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Questions about the Big Finish audio CD
JC: What are your thoughts on Big Finish
making audio CD's?
PG: I think it's good. I am a little bit intrigued to know what
anybody has as far as copywright is concerned. I think it's a very
good idea… Obviously if it did take off …
JC: Do you find it easier doing TP in an
audio medium or would you prefer to act out the part?
PG: It's exactly the same as far as Tim is concerned. They did
bring in Tikno into the second one and it's a little bit more difficult
because I'm usually moving around when I'm acting.
JC: Will we be meeting Timus or Tikno again
in any of the new stories?
PG: It depends upon what this actually does, this new one. Because
I was in everything, playing all these characters… If it's successful
they may do more.
JC: Were the cast aware, at the time, of
all the issues written into the show (anti war etc) why does he think
it has had such a lasting appeal for the dedicated fans?
PG: We've covered this already but I think it was a lovely idea
and the world has, from then until now, changed. It's become so much
crueller, harder and difficult for young people. Nostalgia is a wonderful
thing…. The Tomorrow People is innocent. Despite the fact that the
show dealt with a lot of evil things, it had innocence especially
if you were young. Tim comforted people and looked after them and
that's very important to young people.
JC: What impact did you personally hope
that the Tomorrow People would have on the viewers?
PG: At the time we were doing it, just the impact it did have.
We felt and hoped that the TP would influence people… Roger wanted
to make people into better human beings. I don't think we felt this
as strongly as Roger about that, but the original idea came from somewhere;
about these superior beings who were the next stage of evolution and
of humanity and incapable to do harm and there to help humanity. He
enjoyed it esoterically through the characters of the boys.
JC: I think that is the legacy of the show.
The message the fans would want to get to Roger is that he had that
effect on them and made them better people.
My last question is; do you see the struggles
of the TP as being analogous to any other struggles going on then,
or today?
PG: Yes in the Blue and Green, and anything to do with race. He
had the Chinese girl, Hsui Tai and several gypsy boys. He did want
to influence youngsters…
Roger always identified with a young person and never wanted them
to age. He was a theatrical mum really. It started with his son. He
was promoting his own son at first. As his son grew up he wanted to
recapture that lost childhood. PVC was first then Mike. The boy who
was in the last series, Nigel Rhodes, was the last one. He has now
vanished off the face of the Earth. He was to be the next one that
Roger was going to put forward.
Roger had this fantasy of having to live through these children
and he did that with all of them. Roger wanted to take Mike to Canada
but it didn't happen. He said to me 'If Michael doesn't do the show
there will be no more Tomorrow People.' That's how strongly he felt
about the boys.
JC: The ironic thing about it is that although
Roger felt that he didn't want the actors and stars in the show to
grow up, he actually influenced millions of children who watched it.
They are adults now but carry that little bit of their childhood with
them that never changes.
PG: Roger was a shy man who never wanted the limelight. When
we were in the studio he preferred to sit with us and didn't want
to go out and do the other stuff that the studio wanted him to do.
He influenced so many young people but wasn't interested in that.
He was only interested in the connection between the characters he
created and himself.
End part three
My sincere thanks go out to Philip and
Freddie for the time they gave to help with this interview and to
TIM for looking after us all and guiding us into adulthood.
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