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THE CHRISTOPHER RYAN INTERVIEW
==============================
ON THE LEDGE
------------
AW. How did you get the part of Martin ? (ON THE LEDGE)
Well, Alan Bleasdale asked me to do it. so did Robin Lefevre who directed
it. I did a play for Robin about 3 years ago at Hampstead. I knew Alan
Bleasdale - I met him in the late 7Os when I was working at the Liverpool
Everyman Theatre. He's asked me to do a couple of things over the years.
So they said was I around and did I fancy it ? Did you see it last night?
AW. I did. I thought it was brilliant. You had the smallest part in it though.
Yeah - well he sort of comes on at the end of the first act having been
summoned by Mal on the telephone then gets to work in the second act.
AW. Did they actually swing you back and forth at the end ? Isn't it
a bit scary ?
Yeah. I thought I might get used to that but I haven't. I've got a harness
on underneath, and a second pair of trousers with a vent at the back to
let the harness through. You probably saw the string. But I'm not attached
to anything, oh no. I've got the harness just for them to grab hold of. So
if they let go, I fly and die.
AW. I thought you'd need to be rehearsing all the time whilst the play was
touring.
No. We rehearsed for 5 weeks solid to start with, from the 11th January.
Then we went to Nottingham and the first week at Nottingham was the
production week where we were technically rehearsing it and getting it ready
and open for previews. All through pr eviews we were adjusting it, a little
bit of re-writing here and there, changing things but now we're on.
AW. So you know all the lines by now.
Oh yes. We had to get those off fairly soon because it's such a technical
piece. Being up there, you don't have a little book in your hand. We did
have the set from the first day of rehearsal - it was already built in the
rehearsal rooms of the National Theatre. We had to have that, because of the
nature of the play - and that's a great luxury in a play to have the set.
Usually, we have tape markings for doors, stairs and everything else. It was
necessary for us though.
AW. Have you enjoyed working on the play ?
Yes, but it's not over yet. After this, we're in Newcastle. Before that we
were in Glasgow, Norwich and spent 5 weeks at the Nottingham Playhouse.
After Newcastle, we go back to the National Theatre in repetoire until
August and there's talk we might be going to Liverpool for a week sometime
in September. There's also an option for us to carry on till December at the
National depending on how it's received, but again nothing's official.
YOUNG ONES
----------
AW. How did you get the part of Nik ?
I was doing a play called CAN'T PAY, WON'T PAY at the Criterion Theatre,
London. Andy De La Tour was - for want of a better term - one of the early
"alternative" comedians. He was an actor and writer as well as the brother
of Frances De La Tour the actress. He was around, and he was in the
alternative comedy set. I wasn't, I was just an actor. They were looking for
someone to play this character, and he suggested me to Paul Jackson, who
directed and produced the Young Ones. He went along to CAN'T PAY, WON'T PAY.
I read and did some improvisations and they asked me to do it.
AW. There's been talk that Peter Richardson was originally down to do it,
and for some reason he couldn't do it and you stepped in.
I heard that rumour, though I've only heard it within the last 5 years. I
didn't know anything about it at the time - I didn't know any of them at the
time. I should imagine it's true because Peter Richardson and Nigel Planer
were a double act called The Outer Limits. Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson
were 20th Century Coyotes so I think that was the idea. I'm sure that was
right. At the time I didn't know - it was just another job for me.
AW. Did you have any personal input into Mike's character ?
Yeah I did. We all did. In a way, Mike was the least defined character. I
think the other characters were extensions of what Rik, Ade and Nigel had
been doing in their stand-up routines, extensions of the characters they'd
developed. Whether Peter Richardson had done something like Mike I don't
know. I felt a bit unseen in the pilot show.
AW. There was a pilot then ?
The pilot show was the first episode. We did the pilot show to see if they
wanted to make a series, and that went out as the first episode. We did
that in February 1981, and it was six months before we found out they wanted
a series.
AW. Is there anything specific you put into Mike's character ?
I thought of the dark glasses. Nothing had been written about what he looked
like or anything. Again, in the pilot show, I was desperately trying to find
something. I said that maybe Mike should be all in black and they said No,
Rik's wearing black because he's an anarchist. I thought if I wore black, it
would be that cool thing - black clothes and all that. Eventually I thought
maybe he's a sports fanatic and I ended up in that first episode wearing
golfing gear - which is quite ironic because that's what I'm wearing in this
play ! I knew at the time that was wrong but as soon as I found a suit then
I began to feel a bit better, that I was on the right lines. So I had a
series of different suits, shirts and ties whereas the other characters had
their own uniforms. In a way, I wish I had had my own uniform. In
retrospect, I could have had a leather jacket - but your ideas always come
afterwards. But him having those changes all the time made him what he was
in a way. My hair was different because of the play I was doing at the time,
and in retrospect I wish I had a wig. Nigel had a wig, Rik had a funny
haircut, Ade had his hair coloured. That was good for them because you knew
where you could go with something. But it was all a long time ago.
AW. Do you still get royalty payments from all the videos and repeats ?
Yes, but I have to say in all honesty it's not a great deal of money.
Apparently it's been shown over the years quite a lot on MTV in America, and
I think the series has been sold to UK Gold so we don't get any repeat
fees from that. I think it's on cable TV in America as well. We get a
couple of hundred pounds and that is it. What the writers get I don't know
but it certainly hasn't made my fortune !
AW. Were you a student ?
Yes, I was a drama student. Never at university. From 1968-1971 at the
East 17 Acting School just outside London. It was an extension of Joan
Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at Stratford East. Historically it was
quite important in British theatre, like the Whirlpool would be today. It
was certainly important in the 1960s. Margaret Berry, who worked at Joan
Littlewood's began a drama school in the early 60s and I was there in
1968. There was a lot of drinking and parties - it was the time of Hair,
just after Sergeant Pepper so it was a strange time and, well I was 18.
There was a lot of sleeping on floors, under army coats and all that sort
of stuff.
AW. Did you use a lot of that in The Young Ones ?
Funnily enough, I really didn't think about that at all. My character
didn't really go to the extremes of the others in a way.
AW. He was the "coolest" one though.
Well, the straight man, or the anchor man for them to come back and bounce
off.
AW. Well, l've?been watching it and I thought you were supposed to be the
"cool, trendy" type of person at the university....
Oh really, I don't know. Drama school's different to university. I think.
I mean, I haven't been to university. Certainly at East 15, it was
very much to do with acting. There was a degree of academic stuff but
there weren't exams as such. If people were into the posing side of
things, if any of that went on - a couple of people came in with bands
around their head a la Hair but they were soon sorted out.
AW. Did you enjoy doing The Young Ones ?
Yes I did. Although I was doing CAN'T PAY WON'T PAY during the first
series so I learnt a lesson there not to do too many things at once. But
of course at the time I was offered the thing, took it and it was a very
good entrance for me into television. But I was also doing 8 shows a
week of a farce, which required a lot of energy. When we did the second
series I wasn't doing anything else and I did enjoy it. I enjoyed it
better the second time because the ground had been broken, the character
had been established towards the end of the first series so I felt more
relaxed going into the second series. As it went on, I enjoyed it more.
I must confess to start with, I though what am I involved with here, what
have I done but I often feel that with jobs anyway early on. It's a
process you go through when you think Oh, have I done the right thing,
have I taken the right track with this character, whatever.
AW. Did you like any of the music bands that were on The Young Ones ?
Yeah, I like Madness a lot. They're very good musicians and very
original. Yes, I liked their stuff.
AW. Trading on their nostalgia value a bit now....
Are they ? I don't know, I'm not really up on what's going on now,
though. At the time, they were just. ... You know, I can't remember
much about who else was on because I saw the episodes when they came out
for the first time on TV, and I've probably seen them once since. I
don't sit down and watch them. Of course, so much else has happened since
then so I can't really remember but I do remember Madness.
AW. Were any of you infuluenced by any comedy acts whilst doing the snow ?
No, I don't think so. I think that they (they meaning Rik, Ade, Nigel
and the?various other people who came into it) were very much of that
time and creating some new thing. I suppose unconsciously they were
influenced by the likes of Monty Python. But as much as by Tom & Jerry,
if you look at all the things Rik & Ade did to each other - the huge
explosions, gas and yet in the next scene they're perfectly all right. I
think that's probably the biggest influence if anything because it was
fantastic in the real sense of the word. Like in The Lion, The Witch and
The Wardrobe when they went into Fantasy, and into Medeival times. I
suppose it was Pythonesque in a sense there but not with the literary
references that Python often had because it was very very clear that
Python came from Oxbridge and I think that ours was more to do with
farts and going to the toilet.
AW. Which bits of The Young Ones did you like in particular ?
I think the University Challenge one was very good. And the sequence
with Rik & Nigel on the train - Crop rotation in the fourteenth century,
I thought that was a beautifully written and beautifully played
sequence.
AW. How do you feel about the fact that while everyone has gone on into
relative superstardom, you've stayed in the theatres and television ?
Well, that's fine. I'm quite happy with that. To me it was another job.
I didn't want to, or attempt to capitalise on that character because I
like to be quite anonymous. l like to be able to go to Marks & Spencers
alone. This comes back to the fact I wish I had a wig at the time and
was more disguised because I am recognised and there's nothing I can do
about that. People say "Hello Mike" and "You're off The Young Ones" and
all that. They're always very nice about it but I don't like it all the
time to be honest with you. So I'm qutte happy playing different parts
which is why I became an actor - to play different people. The thought
of being a "star" doesn't appeal to me either because I do like my
private life and value it. Although I would like to have enough money to
do certain things I don't feel desperate to be a millionaire or
extremely wealthy. As long as I can pay my bills and nip down to
Cornwall every year, if I can, I'll be happy.
AW. Why didn't you appear in FILTHY. RICH AND CATFLAP or the Comic Strip ?
The simple answer to that is because I wasn't asked to. That's fine,
because I wasn't at the Comedy Store or the Comic Strip. I wasn't a
stand-up comedian. The Comic Strip films used a repetory team of people
who were involved in that, and quite rightly. I wasn't part of that.
All I did was to come in and play Mike in The Young Ones. So that's the
reason - because I wasn't part of that set-up. FILTHY, RICH AND CATFLAP
was written as something with Rik, Adrian and Nigel in mind anyway and
I'd never asked. Certainly I don't feel bad about it - in fact I was
quite happy. It left me to be alone to do other things - a couple of
Bottom, Absolutely Fabulous but as different characters.
AW. When you were first contacted to play a part in Bottom, was this
because of your role in The Young Ones ?
No, I don't think so. I think it was a different character. If that was
the case, they would have asked Nigel to play Stoky. But they thought of
me, and asked me if I'd be interested to play this character who comes
in as a friend and I said yeah, and I hope that I've found another
character who's a gentler sort of person and quite innocent. I enjoyed
that. But I also did Waiting For Godot in the Queen's Theatre in the
West End. Again, they asked me if I wanted to do it. It was great, again
another character, another dimension. I like working with them, they
make me laugh. We have fun when we work together and that's important.
In life, you've got to laugh. You've got to have fun.
AW. Were you "having fun" when doing The Young Ones, or was it all very
regulated ?
Oh, we had fun. But at the same time certainly the "dangerous" sequences
had to be very orchestrated and there were special FX people there who
know what they're doing and explain everything at least once. I wasn't
really involved in some of the dangerous things but saw what was going
on so those sequences had to be really clear and well rehearsed, and
safe. There were lots of explosions, fires, decapitations, head through
walls and all that.
AW. And nails through knees.
Oh yes, that's right. I had the nails through the knees.
AW. How was that done ?
With false legs. My legs were tied up behind me under the chair and
there were a set of false legs that were under the chair. Something like
that. They weren't my legs otherwise I wouldn't be here !
AW. You also appeared in an epiaode of Dr. Who
Oh yes, it was a story of.four-episodes - MINDWARP. I was Lord Kiv, a
Reptilian King. Again, that was totally a different character, and
totally disguised.
AW. I don't remember you in that at all....
Well, I hope that means that the character was true....I think I had a
double in that. They had to take a cast of my head, and I had to be
transferred to the other body. Nabil Shaban was the other actor.
AW. You also appeared in Santa Claus - The Movie....
Yes, one of several hundred elves. Four of us were Dudley Moore's
mates, with him all the time. We all had names, we did have lines. I
did have a couple of lines but I was finding something for the
character, like a mute. I said to the director "Give the line to
someone else" and didn't speak at all. So in the end I didn't have
any lines !
AW. Santa Claus has got a reputation for being a bit of a flop...
Oh yes, the film cost $50m apparently or something like that.
AW. Was there the feeling "on set" that the film would be a flop ?
I don't know what the other people thought. We had good fun there
because there were people there we'd worked with before over the
years, people we hadn't seen etc. Several people that I knew. We were
only on it for two months, the film probably took several months. It
was just another job. Every day I'd turn up at Pinewood with all
these other elves having their lunch in the canteen with pointed hats
and reading their newspapers, complaining about their cars breaking
down.
AW. You're in Dirty Weekend, the new Michael Winner film. What are you
in that ?
Oh, yes, very violent film. Again I only play a small part. I've got one
scene, I play one of three thugs who get shot by a woman who's avenging
a death.
AW. What's next for you ?
I might be doing a little bit in an Alan Bleasdale film for television.
He's asked me if I want to do it. Again, it's only a little bit. A barman,
I think, in a club or something. But to me it'll be another character.
AW. Has Alan Bleasdale written it or... ?
No, he's producing it. To be honest, I'm not quite sure because it's all
erm.....
AW. Up in the air ?
No, it's on. But I haven't really had a chance to look at it and go
any further. It's just "Would you want to play a little part in
something ?". But I'm not sure whether it's one he's produced or one
he's written.
AW. Would you consider yourself a TV or theatre actor ?
Well, anything really. But in the theatre, the actor has more control
whereas in television or film, you're at the mercy of whoever edits,
produces or directs. When you're on stage, it's just you and the
audience there. So in a way, the theatre is probably the most satisfying
thing because you feel the immediate response, good or bad and-can
change accordingly.
AW. Have you done anything embarassing because you needed the money ?
Nothing embarassing... I did do a commercial in Spain in 1986 because it
was very good money. I was there for four days, working all the time so
I didn't really see much of Spain. I've done things and regretted them
afterwards, having gone into them with good heart. You do learn from
each experience.
AW. Are you married ?
No I don't know if I ever will be carried. I suppose I'm very
independent. I like being on my own, I like feeling able to go anywhere
at short notice as the manner takes me, if I've got the time. I like
that sense of freedom. Also, this job is not the most secure of
professions, and the thought of having a family or trying to make ends
meet .... a lot of actors have to do other things, some awful things or
rubbish and I do find that because I'm on my own I have the luxury of
being able to choose a bit more.
AW. Have you done anything extraordinarily naughty ?
Nope, I don't think I have. I hope I haven't hurt anybody in my life.
--------
Thanks go to Jenny Mann from the National Theatre for arranging the
interview. If you ever get the chance to see ON THE LEDGE, it's
brilliant !
<C> Andrew Wong 1993. All rights reserved. This document may not be
reproduced in any shape or form without my permission, not even
electronically. Any requests for publication must be sent to :
ANDREW WONG
10 GERLLAN
TYWYN
GWYNEDD
LL36 9DE
U.K.
E-mail : achwong@bradford.ac.uk
---------------------
ADDENDUM - Authors' own notes...
He's gotten a little older - grey hair now.
He was in the Only Fools & Horses Xmas Special as Tony Driscoll of the
Driscoll Brothers, with Roy Marsden. Worked with him at Glasgow in
1974-75.
From reading this interview, he comes across as a bit of a "luvvvy" but
in reality, he seemed like a normal guy who bought me a coffee !!!!
The biography will be placed on the Nets at some stage in my life...
I am currently residing in the US for a year, and will be travelling