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19th April 2001 JC is Jackie Clark; RL is Richard Landsburg and NY is (of course) Nicholas Young. Questions 27-35 ' The Big Finish…' 27. JC: Did you see any of the New Series episodes? If so, what did you think? NY: Yes I did. It was much better made, done on film like any decent program should be and should always have been. I was advocating that in the 70's not just now. I think a terrible opportunity was missed. They should have linked the two. To progress from one to the other! That was a big mistake. RL: Was it successful Jackie? JC: In America yes. NY: Enough to go to a second series. But not enough to make 70 episodes. BEWARE SPOILERS AHEAD !!! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE NEW CD THEN SKIP DOWN TO THE TECHNICAL QUESTION:
28: JC. What are your thoughts on Big Finish making audio CD's? Does this mean the return of TP to TV stations around the world? NY: No it means a CD on your CD player. Because it's cheep and cheerful. If you have a vivid imagination it can look terribly expensive. When they rang me about the idea I wanted to hear what they had already done to see what the quality was and they gave me a Dr. Who tape. I was very impressed. That's the point I make about Radio or a CD. It's as good as your imagination. It's very well recorded with good sound effects, well cut together. You've only got to close your eyes and paint the rest in. I thought they were very good and was therefore quite happy to be associated with the project. NY: What do you mean by the second part of that question: JC: Do you think the interest will build from this? NY: I don't know. You're essentially talking about a programme that was made for children a CD may be bought by sentimental 30-45 yr olds. Would they tune in to watch a children's program again? I doubt it. So logically, probably not. You'd need to make the programme again and try to appeal to their children so they could watch it together perhaps. That's the thing about Thunderbirds. You can bring that back and it doesn't matter about being dated. Obviously because I'm not a wooden puppet (although some people may liken my acting to that) I can't, none of us could appear in it to make further episodes. It would be impossible to recreate the children. So you couldn't make it as it was. So you can only show the old seventies stuff, and I doubt that adults would tune in. Although it did seem to have quite a successful run on the sci-fi channel. That may have been because there was a shortage of anything else. I don't think they've got any plans to re-show it. You'll have to ask them. The CD may be successful. I'm not sure how many people might buy it. Some might buy it for nostalgia value. It's probably only a one off purchase. It's not like Dr. Who, which went on for 20 years was it? A lot of adults used to enjoy it too. I never did. I was never a fan of Dr. Who. I thought it had wobbly sets and silly special effects. I actually think the TP was better but then I would say that wouldn't I… (laughs) 28. JC: Does the new the audio production follow up on the OS. If so, will the rest of the original cast be joining the production? NY: Yes it does. It just carries on as if nothing has happened. When they first gave me the script it made some reference to… John makes some comment to TIM 'Well I can't help being 45!' And I said. 'I don't think that's very sensible. Either leave it as it is and people can stick it where ever they want. It's only sound. They can stick it in the 70's in the new ones. But if you start making comments like that it's a piss take and it's not gonna work. So they took it out. So it's now what ever you want it to be. If you want a follow on it can be a follow on. It's entirely up to you. It's not set in any particular period. I don't think it should be. The rest of the cast? I think they are doing this one to see how it goes. They have loose plans to make four a year. Provided it's successful. New recruits? Yes there's a new Tomorrow Person in this, the one I did. And that's how it has to be because people are breaking out all the time. So you do need new blood. I dare say PVC would be keen to do it. I think Mike Holoway would. I don't know about the girls you'll have to ask them. The voices would have to be substantially the same. I don't know whether Peter Vaughan-Clarke's voice. It wasn't particularly deep but does it sound the same? JC: No he doesn't sound anything like he did at all. NY: John was always older than his years. You loose the natural exhuberance A Thirteen year old has. It's difficult to act the part when you're thirty or forty with a mortgage and two kids. (laughs) 29. JC: Does the new audio production give us any clue as to what John; Liz et al have been up to for the last twenty years? NY: I think that's been answered. There is no indication of a passage of time. JC: So it doesn't have any references to modern technology that wouldn't have existed in the day? NY: It might do but that again… we had modern technology then… What's been invented? They had wrist band televisions, computers, video wall. The lot! 30. JC: How long is this new story? NY: I don't know the answer to that. Half an hour something like that. 31.JC: Does the audio story have much action or is it mainly narration? NY: No narration . It is just like it was on the programme. Close your eyes and it's like watching the television. 32. JC. How does the audio medium cope with jaunting or other special powers? Does it use similar sounding effects? NY: That's the first question I asked them. How are you going to make us disappear? But there was a tinkling sound if you remember. When we were in rehearsals we used to go ooophpah! (sharp intake of breath with a kiss sound) to show that we had disappeared. So they will put a jingling sound onto the CD. It's supposed to be out in April. I've not heard the final thing. JC: May.
The Technical Question: 33. JC: What's the spelling of the anti-special-powers substance that was used in Achilles Heel and War of the Empires? NY: (Laughs…) I've only got one Tomorrow People script still. I should have kept them all shouldn't I? It's the Blue and the Green. You'd have to work out what it did. I have no doubt that the word came from the latin or greek meaning what ever! What did it do? JC: It took away special powers and make you shiver and shake. I think it was called Volumin. NY: It may come from Vol to go! So I suspect VOLUMIN. John was a secret dyslexic (laughs) no it wasn't me it was PVC who was dyslexic. He used to claim that because he couldn't be bothered to learn the scripts. He used to pretend he couldn't read then and suffered from this terrible complaint. 34. JC: What impact did you personally hope that the Tomorrow People would have on the viewers? NY: The impact I hoped it would have is that they would want another series and I would continue to work as an actor. That's not the answer you're looking for at all is it? Seriously, I hoped it would have a positive effect because unlike some of Rogers other stuff, which I thought had a very negative affect, it was a good programme. It had a moral. He would be appalled to realise this but it was a highly moral programme. It was pre race-relations act and it was educating people to get along with each other and to have other motives than pure greed and be purely personal. We all agreed it was the boy scouts with science fiction. I hope that it did have an effect. That is why we are all such reasonable, well adjusted, normal adults. But I think modern children's TV is on the whole pretty appalling. It is very negative with a lot of violence. The other thing which isn't asked here. Is that it was a great vehicle for so many of today's actors. Pauline Quirk, and Linda, Peter Davison. It was his television debut. Nick Lindhurst was in the Nazi one. Kieth Chegwin….We were very lucky. Finally: JC. Does he see the struggles of the TP as being analogous to any other struggles going on then, or today? NY: The whole Galactic Trig was analogous to the United Nations, but on an intergalactic basis. I think it had good guys and bad guys most of them are members but not pulling their weight. It was the world in Micro-cosom but was the whole cosmos. JC: One of the things that the Tomorrow People did for lots of kids… there was the idea that you could break out and be special... but in addition to that lot of kids were often bullied or had problems in their home life. And they could say 'It's all right. John will protect us, we can always go off to the lab where there's a family feeling.' It took you away from your own problems and made you feel safe. NY: That's very good to hear. It upset one or two epileptics with the title sequence. And some other people took drugs to watch it. I know a lot of people who said they took something and it seemed a much better programme. It seemed to be tremendously popular at the time. Everyone I've ever met comes up to me and says exactly the same line. 'I used to rush home from school to watch it.' I wish they would make a few more programmes like that which are fantasy but have a very strong moral code. The End…. Personal Comment A very special thank you to Nicholas Young for giving up time in his busy schedule just to keep fans informed of developments both old and new. As an actor he couldn't have played the part of John any better and it was his performance that held the show together. He is the perfect leader for The Tomorrow People. My memories of the series bring back many warm feelings and I think I speak on behalf of the world wide cyber community when I say that I love the show as much today as I did back in my childhood. We do not have the influence that a fan group for a series like Star Trek may have; but we feel as strongly that as long as people continue to be interested in the show there is a slim chance that it may, one day, return to our screens. Jackie
Coming soon: An Interview with Sammie Winmill. |
