'The Nigel Fairs Interview'

20th August 2006

JC: is Jackie Clark

NF: is Nigel Fairs

I met Nigel outside a bar on a bright Sunday morning in Brighton. Discovering that the bar didn't open for another ten minutes, we sat on a bench and began to chat. "How did you get involved with the TP?" Nigel asked me. I told my usual story of how I watched the show when I was eleven years old and fell in love with PVC. "Didn't we all," said Nigel with a cheeky grin. It was at that moment, when he beamed at me and we both relaxed that I knew this interview was going to be a lot of fun. Nigel is 'one of us': he genuinely 'gets' the TP and all the implications of the show. I can happily say that the legacy of The Tomorrow People is safe in his hands.

Before I begin, let me thank Nigel for the most interesting and highly enjoyable few hours of my summer.

JC: What are your memories of the original series?

NF: Rushing home from school to see it, as a start. Definitely. Wanting to be a Tomorrow Person in the playground, to jaunt and have all the powers and everything. One of the clearest memories I have was the first series… you'll have to remind me. The one set in Clacton.

JC: Vanishing Earth.

NF: That's right. I remember the shots of the beach and the pier and Carol appearing. I adored it and wanted to be one.

JC: Are you happy with the reaction of the fans to the CD range?

NF: Yes. And I'll tell you why. It's because I think they're loyal. They don't pull their punches, which I really respect. Although some of the work I've done over the years - not just for TP - has been criticised without thought, any criticism that's been levelled at the range by fans has been thoughtful, thought provoking, and I've taken a lot of it on board.

There are criticisms that are hurled at it when I think hmmm… get a life! (Both laugh). No, I don't mean it like that, I'm sounding like William Shatner… oh no! The sort of ones that say it's all rubbish, I could do it so much better. The sort of people who say, you're rubbish, you don't think about this, you don't care about this. I actually do care, so much about it - almost too much.

I don't think some people realise how much work goes into it. I'm sure it was the same with Roger in the original TV series. It's blatantly obvious, from the scripting and the production of the whole thing, that it was a labour of love for him. It was probably frustrating at times… and I feel the same thing with the CD range.

JC: Nigel, can you describe how your role changed from that of occasional writer into that of producer, technician and music editor?

NF: Well, it was a kind of osmosis. Actually, it came about through a series of unfortunate events. The worst, of course, was Philip dying. Every script that Jason had at that particular time featured TIM heavily, in a strong role. A couple of them were completely centred on TIM. We thought that we couldn't recast him immediately. It would be so disrespectful to Philip and to Nick. In fact, there was a huge question over whether the whole thing was going to carry on or not. Jason asked me to write a story that didn't feature John or TIM - which I did. Then he asked me whether I'd write one that would write TIM out.

JC: The Sorson virus? (Said a bit sceptically.)

NF: Well, yes… It was pretty desperate, really. Jason was really pleased with what I did and he took me on board. First I was going to be a script editor. Then it became apparent that I was doing a little bit more than that and I asked whether I could edit (as a sort of test) the next script, Alone.

JC: Alone is fantastic, an absolute favourite of mine, although Aftermath comes close.

NF: Good, good.

JC: I'm into the emotional stuff.

NF: Me too. I keep being slapped back about that. (Both laugh.)

JC: How did you get into the business? Why have you chosen to work in an audio medium? Have you any aspirations to work in TV or film?

NF: I trained to be an actor at Bretton Hall. I graduated in 1984. I went into community theatre straight on from that, and then into teaching. I was even a clown for a while. I taught in prisons and in youth theatres and with people with learning difficulties.

I was an actor for thirteen years, but then it gave me up. I've always written along the way. I've done quite a lot of stage work, but for the past five years, it's been all Big Finish. I also work on Sapphire and Steel, but I call the TP my baby.

I often think about the differences between the two. We recorded a Sapphire and Steel last week and had a fantastic cast. But I find the whole format quite limiting because the characters are fixed, whereas with TP the people are real. I feel that I know the audio characters so well now - I know where they're going and where they've been.

Sapphire and Steel is difficult to write for because the characters have to be two-dimensional due to their natures. There's a lack of humanity and emotion in the characters' make up. Writing for TP is as unlimited as life itself.

JC: And it's all about the nature of time. Will you have a time travel TP story?

NF: Yes. We had Lords of Forever, which was a sort of time travel thing. It was about alternative futures and things. Yes, there is an element of time travel to future stories. I like the Time Guardians as a concept.

JC: Have you ever had any aspirations to work in TV or Film?

NF: I'd love to, but it really is difficult to get into. You know what I'd love to be doing now? What I'm doing for Big Finish, but for TV. That would be my ideal job.

JC: Wouldn't we all?

NF: How pie in the sky is that? It's a dream.

JC: It certainly is a dream. (Both laugh.)