 142 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,500 though. Very much my thing Last of the 143 00:07:56,500 --> 00:07:59,300 Summer Wine was one the I used to watch. 144 00:07:59,300 --> 00:08:01,600 So what's the? A lot of comedy with my dad, 145 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:03,900 when I was a kid who is a huge comedy fun? 146 00:08:03,900 --> 00:08:07,100 And I guess, you know, got ties in neatly because my dad was 147 00:08:07,100 --> 00:08:11,300 born in 1939 and was exactly the generation to have grown up with 148 00:08:11,300 --> 00:08:15,700 the goons and indeed that he absolutely adored the goons as a 149 00:08:15,700 --> 00:08:18,300 teenager. So I kind of grew up, you know, 150 00:08:18,300 --> 00:08:22,200 I knew all about Milligan and sellers as a kid. 151 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,900 So I certainly got all of that from my dad and my dad's tastes 152 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:29,800 kind of evolved in a really nice way. 153 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:34,600 For a kid of that generation. So my dad's, you know, he's love 154 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:36,900 of the goons. Possibly predictably transferred 155 00:08:36,900 --> 00:08:40,000 to Monty Python's, I had Monty Python chucked in the mix when I 156 00:08:40,008 --> 00:08:43,500 was a kid and in the 80s, he became really interested in 157 00:08:43,500 --> 00:08:47,000 alternative comedy. Which, you know, it's, I mean, I 158 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,900 saw the young ones as a kid, you know, I was 9 years old when the 159 00:08:50,900 --> 00:08:54,100 first series of the young ones was broadcast and amazingly, I 160 00:08:54,100 --> 00:08:57,100 watched it with my dad because he watched it and he loved it, 161 00:08:57,100 --> 00:08:59,500 which I think was really unusual, you know, most of my 162 00:08:59,500 --> 00:09:01,500 friends. Those who kind of bad shit 163 00:09:01,500 --> 00:09:03,200 robotically. Oh yes. 164 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:08,000 But my dad who was in his 40s at the time loved it and thought it 165 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,500 was wonderful. So, I kind of had that 166 00:09:10,500 --> 00:09:12,500 background. I'd been brought up as a comedy 167 00:09:12,500 --> 00:09:17,800 Farm by my dad, and as a fan of like interest in comedy as well, 168 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:22,000 I think what Last of the Summer Wine was one of the shows that 169 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:26,500 he really liked and so inevitably, I watched it with 170 00:09:26,500 --> 00:09:30,900 him and it was a big part of my childhood Which I guess is 171 00:09:30,900 --> 00:09:35,200 curious, you know, it's it's a series that essentially are 172 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,200 certainly for. Its first ten years is centered 173 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:41,100 around three older men that have been kind of written off by 174 00:09:41,100 --> 00:09:45,500 Society. You know, they're composed, 175 00:09:45,500 --> 00:09:48,400 never really worked. As the name suggests, he's taken 176 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:51,600 compensation and he's just kind of freaked out his life in 177 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:54,600 poverty. With we, it's suggested that 178 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:56,600 he's never worked. Since the second world war, 179 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,600 you've got Claire, who's been made redundant from a job in a 180 00:09:59,608 --> 00:10:02,800 line. Factory and you've got while 181 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:05,200 initially a character called bleymeyer played by Michael 182 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,700 Bates and then foggy is the one that everybody knows played by 183 00:10:08,700 --> 00:10:11,300 Brian wild. Both of those characters have 184 00:10:11,300 --> 00:10:14,100 been pensioned out of the military and they come back to 185 00:10:14,100 --> 00:10:17,400 their childhood Hometown without any real purpose in life. 186 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:21,600 So you've got these three Central characters that are just 187 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:26,200 kind of idling their time away and doing nothing, and they're 188 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,800 bored, and they're frustrated. And, for the first 10 years, at 189 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:34,600 least, Least it's quite kind of dark and it's about them just 190 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:38,000 having nothing in their lives and wandering around these 191 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,400 abandoned. There's the countryside in the 192 00:10:41,408 --> 00:10:45,200 first 10 series, although it, you know, shown to be a dilek in 193 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:47,100 later years for the first ten years. 194 00:10:47,100 --> 00:10:50,600 It's sort of post-industrial Yorkshire, you know, there are 195 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:54,100 abandoned factories and Old Mills and stuff that they hang 196 00:10:54,100 --> 00:10:57,300 out in. So it's got this sense of 197 00:10:57,300 --> 00:10:59,500 melancholy to it, which is something that I think. 198 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:02,800 I really only identified with as a kid. 199 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,400 I really like that. You know, my favorite children's 200 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,400 TV programs. Were often things like bag puss, 201 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:13,300 but I think shared the sense of kind of old-school sepia tinted 202 00:11:13,300 --> 00:11:15,100 Melancholy. That was that was, that was 203 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,500 something that inexplicably appealed to me as a kid. 204 00:11:19,200 --> 00:11:21,100 But I think, what Last of the Summer Wine as well? 205 00:11:21,100 --> 00:11:25,800 The way in, which they coped with that that on, WE a, that 206 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,300 that just their boredom about that sense of having nothing in 207 00:11:29,300 --> 00:11:31,700 their lives. Ives was to revert to being 208 00:11:31,700 --> 00:11:35,500 children which show it later years, that became more and 209 00:11:35,500 --> 00:11:40,700 more, a big aspect of the show, you know, embodied by the idea 210 00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:44,300 of them constantly, looking for things to roll down Hills in, 211 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:48,400 it's kind of become the, uh, you know, the identifying image of 212 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:51,000 the show. It's what, it's one of those 213 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,200 things. It's one of those things that 214 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:55,100 happened once, isn't it? And everyone says that it was a 215 00:11:55,100 --> 00:11:58,700 regular trihard don't get me. Started on the bathroom down 216 00:11:58,700 --> 00:11:59,800 there. Yeah, yeah. 217 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:05,000 That is one episode is episode called stop that back from 1993 218 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:11,700 and it's a scene that lasts about 20 seconds after 37 years 219 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:14,800 of you know, GoPro grabbing out of two hundred and ninety five 220 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:19,300 episodes of what though. Yeah since the program about old 221 00:12:19,300 --> 00:12:23,800 men going downhill in a bath, I blame Vic and Bob for this 222 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:29,800 because in the mid-1990s there was it was actually a BBC. 223 00:12:29,900 --> 00:12:32,800 See, promotional film to encourage people to pay their 224 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:35,400 license fee. So you know these are the 225 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:38,700 programs at the BBC does and it was it was Vic Reeves Bob 226 00:12:38,700 --> 00:12:41,100 Mortimer. And Matt Lucas spoofing a load 227 00:12:41,100 --> 00:12:45,400 of TV programs and one of them was three blokes in the bath and 228 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:49,000 it was Vic Bob and Matt Lucas dressed as Campo Clegg and foggy 229 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,200 rolling downhill in a bath. I think that's what people are 230 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,300 thinking of more than masters of a wine design. 231 00:12:55,300 --> 00:12:59,100 Yeah, the BBC never afraid to try something new. 232 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:03,200 There's power Police drama with Detective in a wheelbarrow I'm a 233 00:13:03,208 --> 00:13:06,200 little worried about this time. It passed a note. 234 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:10,900 We go up hill and down Dale with the adventures of three blokes 235 00:13:10,900 --> 00:13:15,500 in a bar and as live and uninterrupted coverage of 236 00:13:15,500 --> 00:13:22,700 international Anvil, throwing And the long-awaited title Clash 237 00:13:22,700 --> 00:13:27,100 live from cleethorpes World Championship and fighting the 238 00:13:27,100 --> 00:13:31,800 BBC's leaves, the great comedy. But anyway, so yeah you've got 239 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:33,200 these. These kind of slightly 240 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:36,900 Melancholy older men reverting to being children talking about 241 00:13:36,900 --> 00:13:40,200 their childhood getting involved into quite childish scrapes. 242 00:13:40,500 --> 00:13:42,800 Something about that. Really, really appeal to me as a 243 00:13:42,808 --> 00:13:48,200 kid and it always stuck with me. I mean, I drifted away a little 244 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:51,200 bit from As the series rolled to a close. 245 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:56,000 But then I met the guy called Andrew Smith and rooty Smith to 246 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,900 give him his full professional title, or Drew to me and his 247 00:13:59,900 --> 00:14:03,400 friends. And we just discovered that we 248 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:05,000 both loved Last of the Summer Wine. 249 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:06,200 He's quite a bit younger than me. 250 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,500 He's in. He's in his mid-30s now. 251 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:13,100 So he was kind of you know you did his late teens early 20s 252 00:14:13,100 --> 00:14:16,500 when I became mates with him. Just through, kind of archive TV 253 00:14:16,500 --> 00:14:17,800 forums. Yeah. 254 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,100 Yeah. But we discovered we have this 255 00:14:21,100 --> 00:14:23,700 mutual love of Last of the Summer Wine that we've both 256 00:14:23,700 --> 00:14:26,400 grown up loving the show in different eras. 257 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:29,000 For me it was about the 70s and 80s for Drew. 258 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:31,700 It was about the 90s and the naughties because that was when 259 00:14:31,700 --> 00:14:35,900 he'd grown up with it and we decided when the final episode 260 00:14:35,900 --> 00:14:37,600 of lost the Summer, Wine was broadcast. 261 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:39,400 We thought, oh, we'll watch it together. 262 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:40,900 That would be a nice thing to do. 263 00:14:40,900 --> 00:14:45,300 So he came round Sunday night August 2010 and we watch the 264 00:14:45,308 --> 00:14:48,500 last episode together. And at the end of it, he turned 265 00:14:48,500 --> 00:14:51,300 to me. And he said, jokingly what we 266 00:14:51,308 --> 00:14:57,300 should do now is put the first episode on and keep going and as 267 00:14:57,300 --> 00:15:01,900 the week's World by that seemed like more and more of quite a 268 00:15:01,900 --> 00:15:05,100 nice thing to do. So we did start doing that and 269 00:15:05,100 --> 00:15:07,300 we turned it into a Blog which is still there. 270 00:15:07,300 --> 00:15:13,600 Some of Winos .co.uk Cheese Log and the blog became inexplicably 271 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:17,500 became a live show that we took to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018. 272 00:15:17,700 --> 00:15:20,000 All about our love Vlasta Summer Wine, why? 273 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,700 It meant so much to us, and a little bit of a potted history 274 00:15:22,700 --> 00:15:27,000 of the series as well. And then we toured it in 2019 275 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,100 and there's now a book and it's gonna take it over our lives. 276 00:15:30,100 --> 00:15:32,500 But in a really nice way. Absolutely. 277 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,300 Yeah. I mean I I've seen a few of the 278 00:15:36,100 --> 00:15:39,900 earlier ones with bleymeyer. I mean, I've seen obviously, if 279 00:15:40,100 --> 00:15:43,700 you don't, you can't be the age that I am. 280 00:15:43,700 --> 00:15:46,500 That you are not of watched at least, or at least seen, at 281 00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:50,100 least a dozen episodes. Even Even by accident you know 282 00:15:50,100 --> 00:15:52,200 you can't have gone through life without doing that. 283 00:15:52,300 --> 00:15:55,400 I didn't I never consciously sat down and watched it, I never 284 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:56,600 regret. I mean I used to record lots of 285 00:15:56,608 --> 00:15:58,600 Comedy. Lots of sitcoms and and that 286 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:01,800 wasn't a show that I that I would record but it, right. 287 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:07,200 Yeah, you know and I think it's because You're certainly right? 288 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:09,600 That it was that there was more of, it was what it was slightly 289 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,200 grittier at the beginning than it seemed to become. 290 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:15,600 So it's really dark. Click seem to be a lot more 291 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:20,200 cynical than that he became. Yeah. 292 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:22,900 Absolutely. This is, this is one of our pet 293 00:16:22,900 --> 00:16:27,500 theories that, I mean, Clegg. There's a kind of gentrification 294 00:16:27,500 --> 00:16:32,300 of Clegg that occurs throughout the 1970s, but in the earlier 295 00:16:32,900 --> 00:16:37,900 series clegg's quite a bitter character We kind of make a 296 00:16:37,908 --> 00:16:40,100 case. For I like Clegg is suffering 297 00:16:40,100 --> 00:16:44,300 from depression in the first couple of years because a, he's 298 00:16:44,300 --> 00:16:47,300 he has been made redundant from his job quite reluctantly and 299 00:16:47,300 --> 00:16:50,500 he's quite bitter about the coop that have made him redundant, 300 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,200 but he's also which is something that's not really mentioned 301 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,000 after the first couple of years but he's lost his wife shortly 302 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,000 before the series starts, the pilot episode of funerals and 303 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,800 fish. We see Clegg visiting his wife's 304 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:07,000 grave. She's Quite recently deceased 305 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:09,500 and he has a very wistful conversation with the vicar 306 00:17:09,500 --> 00:17:12,099 about about death and about mortality. 307 00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:16,900 So our pet theory is that Clegg is essentially quite depressed 308 00:17:16,900 --> 00:17:19,400 and the first few series and it's about the other two 309 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:23,000 characters, dragging him out of that a little bit. 310 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:27,200 But yeah, he's quite is that there's an episode when he kind 311 00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:31,400 of threatens kids heard the expression suffer little 312 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:33,800 children. You think blimey you just 313 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:35,900 wouldn't expect you know that's not Nothing. 314 00:17:35,900 --> 00:17:38,900 But Clegg would have said in later series when he became much 315 00:17:38,900 --> 00:17:41,300 more of a gentle Whimsical character, but there's 316 00:17:41,300 --> 00:17:44,300 definitely a dark Edge to Clegg so dark Edge to the whole 317 00:17:44,300 --> 00:17:48,200 series. We always we always say the the 318 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:52,100 early years I kind of like Alan Bennett directed by Ken Loach. 319 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:55,800 Shit, there's a rat you know it's it's it's not beautiful 320 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,800 rolling Yorkshire Vistas and and happy old man rolling down 321 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,300 Hills. There's a lot of bitterness in 322 00:18:02,300 --> 00:18:06,200 there and a lot of darkness and it's everything is so Rai me and 323 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:08,500 grotty as well. You know all the buildings in 324 00:18:08,500 --> 00:18:12,800 home further, just black with sort and so it's it's wonderful. 325 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:16,400 I love the darkness. Love it, mr. 326 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:17,800 Go see the copy that many of them left. 327 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,400 I suppose really? Now in terms of the might, great 328 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:23,000 might not to get more worried about my grading system. 329 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:26,900 This and like Grady's around, Sarah Thomas who played Glenda 330 00:18:26,900 --> 00:18:29,000 is still. No, this guy for the later 331 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:31,100 series. I think there are there, but 332 00:18:31,100 --> 00:18:34,400 quite a, quite a few still around the marina have recently 333 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:38,300 passed, and I think didn't She Jean Ferguson, she did, yeah, 334 00:18:38,300 --> 00:18:42,600 and she was wonderful as well. I met Jane a couple of times and 335 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:44,600 interviewed her and she was fantastic. 336 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:48,200 She did a one-woman show about Hilda Baker. 337 00:18:49,300 --> 00:18:53,800 She knows, you know, not on your Nelly is is required viewing in 338 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,800 this house. I was absolutely, yeah, all of 339 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:58,600 that. Have you seen? 340 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,800 There's at right? This was shown on BBC for a 341 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,400 couple hours, a few years ago. Now, BBC four. 342 00:19:05,500 --> 00:19:09,300 I went through a period of showing the good old days on a 343 00:19:09,300 --> 00:19:11,600 Friday night. Did I straight straight after 344 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:16,200 their top of the pops repeats, there was an episode of that 345 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:21,700 Shone with Hilda Baker and kind of false in fact, but Hearst 346 00:19:21,700 --> 00:19:24,000 because she had his stooge. Didn't she called sin? 347 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:25,200 Yes. That's right. 348 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:28,000 Yeah. And and and her Cynthia for a 349 00:19:28,008 --> 00:19:31,000 few years was it was a pre Fame, Matthew Kelly. 350 00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:35,400 Oh, so yeah, absolutely. And he's on one of the episodes. 351 00:19:35,500 --> 00:19:37,700 Odds of the good old days with Hilda Baker. 352 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,500 So yeah, there you go. I just read. 353 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:42,600 But how many times all over the? Although that's fine. 354 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:48,500 I'll cut all the look at this bed out but no, no, I'm about to 355 00:19:48,500 --> 00:20:02,400 say. And she was always being. 356 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:05,400 She was being very, she was always very offhand. 357 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:08,400 The cast of, she felt that she was being upstaged being quite, 358 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:12,500 she could poke. But in her absence so that the 359 00:20:12,500 --> 00:20:15,800 fourth series or whatever it was of not on your Nelly, they 360 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:17,600 bought in Jack. Douglas who was hurt that 361 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:19,700 character was her cousin. Yeah. 362 00:20:21,300 --> 00:20:24,100 And because Hilda Baker wasn't there? 363 00:20:24,100 --> 00:20:28,600 Because she was in hospital, they needed another character so 364 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:32,200 they decided that Jack Douglas has character whatever identical 365 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:34,000 twin brother. Okay? 366 00:20:34,300 --> 00:20:36,700 Right. Obviously played by Jack 367 00:20:36,700 --> 00:20:37,800 Douglas. Yes. 368 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,300 But they didn't have the inclination, or the money, or 369 00:20:41,300 --> 00:20:44,200 the technology to do split screen or anything like that. 370 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:46,300 So so you never see them together ever, see them 371 00:20:46,300 --> 00:20:49,200 together? Well well you do see them 372 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:53,600 together, there's an exterior shot of Jack and his brother 373 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:59,300 walking out of the pub, right shot from behind Jack. 374 00:20:59,300 --> 00:21:02,500 Douglas is walking out. He can see Jack diapers You can 375 00:21:02,500 --> 00:21:05,600 see his brother but his brothers walking backwards, next to him 376 00:21:09,300 --> 00:21:10,900 by a bloke who's five foot three. 377 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:19,200 Yeah, and twenty. So they've addressed before we 378 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:28,400 get to stand it anyway. Anyway, as a complete aside to 379 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,600 that, so I know you're a bit of a Beatles fan. 380 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:38,100 Yes, this is kind of possibly Testament to how small my mind 381 00:21:38,100 --> 00:21:40,800 was in the 1980s. I was small. 382 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,600 I thought the world was gonna be getting when I first got a copy 383 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,600 of John Lennon's album Double Fantasy becomes completely 384 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:51,100 Beatles obsessed throughout the 1980s. 385 00:21:51,100 --> 00:21:55,900 And you know, some point I do what I do by all of the solo 386 00:21:55,900 --> 00:21:59,100 stuff so at some point got hold of a copy of Double Fantasy and 387 00:21:59,100 --> 00:22:03,200 I was always one for pouring over the It's on record sleeves 388 00:22:03,500 --> 00:22:06,800 so that they're on the sleeve of John Lennon's, Double Fantasy 389 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:14,400 album produced by John Lennon Yoko Ono, Jack Douglas adult. 390 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,100 Hindsight was quite a Hotshot American record. 391 00:22:17,100 --> 00:22:21,900 Yes yes. And so my mind is a teenager 499 392 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,800 who's Jack. Douglas of the carry on Films 393 00:22:26,100 --> 00:22:28,200 was there out who produced John Lennon's. 394 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:30,400 Final album. Alpha potato mousse. 395 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:38,100 Hey, Hey, what a mental image that brings about, tell you much 396 00:22:38,100 --> 00:22:41,100 of the studio sessions for that. All right. 397 00:22:41,100 --> 00:22:43,600 We're gonna try one more take, if that's all I jack. 398 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:49,600 Anyway, look, we can have to start. 399 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:52,900 Sorry, yes, we actually talk. Yeah, this is turning into this 400 00:22:52,900 --> 00:22:56,000 book about Peter Sellers. This is turning into the Roy 401 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:59,200 Clark Summer Wine, Jack, Douglas. 402 00:22:59,300 --> 00:23:00,700 It's fine. Chuck it all in there. 403 00:23:00,700 --> 00:23:03,300 Yeah, I told you Go off on one. That's fine. 404 00:23:03,300 --> 00:23:04,400 That's I see. I like that. 405 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,500 I don't like to said to you at the beginning, I don't like to, 406 00:23:09,700 --> 00:23:10,900 I don't want this to be a podcast, you know? 407 00:23:10,900 --> 00:23:14,800 Like if you took yet you'd hear film podcasts or TV podcast with 408 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:16,700 it is and they just break down scene-by-scene. 409 00:23:16,700 --> 00:23:18,400 Otherwise? Yeah, no, no. 410 00:23:18,700 --> 00:23:21,000 That's what do that? Just watch the film, don't cut 411 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:21,400 it. Be with that. 412 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:26,800 Level of expertise, for got nobody in trouble, but when you 413 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:28,600 and I were in contact originally, you said, yeah, 414 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,000 you'd be happy to come on and you said, you get You said 415 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,400 you're either like to talk about the optimists of nine elms.young 416 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:37,300 or the Blockhouse. Yeah. 417 00:23:37,500 --> 00:23:41,100 And I thought, hey, the block house is literally just came out 418 00:23:41,100 --> 00:23:42,600 on Blu-ray. Yes, it has. 419 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,500 I'd never seen it. I'll be honest because it's 420 00:23:46,500 --> 00:23:48,400 well, as will become apparent shortly. 421 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,000 I'll give the reasons but I've never seen it. 422 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:53,700 So I thought great off great opportunity for me to get the 423 00:23:53,708 --> 00:23:56,400 Blu-ray to watch this lost classic. 424 00:23:58,700 --> 00:24:02,800 And, and I did, and I'm really glad I did, but it's Not, it's 425 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,700 it's not buffer laughs as if it's not really a date movie. 426 00:24:07,900 --> 00:24:13,500 No, no. So the Blockhouse and and I 427 00:24:13,508 --> 00:24:15,800 suppose, most people listening to this podcast, probably 428 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:19,100 haven't seen it either because it was never actually, right? 429 00:24:19,100 --> 00:24:21,900 So we're recording this in July 2022. 430 00:24:22,100 --> 00:24:27,300 Yes, this was filmed in June 1972, so almost exactly 50 years 431 00:24:27,300 --> 00:24:31,300 ago on, Guernsey, okay, yeah, it never had. 432 00:24:31,300 --> 00:24:34,400 It was real, Least in early 73 but it never had a proper 433 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,800 cinematic release and it it was shown at the Berlin Film 434 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,100 Festival once. Yeah. 435 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:43,300 Never got a cinema release in Britain and it did play in 436 00:24:43,300 --> 00:24:47,400 Florida for a week in 1974, right? 437 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:50,700 And then it just kind of got forgotten about and never and 438 00:24:50,700 --> 00:24:54,200 it's one of those there's one or two sellers films that kind of a 439 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:56,800 bit like ghosts, the Noonday sun and other one that never really 440 00:24:56,800 --> 00:25:01,200 got us in a proper release or got a release and, and a on the 441 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:05,900 beach. I think the style is he was a 442 00:25:05,908 --> 00:25:10,500 dab hand but lost films in the early 1970s would 97. 443 00:25:10,500 --> 00:25:13,700 Yeah because he had he had a run of I mean girl and my suit. 444 00:25:13,700 --> 00:25:15,800 There's a girl in my soup was fairly successful. 445 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:20,500 But yeah, they were films from 70 to support till the return of 446 00:25:20,508 --> 00:25:23,800 the Pink Panther and 75 which were films. 447 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:26,700 Like where does it hurt? Which I, which I maintain is the 448 00:25:26,708 --> 00:25:31,900 worst Peter Sellers film. There is one touch of Genius. - 449 00:25:31,900 --> 00:25:34,400 in way, does it hurt? Which is the counter with the, 450 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:36,700 like the fees going up in the corner? 451 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:38,900 The medical fees go. I think that's right, isn't it? 452 00:25:38,900 --> 00:25:40,900 I haven't seen it for you. I haven't seen it that I 453 00:25:40,900 --> 00:25:42,600 haven't, I haven't seen it for years. 454 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,700 Did the thing that sticks in my mind, is that at the climax of 455 00:25:45,708 --> 00:25:48,700 the film? He's sellers character calls, 456 00:25:48,700 --> 00:25:54,200 the slightly officious sassy nurse character. 457 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:59,100 A witch, right? And she responds by calling him 458 00:25:59,500 --> 00:26:04,600 a wested. As an insult. 459 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:07,400 I'm not that familiar. So don't know what's going on 460 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:09,900 there. Being soft beds had battles your 461 00:26:09,900 --> 00:26:11,500 head. I mean, The Optimist, as a good 462 00:26:11,500 --> 00:26:14,100 film, it's great. It didn't, it didn't make much 463 00:26:14,100 --> 00:26:17,800 money. And, and this this from now, 464 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,200 what was the reason that you that you wanted to talk about 465 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:24,100 this film, in particular, had you seen it before? 466 00:26:24,900 --> 00:26:28,700 I had seen it before. Yeah, I find this period of 467 00:26:28,700 --> 00:26:31,900 Peter Sellers Korea. Really interesting. 468 00:26:32,100 --> 00:26:36,100 I like, I can't tell you how I came by, it really, I'd, I mean, 469 00:26:36,100 --> 00:26:39,500 like I've said, I grew up with a dad who was very much, a fan of 470 00:26:39,500 --> 00:26:43,400 the goons and of Milligan and sellers in particular. 471 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:47,400 So I was very much aware of sellers work and I guess I grew 472 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:51,000 up in that era when the Pink Panther films were constantly on 473 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,300 TV and they were the subject of conversation in the school 474 00:26:54,300 --> 00:26:58,600 playground the day after. And I also think, actually when 475 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:02,700 you talk about Peter Sellers influence on on my Ation. 476 00:27:02,700 --> 00:27:06,400 You know, I born in 1972. I think you've got to Chuck in. 477 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:08,900 It'll be all right. On the night as well. 478 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:13,000 Yes, which here Dennis Norton's clip show of outtakes which was 479 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:18,200 massive event television in the 70s and 80s and sellers always 480 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,600 seem to be on it because he was just an inveterate. 481 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,800 Giggler and Corp sir. So he was on virtually every 482 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:26,100 episode of it'll be all right on the night. 483 00:27:26,300 --> 00:27:30,500 So cell is it always been part of my upbringing and of that 484 00:27:30,500 --> 00:27:35,500 kind of General cultural. And what got me, much more 485 00:27:35,500 --> 00:27:41,500 interested in his work was the arena documentary in 1995. 486 00:27:41,500 --> 00:27:43,600 Yes. On BBC One. 487 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:46,800 Yep. And I watched that and thought, 488 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,900 wow, now that he's a much more interesting actor than I've ever 489 00:27:50,900 --> 00:27:53,700 given him credit for. And then I think off the back of 490 00:27:53,700 --> 00:27:56,900 that I read Roger Lewis has biography life and death of 491 00:27:56,908 --> 00:28:00,100 Peter Sellers which you know, it's the size of a house brick 492 00:28:00,300 --> 00:28:03,900 is this extraordinary? A dissection of his life and 493 00:28:03,900 --> 00:28:07,700 work. I reread that on holiday few 494 00:28:07,700 --> 00:28:09,000 months ago. Really? 495 00:28:09,100 --> 00:28:10,900 Yeah, I haven't, I haven't read it for a few years. 496 00:28:10,900 --> 00:28:14,100 Is it still as fascinating as a? Yeah, it's not. 497 00:28:14,100 --> 00:28:17,300 What has been it is fascinating. It's very, it's entertaining. 498 00:28:17,300 --> 00:28:19,400 Lee written it's not entirely accurate. 499 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:20,700 So yeah. Anyway, I read that. 500 00:28:20,700 --> 00:28:24,800 And in reading, that realized, there were lots of sellers films 501 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:29,500 that I not only never seen, but never actually heard of. 502 00:28:30,900 --> 00:28:34,000 And, and some of those Is actually considered to be lost 503 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:36,600 films which those something about my psyche. 504 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:39,300 That's always going to be intrigued by that the idea of a 505 00:28:39,900 --> 00:28:43,500 film or a TV or an album or whatever, just something that 506 00:28:43,500 --> 00:28:47,000 somebody poured their heart into at the time being lost and 507 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,100 unavailable. I don't know why that appeals to 508 00:28:49,100 --> 00:28:50,800 me, but it does and it always has. 509 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:54,700 So when I, when I read, Roger, Lewis is book. 510 00:28:55,600 --> 00:29:00,100 I kind of instantly wanted to see things like, you know, 511 00:29:00,100 --> 00:29:03,300 films, like Hoffman films like the optimists of nine elms.young 512 00:29:03,300 --> 00:29:08,900 films, like the block house. So I kind of I, I started trying 513 00:29:08,900 --> 00:29:12,500 to seek out some of the lesser-known sellers films in 514 00:29:12,500 --> 00:29:18,100 the late 1990s, which, you know, you tell this to the kids today, 515 00:29:19,300 --> 00:29:22,400 it's it was it was virtually impossible to find some of the 516 00:29:22,408 --> 00:29:25,300 really well-known sellers films in the late 1990s. 517 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:28,000 He's your very much restricted to what you could find on the 518 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,900 Shelf of an HMV or whatever your local shop was. 519 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:35,600 So I kind of did all right, but films like this just seemed to 520 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:40,200 be completely unobtainable. So I think in my head babe, they 521 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:45,400 built up an air of Mystique. Somebody gave me a very crackly, 522 00:29:45,500 --> 00:29:52,000 like bootleg VHS of Hoffman in the late 1990s, I managed to see 523 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,800 that, but I don't think I saw the block house until It did get 524 00:29:55,800 --> 00:30:01,600 a DVD release didn't it possibly about ended 10 15 years ago so I 525 00:30:01,608 --> 00:30:06,700 didn't see it until then but I'd always been intrigued by it a 526 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:11,400 cuz I mean, Roger Louis just I think he describes it as one of 527 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:14,300 sellers finest performances in that book. 528 00:30:15,300 --> 00:30:16,500 Yeah. And I was intrigued by the fact, 529 00:30:16,500 --> 00:30:19,400 it was such a dark film as well for sellers to of made. 530 00:30:19,700 --> 00:30:21,100 Yeah. Roger, Lewis thinks it's a 531 00:30:21,100 --> 00:30:22,300 cracker. Yeah. 532 00:30:22,300 --> 00:30:26,500 And you sometimes think, is that just Roger In deliberately 533 00:30:26,900 --> 00:30:29,600 contrary to received wisdom, you know what I mean? 534 00:30:29,700 --> 00:30:34,500 But but now he seems to think it's an absolute lost classic. 535 00:30:35,700 --> 00:30:39,300 No pulse rate is normally 72 beats per minute. 536 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:46,700 If you multiply that by 60 will give you 4320 bits per hour. 537 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:53,300 Now we have been down here about 24 hours before we came to this 538 00:30:53,300 --> 00:30:58,100 room. It makes three days, you know 539 00:30:58,500 --> 00:31:01,800 exactly. Is a pretty reliable way to get 540 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:03,700 time. Riding. 541 00:31:03,700 --> 00:31:07,100 We have candles. My heart doesn't stuff. 542 00:31:09,900 --> 00:31:13,800 It's not as was very keen to do this film and I gather was on 543 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:18,700 his best behavior as well. Yeah, this is what because I, 544 00:31:18,700 --> 00:31:22,800 you know, again from Roger Lewis is booksellers was not in a good 545 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:27,300 place in the early 1970s and his behavior on Films kind of went 546 00:31:27,300 --> 00:31:32,500 before him a little bit, to the extent where, you know, he'd be 547 00:31:32,500 --> 00:31:35,900 he'd been a million dollar film star in the 1960s. 548 00:31:35,900 --> 00:31:39,000 He'd been arguably one of the biggest film stars in the world. 549 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:43,500 And it's you know, but by the early 1970s, obviously you had 550 00:31:43,500 --> 00:31:46,300 health problems, which I think could cause issues with getting 551 00:31:46,300 --> 00:31:48,700 insurance for him on Films. Is that right? 552 00:31:48,700 --> 00:31:51,000 Yeah. So that had gone against him a 553 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:54,800 little bit, but his behavior as well was becoming notorious. 554 00:31:55,100 --> 00:31:57,700 And I think, you know, I'm guessing a combination of all of 555 00:31:57,700 --> 00:32:00,600 those things meant that, by the time he made the Blockhouse, he 556 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:04,500 got paid 10,000 pounds for the block house, which is tabular. 557 00:32:04,500 --> 00:32:07,100 Somebody came to me now and said, I'll give you ten thousand 558 00:32:07,100 --> 00:32:12,200 quid for a few weeks work. I'll stop there, eun's off and 559 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,600 in 1972 even more. So but for sellers, it was, I 560 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:19,200 guess something of a Comedown. But I think because of that 561 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:24,000 because he wasn't doing like the massive Hollywood films because 562 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:31,300 he had to do these strange. Low budget British films that 563 00:32:31,300 --> 00:32:34,500 didn't necessarily get widespread distribution. 564 00:32:34,500 --> 00:32:37,000 I think they're some of the most interesting films of his career 565 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:40,300 because you see sides of him that you don't, otherwise, see, 566 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:46,800 and I kind of wonder if that's almost part of the fact that he 567 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,100 was apparently very well-behaved on the set of the Blockhouse. 568 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,200 The fact that he isn't doing, he's not the star, he's not the 569 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:59,300 comedy star, you know, not having to steal every scene. 570 00:32:59,500 --> 00:33:02,900 It's a very very dark drama. I mean, do we need to explain a 571 00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:05,100 little bit about the premise of the Blockhouse here. 572 00:33:05,300 --> 00:33:12,100 Yeah, so it's set in a, it's France, it's D-Day. 573 00:33:12,300 --> 00:33:13,800 Yeah. But we're not on the beach. 574 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:20,400 On the beaches, it's a rundown. Forced labor camp run by Germans 575 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:27,200 and you have these desperate bunch of Misfits. 576 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:29,600 I suppose is the best way of describing them of different 577 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:32,400 nationalities. It's not a you know it's not a 578 00:33:32,500 --> 00:33:33,800 concentration camp anything like that. 579 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:37,700 It's just a labor camp and they're living in extreme 580 00:33:37,700 --> 00:33:43,300 squalor and terrible conditions and so the film begins and the 581 00:33:43,300 --> 00:33:49,200 getting up for a for the day and Work detail is dispatched from 582 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:54,600 the cab and almost immediately. There's enemy bombing in a 583 00:33:54,600 --> 00:34:01,000 Spitfire attack and it looks like, I mean it's very well done 584 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:04,400 because you got demand sort of scattering everywhere on this 585 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,800 desolate landscape. And it looks like I'm I think 586 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:13,100 the technical term the budget was staffed on this sequence 587 00:34:13,900 --> 00:34:17,000 beautifully put. Yes because it's quite a quite 588 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:20,300 as It's a, it's a very well film. 589 00:34:20,300 --> 00:34:23,100 Well choreographed sequence. It is when I first saw it. 590 00:34:23,100 --> 00:34:25,300 I thought, oh, that's stock footage, but it's not at all. 591 00:34:25,300 --> 00:34:26,000 It's a. No. 592 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:29,000 And I gather there was there, it was the, the devil's own work. 593 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:30,800 Try to get that Spitfire and Rise. 594 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:33,199 Someone who would flat because they didn't want to fly because 595 00:34:33,199 --> 00:34:35,600 it's in Guernsey. Yeah, they didn't want to fly it 596 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:38,500 over too much of a stretch of water in case it went down, you 597 00:34:38,500 --> 00:34:39,000 know? Right. 598 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:41,199 Okay. So I gather it was a logistical 599 00:34:41,199 --> 00:34:45,500 nightmare but anyway, the I think it's about seven or eight 600 00:34:45,500 --> 00:34:49,100 men or maybe more That's seven, it's seven League. 601 00:34:49,100 --> 00:34:53,400 They have a couple died and they immediately but they get into 602 00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:56,600 this. What we will call the block 603 00:34:56,600 --> 00:35:00,200 house, which is this. It's kind of like a concrete 604 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:03,900 underground Storehouse. Yeah. 605 00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:08,700 But it was actually a concrete underground Hospital in real 606 00:35:08,700 --> 00:35:10,000 life. Okay. 607 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:15,100 Because it is it's not a set its if it was an actual structure. 608 00:35:15,300 --> 00:35:18,300 Yeah. And they actually filmed In this 609 00:35:18,900 --> 00:35:24,800 disused concrete Hospital which that obviously dressed it to 610 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:28,300 look like a large. Cavernous store app store. 611 00:35:28,300 --> 00:35:30,400 Yes. And they were using natural. 612 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:35,200 They were using candle, they're using lights limited lighting 613 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,100 show. It's one of the darkest looking 614 00:35:37,100 --> 00:35:39,500 films I've ever seen. Yeah, yeah. 615 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:44,300 But essentially what happens is that there's more bombing and 616 00:35:44,300 --> 00:35:47,100 they the the entrance is blocked, they can't get out. 617 00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:51,700 Doubt, they have to sort of go down into this, climb, down some 618 00:35:51,700 --> 00:35:55,100 ladders into this storeroom, and then there's more bombing and, 619 00:35:55,100 --> 00:35:59,100 and essentially their entombed in this, in this large concrete 620 00:35:59,100 --> 00:36:00,300 block house. Yeah. 621 00:36:00,300 --> 00:36:03,400 Now, the thing is that they very quickly discovered that they 622 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:07,600 have Limitless supplies of Wine and Food. 623 00:36:07,700 --> 00:36:10,200 Yeah. And and candles up to a point. 624 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:15,600 So a lot of Comforts and cigars and cigarettes and guys, and but 625 00:36:16,100 --> 00:36:21,100 they also realize that You know, there's no way out and so you 626 00:36:21,100 --> 00:36:26,600 just have this gradual disintegration of morale and and 627 00:36:28,100 --> 00:36:29,500 and we could go through that in a minute. 628 00:36:29,500 --> 00:36:32,400 But that's that is the scent and the film just becomes Grimmer 629 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:34,800 and Grimmer and Bleaker and Bleaker as it goes on. 630 00:36:35,500 --> 00:36:40,500 And that's what I wonder whether that's behind the fact that 631 00:36:40,500 --> 00:36:43,400 sellers was apparently very, very professional and very 632 00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:47,400 well-behaved on this film because I get the impression In 633 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:51,000 this period of his life. If he was expected to be funny 634 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,100 if he was in a comedy, then that would make him incredibly 635 00:36:55,100 --> 00:36:59,700 competitive. I remember seeing a wonderful 636 00:36:59,700 --> 00:37:02,900 actor Dudley Sutton. Yeah, he's in it's one of the 637 00:37:02,900 --> 00:37:07,000 70s Pink Panther films and I remember seeing him doing a Q&A 638 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:09,600 about this and he was asked, you know, how was Peter Sellers to 639 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:13,400 work with Dudley certain said, essentially completely paranoid 640 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,800 that anybody would upstage him that, anybody might get a laugh. 641 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:20,700 Mod of his scenes, you know, he was the star, he was the comedy 642 00:37:20,700 --> 00:37:24,000 star, he had to get the laughs and if anybody else got a laugh, 643 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,900 that would upset him greatly. That's a very good point. 644 00:37:27,900 --> 00:37:29,500 That's an excellent point, which I never thought of. 645 00:37:29,500 --> 00:37:32,200 Yeah, well, I just I wondered if that was behind the fact that, 646 00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:34,900 you know, sellers is not a, you know, it's by no stretch of the 647 00:37:34,900 --> 00:37:38,800 imagination, the comedy film and he's not expected to be funny at 648 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:40,500 all. And neither is anybody else? 649 00:37:40,500 --> 00:37:44,300 It's without a doubt for a, you know, from the films I've seen 650 00:37:44,300 --> 00:37:47,900 the straightest performance of sellers Korea There's absolutely 651 00:37:47,900 --> 00:37:51,000 nothing in there that you could possibly play for laughs and I 652 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:54,800 kind of wonder if the fact that he was in there with, you know, 653 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,400 you got actors like Peter Vaughn in the cast. 654 00:37:57,400 --> 00:38:00,400 You despite the fact he done comedy, as well, as lots of 655 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:03,300 people will know him from porridge, he's genial Harry 656 00:38:03,300 --> 00:38:06,400 grout in porridge citizen Smith. Yeah, completely. 657 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:09,600 But also a brilliant straight actor as well. 658 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:11,500 A Powerhouse of a straight actor. 659 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:14,400 And a guy who'd been, you know, Peter Vaughan had been acting 660 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:16,200 since before the second world war. 661 00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:21,500 He indeed, 35 years of dramatic acting. 662 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:25,400 By the time the Blockhouse came around and I wondered if there 663 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:29,000 was an element of sellers you know you're not going to mess 664 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:31,800 with those guys. Frankly you're not going to try 665 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:34,200 and upstage them because they're straight actors. 666 00:38:34,500 --> 00:38:37,300 They're they're heavy weight. At least here in there and done 667 00:38:37,300 --> 00:38:38,500 it. Maybe that's it. 668 00:38:38,500 --> 00:38:40,900 Maybe because he doesn't have anything to prove. 669 00:38:40,900 --> 00:38:43,400 He doesn't have. Yeah he's working with people 670 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:48,600 like Jeremy Kemp who I don't know, a huge amount about Jeremy 671 00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:51,300 Kemp, but I've seen a lot of his films or me. 672 00:38:51,300 --> 00:38:54,300 He's been, he's never a star as he's never the leading man, but 673 00:38:54,300 --> 00:38:56,700 he's been very, he's a very strong supporting. 674 00:38:56,700 --> 00:38:57,500 Yeah. Yeah. 675 00:38:57,500 --> 00:39:01,500 And he would appear in Prisoner of Zenda with sellers a few 676 00:39:01,500 --> 00:39:06,600 years later. But he's extremely method and 677 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:08,500 there's that. There's a scene in this where 678 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:13,900 his character who's called group in ski. 679 00:39:14,100 --> 00:39:18,500 Yeah, I've been skiing. It's SpaceTime somehow sellers 680 00:39:18,500 --> 00:39:22,000 character, which is a character called, is it? 681 00:39:22,008 --> 00:39:23,500 What is it? Roque rocket? 682 00:39:23,500 --> 00:39:24,400 Okay. Yeah. 683 00:39:25,100 --> 00:39:26,700 Who's a schoolteacher Schoolmaster? 684 00:39:26,700 --> 00:39:32,200 He has worked out a system of measuring time, yes, in candles 685 00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:36,700 and things like that. And so at some point I'm not 686 00:39:36,700 --> 00:39:39,600 sure how long they were talking. It might be a year, might be 687 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:42,400 more than a year. It's Christmas time. 688 00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:44,500 They've decided and Jeremy. Jeremy Kemp. 689 00:39:45,300 --> 00:39:48,600 His character is singing A Hymn. Him, and he's crying. 690 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:52,200 And he's genuinely crying, and he's working himself into a, 691 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:57,400 almost a lather of emotions. And just reading up about this 692 00:39:57,400 --> 00:39:59,900 scene. Would he would, he had requested 693 00:39:59,900 --> 00:40:03,500 a doctor to be present for that scene, because he was concerned, 694 00:40:03,500 --> 00:40:07,700 that he was going to become ill. I'm from, from filming it. 695 00:40:07,700 --> 00:40:10,900 I was reading apparently, Jeremy Camp had quite a tough time on 696 00:40:10,900 --> 00:40:13,400 this film. You know, it was, it was not an 697 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:16,200 easy experience for him at all, he kind of, on the verge of a 698 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:17,700 breakdown. I'm not filming. 699 00:40:30,100 --> 00:40:38,100 Omelette. And I think from what I could 700 00:40:38,100 --> 00:40:44,000 gather in a Clive reefs, that director worked, very hard to 701 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:47,500 get them into character. So it seems like is his approach 702 00:40:47,500 --> 00:40:50,400 to. This was that they would keep 703 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:52,800 gather them all together in the morning and they'd have a few 704 00:40:52,800 --> 00:40:56,000 hours. I in the open air in the 705 00:40:56,000 --> 00:41:00,100 sunshine, in the morning, and then 11 a.m., or whatever, they 706 00:41:00,100 --> 00:41:02,900 would descend into the actual block house and they would be 707 00:41:02,900 --> 00:41:06,800 down there in Virtual pitch Darkness for the next, you know, 708 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:11,100 And 12 hours of filming and and, you know if if if you're a 709 00:41:11,100 --> 00:41:14,500 method actor, in particular, that's gonna get you a little 710 00:41:14,500 --> 00:41:16,400 bit. I think I can totally understand 711 00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:20,100 how that would start to to weigh on your mind a little bit and to 712 00:41:20,100 --> 00:41:23,400 affect your mental health. So yeah, I did read that Jeremy 713 00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:26,200 Kemp. I do know this, this really got 714 00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:29,400 to him it, really affected him, you know, someone who is working 715 00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:32,500 on the film said that because it was that you actually filmed in 716 00:41:32,500 --> 00:41:34,800 this disused underground Hospital. 717 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:36,800 Yeah. Which was damp. 718 00:41:37,100 --> 00:41:41,600 And it was, you know, the are circulations fairly limited. 719 00:41:42,700 --> 00:41:44,900 He said that if you left something down there like a 720 00:41:44,908 --> 00:41:48,400 script, or whatever overnight, you come back in the next 721 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:53,800 morning and they'd be mold opens applied, you know, that's 722 00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:56,500 unrelentingly grimming, quite downbeat. 723 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:01,400 And the thing is that they apparently they filmed six weeks 724 00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:03,700 in this place. Hmm. 725 00:42:04,200 --> 00:42:07,800 And And I want to just very briefly because I want to talk 726 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:11,000 to you about Peter Vaughan more detail, but I want to talk about 727 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,400 Peter Sellers beard. I know what you're going to say 728 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:15,600 here. I'll go on then, what am I going 729 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:17,900 to say? It's not the same, be a, but he 730 00:42:17,900 --> 00:42:20,200 had on the Michael Parkinson show it is. 731 00:42:24,200 --> 00:42:27,600 Well, the thing is right. We know that he was totally 732 00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:31,500 clean shaven on the last day of April 1972. 733 00:42:31,900 --> 00:42:34,700 Why do we know that? Because of the last game show is 734 00:42:34,700 --> 00:42:35,900 the last go. Good show of all. 735 00:42:35,900 --> 00:42:37,000 Yes, of course. Yeah. 736 00:42:37,000 --> 00:42:39,000 So he was totally clean. Shaven last day of April. 737 00:42:39,100 --> 00:42:42,700 Yeah, filming begins in June, so he's got to have grown a full 738 00:42:42,700 --> 00:42:48,900 beard. From during May into June, and 739 00:42:48,900 --> 00:42:52,700 then the six weeks six or seven weeks filming this. 740 00:42:53,000 --> 00:42:58,100 Yeah, and then he turns up in October 72, it was broadcast but 741 00:42:58,100 --> 00:43:00,900 obviously it was recorded before then the pockets and meets the 742 00:43:00,900 --> 00:43:02,400 goons. Yeah appearance. 743 00:43:03,200 --> 00:43:05,300 So it's a fascinating little, what is that? 744 00:43:05,300 --> 00:43:10,400 It five six, five, six months, Jeff capsule. 745 00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:15,700 There is a beard Rightly is the kind of mom that could grow a 746 00:43:15,700 --> 00:43:19,600 beard in about 48 hours. He's facial hair. 747 00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:22,700 Has that look about it? I Robin Williams was the same 748 00:43:24,700 --> 00:43:26,800 carry-back very exactly. Yes. 749 00:43:26,800 --> 00:43:29,300 Yeah, yeah. Like if you left, Peter Sellers 750 00:43:29,300 --> 00:43:32,700 in a room for 48 hours, without a razor blade, he'd come out 751 00:43:32,700 --> 00:43:35,400 looking like Robinson Crusoe. I don't imagine. 752 00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:39,000 That was a problem. Always looked like a body of my 753 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:43,900 aftershave three times a day. You seen the episode, The Sea 754 00:43:44,100 --> 00:43:47,400 Simpsons where home is shaving and he loses his Muzzle, you 755 00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:51,800 know, the muzzle for about 2 seconds and then it just comes 756 00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:54,600 back again. Stop Fred Flintstone? 757 00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:58,200 Yeah, I've o'clock shadow. Yeah, no, I don't imagine 758 00:43:58,200 --> 00:43:59,900 sellers had a problem with that at all. 759 00:43:59,900 --> 00:44:01,300 I do. I love the fact that we could 760 00:44:01,300 --> 00:44:04,700 trace the evolution of sellers facial hair by watching. 761 00:44:04,700 --> 00:44:08,400 Instant TV and film appearances. I find job land and fascinating 762 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:10,700 to do the same thing with yes. Okay. 763 00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:14,300 I loved. I mean, I assume you've seen Get 764 00:44:14,300 --> 00:44:16,800 back. Yeah again with you know Pizza 765 00:44:16,900 --> 00:44:20,800 amazing amazing, yeah, seed with me to Sellers and then I always 766 00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:23,400 loved there's there's a I think it's day three or four in. 767 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:25,600 Get back. John Lennon is very noticeably 768 00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:32,100 washed his hair. But guys I can't do a thing with 769 00:44:32,100 --> 00:44:35,800 it. It's just all over the place and 770 00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:39,100 then you sell the next few days. You see it gradually, greasier 771 00:44:39,100 --> 00:44:41,300 and Christianity. I love stuff like that. 772 00:44:42,100 --> 00:44:43,900 I'll absolutely it's the mini mini. 773 00:44:44,100 --> 00:44:46,700 A shy but it's people like you and I love. 774 00:44:46,700 --> 00:44:52,100 Yeah, yeah, there's sellers in the Blockhouse, the look. 775 00:44:52,100 --> 00:44:54,600 I mean, the look of all of them, obviously that they're not meant 776 00:44:54,600 --> 00:44:58,500 to look healthy, but sellers, in particular, he's later scenes in 777 00:44:58,500 --> 00:45:00,700 the block house. And I assumed it was kind of 778 00:45:00,700 --> 00:45:04,000 filmed roughly in order just because of the growth of all of 779 00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:09,800 that facial hair throughout the later scenes, oh my God sellers 780 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:12,800 looks Dreadful in it. He looks he looks like a very 781 00:45:12,800 --> 00:45:16,600 very unwell man. Well, they all do like Sittin 782 00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:19,200 and with that very quickly, just run through the cars because 783 00:45:19,200 --> 00:45:22,500 there's a very small cast. We've got, we've got sellers, 784 00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:26,400 he's above the title. Although, although you can argue 785 00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:29,800 his not really the lead character, it's not because, and 786 00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:31,400 I think we could do sport is here, can we? 787 00:45:31,900 --> 00:45:34,400 Oh, I think so. Yeah, it's a 50 year old film? 788 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:36,500 Because because I don't was lost. 789 00:45:37,900 --> 00:45:41,100 Yeah, he doesn't, he doesn't see the film out. 790 00:45:44,700 --> 00:45:51,100 You've got bizarrely, you've got Charles aznavour, she may be, 791 00:45:54,800 --> 00:45:57,900 but I don't understand why Charles is was Charles aznavour 792 00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:03,200 notable for his acting roles. Or as far as I can see, I was 793 00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:06,200 trying to work this out. I got mean, I don't know if 794 00:46:06,800 --> 00:46:09,900 maybe Charles aznavour has seen as this extraordinary Powerhouse 795 00:46:09,900 --> 00:46:14,300 actor in France. Spring in the Telly, we just do 796 00:46:14,300 --> 00:46:17,100 it for got yes, hearts, a curious bit of casting, isn't 797 00:46:17,100 --> 00:46:20,100 it? Yeah, yeah. 798 00:46:20,100 --> 00:46:23,100 He's very good in it. Are, you know, it's absolutely 799 00:46:23,100 --> 00:46:26,000 completely holds his own alongside Sellers, and Peter 800 00:46:26,000 --> 00:46:29,100 Vaughan, and Jeremy Kemp, I think performance. 801 00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:32,800 Have you ever seen kangan? He's not really a tangent. 802 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:34,700 You understand? My God, Have You Ever Seen The 803 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:37,500 it's held up as being among what? 804 00:46:37,500 --> 00:46:40,200 Yeah. Among The worst British sitcoms 805 00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:43,200 of all time. Although certainly been God dead 806 00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:46,400 Earnest. Oh, I saw it when it was on 807 00:46:47,100 --> 00:46:48,800 Andrew Sachs as yeah, I'm in heaven. 808 00:46:49,300 --> 00:46:50,900 I've never seen it since. Yeah. 809 00:46:50,900 --> 00:46:53,500 Andrew sex is he's got a beard in that, right? 810 00:46:53,500 --> 00:46:55,700 Yeah. As this drama is the doghouse 811 00:46:55,700 --> 00:46:56,900 goes on. Yeah. 812 00:46:57,200 --> 00:46:59,000 Charles aznavour. Who's got a beard? 813 00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:02,900 Yes more and more resembles. Andrew Sachs and dead honest. 814 00:47:02,900 --> 00:47:08,500 It's quite unnerving your memories of dead. 815 00:47:08,800 --> 00:47:11,800 The far more Vivid than molony watched a couple of weeks ago. 816 00:47:11,900 --> 00:47:15,900 Is that he's on YouTube? It's don't think. 817 00:47:15,900 --> 00:47:20,100 Since I've seen it, we could be organized some shady Backstreet 818 00:47:20,100 --> 00:47:25,400 in 1982, isn't it? So might that I do remember 819 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:28,300 watching it at the time and kind of enjoying it. 820 00:47:28,300 --> 00:47:32,200 But I was nine years old and my critical faculties were not why 821 00:47:32,207 --> 00:47:34,800 I some would argue that my critical faculties haven't 822 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:38,600 improved one bit since 1982 and they may well be right but I bet 823 00:47:38,800 --> 00:47:41,500 I should maybe I should rephrase it at some point and that. 824 00:47:41,500 --> 00:47:43,800 Yeah, I wouldn't bother if I was you okay. 825 00:47:44,300 --> 00:47:47,400 Now, you got me intrigued now. Nothing else. 826 00:47:47,400 --> 00:47:50,300 I want to see how much like Charles aznavour, Andrew Sachs 827 00:47:50,300 --> 00:47:54,200 looks and just running off. The rest of the cast is there's 828 00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:57,400 supposed Jeremy Kemp, who plays gribbin ski and then we have 829 00:47:57,400 --> 00:48:00,300 Leon lisiek or less SEC. Not quite sure. 830 00:48:00,400 --> 00:48:02,500 Hoping, is that the he I just found out. 831 00:48:02,500 --> 00:48:06,200 He's one of those faces that you recognize from tons of things. 832 00:48:06,300 --> 00:48:09,800 Yeah, and he plays toshack. Who's that? 833 00:48:10,500 --> 00:48:12,000 How did you describe that character? 834 00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:16,200 I'm not sure. It's easy, Spanish or the cement 835 00:48:16,200 --> 00:48:17,200 to. I'm not quite sure what 836 00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:19,300 nationality is meant to be. No me neither. 837 00:48:19,300 --> 00:48:21,900 It's quite vague. Isn't it saying their fitzco 838 00:48:21,900 --> 00:48:24,000 shake? It must be Eastern European 839 00:48:24,200 --> 00:48:29,100 Jewish people. Yeah, yeah, the actor died last 840 00:48:29,100 --> 00:48:30,900 month. Literally less than we don't 841 00:48:30,900 --> 00:48:35,100 know that. Yeah, yeah, I'm here and he was 842 00:48:35,100 --> 00:48:38,000 in. I saw him recently watching the 843 00:48:38,000 --> 00:48:40,600 Alan Arkin. The film Inspector Clouseau, 844 00:48:40,600 --> 00:48:41,300 right? Okay. 845 00:48:41,500 --> 00:48:44,600 And he was also a regular character in Roberts robots, 846 00:48:45,900 --> 00:49:01,900 robots robots as the desperate character who's 847 00:49:01,900 --> 00:49:04,900 trying to knock a hole in the concrete to escape. 848 00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:07,500 It's quite obsessed with out, doesn't it? 849 00:49:07,500 --> 00:49:08,600 Yes. He's going nowhere. 850 00:49:08,800 --> 00:49:11,100 To doomed Venture it completely. Yes. 851 00:49:11,700 --> 00:49:15,100 And then we have Nicholas Jones as Kramer. 852 00:49:15,100 --> 00:49:20,800 Who is the younger man that gribben, ski takes a shine to. 853 00:49:20,900 --> 00:49:23,200 Yeah, as we get through the film, there's a says that 854 00:49:23,200 --> 00:49:25,000 there's a sort of a homoerotic scene, isn't it? 855 00:49:25,000 --> 00:49:28,000 Yes, there are some and then, yeah, and then the 856 00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:31,500 aforementioned Peter Vaughn, who who Begins the film is, kind of 857 00:49:31,500 --> 00:49:35,800 the, I suppose you'd call him. The the quote villain of the 858 00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:38,600 piece in the sense that he is a prisoner functionaries. 859 00:49:38,700 --> 00:49:41,800 Henry, he's quite officious, they call him a collaborator. 860 00:49:41,900 --> 00:49:45,700 Yeah, and he plays oh Fray. Yes. 861 00:49:46,100 --> 00:49:49,100 And so he said when they find the wine and they start 862 00:49:49,100 --> 00:49:51,600 celebrating and drinking and eating cheese and all sorts of 863 00:49:51,800 --> 00:49:53,800 he's telling them to stop because you know, it's the 864 00:49:53,800 --> 00:49:55,500 Germans the job. Absolutely. 865 00:49:55,700 --> 00:49:57,600 Yeah. And and and in the end he 866 00:49:57,600 --> 00:50:02,500 becomes ostracized essentially a from their group and goes mad. 867 00:50:02,700 --> 00:50:06,900 Now you yourself have interviewed beautiful. 868 00:50:07,500 --> 00:50:12,400 I dared I was really lucky. I used to, I used to work for 869 00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:17,900 BBC, T's Northeastern radio station and for a couple of 870 00:50:17,908 --> 00:50:21,000 years, I did the afternoon show the main afternoon show. 871 00:50:21,700 --> 00:50:25,300 So I was very lucky and I got to interview, lots of people whose 872 00:50:25,300 --> 00:50:29,100 work, I absolutely love during that period and Peter. 873 00:50:29,100 --> 00:50:35,300 Vaughn's autobiography was published in 2016 on the 874 00:50:35,300 --> 00:50:38,600 Publishers contacted me because I've done stuff too. 875 00:50:38,700 --> 00:50:40,600 Tie in with their Publications previously. 876 00:50:40,600 --> 00:50:44,100 And they said would you be interested in interviewing Peter 877 00:50:44,100 --> 00:50:46,000 Vaughan who I guess at that stage? 878 00:50:46,000 --> 00:50:50,600 I mean it's not that long before before he actually died. 879 00:50:50,600 --> 00:50:52,200 I think he died at the end of 2016. 880 00:50:52,200 --> 00:50:54,800 So it was only a few months before he died. 881 00:50:54,800 --> 00:50:58,100 He was well into his 90s. I think at this stage in his 882 00:50:58,107 --> 00:51:01,600 life but he lost look the same. This a look at this. 883 00:51:01,600 --> 00:51:05,600 What he was still kind of acting really when I spoke to him in 884 00:51:05,600 --> 00:51:10,000 2016 because he'd been in Game of Thrones for a few Goes that 885 00:51:10,000 --> 00:51:13,000 point. So obviously I jumped at the 886 00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:15,400 chance. I mean, a lie, excuse for me to 887 00:51:16,300 --> 00:51:20,200 call call an actor and talk about their films and TV career. 888 00:51:21,300 --> 00:51:25,100 So I had I think from memory about half an hour as a 889 00:51:25,107 --> 00:51:29,100 pre-recorded interview with Peter warm, and he was just 890 00:51:29,100 --> 00:51:31,200 fascinating, he was absolutely Charming. 891 00:51:31,200 --> 00:51:37,400 A complete old-school gentleman and I just used it as an excuse 892 00:51:37,400 --> 00:51:42,700 essentially to throw Oh, loads of TV and film titles at him and 893 00:51:42,700 --> 00:51:45,700 say what are your memories of being in this? 894 00:51:45,700 --> 00:51:49,600 And I always kind of, I never paid any heed to the fact that I 895 00:51:49,607 --> 00:51:52,400 was meant to be doing this for a block of Main Street in general 896 00:51:52,400 --> 00:51:56,000 radio audience. You want to know about trouty? 897 00:51:56,200 --> 00:51:59,800 Yeah, obviously, we'll talk a bit about porridge, but Peter, 898 00:51:59,900 --> 00:52:03,400 I've got to ask you about the film, you made in 1972, called 899 00:52:03,400 --> 00:52:06,200 The Block house. So yeah. 900 00:52:06,200 --> 00:52:08,600 I this lovely. How far with Peter Vaughan who's 901 00:52:08,700 --> 00:52:12,200 Just absolutely happy to chat about any aspect of his career. 902 00:52:13,100 --> 00:52:16,500 So yeah, I know me being me, I did ask him about the block 903 00:52:16,500 --> 00:52:20,900 house which was a film. Don't think I've not long seen 904 00:52:20,900 --> 00:52:24,300 it for the first time I think in 2016 somewhere around there. 905 00:52:25,900 --> 00:52:28,800 So as a film that was fresh in my mind and I was Keen in 906 00:52:28,800 --> 00:52:32,000 particular to ask about sellers, knowing what sellers reputation 907 00:52:32,000 --> 00:52:35,200 was like for bad behavior in the early 1970s. 908 00:52:36,500 --> 00:52:38,600 And he said he was fine. So there you go. 909 00:52:38,900 --> 00:52:41,900 From the horse's mouth from a man who spent six weeks with 910 00:52:41,900 --> 00:52:43,900 Peter Sellers in an underground bunker. 911 00:52:45,200 --> 00:52:50,900 Great God like a house on fire. A bloody mess. 912 00:52:54,100 --> 00:52:58,800 This place. Getting out of control, 913 00:53:00,800 --> 00:53:24,600 sometimes cleaner country. Okay, yes, afraid. 914 00:53:24,600 --> 00:53:28,400 You're right. But why can you not ask? 915 00:53:29,300 --> 00:53:34,900 I'm still sick because your daddy up. 916 00:53:36,200 --> 00:53:38,400 I've got a riddle for you. Is it already knows the brain. 917 00:53:38,400 --> 00:53:42,000 Teaser. Anyway, I've got a question for 918 00:53:42,000 --> 00:53:42,800 you. Yeah. 919 00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:48,400 Okay. So Peter Vaughn appeared in this 920 00:53:48,400 --> 00:53:50,500 film of Peter Sellers. He never appeared in another 921 00:53:50,500 --> 00:53:53,400 film with Peter Sellers, but he did appear in a Peter, Sellers 922 00:53:53,400 --> 00:54:00,900 film, why me? So, can you tell me what, stuff 923 00:54:00,900 --> 00:54:04,200 like this? Let me write me brains. 924 00:54:04,200 --> 00:54:07,500 So you say, but he never, he never acted face-to-face with 925 00:54:07,500 --> 00:54:10,800 Peter Sellers again, but he does in some capacity, make an 926 00:54:10,800 --> 00:54:16,500 appearance in a Peter Sellers film know he, okay, he appeared 927 00:54:17,100 --> 00:54:21,500 in Peter Sellers film. That, Peter Sellers himself did 928 00:54:21,500 --> 00:54:24,300 not appear in. What? 929 00:54:24,500 --> 00:54:31,100 Oh no, this is film that. Peter Sellers didn't. 930 00:54:31,900 --> 00:54:33,500 I'm being a little bit pixie as year. 931 00:54:33,600 --> 00:54:36,500 Bill mom, impish out with. Okay, give me a clue. 932 00:54:37,200 --> 00:54:44,300 All right, Louis Now God, tell me otherwise you'd be over here 933 00:54:44,300 --> 00:54:47,000 all day. I'm quite frankly, I've got 934 00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:50,300 better things to do than this. Okay, thanks a lot. 935 00:54:50,300 --> 00:54:53,600 Are you aware of the you aware of the film? 936 00:54:53,900 --> 00:54:56,500 Based on the book, The Roger Lewis book called the life and 937 00:54:56,500 --> 00:54:58,200 death of Peter Sellers. That came out course. 938 00:54:58,200 --> 00:54:59,000 Yeah. It's beautiful. 939 00:54:59,000 --> 00:55:01,500 And as Peter Van make an appearance in that, yes, he 940 00:55:01,500 --> 00:55:03,300 plays Bill sellers, he plays Peter's. 941 00:55:03,400 --> 00:55:04,700 Father. Course it does. 942 00:55:04,700 --> 00:55:06,700 Yeah, I'm seeing it for a long time. 943 00:55:06,700 --> 00:55:09,600 Yeah, the Geoffrey Rush film. Yes, a jerk. 944 00:55:09,800 --> 00:55:12,000 Rush at one point dresses up as Bill salus. 945 00:55:12,000 --> 00:55:16,200 He's so Geoffrey Rush is dressing up as Peter Vaughn as 946 00:55:16,200 --> 00:55:19,800 Bill sellers wish. I thought about what I 947 00:55:19,808 --> 00:55:23,400 interviewed Peter Vaughan, of course you later went on to play 948 00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:26,600 Peter Sellers. Dad, gives why me, God, I 949 00:55:26,607 --> 00:55:29,200 forgotten all about that and Peter Sellers dead bill. 950 00:55:29,500 --> 00:55:34,100 Yeah, it's partly inspired the character that cell has played 951 00:55:34,100 --> 00:55:36,000 in the optimists of nine elms.young. 952 00:55:38,900 --> 00:55:42,600 And Legend has it. That bill sellers obscure. 953 00:55:42,600 --> 00:55:46,600 This isn't true, but the sellers used to put it about the bill 954 00:55:46,600 --> 00:55:49,100 sellers had taught George Formby. 955 00:55:49,200 --> 00:55:52,900 The ukulele are right. Okay, well, it run in the 956 00:55:52,900 --> 00:55:56,500 family, didn't it? Hmm, interesting. 957 00:55:56,800 --> 00:55:58,800 No, I'd completely forgotten about that. 958 00:55:58,800 --> 00:56:00,400 So yeah, thank you very much for that. 959 00:56:00,900 --> 00:56:03,300 Now, Peter Van was eight. I don't think terrific actor, 960 00:56:03,300 --> 00:56:06,600 Peter Vaughan and it was it was really interesting to hear 961 00:56:07,300 --> 00:56:09,100 because I think I said to him, you know what, what are your 962 00:56:09,100 --> 00:56:12,300 memories of Came with Peter Sellers expecting a kind of 963 00:56:12,300 --> 00:56:17,900 slightly guarded answer. And he just said, wonderful, ah, 964 00:56:18,700 --> 00:56:21,800 this film as well. It's based on a true story 965 00:56:22,100 --> 00:56:25,500 although quite quite heavily altered. 966 00:56:25,700 --> 00:56:28,600 Yeah, I was trying to find out a little bit more about that and 967 00:56:28,600 --> 00:56:31,400 it does seem to be there are differing stories. 968 00:56:31,400 --> 00:56:33,400 I think are they as to how accurate it is? 969 00:56:34,100 --> 00:56:39,600 I have semi or not obey when you know the story like that's what 970 00:56:39,700 --> 00:56:42,200 But what seems to have become established as the story? 971 00:56:42,700 --> 00:56:45,800 The actual film suddenly looks like not quite as Bleak as it 972 00:56:45,800 --> 00:56:49,200 could mean over there. Well, so the film. 973 00:56:49,200 --> 00:56:50,900 It's should we just quickly run through them? 974 00:56:50,900 --> 00:56:53,700 What happens in the film because it has to give you the real 975 00:56:53,700 --> 00:56:55,300 story. It spoiler alert. 976 00:56:56,300 --> 00:57:00,000 So you have these seven men, one by one day, turn up their toes. 977 00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:04,500 So you have you have Peter Peter Vaughn's character who he goes 978 00:57:04,500 --> 00:57:07,300 mad and he cuts her throat with a serrated. 979 00:57:07,300 --> 00:57:07,900 Can't. Yes. 980 00:57:08,200 --> 00:57:11,400 And they They realize that they can have to do something with 981 00:57:11,400 --> 00:57:12,500 the body. Obviously, they're quite the 982 00:57:12,500 --> 00:57:15,200 very shocked by it despite the fact that no one seemed to like 983 00:57:15,200 --> 00:57:18,800 him. But they have some bags or 984 00:57:18,800 --> 00:57:21,400 barrels of flour and they decide that what they will do is 985 00:57:21,400 --> 00:57:25,500 they'll just bury him in a big, big sort of mountain of flour. 986 00:57:25,900 --> 00:57:30,700 Yeah. And then One by one. 987 00:57:30,700 --> 00:57:35,600 They each of them is becoming more pale, more drawn, the 988 00:57:35,600 --> 00:57:39,100 getting the drinking a lot, they're dead, they're washing 989 00:57:39,100 --> 00:57:41,700 with, why not? They like cleaning themselves 990 00:57:41,700 --> 00:57:44,900 with wind. You have Jeremy Kemp character 991 00:57:44,900 --> 00:57:51,500 as I say, he kind of hooks up with the younger Kramer and and 992 00:57:51,500 --> 00:57:54,300 then grab in ski at one point. I'm not quite sure what happens. 993 00:57:54,300 --> 00:57:55,700 I think he it does. He suffer. 994 00:57:57,500 --> 00:58:00,400 He flies into a rage and is he sort of suffer a heart attack or 995 00:58:00,400 --> 00:58:02,000 something like that? He, you don't, because that way, 996 00:58:02,000 --> 00:58:02,800 doesn't it? Yeah. 997 00:58:03,500 --> 00:58:07,300 Kramer is very affected by that and essentially removed himself 998 00:58:07,300 --> 00:58:10,500 and goes off and although, don't let me see it. 999 00:58:10,500 --> 00:58:13,000 He kind of, it's accepted that he's died. 1000 00:58:13,000 --> 00:58:17,700 And then Koscheck dies. He just dies in his sleep and 1001 00:58:17,700 --> 00:58:22,200 they, and then Roque cut his wrists and plunges his hands 1002 00:58:22,300 --> 00:58:27,500 into a bag of flour. It's one of the most affecting 1003 00:58:27,500 --> 00:58:33,000 and just horrible death scenes, I've seen on screen I think and 1004 00:58:33,000 --> 00:58:39,500 I think it's Affecting almost because of its ordinariness and 1005 00:58:39,500 --> 00:58:43,500 that he just there is no dramatic build up to it that. 1006 00:58:43,500 --> 00:58:48,400 You know, that either one of one of the most affecting things 1007 00:58:48,400 --> 00:58:51,200 about the film I think, is that it isn't particularly played for 1008 00:58:51,200 --> 00:58:54,100 drama. There are no huge beats in their 1009 00:58:54,100 --> 00:58:57,500 huge dramatic sequences. The whole thing is just this 1010 00:58:57,500 --> 00:59:02,100 very downbeat deterioration of these men's physical, and mental 1011 00:59:02,100 --> 00:59:03,900 health. And like you say, some of the 1012 00:59:03,900 --> 00:59:06,900 deaths we don't even It's just suggested that they've wandered 1013 00:59:06,900 --> 00:59:10,300 off into another room and kind of lost the will to live. 1014 00:59:10,300 --> 00:59:13,400 Yeah. She's sort of faded away but 1015 00:59:14,300 --> 00:59:19,300 Rocky's death sellers is death is just so heartbreaking lie. 1016 00:59:19,900 --> 00:59:24,100 I don't want to use them the word mundane about a person's 1017 00:59:24,100 --> 00:59:28,600 death but he just does it. He just better effect. 1018 00:59:28,700 --> 00:59:31,900 It's completely, matter of fact, he just puts his hands into a 1019 00:59:31,900 --> 00:59:34,600 bag of flour. We don't even see the ACT, it's 1020 00:59:34,600 --> 00:59:38,900 just Jested that he's slashed one of his wrists and he just 1021 00:59:38,900 --> 00:59:43,500 lies there and waits to die with a completely resigned, look upon 1022 00:59:43,500 --> 00:59:46,200 his face. And that's it, we don't even see 1023 00:59:46,200 --> 00:59:47,600 it. I think it's suggested in the 1024 00:59:47,600 --> 00:59:50,200 next scene that the, you know, he's God, they just say, as a 1025 00:59:50,207 --> 00:59:52,400 matter of fact, Rock has gone rock, he's dead. 1026 00:59:52,700 --> 00:59:55,900 He's not, he's not, he's quite a wistful character, but he's not. 1027 00:59:57,300 --> 01:00:01,700 He seems among the most sort of grounded or level-headed of all 1028 01:00:01,700 --> 01:00:04,600 the, of all the men he does. Like you say, he's he's a 1029 01:00:04,607 --> 01:00:07,300 teacher, isn't he? And I think he tries to he's the 1030 01:00:07,300 --> 01:00:11,200 one that tries to both intellectualize and to 1031 01:00:11,200 --> 01:00:14,700 rationalize the experience of being stuck in this this block 1032 01:00:14,700 --> 01:00:18,900 house. So he's the one who works out 1033 01:00:18,900 --> 01:00:22,200 how to measure time using candles and the regularity of 1034 01:00:22,200 --> 01:00:24,600 his heartbeat. I think he's the one that 1035 01:00:24,600 --> 01:00:26,800 attempt to find things for them to do. 1036 01:00:27,400 --> 01:00:30,300 There's a scene early on in the film, where he's writing poetry 1037 01:00:30,300 --> 01:00:35,000 on the walls, which I think in Roger Lewis is book. 1038 01:00:35,000 --> 01:00:38,200 It's established that sellers did that off his own bat, you 1039 01:00:38,200 --> 01:00:41,500 know, stuff that sellers remembered from school, one of 1040 01:00:41,500 --> 01:00:44,100 the Rhymes. He puts on the wall is one that 1041 01:00:44,100 --> 01:00:45,800 has no other source apparently bought. 1042 01:00:45,800 --> 01:00:47,400 What was in Peter Sellers his head. 1043 01:00:47,400 --> 01:00:51,100 He just learned it at school and wish I wish I'd written one of 1044 01:00:51,100 --> 01:00:53,400 spikes poems. Oh, that would have been quite 1045 01:00:53,400 --> 01:00:56,700 something with it, or maybe that would have taken as out of it to 1046 01:00:56,700 --> 01:00:59,000 him. Yeah, too much of an inch. 1047 01:00:59,000 --> 01:01:03,100 It's not a film for in jokes, possibly, but he's there's a 1048 01:01:03,100 --> 01:01:08,800 scene where sellers character tries to encourage them to play 1049 01:01:08,800 --> 01:01:13,100 dominoes. And I thought I swear, it's one 1050 01:01:13,100 --> 01:01:15,000 of the longest bits of dialogue in the film. 1051 01:01:15,000 --> 01:01:17,200 It's not a film. It's heavy on dialogue at all. 1052 01:01:17,600 --> 01:01:20,400 But it's this scene which apparently sellers improvised. 1053 01:01:20,400 --> 01:01:24,400 Yeah, he tries to explain Domino's to these varying 1054 01:01:24,400 --> 01:01:26,800 nationalities that have never really heard of the game. 1055 01:01:27,200 --> 01:01:32,000 He tries to explain where the name dominoes comes from, which 1056 01:01:32,000 --> 01:01:34,600 apparently was completely improvised by Sellers, and it's 1057 01:01:34,600 --> 01:01:37,100 a beautiful scene. Again, he just under plays it 1058 01:01:37,100 --> 01:01:39,500 wonderfully. But yeah, the together room, 1059 01:01:39,500 --> 01:01:41,900 Jeremy Kemp wasn't that? I wasn't that Keen on that 1060 01:01:41,900 --> 01:01:46,600 because he his heart, right? He hated ad-libbing are. 1061 01:01:46,600 --> 01:01:48,700 Well, aware is a yes. Yes, I can see that. 1062 01:01:48,700 --> 01:01:52,100 Yeah, if he was completely method and yes, so he was he was 1063 01:01:52,100 --> 01:01:56,000 uneasy about that whole scene. I think it's the point in the 1064 01:01:56,008 --> 01:01:58,300 film that comes. Closest to seeing kind of 1065 01:01:58,300 --> 01:02:00,900 Sellers as a. But it's not played for Laughs 1066 01:02:00,900 --> 01:02:03,100 obviously, but you could see how it could have been. 1067 01:02:03,100 --> 01:02:09,200 I think that scene I'm good here and English game. 1068 01:02:11,400 --> 01:02:19,900 Anyone like to play? I bet you cousin is like to play 1069 01:02:19,900 --> 01:02:26,200 this game with me. But is it is called Dominos 1070 01:02:27,100 --> 01:02:29,700 Greek to me? Yes, it does not agree, but 1071 01:02:29,700 --> 01:02:34,200 nevertheless, it is English. Possibly, I don't know the name 1072 01:02:34,200 --> 01:02:38,100 of the inventor possibly was great during an even narrower 1073 01:02:38,100 --> 01:02:39,600 and of course, ability in English. 1074 01:02:40,000 --> 01:02:44,200 I want to bring some profit that we really expand what, how to 1075 01:02:44,200 --> 01:02:46,700 play this game and they one thing is much too simple For 1076 01:02:46,700 --> 01:02:50,200 You. Vince, and I will explain why 1077 01:02:51,400 --> 01:02:56,900 you were in England. I discovered this game from 1078 01:02:56,900 --> 01:03:00,700 outside of England. Yeah, this is just the sort of 1079 01:03:00,700 --> 01:03:04,300 resigned wistfulness to sellers throughout, he never panics. 1080 01:03:05,100 --> 01:03:07,100 He does try to make the best of the situation. 1081 01:03:07,100 --> 01:03:10,800 You just tried to rationalize the situation and the scene. 1082 01:03:10,800 --> 01:03:14,300 I mean, the the scene before he dies, where he takes out, what 1083 01:03:14,300 --> 01:03:19,200 we assume is a black and white photo of the school where he 1084 01:03:19,200 --> 01:03:22,300 taught and his there's wistfully at that. 1085 01:03:22,300 --> 01:03:24,900 And you think there's there. There's a man having one final 1086 01:03:24,900 --> 01:03:28,400 look at the life that he knows he will never be able to retain 1087 01:03:28,400 --> 01:03:30,100 its Heartbreaking. Mmm. 1088 01:03:30,700 --> 01:03:33,500 And then we have the two, we have two surviving characters, 1089 01:03:33,500 --> 01:03:39,200 which is Charles, as the Vols character and a oscarsson Lund, 1090 01:03:40,200 --> 01:03:44,700 and the sitting there and the candles run out. 1091 01:03:44,900 --> 01:03:47,000 Yeah. And they're plunged into pitch 1092 01:03:47,000 --> 01:03:51,600 Blackness and and that's it. The film ends and there's a 1093 01:03:51,607 --> 01:03:56,800 caption at the end that says essentially says that in 1951. 1094 01:03:57,700 --> 01:04:00,600 The block house was opened by workmen and two survivors 1095 01:04:00,600 --> 01:04:01,900 emerged. Yeah. 1096 01:04:02,100 --> 01:04:05,600 Having spent the past four years, in complete darkness. 1097 01:04:05,800 --> 01:04:12,000 Yeah, I've got it, I've got a news report from the time, okay. 1098 01:04:12,600 --> 01:04:14,500 I'll just read a little bit of if you don't mind because 1099 01:04:14,500 --> 01:04:16,800 absolutely. So it's based on this true 1100 01:04:16,800 --> 01:04:22,900 story, a news item newspaper item from 18th of June 1951. 1101 01:04:23,600 --> 01:04:25,900 And it's entitled buried alive for six years. 1102 01:04:27,700 --> 01:04:30,400 It's says Warsaw Poland, a 32 year. 1103 01:04:30,400 --> 01:04:32,900 Old German Soldier who said, he'd been buried alive for six 1104 01:04:32,900 --> 01:04:36,200 years. In a Nazi Supply Depot was given 1105 01:04:36,200 --> 01:04:39,900 a good chance by Hospital. Authorities, Monday to regain 1106 01:04:39,900 --> 01:04:44,000 his health and eyesight. Okay, he said he and five 1107 01:04:44,000 --> 01:04:47,000 companions were trapped in an underground, German Army Food, 1108 01:04:47,000 --> 01:04:50,000 and Supply Warehouse by retreating Nazi troops, who 1109 01:04:50,000 --> 01:04:54,400 Dynamite at the entrance, early in 1945 the soldier and one 1110 01:04:54,400 --> 01:04:57,900 other survivor of the internment, Baited blinded and 1111 01:04:57,900 --> 01:05:01,300 blubbering from the bunker about a month ago, when polish workers 1112 01:05:01,300 --> 01:05:04,600 cleared, wreckage from the entrance to the Depo, the second 1113 01:05:04,600 --> 01:05:08,000 Survivor dropped dead of shock on emerging into the daylight 1114 01:05:09,800 --> 01:05:13,300 and it gets it goes on to say it's other his other companions 1115 01:05:13,300 --> 01:05:15,700 have committed suicide previously. 1116 01:05:16,300 --> 01:05:19,000 And then it says the trapped. Men had no tools with which to 1117 01:05:19,008 --> 01:05:20,900 dig their way out of the concrete bunker. 1118 01:05:21,200 --> 01:05:25,800 He said they washed in Rhine wine and incased their dead in 1119 01:05:25,800 --> 01:05:27,300 huge flower. Ice axe. 1120 01:05:27,600 --> 01:05:29,800 The bodies were almost perfectly mummified. 1121 01:05:31,200 --> 01:05:35,300 So there you go. Yeah, so essentially, but the 1122 01:05:35,300 --> 01:05:38,600 ending of the film remarkably is quite sugar-coated, isn't it? 1123 01:05:38,600 --> 01:05:42,200 Because all we're told at the end of the film is and it's done 1124 01:05:42,200 --> 01:05:45,600 via captions, was that two men survived? 1125 01:05:45,600 --> 01:05:48,900 Yeah into men emerged. Yeah, we're not told that 1126 01:05:48,900 --> 01:05:52,500 neither of them survive, very long afterwards, which would 1127 01:05:52,500 --> 01:05:55,800 have made her an incredibly downbeat film even more 1128 01:05:55,800 --> 01:06:00,100 downbeat. Yeah, it's an amazing story to 1129 01:06:00,100 --> 01:06:03,500 be able to live in Pitch. Blackness. 1130 01:06:03,900 --> 01:06:05,700 Yeah. For four years. 1131 01:06:05,800 --> 01:06:09,100 Yeah. It you would be absolutely if 1132 01:06:09,100 --> 01:06:13,100 you weren't if you didn't die of well, what would you die? 1133 01:06:13,100 --> 01:06:16,200 I'll figure if you didn't kill yourself, you do your mental. 1134 01:06:16,200 --> 01:06:19,200 Health would be stretched to Breaking Point. 1135 01:06:19,200 --> 01:06:20,400 Absolutely. Yeah. 1136 01:06:20,500 --> 01:06:22,400 No. It's such an extraordinary and 1137 01:06:22,400 --> 01:06:28,600 touching story and I think I'm kind of sorry. 1138 01:06:28,600 --> 01:06:30,900 I wonder why. I wonder what Drew settlers to 1139 01:06:30,900 --> 01:06:33,000 the part. Was it simply the fact that he 1140 01:06:33,008 --> 01:06:35,800 had no other offers on the table but that work was essentially 1141 01:06:35,800 --> 01:06:38,200 drying up for him. Or was there something about 1142 01:06:38,200 --> 01:06:40,200 this story that really attracted him to it? 1143 01:06:40,200 --> 01:06:44,800 It's so unlike anything that he did in his career anywhere else? 1144 01:06:45,600 --> 01:06:49,900 Well I'm I've looked for reasons as to what why he gave me, he 1145 01:06:49,900 --> 01:06:54,700 used to hit a bit of a knack for choosing for not choosing good 1146 01:06:54,700 --> 01:06:57,300 films. A lot of the time I think it's 1147 01:06:57,300 --> 01:06:59,600 one of those That just couldn't tell the quality of a script 1148 01:06:59,600 --> 01:07:02,400 when he saw it, ye turned down films that he should have taken 1149 01:07:02,400 --> 01:07:03,300 that. Exactly. 1150 01:07:04,300 --> 01:07:07,000 But he seems, he seems to have been quite proud of this film, 1151 01:07:07,000 --> 01:07:09,100 despite the fact, and I think, the reason it didn't get a 1152 01:07:09,107 --> 01:07:13,600 proper released, by the way. Was because Studio execs thought 1153 01:07:13,600 --> 01:07:17,100 that, you know, the beginning was so good, right? 1154 01:07:17,500 --> 01:07:19,700 And then, it just becomes darker and darker darker. 1155 01:07:19,800 --> 01:07:22,800 So it was deliberately buried by that if you'll pardon the pun, 1156 01:07:22,800 --> 01:07:25,200 it was deliberately buried by by the Studio's. 1157 01:07:25,200 --> 01:07:27,000 You just thought it was on commercial. 1158 01:07:28,100 --> 01:07:29,700 Angel because iPad Peter Vaughan. 1159 01:07:29,700 --> 01:07:32,400 I think suggested, when I spoke to him there was some sort of 1160 01:07:32,400 --> 01:07:35,200 quarrel over ownership and nobody knew where the right 1161 01:07:35,200 --> 01:07:38,000 sleigh, but it sounds like it was a little bit more than that. 1162 01:07:38,000 --> 01:07:40,600 Mmm. Yeah, well, there's as well, it 1163 01:07:40,600 --> 01:07:44,300 didn't help that sellers character had a French accent 1164 01:07:44,700 --> 01:07:47,200 about the fact that some people thought of Clouseau. 1165 01:07:47,300 --> 01:07:47,800 Yeah. Okay. 1166 01:07:47,800 --> 01:07:50,100 This was before Return of the Pink Panther, but obviously. 1167 01:07:50,100 --> 01:07:52,100 Yeah. So he was still quite closely 1168 01:07:52,100 --> 01:07:53,100 associated with. Yeah. 1169 01:07:53,200 --> 01:07:56,000 Please say. But he sink Celestine quite 1170 01:07:56,000 --> 01:08:00,400 proud of the film, and he He gave an interview in 1973 around 1171 01:08:00,700 --> 01:08:04,100 the time that I guess it's Phil would have come out but it 1172 01:08:04,100 --> 01:08:09,200 didn't, he said, he described the director he said, Clive Ruiz 1173 01:08:09,200 --> 01:08:12,400 who directed the film is every bit as good as Stanley Kubrick, 1174 01:08:13,500 --> 01:08:15,300 which is quite the compliment, isn't it? 1175 01:08:15,300 --> 01:08:19,000 And, and kinda curious, that Clive restart me. 1176 01:08:19,000 --> 01:08:21,100 I was looking at his IMDb entry today. 1177 01:08:21,100 --> 01:08:22,700 There's not an awful lot on there. 1178 01:08:22,899 --> 01:08:24,800 No, he was, used to make a lot of adverts. 1179 01:08:24,800 --> 01:08:27,899 He began to like, who was it? Yeah. 1180 01:08:29,500 --> 01:08:32,300 Ridley Scott, Denise Ridley, Scott made lots of arguments. 1181 01:08:32,300 --> 01:08:33,200 Yes, he did. Yeah. 1182 01:08:33,399 --> 01:08:37,300 So climb trees came through the same training if you like. 1183 01:08:37,300 --> 01:08:41,800 And yeah, but he got on very well with as he said at the 1184 01:08:42,500 --> 01:08:47,500 beginning of the conversation Roger Lewis, Roger Lewis when he 1185 01:08:47,508 --> 01:08:50,000 was writing the Peter Sellers book. 1186 01:08:51,500 --> 01:08:55,500 He struggled to to get a copy of the yes. 1187 01:08:56,100 --> 01:09:00,600 And so he was put in contact with Clay frese who Advise them 1188 01:09:00,600 --> 01:09:04,300 to private screening, and it by all accounts. 1189 01:09:04,300 --> 01:09:07,600 The two men got on very well. And there's a bit in little 1190 01:09:07,600 --> 01:09:12,600 sequence in Roger Lewis's book. I just want to read where clove 1191 01:09:12,600 --> 01:09:16,600 Ruiz talks about filming and he said, we had a special technique 1192 01:09:16,600 --> 01:09:20,100 for shooting 70 feet underground, very quiet. 1193 01:09:20,800 --> 01:09:24,800 And so I'd say Stand By and they'd be silenced. 1194 01:09:25,600 --> 01:09:29,300 I'd wait sometimes a minute then return the camera on. 1195 01:09:29,800 --> 01:09:32,700 Then wait a bit more and I'd say action. 1196 01:09:34,100 --> 01:09:36,500 There was a terrific feeling that got to the actors and it 1197 01:09:36,500 --> 01:09:38,300 made it easier for them to be emotional. 1198 01:09:39,000 --> 01:09:42,600 When sellers begins to weep because he's moved by aznavour 1199 01:09:42,600 --> 01:09:44,800 giving him a drink during the party sequence. 1200 01:09:45,300 --> 01:09:48,800 He just did that he didn't need any help with the makeup or 1201 01:09:48,800 --> 01:09:52,100 chemicals in his eyes. He could just do it a wonderful 1202 01:09:52,100 --> 01:09:54,600 actor. Peter did get so involved in the 1203 01:09:54,600 --> 01:09:57,600 part and he went through periods of depression and worried as he 1204 01:09:57,600 --> 01:10:01,100 always did but that was used and was embodied in the character he 1205 01:10:01,100 --> 01:10:04,200 played He was also smoking a lot of dope. 1206 01:10:05,100 --> 01:10:08,400 He was on macrobiotic diets, still on his head a lot. 1207 01:10:11,300 --> 01:10:15,500 So he was he was at maybe he was kind of at one with himself at 1208 01:10:15,500 --> 01:10:16,300 that point. You know. 1209 01:10:16,800 --> 01:10:19,200 It sounds like it doesn't it. And again, possibly the nature 1210 01:10:19,200 --> 01:10:21,800 of the part of the nature of the film meant that he took it. 1211 01:10:21,800 --> 01:10:24,800 Seriously. I think it's is there also a bit 1212 01:10:24,800 --> 01:10:30,600 where Ike life or he says basically if even though sellers 1213 01:10:30,600 --> 01:10:35,300 was well, behaved on this film, the kind of the fear that he 1214 01:10:35,300 --> 01:10:37,800 might not be kind of hung over it. 1215 01:10:38,200 --> 01:10:42,800 Hmm, kind of constantly on edge thinking like do right, it's 1216 01:10:42,800 --> 01:10:53,600 gonna be tomorrow. Tomorrow begins with R. 1217 01:10:56,500 --> 01:10:59,900 Or a phone turns up in a pair of lime green drainpipe, trousers 1218 01:10:59,900 --> 01:11:02,700 and sellers loses his shit. Because it can't have anybody 1219 01:11:02,700 --> 01:11:04,900 wearing green on? That was a, that was a thing, 1220 01:11:04,900 --> 01:11:05,600 wasn't it? Yeah. 1221 01:11:06,400 --> 01:11:10,300 Yeah. There's one day isn't there, 1222 01:11:10,300 --> 01:11:15,900 when sellers turns up in like a caftan and a hippie wig, and 1223 01:11:15,900 --> 01:11:20,000 Clive Reese does exactly the right thing which is basically 1224 01:11:20,000 --> 01:11:24,000 to ignore it because if you'd if you got along with it, if you if 1225 01:11:24,000 --> 01:11:26,000 you laugh. Sellers big. 1226 01:11:26,000 --> 01:11:29,400 You know, try to be funny and coming up with ridiculous 1227 01:11:29,400 --> 01:11:31,300 antics. You did encourage him and he do 1228 01:11:31,300 --> 01:11:33,700 it more and it would just spiral out of control. 1229 01:11:33,800 --> 01:11:35,900 Yeah. And if you told him off for it, 1230 01:11:36,000 --> 01:11:39,300 he'd throw a 20 and storm off set and try to get the director 1231 01:11:39,300 --> 01:11:43,100 fired. So I've reached appears to have 1232 01:11:43,100 --> 01:11:46,800 chosen that the absolute perfect tactic was just kind of a key 1233 01:11:46,800 --> 01:11:49,500 role his eyes to the yes. Very nice. 1234 01:11:49,500 --> 01:11:51,300 Peter that's get on with today's filming. 1235 01:11:52,500 --> 01:11:56,500 Yeah. Now they say so, You know, it's 1236 01:11:56,500 --> 01:11:58,300 not a film that I will rush to watch again. 1237 01:11:58,300 --> 01:12:02,300 I will watch, I've been at some point, which is not the quality 1238 01:12:02,300 --> 01:12:06,700 of, it's a beautifully made and performed and directed film, but 1239 01:12:06,700 --> 01:12:10,500 it's not want us to stick on. It's not want to stick on after 1240 01:12:10,500 --> 01:12:12,400 a stressful day when you want to unwind. 1241 01:12:13,000 --> 01:12:15,200 I mean, the blu-ray releases very nice. 1242 01:12:15,200 --> 01:12:17,900 It's a nice transfer, and I can't imagine what you get on, 1243 01:12:17,900 --> 01:12:21,100 for example, VHS or something like that because it's so dumb. 1244 01:12:21,300 --> 01:12:25,500 Yeah, actually dark. It is you Best quality version 1245 01:12:25,500 --> 01:12:29,000 to really, to really enjoy it. If that's the right word. 1246 01:12:29,300 --> 01:12:31,800 Yeah. Okay. 1247 01:12:31,800 --> 01:12:36,000 So Bob, thank you for, for thank you for bringing this along for 1248 01:12:36,000 --> 01:12:39,400 us to talk about and and have enjoyed. 1249 01:12:39,400 --> 01:12:42,700 It will have talked about quite a bit today and way and we've 1250 01:12:42,700 --> 01:12:45,400 gone round the houses a little bit and I'm probably taking some 1251 01:12:45,400 --> 01:12:47,400 responsibility for that, but not all of it. 1252 01:12:47,400 --> 01:12:50,500 It's on you, Tyler, thank you. Okay, well, what have you got 1253 01:12:50,500 --> 01:12:51,500 coming up? What are you working on at the 1254 01:12:51,500 --> 01:12:53,500 moment. Oh blimey, there's always 1255 01:12:53,500 --> 01:12:57,200 something I mean my My stock in trade really at the moment is, 1256 01:12:57,500 --> 01:13:00,600 I'm a feature writer for magazine, so I write for the 40 1257 01:13:00,600 --> 01:13:03,700 and times where I do a thing called The Haunted generation, 1258 01:13:04,300 --> 01:13:08,100 which is all about bout that music and art movement that's 1259 01:13:08,100 --> 01:13:12,400 been inspired by the creepy 1970s childhood, I write for 1260 01:13:12,400 --> 01:13:15,900 electronic sound magazine, I write for the official Doctor 1261 01:13:15,900 --> 01:13:18,300 Who magazine which I'm very proud of because I'm a huge 1262 01:13:18,300 --> 01:13:21,600 Doctor Who fan. I'm touring with the scarred for 1263 01:13:21,600 --> 01:13:27,600 life show about again. Gary 1970s and 80s TV and I 1264 01:13:27,600 --> 01:13:32,300 think we might do some more Summer Wine o stuff reasonably 1265 01:13:32,300 --> 01:13:35,400 soon because it is the 50th anniversary of Last of the 1266 01:13:35,400 --> 01:13:38,700 Summer Wine next year. It launched in 1973. 1267 01:13:38,700 --> 01:13:41,900 So watch the watch this space as they say. 1268 01:13:42,500 --> 01:13:44,200 And it's the 50th anniversary of. 1269 01:13:44,200 --> 01:13:45,900 Are you being served in September? 1270 01:13:46,800 --> 01:13:48,100 They say are we doing anything for that? 1271 01:13:48,100 --> 01:13:55,300 What should we do? I used to do, but That's both 1272 01:13:55,300 --> 01:13:58,000 dress up and come out of a lift at different times. 1273 01:13:58,500 --> 01:14:01,100 We'll both put on those browncoats that mr. 1274 01:14:01,100 --> 01:14:05,800 Harmon, mr. Nash used to wear and wailing 1275 01:14:05,900 --> 01:14:08,200 wailing, the central display unit which is like this or 1276 01:14:08,200 --> 01:14:14,100 tomete on lifts up mrs. Slocum's dress shows a niggers. 1277 01:14:14,400 --> 01:14:17,500 That's exactly what we'll do you and I will get together on the 1278 01:14:17,500 --> 01:14:20,500 50th anniversary of, are you being served and do exactly 1279 01:14:20,500 --> 01:14:24,400 that? Oh, Bob, thank you so much for 1280 01:14:25,000 --> 01:14:26,700 Speaking to today, it's been a blast. 1281 01:14:27,300 --> 01:14:29,000 Absolute pleasure. Thank you for having me. 1282 01:14:29,100 --> 01:14:33,100 And maybe one day you can come back and talk about Hoffman or 1283 01:14:33,100 --> 01:14:35,400 something like that. So now the Cheery another Cherry 1284 01:14:35,400 --> 01:14:43,500 says, Phil. Thanks again to Bob. 1285 01:14:43,800 --> 01:14:46,400 Thank you for listening. Please rate and review And 1286 01:14:46,400 --> 01:14:50,200 subscribe and check out all the old episodes in the archive. 1287 01:14:50,200 --> 01:14:53,700 There's 65 plus of them now and they are all crackers. 1288 01:14:53,700 --> 01:14:57,200 They are all Equally dear to me. They are all my children. 1289 01:14:57,400 --> 01:14:59,700 So, yeah, as I say, if you haven't had more, please seek 1290 01:14:59,700 --> 01:15:01,900 those out. I will see you next time with 1291 01:15:01,900 --> 01:15:05,900 the new show, new topic, new guests, and until then, take 1292 01:15:05,900 --> 01:15:07,500 care of yourselves by.