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'The Sammie Winmill Interview ' 3rd November 2001 Part Three JC is Jackie Clark SW is Sammie Winmill |
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Questions 17 - 25 'A Truth that can never die...' 17. JC: Was there any aspect of the show that you didn't like, be it an episode, a cast member, or something else? You've already mentioned that you had to run around with a shrill voice… (Laughs) SW: For some reason I always felt that PVC, Nick and Philip were quicker than me to grasp what was going on in the story, what was happening with all the technology, and see just what was happening currently with each other and my speed was always slower… I used to feel a little bit vulnerable. 18. JC: Did you see any of the New Series episodes? If so, what did you think? SW: No. This is my own fault Jackie. There is so much going on. My mind has been elsewhere for years but now I want to be more current. 19. JC: Are you aware that the scientific community suspect that the next stage of human evolution is beginning to evolve. Do you feel that Roger Price's ideas for the show were predictive in nature or just a lucky guess? SW: Yes. Yes. YES! He was ahead of his time definitely. JC: In what ways have you come across the concept of the next stage of human evolution happening? SW: Not just talking with people but through practical experiment. Feeling the energy around people. Having experience of clairvoyance and knowing that there are ways to train for that. That anyone can do it. I know for definite that the next stage of evolution is already in the world. But whether they will ever be known about like the TP, or have that recognition to take over is doubtful. I think that things will eventually get sorted but I'm unsure whether the people who do those good works, who are developed enough to make and use connections… I think it is doubtful that they will ever be recognised for what they do. JC: In a recent interview with Mike Holloway he said. "There are people out there who really believe they are tomorrow people and that is sad." The fans don't really believe that they can jaunt and save the world from aliens but they can make the world better…they are somehow connected. SW: The person who described them as sad is naive enough to think that Tomorrow People get hold of their belts and jaunt and all of that… It's not what I mean by a Tomorrow Person. What I mean is some one who is switched on to the development of all the faculties that this human design is capable of, someone who is able to function and to use their abilities to make connections between one another… There are people who do have all sorts of abilities but they can channel it towards the evil ways of using it too. A Tomorrow Person has, not only, got to be connected into things but also to be a decent human being… All that power can be corrupting. JC: The greatest strength of the TP is their inability to kill. In a recent Big Finish CD it was Peter's idea for him to play a baddy. So he went around killing the others. It made for a great sci-fi adventure but the fans didn't like it…Even Nick recently said to me that they did a disservice to the TP. SW: It spoilt the mandate… 20. JC: What in your opinion was the greatest strength of the tomorrow people i.e. their inability to kill, their special powers or something else? SW: I would say the special powers because, although I said what I just said, I also believe that nothing in this world is exactly good or bad. It's the reason why you do it that is good or bad. If I had a child and someone was coming towards my child with a knife about to kill it I would make sure that I killed him or her first. No doubt about it. The inability to kill will mean an inability to kill what is sacred, like the human design. But if that design has gone wrong, like a computer which goes against its design, then it's evil. I would have no doubts that it needs to be destroyed and I speak as a Tomorrow Person. (Laughs) Life has to be pure… there is a chink in there which can be turned to evil… So the special powers are a more important quality. 21. JC: Were the cast aware, at the time, of all the issues written into the show (anti war etc) why do you think it has had such a lasting appeal for the dedicated fans? SW: I was aware of ban the bomb and all that. I had taken part in some of the ban the bomb marches in the 60's. So yes I knew that it was in the show. 22. JC: What impact did you personally hope that the Tomorrow People would have on the viewers? SW: I didn't think about it at the time. All I was interested in was how well did I do? At the time I was too self-centred. I couldn't think about whether the program was a good influence on people or not just did I look good? I know I shouldn't really talk like that but it's the truth. 23. JC: Do you see the struggles of the TP as being analogous to any other struggles going on then, or today? SW: Oooh yes. I think that one of the biggest struggles that is going on in the world today is that people's strengths are now seen as weaknesses and people's weaknesses are now seen as strengths. Important things have become unimportant and unimportant things have become important. The fact that they have some devastating news on the TV and then within seconds there is a commercial for some sexy perfume. I was thinking just last night how kids who are brought up in a world that flips between things so quickly will never be able to grow up without being dismissive and bland… What hope have they got? The analogy for the TP is that their enemies saw the Tomorrow People's strengths as weaknesses. 24. JC: Do you think children today are very different than how they were back in the 70's, and if so, how are they different? SW: Yes. I do. There is, sadly, not the innocence in children today that there was in the 70's. But, gladly, I wouldn't want them to be that innocent in a modern world because they wouldn't be able to survive. Everyone is so cautious today. You go into Tesco's and you smile at a child and they just look at you in a fearful way. The trust has gone. 25. JC: What is your favourite memory from the show in general? SW: When I first got the part… I was very excited and I thought about what it would make possible for my career in the future, but also there was a personal thing… Because it was a role I could identify parts of myself with. There was one thing that I've never forgotten. I used to tell Phillip everything about what was happening to me, day to day stories etc. And he used to say "Sammie. One day you must write a book." He gave me a great deal of recognition and I think, when he said that on this particular day, it became a favourite memory. I was astounded that anyone could say such wonderful things to me but realised why he said it. JC: Do you have a last message for the fans? SW: I'd like to say a big thank you to all the people who have remained loyal to the idea of the Tomorrow People and that perhaps together there is a way we can make this idea a current reality rather than a fantasy of the past… not just keeping it going as a show but as a way of life for everyone. There is a truth in the Tomorrow People... a truth that will never die! Thanks to Sammie for one of the most enjoyable days I've had in ages… Not just for answering the fans questions but for allowing me to talk about my favourite subject for over three hours… Everyone that I have interviewed from the original cast has given me genuine personal insights into what it was like to be in the show but more than that they have each made some very poignant comments about the world in general. It seems to me that the Tomorrow People touched not just the hearts and minds of its fans but the lives of the cast as well. If you are interested in any aspect of the Template Foundation they can be contacted at the following address: The Template Foundation, 33- 37 Brewery Road, Islington N79 QH. or info@templatefoundation.org.uk Tel: 0207 6090200 (UK only) For those who are interested in Feminenza they can be contacted at: PO Box 6436 Stanstead CM24 8FZ Please note that this is not Sammie's mail address and can only be used to gain general information from the Template Foundation or Feminenza. |
