1987
HELLRAISER
III…PINEWOOD…
Got called down to
Pinewood studios for a
day from a 1st A.D. who
said he wanted me to do
some business..
Wardrobe dress me as a
lumberjack type person
and I go onto the set..
All I’ve got to do
is fire a shotgun at a
very small man (stuntman)
who is dressed and made
up as the Devil. (This is
a horror film) (Easy so
far!)
I fire the gun into some
bushes but miss the
target. The director
tells me to go forward
and find the little
devil.
All of a sudden this
little man (stuntman) has
me around the neck and
slings me over his
shoulder and onto the
floor..
(I’ll have a quick
word with the 1st A.D. as
soon as I get my wind
back)..
1st A.D.: "Sorry
Aitch, I didn’t know
he was going to do that,
the director said he was
only going to get you on
the floor so he can slit
your throat" (Nice,
and me with my first
grandson (Marc) only a
few weeks old).
I said to him "You
can’t go slinging
granddads about it
ain’t right"..
1st: "We’re
paying £150 for the
job". "Sling
away".. I tell
him..."but
don’t cut my throat
too deep I wanna have a
swift half at
lunchtime"…(I’m
back)
HI-DE-HI!…Director
John
Kilby…BBCTV…
Nice to be back at the
BBC and doing an audience
show.
I’ve only got a
couple of lines to say
but it’s good to see
John Kilby again.
We done a lot of work
over the years when he
was a production manager.
This episode must be one
of the last of this
series so it was nice to
be aboard.
I meet lots of people I
know in the canteen and
they ask me how the
shop’s going.
I tell them fine. (I
don’t want to lose
face).
KING
AND CASTLE…Producer
Peter Duguid…Thames
TV…
Cast Inc…Nigel
Planer…Derek
Martin…
I’m cast as a
publican and have a few
words to say to Derek in
one scene.
We chat later on about
old times and Nigel looks
a lot different than the
last time I busted him in
The Young Ones.
BRUSH
STROKES…
BBCTV… CARL
HOWMAN…
I get a call from the
production office to see
if I would do one nights
public liaison work on
this episode. (Beggars
can’t be choosers
and I say yes)
I phone up Gypsy Dave and
Bill Burns (Two big lads)
and head off to Earls
Court Station to look
after the crew for the
night.
The director wants to do
the shot at 11pm with a
cast of two and a
watching crowd of 500.
(Mainly Aussies). To say
it was hard work is
putting it mildly.
The majority of the crowd
were alright and watched
the filming in silence as
the actors went through
their dialogue scenes.
But there was one
(there’s always
one!) that wants to add
words to the scene.
I’m asked by the
production manager if I
would have a quiet word
with him. (That’s
what I’m there for)
I say to the man
‘’Excuse me
sir, but you see my mate
over there (six foot six
of Gypsy Dave Cooper) he
thinks you’re a poof
and he would like to give
you one.
I felt the wind rush past
me as he disappeared into
the night.
I took a bow as the
onlookers clapped and the
rest of the night was a
piece of p*ss.
We got a nice letter from
production a week later
thanking us for the cool
way we handled the night
and promise of more work.
(I DON’T THINK SO)
CASUALTY…Director
Michael
Brayshaw…Producer
Garaint
Morris…BBCTV…
My friend from Hideaway
is now directing and he
carts me off to Bristol
to do this episode. I
play a sleazy newspaper
editor and I get a phone
call from a friend (Tony
Selby) who asks me for a
favour..
Now it’s funny how
we film these scenes
because Tony is nowhere
near me when I get to do
my dialogue on the phone.
Instead the young A.F.M.
is sitting under my desk
feeding me Tony’s
lines.. I think we got it
in one take.
INSPECTOR
MORSE…
Working as a plain
clothes cop for a week
but to watch the word
perfect John Thaw work is
like sitting in the
theatre.. (Top man)
1987 Is a
very quiet time for me
but I managed to get odd
days here and there as
you should have read in
my full list as compiled
by Scott V Palmer.
I probably fitted some
odd days on EastEnders
but spent most of my time
trying to get out of the
shop.
One day a production team
came in the shop and ask
me if they could film in
there for a day and they
would pay £500.. (A
months rent..)
"Of course you
can!" I said.
On the day they filmed I
had more crew in there
than I would have had
customers and the next
day the customers were
back to ask me what they
were filming.
So I survived another
month.
NEXT
- 1988
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