0:00:02 > 0:00:03TV, the magic box of delight.
0:00:03 > 0:00:06As kids, it showed us a million different worlds
0:00:06 > 0:00:08all from our living room.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13- So funny.- That was state-of-the-art! - Ah!
0:00:13 > 0:00:14I loved this.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16'Each day, I'm going
0:00:16 > 0:00:19'to journey through the wonderful world of telly...'
0:00:19 > 0:00:22- Cheers.- '..with one of our favourite celebrities...'
0:00:22 > 0:00:23'We are going into space.'
0:00:23 > 0:00:25- It's just so silly.- Oh, no!
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- Yeah!- '..as they select the iconic TV moments...'
0:00:33 > 0:00:35- My God. This is the scene!- Oh, dear.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38'..that tell us the stories of their lives.'
0:00:39 > 0:00:40I absolutely adored this.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42- 'Some will make you laugh...' - SHE LAUGHS
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Don't watch the telly, Esther. Watch me.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47- '..some will surprise...' - THEY LAUGH
0:00:47 > 0:00:50No way! Where did you find this?!
0:00:50 > 0:00:51'..many will inspire...'
0:00:51 > 0:00:55It used to transport us to places that we could only dream about.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57'..and others will move us.'
0:00:57 > 0:00:58I am emotional now.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00'Today, we look even more deeply.'
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Why wouldn't you want to watch this?
0:01:02 > 0:01:06So, come watch with us as we rewind to the classic telly that
0:01:06 > 0:01:10helped shape those wide-eyed youngsters into the much-loved
0:01:10 > 0:01:11stars they are today.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21Welcome to The TV That Made Me.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25My guest today is one of TV's most talented and lovable actors.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29- It is Mr Richard Ridings. - APPLAUSE
0:01:29 > 0:01:31- Hello.- Hello, sir. Good to see you.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33- Give us a hug.- Oh, no. Oh, don't hurt me, don't hurt me.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35- Are you not a hugger?- Yeah, go on.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Give us a hug, give us a hug. Come sit down.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Take a seat.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Richard Ridings has been a stalwart on our screens
0:01:43 > 0:01:45for over 30 years.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49You'll recognise him from playing characters like Bernard
0:01:49 > 0:01:51in Common As Muck
0:01:51 > 0:01:54and more recently, Mr Bumble in Dickensian.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59But what you might not recognise him for is one of his biggest roles,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02the voice of Daddy in Peppa Pig.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06The TV that made Richard Ridings
0:02:06 > 0:02:11includes his big break as hard man Mad Mick in The Ritz...
0:02:11 > 0:02:14They are reopening that disco, are they?
0:02:15 > 0:02:18..a four-hour funeral that gripped our nation...
0:02:18 > 0:02:20'19 guns in salute,
0:02:20 > 0:02:25'the first time that a commoner has ever been given more than 17 guns.'
0:02:25 > 0:02:27..and a show that used to have his father in stitches
0:02:27 > 0:02:29back in the '60s.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Richard, it's great having you here.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Today's a celebration of some TV classics,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38some wonderful bits that will take you, hopefully, down memory lane.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Stuff that you've chosen.
0:02:40 > 0:02:41So, we are going to rewind the clock
0:02:41 > 0:02:43and this is a very young Richard Ridings.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51Richard Ridings was born in Henley-on-Thames in 1958 to parents
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Doreen and Robert, who was a headmaster at a residential
0:02:54 > 0:02:57school for asthmatic boys.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00He and his older siblings, twins Jonathan and Sarah,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02had free rein of the school
0:03:02 > 0:03:06and a young Richard was often found playing around the grounds -
0:03:06 > 0:03:08a freedom that allowed him to explore his active
0:03:08 > 0:03:10and creative sides.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Famed for his voice as well as his acting skills,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16after training at Bristol's Old Vic, Richard
0:03:16 > 0:03:20starred in a variety of roles across TV and film.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22And the demand for his talents has ensured that he has
0:03:22 > 0:03:26remained on our screens for over three decades.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30- So, where did you grow up, Richard? - It's a... Grew up?
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Or have you ever grown up?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Well, now, that's a good question, actually, because part of me
0:03:35 > 0:03:36really hasn't. No.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40The child is still very much alive within me, I think,
0:03:40 > 0:03:41but my dad was headmaster.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46But he was headmaster of a very, very large school.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Not a lot of pupils, but just a very, very, very big building.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51So, yeah, the first ten years of my life,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54we had these marvellous grounds, a lot of running around.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- And you had a telly.- And we had a telly.- Yeah?- We had a telly, yeah.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59And so, where was your telly? Where's your telly situated?
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Telly. Now, I seem to recall it was in the dining room to start
0:04:02 > 0:04:05with, but then later, moved into the sitting room.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07And my earliest memories are...
0:04:07 > 0:04:09- Watch With Mother...- Yes.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- Andy Pandy.- Andy Pandy and Looby Loo.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13- I had a Looby Loo.- Did you?
0:04:13 > 0:04:16I carried it everywhere. Yeah, first five years of my life,
0:04:16 > 0:04:17I had a Looby Loo.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20You do not strike me as a man who'd have a Looby Loo.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22No, I did I had... I loved Looby Loo.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- We are going to go to your first memory, Richard.- Right, OK.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Just have a little look.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41- This is Winston Churchill's funeral. - Yes.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43The TV had moved into the sitting room by now.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Maybe, maybe in honour of Winston Churchill,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48- it was moved into the sitting room. - Right.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50But I can just remember sitting there going,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- "Oh, this is a bit grand." - This is 1965.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58'The guns ring out. A salute of 19 guns...'
0:04:58 > 0:05:02A funeral may seem like an unusual first TV memory for six-year-old
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Richard, but that goes to show the magnitude of the event...
0:05:07 > 0:05:10..and also how long the programme was actually on for -
0:05:10 > 0:05:13four hours and five minutes.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15'So, as the pigeons are raised...'
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I can remember sitting there watching it, thinking,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22"God, this is going on a long time!" THEY LAUGH
0:05:22 > 0:05:27- I don't think I watched all of it. - No.- Cos I could never sit still.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30So, I'd be out at the back playing a bit, I'd come in and watch a bit
0:05:30 > 0:05:33more and go, "Where's he got to now, then? Is he at the Mall yet?"
0:05:33 > 0:05:36GUNS FIRE
0:05:36 > 0:05:38This funeral was known as Operation Hope Not.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40- Was it really?- Yeah.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- Planned for 12 years.- Wow.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47So, who would you watch this with, then, Richard?
0:05:47 > 0:05:48Who was watching this with you?
0:05:48 > 0:05:53I think my mum and dad were watching it.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56And of course, they both had been through the war.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00My dad had been in the Royal Signals, a captain.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- My mum was in the WAF.- Yeah?
0:06:03 > 0:06:06So, yes, this was a great commemoration of our fantastic
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- wartime leader. - Yeah, he was, wasn't he?- Yeah.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13'It seems almost to be drifting up the last of the tide at high
0:06:13 > 0:06:17'water on its way to Waterloo.'
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- Would you ever have liked to play Winston Churchill?- Crikey.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Yeah, I suppose so. Yes. Yeah. Maybe.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27I think you would be a good Winston Churchill.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- AS CHURCHILL: "Never..." - AS CHURCHILL: "Never..."
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- "..in the field of human conflicts..."- "Have so many..."
0:06:32 > 0:06:34- ".. has so much been owed to so few."- I think you should do it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37- Oh, I think...- AS CHURCHILL: Do you know...- That's good.- No, I don't.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41- I sound more like Bruce Forsyth. - HE BABBLES
0:06:41 > 0:06:42HE LAUGHS
0:06:42 > 0:06:47Churchill has been portrayed an astonishing 105 times on TV
0:06:47 > 0:06:51and in film and countless more on stage and radio,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55making Churchill, arguably, our most played prime minister.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Richard Burton's 1974 film
0:06:57 > 0:06:59The Gathering Storm
0:06:59 > 0:07:03focused on Churchill's role just before WWII.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06In 2002, Albert Finney starred as Churchill
0:07:06 > 0:07:08in a movie also called The Gathering Storm.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12The title for both films being taken from the first of six books
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Churchill wrote on the Second World War.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19We don't always see Churchill in wartime, though.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Simon Ward played young Winston in the film of the same
0:07:22 > 0:07:27name in 1972, which looked at his pre-Parliament life.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33And the actor who has famously taken on the role of Churchill most
0:07:33 > 0:07:35often is Robert Hardy,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39seen here playing our wartime leader alongside John Thaw
0:07:39 > 0:07:41in the drama Bomber Harris.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46So, what was Richard like as a boy?
0:07:46 > 0:07:48- Apparently, he never sat still.- No?
0:07:48 > 0:07:51- He was always very, very, very noisy.- Mm-hm.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55- Always interested in the arts?- More in nature and sport than into...
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- Oh, really? It's got to be rugby. - Yes.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Yes. Yeah, I was very keen on rugby, but also shot putting as well.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03- Oh, right.- I decided...
0:08:03 > 0:08:07One of my other early memories was the Tokyo Olympics.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10- This theme tune kept coming... - 1964, that was.- 1964.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12And the theme tune kept coming on the telly and I was like,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15"Oh... Oh, it's the Olympics. Ah, right."
0:08:15 > 0:08:17And then later on in the Olympics,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Mary Rand won the gold medal in the long jump.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Mary was originally from Somerset, but her home was Richard's
0:08:23 > 0:08:25back yard, Henley-on-Thames,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28and she certainly did the locals proud.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30The town gave her a homecoming and I remember that.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33"Oh, the Olympic champion. An Olympic champion comes from Henley,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35"yes. Great, great, great."
0:08:35 > 0:08:37And later on, I thought, "What can I do?
0:08:37 > 0:08:39"I'm not a very fast runner...well, not particularly fast,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43"I'm certainly not a very good jumper." But I could throw things.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45And I thought, "Yes, OK."
0:08:45 > 0:08:48So, yeah, I developed an interest in the shot put and discus.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50- And I got quite passionate about that.- Yeah.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- Did you get any good at it?- Well, I did, yeah. Quite good, actually.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58I got... I represented the county and later on, went up to...
0:08:58 > 0:09:02They have these all England sports and it's great fun.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05You turn up at this stadium and the stadium is packed with
0:09:05 > 0:09:08teams from every county in Britain, you know?
0:09:08 > 0:09:10And I was representing Oxfordshire.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11- I came third.- Mm!
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Yeah, I was quite pleased with that.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15And then started doing a bit of drama,
0:09:15 > 0:09:16but it was always that kind of thing,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18"Yeah, I can do a bit of that as well.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20"Of course, yeah, I'd like to be an actor."
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Never really seriously thought of myself as an actor.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24You know... In fact...
0:09:24 > 0:09:27in fact, I still don't. THEY LAUGH
0:09:27 > 0:09:29It's just one of those things that kind of happened.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- So, your dad was a headmaster. - He was.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Was he quite strict with you when it comes to watching TV?
0:09:36 > 0:09:39- We certainly... There was certainly a cut-off point, definitely.- Yeah.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41You know, they'd be watching Z-Cars and we would be going,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43"What's going on?"
0:09:43 > 0:09:46"No, you are supposed to be in bed. You should be asleep by now."
0:09:46 > 0:09:49And also until quite late in the '60s,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51I don't think we were allowed to watch ITV.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55- Oh, really?- Yeah, had to be BBC.- Oh, isn't it?
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- So, there's a snobbery there. - Yeah!- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03I'm sure of it. Yes, I think it was sort of frowned upon.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07"Oh, they are advertising. No, we will stick with good old Beeb."
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- The next category involves your sister.- Does it?
0:10:15 > 0:10:17- Hm. - HE CHUCKLES
0:10:17 > 0:10:19This is something that used to...
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Well, I think we are all going to find this very hard to believe.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Used to scare the life out of her.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29- It's the Sooty & Sweep Show. - RICHARD LAUGHS
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Well, hello, Sooty. It is nice to see you.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Well, I say, you've made a bit of a mess here.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38What are you doing with butter on the bottom of your tin?
0:10:38 > 0:10:42'Creator Harry Corbett bought Sooty at a Blackpool novelty
0:10:42 > 0:10:45'shop in 1948 for seven and six.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49'That's roughly 37p in new money.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54'Within four years, Sooty was appearing weekly on the BBC.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57'And Sooty has been on our screens longer than any other
0:10:57 > 0:11:00'children's TV character.'
0:11:00 > 0:11:05- Sweep used to send my sister, Sarah, behind the sofa.- Really?- Yeah.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07- SWEEP LAUGHS - All right, Sweep. All right.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Don't laugh at him. There is no need to get like that.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Don't take any notice, he's just that way...
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Sweep, you rascal, if you know that...
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Well, it serves you right. It really does.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Get that...get that cloth, Sooty, and I'll wipe your face.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28HE LAUGHS
0:11:28 > 0:11:36I just can't fathom what scared your sister to hide behind the sofa.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41What was she like with daleks?
0:11:41 > 0:11:42- Yeah, not too good with daleks.- No?
0:11:42 > 0:11:45That was the other one that sent her... Yeah, Doctor Who.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47- But my dad loved Doctor Who.- Really?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- Yeah. And my brother and me.- Yeah. - And... Yeah.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51We watched it religiously when it first came on.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- Oh, right. - He goes, "Oh, yeah, this is great.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56"Oh, yeah, we're going to watch this." Yeah, she would...
0:11:56 > 0:11:57Behind the sofa again.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00I always remember, went on holiday and the film had come out
0:12:00 > 0:12:03and he took us...he took my brother and I to see the film.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06And, you know, she didn't want to go. "No, thank you very much."
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Yeah, I don't... Daleks are scary.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10They are scary to grown-ups, aren't they?
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- So, does it bring back happy memories of that time?- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Very happy memories.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21We were a clump of three playing together, raising a riot, yes.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Did anything scare you on TV?
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Yes, I've been thinking about that and...
0:12:28 > 0:12:30..my first memory of being scared
0:12:30 > 0:12:32was I think we were staying with our cousins at Christmas
0:12:32 > 0:12:35and I wasn't very well, I think I had a bit of a fever.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38And I remember watching a Dickens, I think it was Great Expectations
0:12:38 > 0:12:42and there's a scene where... Is it Magwitch goes under the...
0:12:42 > 0:12:44- the paddle steamer?- Yeah. - That gave me nightmares.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Yeah, but I think it might have been cos I had a bit of a fever anyway.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51- You know.- Or a vivid imagination. - A vivid imagination, yes.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- Kept rerunning it, rerunning it. - Yeah.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Not a nice way to go. No.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Sooty & Sweep might be two of our most loved and famous furry friends,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06but puppet pairings have been around since TV's earliest days.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Pinky And Perky launched way back in 1957 and were
0:13:12 > 0:13:14so popular, they crossed the Atlantic,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18appearing a number of times on The Ed Sullivan Show in the USA.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Almost a decade later,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24we learned all about Pogle's Wood
0:13:24 > 0:13:27as Mr and Mrs Pogle appeared in Watch With Mother.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31In the '90s, Live & Kicking gave us
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Mr Sage And Mr Onion,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36two leprechauns whose main job it seemed was to joke around
0:13:36 > 0:13:38with the show's guests.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45And in 2009, Hacker T Dog and his half brother Dodge T Dog
0:13:45 > 0:13:47first hit CBBC.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50A couple of years later, Hacker was given his own spinoff show,
0:13:50 > 0:13:56Hacker Time, proving the popularity of the TV puppet.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- Your next choice is Dad's Choice... - My dad's choice.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07It's something your dad used to love watching.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11- This gentleman - Mr Harry Worth. - Yes, yes.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13RICHARD LAUGHS
0:14:16 > 0:14:19How many times did we do this?
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- How many times have you wandered along the shops and done that?- Yeah.
0:14:22 > 0:14:23- Had to do it. - HE MUTTERS
0:14:23 > 0:14:26I showed that to my kids only recently. I went, "Kids, have a look
0:14:26 > 0:14:28"at this." Well, they wet themselves
0:14:28 > 0:14:30when I said, "Well, there's a gentleman called Harry Worth,"
0:14:30 > 0:14:32and I'd lost them by that point.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34- They were back on their iPads. - Yes.- But I did have a moment.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37It happens, doesn't it? Just for a split-second, you sometimes get
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- their attention.- Yeah. But your dad loved this?- Loved it.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41I can't remember anything about the show,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- just that title sequence.- Yeah.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46And the fact that he would sit there roaring his head off.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47I wanted to save money.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49- You want to save money, sir?- Yeah.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Well, you've come to the right place. You can save money here, sir.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54- Can I really?- Indeed you can, sir.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- Now, what did you have for breakfast this morning?- Well, let me see.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Breakfast...a boiled egg, toast and marmalade and cornflakes.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Right. Now, what can we save on that?
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Well, I could do without the boiled egg. It's true.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10- Reminds me very much of Harry Hill as well.- Yes, yes.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11Well, this is really marvellous.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Well, I've saved over seven shillings already.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18- You've got the idea, sir. I'll leave you to it.- Thank you very much.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Ah, what's this?
0:15:20 > 0:15:21South African peaches.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26Not four and 11, not three and 11, not two and 11, but one and 11!
0:15:26 > 0:15:27Must have one!
0:15:27 > 0:15:31So, do you think this was escapism for your father's hectic life of
0:15:31 > 0:15:35- being a...- Yeah.- ..a headmaster? - Could be, yeah.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38He spent a lot of time being very proper and strict and quite
0:15:38 > 0:15:42austere and he was an ex-military man, you know, man of the church.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46So, to see him relaxed and having a laugh was great, you know?
0:15:46 > 0:15:49And sometimes it would bring out what my mum called
0:15:49 > 0:15:51the giddy goat in him, you know?
0:15:51 > 0:15:54- And he'd get a bit, "Wahey," you know, which was wonderful.- Yeah.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Yeah, I think that's all I've got from him,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59actually, is the giddy goat bit. THEY LAUGH
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- Sometimes.- I mean, Harry Worth was your dad's favourite.- Yeah.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06But did you have some classics? Did you grow up with some great comedy?
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Comedy, slightly later.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- I mean, I think earlier on, I was into Thunderbirds.- Yeah.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14- Before that Fireball XL5.- Oh, yes.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16And Stingray.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18# Stingray! Stingray!
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- BOTH:- # Da-da-da-da-da. # - Yeah.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22# Marina
0:16:22 > 0:16:25# Aqua Marina. #
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- I loved her. I was in love with her. - Oh. You was in love with her?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- I was in love with Marina, yeah. - It was a puppet!
0:16:30 > 0:16:32LAUGHTER
0:16:32 > 0:16:35And Lady Penelope. She was a puppet too.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Yeah, so you wasn't a Benny Hill fan, Eric Morecambe & Wise...
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- Morecambe & Wise.- Tommy Cooper? - Tommy Cooper. Loved Tommy Cooper.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45In fact, I think Tommy Cooper was the time we started being allowed
0:16:45 > 0:16:46to watch a bit of ITV.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49But Morecambe & Wise, absolutely essential viewing.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53And then a little bit later, Dave Allen with his stories.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54Dave Allen was great.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56I think he lived in Henley as well.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58- Oh, really?- Yes, I believe so.
0:16:58 > 0:16:59My sister ended up working in the
0:16:59 > 0:17:02NatWest bank and she said, "He is always in there!
0:17:02 > 0:17:05"Him and George Cole, they are always in there, making me laugh."
0:17:05 > 0:17:08And then, of course, it all changed when The Pythons came along.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- Mm-hm.- Oh, overnight, you know?
0:17:11 > 0:17:15You know, everybody at school watched it, you know,
0:17:15 > 0:17:16and talked about it the next day.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20It was one of those things that galvanised the nation, I think.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28This next choice is something that used to bring a little
0:17:28 > 0:17:30bit of magic into your life.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Ooh!
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- ON TV:- 'Strike three and they're two away here in the sixth inning
0:17:35 > 0:17:37'as the bags remain loaded with wet lay.'
0:17:37 > 0:17:38I'm ready.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- Ready for what? - My first driving lesson!
0:17:41 > 0:17:45'Dick York and Elizabeth Montgomery's bewitching performances
0:17:45 > 0:17:47'made the show an immediate hit.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50'The writing was punchy and hilarious.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53'It was a winning formula, acknowledged when Elizabeth
0:17:53 > 0:17:55'was nominated for four Golden Globes
0:17:55 > 0:17:57'in the space of six years.'
0:17:57 > 0:17:58I am.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01I mean, I was until I found out they were going to televise the game.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04I'd be perfectly willing to forget the whole thing,
0:18:04 > 0:18:05after all, why should I learn how to drive
0:18:05 > 0:18:08- when I already know how to fly. - Sweetheart, we've been through
0:18:08 > 0:18:10all this. You should learn to drive
0:18:10 > 0:18:12because the way you fly is for the birds.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15I remember one night, it was Fireworks' Night,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18it was Bonfire Night and we had gone outside and we're all dressed
0:18:18 > 0:18:22up in our sort of little gloves and things
0:18:22 > 0:18:25and scarves and little hats.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27We'd done sparklers outside
0:18:27 > 0:18:30and we came back in and I remember watching this,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34eating baked potatoes and sausages, for the first time
0:18:34 > 0:18:37and just remember thinking, "This is the best thing on Earth."
0:18:37 > 0:18:41- "I'm in heaven."- And then at the school, they had this big field
0:18:41 > 0:18:43and they did this huge fireworks display.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47I think it was for the town, really. It was over the valley.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50That was quite a memorable night, that. But it started with
0:18:50 > 0:18:51baked potatoes and Bewitched.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Look at it this way, I get where I want to go faster,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56I save money on gas and oil
0:18:56 > 0:18:58and I always find a parking space.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00You should learn how to drive because the normal wife
0:19:00 > 0:19:03uses normal transportation. It's part of the American dream.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05All right, all right, you win.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10What do you think was so appealing about those shows?
0:19:11 > 0:19:15It's very light. I think Dick York is a great kind of energy.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18This poor fellow who was always going to be outmanoeuvred.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21- HE LAUGHS - Yeah, I mean, without a doubt.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24If you are married to a witch, what do you expect, you know?
0:19:24 > 0:19:25- I know.- But so good-natured as well.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- ON TV:- 'Left-hander gets the sign. And then...'
0:19:28 > 0:19:29THUNDER CLAPS
0:19:29 > 0:19:33'I can't believe it! It's raining.'
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Can you do the nose?
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- LAUGHTER - Let's show them how to do it.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47- There you go.- Yeah, I don't think...
0:19:47 > 0:19:49- I'm more a...more a muzzle man. - Yeah, yeah.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- Time for one of your family favourites.- All right.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03LOUD CHATTER
0:20:03 > 0:20:05- Is it Kojak?- Yes, it is.- Oh-ho!
0:20:05 > 0:20:08- I would try not to miss this. - There he is, Telly Savalas.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11- "Who loves you, baby?" - Telly Savalas. "Who loves you?"
0:20:11 > 0:20:13You let all the other cats go.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- Hands, behind.- Why I got to get busted?
0:20:16 > 0:20:18'Just check out the acting and the action.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21'It's no wonder that Kojak won a whole host of Emmys
0:20:21 > 0:20:25'and Golden Globes when it blasted onto our screens in the '70s.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26'The flair in the writing
0:20:26 > 0:20:30'and the acting was almost as good as the flares we saw on screen.'
0:20:32 > 0:20:33- And the lollipops.- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36He always had a lollipop and you know why?
0:20:36 > 0:20:37He was trying to give up smoking.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39- Oh, is that right?- Yeah.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Actually, I think... Yes, I remember that. I remember seeing him
0:20:42 > 0:20:45interviewed by Parkinson, talking about it, yeah.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Meantime, Benny, can you tell me why an expensive piece of manpower
0:20:48 > 0:20:50like myself should be chauffeuring you around, huh?
0:20:50 > 0:20:53It's heavy, lieutenant. I mean, like millions, maybe.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Millions? Millions of what?
0:20:55 > 0:20:56Diamonds.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00'Kojak's popularity has certainly stood the test of time.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04'"Who loves you, baby?" made TV Guide's top 20 catchphrase list
0:21:04 > 0:21:09'almost 30 years after Savalas' last episode was made.'
0:21:09 > 0:21:11And how old was you when you were watching this?
0:21:11 > 0:21:14- Ten, 11. It was Saturday night, wasn't it?- Yeah.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16It was Saturday night. It was like get all your stuff done.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Yeah, go and play a bit of sport in the morning,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21run around in the afternoon, get in, have something to eat,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24but make sure that you've finished eating
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and done the washing up by the time Kojak comes on.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29- Yeah.- There they go. Ba-ba! Yeah, great stuff.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38But Kojak isn't the only famous star who is follicle-ly challenged.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40From Hancock's Half Hour
0:21:40 > 0:21:42to Alf Garnett in Till Death Us Do Part,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45noble-domed Warren Mitchell
0:21:45 > 0:21:48was a BAFTA and a Laurence Olivier award winner.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Nicknamed "old baldy", Patrick Stewart is not only
0:21:53 > 0:21:57renowned as a Shakespearean stage actor, he is also the captain
0:21:57 > 0:21:59of the Starship Enterprise
0:21:59 > 0:22:02boldly going where no man has gone before.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09He might be a baby, but he is a very funny and clever baby.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Matt Lucas came to the fore as George Dawes on Shooting Stars
0:22:13 > 0:22:17and his shiny bald star has continued to rise ever since.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25And proving that two bald heads are better than one,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29the butch, baldy, baddies Steve McFadden & Ross Kemp
0:22:29 > 0:22:34kept EastEnders fans entertained as the Mitchell brothers.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39All going to show that bald is not only beautiful, but brilliant too.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49We're moving onto your next clip now. This is a movie.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53This is your biggest influence and here's the film.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Oliver!
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Oh, yeah. Ollie.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- He looks good, doesn't he? Oliver Reed?- Wonderful.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- Great film, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10'Ollie Reed's brooding performance as the villainous
0:23:10 > 0:23:15'Bill Sikes has got to be one of the most famous in film history.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19'Not many actors can make such an impression while saying so little.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28'Based on the Dickens novel Oliver Twist,
0:23:28 > 0:23:33'this 1968 movie adaptation proved its popularity by being
0:23:33 > 0:23:37'nominated for 12 and winning six Oscars.'
0:23:38 > 0:23:39Absolutely magnetic.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Saw this in the cinema two or three times with my mum, I think,
0:23:43 > 0:23:48and she loved the musicals. And we had the record.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50You couldn't get videos and DVDs in those days.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Yeah, when they started showing this on telly, it was, "Oh, yes."
0:23:53 > 0:23:58I loved anything Ollie Reed was in, I just loved his ability to
0:23:58 > 0:24:04kind of be on screen and not say much and just exude such power.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07- Charismatic.- Very charismatic.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Oh, there he is again.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11There's Jack Wild, God bless him.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16Oliver is back.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Look at his togs.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21'Even the younger members of the cast gave brilliant performances.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23'Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger
0:24:23 > 0:24:28'who was nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe.'
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Cool, look at this!
0:24:33 > 0:24:34I'll bank it for you.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36What's that?
0:24:39 > 0:24:43- That's mine, Fagin.- No, no. No, my dear. Mine.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Ours. You shall have the books.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49You hand it over, you avaricious old skeleton.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50Do you think Oliver Reed inspired you?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Oh, yeah. Definitely, yeah.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54This movie in particular?
0:24:54 > 0:24:56I think so, yes.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58But did it make you think, "Do you know what,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00"this is what I want to do. I want to be an actor"?
0:25:00 > 0:25:01No, I mean, I didn't know you did that.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03I thought... Now and again, I thought,
0:25:03 > 0:25:04"Ooh, I'd love to be a singer,"
0:25:04 > 0:25:07but I don't... I didn't know anybody who did it
0:25:07 > 0:25:10or how you did it professionally. No.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12I mean, even later, when I went to college
0:25:12 > 0:25:14and I was studying drama,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18even then, I was thinking, "I wonder what I'm going to do," you know?
0:25:18 > 0:25:21It was only, I think, in the final year of my degree, I thought,
0:25:21 > 0:25:25"Oh, maybe I'll have a crack at that."
0:25:25 > 0:25:26Yeah?
0:25:26 > 0:25:31- Yeah.- Have you ever crossed over to musical theatre over the years?
0:25:31 > 0:25:36Very early on when I started doing theatre and doing rep, you know,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39and a couple of seasons of rep,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43I was in Jesus Christ Superstar and things like that in the theatre
0:25:43 > 0:25:46and pantos. I know you are a big panto man, aren't you?
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- Well, I've had my moments.- Yes. I suppose that's a bit of a regret,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51really, that I, you know, didn't do more.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I mean, panto is great fun, isn't it?
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Well, it's not too late. I could see you as Widow Twankey.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59- HE LAUGHS - I could see you there or as Baron.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Well, I'd have to go into training. Oh! You've got to be fit, haven't
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- you?- Well, it is a bit full-on. - Doing two shows a day, for...
0:26:06 > 0:26:08- Yeah, two shows every day.- Yeah? - Yeah.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Yeah, so you just get on with it, you know? Do you find yourself...
0:26:11 > 0:26:14you know, leaning towards a good villain?
0:26:14 > 0:26:17- You know, if you're watching a film? - Oh, yes.- "That's a good villain."
0:26:17 > 0:26:19- Yeah, I like a villain. Yeah. - Really?- Yeah.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23- What is that about?- Well, it depends what it is, really, doesn't it?
0:26:23 > 0:26:26If there is a kind of glint and a kind of a bit of a...
0:26:26 > 0:26:30If you can see where they are coming from, it helps, I think.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35But certainly to play villains are, I think, a lot more interesting.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38So, who is your favourite TV villain?
0:26:38 > 0:26:42- Ooh, what, ever?- Yeah.- Ooh. Ooh.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Oh, it would have to be Ian Richardson
0:26:44 > 0:26:46in the original House Of Cards.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50- Oh, right. - "I couldn't possibly comment."
0:26:50 > 0:26:54- Yeah.- "You may well be thinking that, but I couldn't...
0:26:54 > 0:26:56"I couldn't possibly comment." Wonderful scheming.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Why do you think he is so good?
0:26:58 > 0:27:02- Because it's so subtle? - Yeah, probably and it's...
0:27:02 > 0:27:06And also it's the situation, you know? He's prime minister.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10He's, you know... Or he's attempting to get rid of the prime minister,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12so he can become prime minister.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15- It's great political affairs of state.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18- Skulduggery.- Yeah.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27We're going to move onto your break now. This is your...
0:27:27 > 0:27:32an early TV clip of yourself as Mad Mick.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Oh, yes.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39# If you're blue and you don't know where to go to
0:27:39 > 0:27:41# Why don't you go where fashion sits?
0:27:43 > 0:27:44# Putting on the Ritz. #
0:27:46 > 0:27:49- Came out of a stage show called Bouncers.- Yes, I remember.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- I did go and see that.- Right.
0:27:56 > 0:27:57So...
0:27:57 > 0:28:00they are reopening that disco, are they?
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Look at that. What an entrance.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Let's see how long it stays open this time, shall we?
0:28:07 > 0:28:11The last two others lasted five hours
0:28:11 > 0:28:13between them.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15It's a good look, Richard.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Anyone who takes my costume is going to finish up
0:28:20 > 0:28:22in the end bed of the infirmary.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24Hey.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29If you happen to be passing the hospital,
0:28:29 > 0:28:31stitch this up!
0:28:32 > 0:28:35LAUGHTER
0:28:37 > 0:28:41I wouldn't like to cross you, Richard.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46- Wow.- I mean, what do you base characters like that...?
0:28:46 > 0:28:47Cos you're not like that.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50You are kindly Richard that we all know and love.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53But where does that come from?
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Got it playing in the front row of rugby, I think, yeah.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59"Come here, then. Let's go." HE MUMBLES
0:28:59 > 0:29:01Maybe a bit of that.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03I remember...
0:29:03 > 0:29:08I haven't seen that for about 30 years or since it was on, really.
0:29:08 > 0:29:13- Yeah, fun times, fun times.- Yeah. - But he was a complete psychopath.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15LAUGHTER
0:29:15 > 0:29:18- Him or you?- The Ritz. No, him, him. Yes, yes.
0:29:18 > 0:29:19No, I think you captured it there.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22I mean, you are suitably evil enough.
0:29:22 > 0:29:23Did you love playing that part?
0:29:23 > 0:29:27Yeah, great fun. Great fun. I think it was quite popular.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Oh, no, it was very popular. I remember seeing it.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32I remember somebody told me it got something like...
0:29:32 > 0:29:38It was BBC Two and I think it got 4.2 million one week, but...
0:29:38 > 0:29:42- I don't think the top brass at the Beeb liked it.- Really?
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Yeah, they were going to make a second series called
0:29:45 > 0:29:49The Continental and then halfway through preparation for that,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52they said, "No." They decided they didn't want the series.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54They are just going to do a Christmas special.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Said, "OK, fair enough." Onwards and upwards, on to other things.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59And you have gone onwards and upwards.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01I mean, Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04- That was straight after this, actually.- Was it, really?- Yes.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08- Yeah, yeah. - And you enjoyed that?- Very much.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10A very different way of working.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- Cos half the characters weren't there, were they?- That's right.
0:30:13 > 0:30:14Exactly. And it took...
0:30:14 > 0:30:19Because of that, the filming was that much more complicated.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23And not only that, we were filming on stages which had
0:30:23 > 0:30:29a kind of a gap underneath for puppeteers and they had gantries
0:30:29 > 0:30:31for puppeteers above us.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34And then we had to film at different speeds.
0:30:36 > 0:30:37Roger.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40'Who Framed Roger Rabbit really pushed the boundaries
0:30:40 > 0:30:43'when it came to mixing live action and animation.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47'And considering the actors often had to play to cartoon characters
0:30:47 > 0:30:51'that weren't even there, the quality of acting is incredible.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55'Pretty hair-raising stuff for Richard
0:30:55 > 0:30:58'who played wisecracking Angelo
0:30:58 > 0:30:59'and there he is.'
0:30:59 > 0:31:01# I...I love to... #
0:31:01 > 0:31:03I forget how many scenes I was in.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05What, five, six, seven scenes, something like that.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08I was there for about two or three months, I seem to recall.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10- Really?- Yeah, it was very, very detailed.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Imagine what Bob Hoskins must've been going through.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Oh, he was delightful, but, yeah,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18going slightly loopy with the acting to fresh air, you know?
0:31:18 > 0:31:22So, those sort of tough roles, you know,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25- I mean, you've done of few of them. The Planet Of The Apes.- Yes.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29How did that come about? I mean, did you have to go and now study apes?
0:31:29 > 0:31:30How I got the role was, I think
0:31:30 > 0:31:35I'd been working with Andy Serkis on video games with
0:31:35 > 0:31:39performance capture, the thing that he made famous with Gollum
0:31:39 > 0:31:41and Weta Workshop in New Zealand.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43What is performance capture?
0:31:43 > 0:31:47It's this thing where you're put in a very tight, very tight suit
0:31:47 > 0:31:49and they put dots on all of your joints
0:31:49 > 0:31:51and they put dots all over your face.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53And then you have, I think,
0:31:53 > 0:31:57it's something like 360 cameras surrounding you.
0:31:57 > 0:31:58It's called The Volume.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01It's a technical word, The Volume.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04And they track your movements and they track your face.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08So, everything you do can then be captured on computers
0:32:08 > 0:32:13and mapped onto a puppet, which is an amazing way of working.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16And what's been great working with Andy is
0:32:16 > 0:32:20watching the technology develop through the years.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23You know, when we started in Wellington, it was..
0:32:23 > 0:32:25They'd put these little silver balls on your face,
0:32:25 > 0:32:27a bit like those cake decorations, you know?
0:32:27 > 0:32:30"We are just going to stick these on with tweezers and a bit of glue,"
0:32:30 > 0:32:35you know like that. In certain parts where your face moves.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38- Yeah.- You know. So, you'd have something like 50 or 60 of
0:32:38 > 0:32:42these dots, but then as the technology evolved, they were able
0:32:42 > 0:32:45- to do it with reflective paint. - Oh, right.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47So, by the time we got to Planet Of The Apes,
0:32:47 > 0:32:51you'd have a mask in the morning and they'd drill holes in it
0:32:51 > 0:32:56and then just kind of spray paint the dots on your face.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58So, and...
0:32:58 > 0:33:02I think, I had something like 370 dots on my face.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Big face.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06See? Big face. Yeah.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08- Well, shall we have a look at you in Planet Of The Apes?- OK.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10- Let's have a little look.- OK. Yeah.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18'2011 saw the release of Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes,
0:33:18 > 0:33:22'the first reboot of the world-famous franchise.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27'And here comes Richard as the silverback gorilla Buck.'
0:33:31 > 0:33:33HE GROWLS
0:33:33 > 0:33:35What is going through the gorilla's mind at this point as he's
0:33:35 > 0:33:37let out of the cage?
0:33:38 > 0:33:41This is freedom for the first time for him for years.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43- Yeah.- From Caesar.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52HE GRUNTS
0:33:54 > 0:33:55Go on, then. Go on, then.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12So, that's you running around?
0:34:12 > 0:34:15Hey, listen now. Now then, steady on.
0:34:15 > 0:34:16Some of it is.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19But some of it is also a wonderful Canadian gymnast,
0:34:19 > 0:34:24part of the Canadian Olympic team who did a lot of very fast
0:34:24 > 0:34:27stuff and a lot of up the tree and things like that,
0:34:27 > 0:34:29but, yeah, they got me to do it as well.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32So, how do you master the moves of being a gorilla?
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Some of the performers worked with Cirque du Soleil.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39There is a lovely guy called Terry who developed these adapted
0:34:39 > 0:34:40- crutches.- Right.- Yeah.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43- To make your arms longer.- To give you that stance, yeah.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45To give you that... Because it's quite hard to do the movement
0:34:45 > 0:34:48unless... A lot of it was just learning to work with these crutches
0:34:48 > 0:34:50and learning how to walk and move.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52When I got a phone call from Andy Serkis, saying,
0:34:52 > 0:34:54"Do you fancy coming out to Vancouver
0:34:54 > 0:34:56"to be my silverback on Planet...?"
0:34:56 > 0:34:58I was like... HE STAMMERS
0:34:58 > 0:35:01This is King Kong asking me if I want go...
0:35:01 > 0:35:03I mean, what an honour, what an accolade.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07And we had lots of resource material to watch as well.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09Just get the movement right.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13Did you ever think you'd be playing a gorilla?
0:35:14 > 0:35:17- What do you think your dad would have said?- I don't know.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19- I think he might have quite liked it.- Yeah, yeah.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22The idea of me being an actor. A lot of fun.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25I think I would've just said, "Dad, let your giddy goat out.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29- "Go with it. Come on!"- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33So, Richard, Buck the gorilla is not the most famous animal you
0:35:33 > 0:35:37- have played.- Now, would you be referring to a certain pig?
0:35:37 > 0:35:40I would be. You played Daddy in Peppa Pig.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41The voice of Daddy Pig. Yes.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45Daddy Pig. And so, how did this come about?
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Through a mutual friend.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51I met Phil, the producer, at a gig, actually.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53I think his daughter was playing drums
0:35:53 > 0:35:55and my friend's daughter was playing drums.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57They were big friends at school.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02And he said, "Hold on, we've got something that I think you
0:36:02 > 0:36:06"might be right for. Will you come in and have a test?"
0:36:06 > 0:36:07I said, "I'd love to, yes."
0:36:07 > 0:36:10And soon as you saw it and read the script, you thought,
0:36:10 > 0:36:12"Oh, this is a bit special. This is a bit lovely."
0:36:12 > 0:36:15And he said, "Well, we'd like you to do it."
0:36:15 > 0:36:18But I was just about to start work on Terry Gilliam's Brothers Grimm.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21I said, "Well, I'm...I'm flying out to Prague
0:36:21 > 0:36:23"in about three days' time."
0:36:23 > 0:36:27He said, "Well, we better book a studio, then."
0:36:27 > 0:36:29- So, we did all of the first series in one day.- Really?
0:36:29 > 0:36:32I think we started at about 7.30 in the morning.
0:36:32 > 0:36:33We went through till about eight.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36I mean, they're only five-minute episodes, but even so.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Um, it was great.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41And did you ever think it would be as successful as it is?
0:36:41 > 0:36:44I thought it was going to be successful, but wow!
0:36:44 > 0:36:49I mean who can...who can prophesy that kind of...success?
0:36:49 > 0:36:53- Yeah, should we have a little look? - Go on, then.- Peppa Pig.- Yeah.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55Richard Ridings.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57- PEPPA GIGGLES - Daddy, can we help put up the
0:36:57 > 0:36:59picture?
0:36:59 > 0:37:02You can watch and then you'll learn how to do it properly.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04First, I need a tape measure.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10'Here's a typically hilarious example of Daddy Pig's antics.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13'Trying to do the right thing to help out around the house,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16'but as usual, it doesn't go quite to plan.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18'Poor Daddy Pig.'
0:37:18 > 0:37:20DADDY LAUGHS
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Feels like the character was written for you, Richard.
0:37:23 > 0:37:24It does, doesn't it?
0:37:24 > 0:37:28Stand back, children and watch a craftsman at work.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31'So clever, the guys who write... Mark and Neville who write this.'
0:37:31 > 0:37:34- SHE SNORTS - Don't break the wall, Daddy.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37DADDY LAUGHS Don't be silly, Peppa.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39LOUD BANG
0:37:39 > 0:37:41HE SNORTS Easy as pie.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45CRACKING Oh. It's not meant to do that.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Why are they so clever to write?
0:37:47 > 0:37:52I think to find something for a preschool audience that appeals
0:37:52 > 0:37:56so much to parents as well...
0:37:56 > 0:37:58LAUGHTER
0:37:58 > 0:38:00- Oh, Daddy. - SHE SNORTS
0:38:00 > 0:38:02Now you really have broken the wall.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Hm.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06Do you think Mummy will notice?
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Oh, yes, I think she might.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11LAUGHTER
0:38:11 > 0:38:13He seems to get himself into a lot of scrapes, Daddy Pig.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17- Oh, absolutely. Yeah.- Yeah.- And... HE LAUGHS
0:38:17 > 0:38:20I mean, that seems to be one of the central movements of the series,
0:38:20 > 0:38:22isn't it? "Daddy will do it. Watch Daddy.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26"Daddy knows how to do it. Oops. Oh, yeah.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29- "I'm a bit of an expert in this," isn't it?- But he loves his kids.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31- He ADORES his kids.- Hm.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34I think it's beautifully conceived, beautifully written
0:38:34 > 0:38:36and I'm very proud to be involved with it, actually.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Do you ever get recognised for your voice? You ever...?
0:38:39 > 0:38:41It's funny... In the early days...
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Say, "Hang on, you're not Daddy Pig, are you?"
0:38:43 > 0:38:47Do you know... I mean, these days, I think most people sort of say...
0:38:47 > 0:38:48HE MUMBLES
0:38:48 > 0:38:51They kind of know and I love leaving little messages for people.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54But very early on, I remember
0:38:54 > 0:38:57I was in Sainsbury's with Freya, my daughter,
0:38:57 > 0:38:59and out of the corner of my eye, I saw this little girl going,
0:38:59 > 0:39:01"Mummy."
0:39:01 > 0:39:04You know, tugging on Mummy's dress going, "Mummy."
0:39:04 > 0:39:08And then you've got the, "Excuse me, you sound very similar to...
0:39:08 > 0:39:10"to Daddy Pig."
0:39:10 > 0:39:13"Well...I am, you know?"
0:39:13 > 0:39:16You do a little bit of the voice for them.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19The thing that always slightly gets me is the mummies
0:39:19 > 0:39:22and daddies that want to get a photo of you.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25I say, "No, no, don't do that. Don't do that.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27"What would your children or your nieces and nephews want
0:39:27 > 0:39:31"with a photograph of a, you know, balding 50-year-old?
0:39:31 > 0:39:32"They want Daddy Pig."
0:39:32 > 0:39:35- So, I do little voice messages. - Mm-hm.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Richard is not the only famous face to lend his voice to
0:39:42 > 0:39:44a cartoon or animation.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Remember Roobarb And Custard?
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Well, that was voiced by The Good Life's Richard Briers
0:39:49 > 0:39:51way back in 1974.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00He's the greatest, he's fantastic. In the 1980s,
0:40:00 > 0:40:04David Jason was the voice of Danger Mouse in the classic cartoon.
0:40:08 > 0:40:09Nigel Planer went from laid-back
0:40:09 > 0:40:12hippie Neil in The Young Ones
0:40:12 > 0:40:15to laid-back dog Dougal in The Magic Roundabout.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21And what about a man who behaved badly becoming a man who
0:40:21 > 0:40:23could fix everything?
0:40:23 > 0:40:27Neil Morrissey even snagged himself a Christmas number one
0:40:27 > 0:40:29as Bob The Builder.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35So, is it one of the roles that has given you the most satisfaction?
0:40:35 > 0:40:38- Yes.- Really?- Yes. Because it...
0:40:38 > 0:40:42You know, every week, sometimes every day of every week,
0:40:42 > 0:40:44you know, somebody will say, "Would you mind?"
0:40:44 > 0:40:47- "Of course, I'd love to."- Ah.- Yeah.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49- And of course, we have seen you in Dickensian.- Yeah.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53- And have you enjoyed that playing Mr Bumble?- Very much.- Really?
0:40:53 > 0:40:56- It's very...- She's giving you a hard time.- She is giving me a hard time.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58Oh... Ugh!
0:41:03 > 0:41:05What are you watching at the moment?
0:41:05 > 0:41:07At the moment, watching a bit of War And Peace.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Watching a bit of Jericho cos I'm in that as well with ITV.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14- There's nothing wrong with that.- No. - You a fan of Sherlock?
0:41:14 > 0:41:15And Sherlock, of course!
0:41:15 > 0:41:17- Really?- Oh, crikey, yes.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20Yeah, wonderful. Wonderful.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Yeah, I was very disappointed that was just a one-off.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24I thought, "Oh, new series coming."
0:41:24 > 0:41:26No, it was just a one-off, wasn't it?
0:41:26 > 0:41:28I mean, you've worked with some great actors.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30I mean, who was you in awe of?
0:41:31 > 0:41:35Wow, well, Bob Hoskins,
0:41:35 > 0:41:37when I worked with him.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40That was a biggie, but he was lovely.
0:41:40 > 0:41:41Great energy.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43All of The Pythons.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46- The first time I met them I was... - Oh, really?
0:41:46 > 0:41:49I was kind of in awe of Cleese, obviously, and Terry
0:41:49 > 0:41:53and Michael. They are just so sweet.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55Who did you love working with?
0:41:55 > 0:41:58Oh, most people I work with I've loved working with,
0:41:58 > 0:41:59actually, because...
0:41:59 > 0:42:01I'm sure you've found this,
0:42:01 > 0:42:07that a lot of people in our business are just lovely to be with,
0:42:07 > 0:42:11and generous, warm, great fun and creative people.
0:42:11 > 0:42:12But there are a few idiots.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14Now and again. Now and again.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18- Yeah.- I'm not going to name those names. You know who you are. Yes.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Richard, thank you for being my guest.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24- You are, without doubt, a gentle giant.- Oh.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26It's lovely to have you on the show.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30Can I ask you now to pick a theme tune for us to play out with?
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Oh, there are many, many, many I could pick,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36but I think, I think it's got to be The Monkees.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40- The Monkees?- The Monkees!- Really? - Oh, why not? We've had gorillas.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43- Yeah.- The Monkees. I used to love The Monkees.- Yeah?
0:42:43 > 0:42:45The Monkees or The Banana Splits, but I think The Monkees.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48All right, we're going to go out with The Monkees.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50And my thanks to you and my thanks to YOU for watching
0:42:50 > 0:42:51The TV That Made Me.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53We will see you next time. Bye-bye.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58# Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
0:42:58 > 0:43:02# And people say we monkey around
0:43:02 > 0:43:04# But we are too busy singing
0:43:04 > 0:43:09# To put anybody down
0:43:09 > 0:43:11# Wahoo! #