The Peter Purves Interview

I always like to remain uncynical. I’m very lucky in my job – or at least the Skaro version of it – that I’m given the opportunity to talk to people who I consider icons – Colin Baker, Mary Tamm, John Leeson, etc… and this week is no different. And I’m equally thrilled.

Peter Purves is a British institution. Maybe not only for his ten Doctor Who stories in the mid 60s, but for his eleven years on the seminal children’s magazine programme Blue Peter and his twelve years on another iconic programme, Kick Start. Add to that a memorable appearance on Ricky Gervais’s The Office and his ever presence safe-hands influence on Crufts, Peter Purves is a living British TV Legend.

When I spoke to him last week, he was amiable, enthusiastic and had a wonderful recall of his time on Doctor Who – as well as his time on his other landmark shows.

Did going to school in Blackpool affect what you wanted to be as an adult? Was acting always the thing for you?

Yes. Blackpool was the Mecca for showbusiness at that time, particularly in the summer. So I saw a lot of shows as a child, and wanted to be an actor from the age of nine.

You’d done a few “one off” roles before Doctor Who – Dixon of Dock Green, Armchair Thriller, Villains… do any of them stand out to you?

Armchair Theatre stood out – it was my first leading role on TV and as it was a character who was a beach photographer from Blackpool, it was the perfect role for me. I also enjoyed my leading role in The Villains, with a good friend of mine, the actor Mike Pratt (Randall and Hopkirk deceased).

And then came a guest role in The Chase… do you know you share a commonality actors Lalla Ward, Freema Ageyman and new companion Karen Gillan as appearing in the series as someone else but becoming a companion soon after? How did this come about?

The director Richard Martin turned me down for a role as a giant insect in an earlier episode of Doctor Who, but promised me a decent acting role if one should come about. It did, he was as good as his word, and I played Morton Dill for him in The Chase, episode 3. It was a successful performance for me, because after the recording, Verity Lambert, the producer, and Dennis Spooner, (story editor) invited me for a drink and offered me the part of Steven Taylor. I have the distinction of playing two different characters in the same serial, because Steven’s first appearance was in episode 6 of The Chase.

How did you approach Steven Taylor? On paper he is of course the replacement for Ian Chesterton, but you brought a lot more to him than that…

I am an instinctive actor, and I just played the character as he came off the page. I liked the idea of Steven, but was disappointed with some of the scripts that didn’t really give the character enough scope or range. Actually there was only one that I really hated and that was my second serial, Galaxy 4

Why was that?

Galaxy Four was as strange story - quite good in its way, but the writer (William Emms) had not been told that I had replaced Jackie and Russ in the series. Consequently the storyline, which had featured Jackie, had been adapted for me to take that role - only it meant Steven was incredibly weak, having been captured by the four Drahvin women. Actually it could have been an imprisonment to die for, but it didn't really make any sense. There were some serious problems , technically, in the studio, so after the euphoria of my first serial (The Time Meddler) Galaxy 4 was a considerable disappointment.

Which were worse to work with, Daleks or Mechanoids?

Both were terrible!

You’re first “full” story is The Meddling Monk – another seminal Who episode in that it’s the first to feature another Time Lord. Where you aware at the time it was something special? What are your memories of it?

I liked the serial and enjoyed working with Bill, Maureen and, of course, the superb and lovely Peter Butterworth. My memories of it are that it was a good job to have got! I had a good time with the character and with the cast.

How important do you think the role of the companion is? Do you think it’s different now from when you did it?

The whole show has changed in concept, and although I think the new stuff is very good, I think it misses some of the original thinking. I liked the serendipity of the Tardis being uncontrollable (ie. Broken) so the Doctor never knew where he was going to end up.

You know, looking at your ten adventures with the Doctor, it strikes me as to how many iconic ones there are, it was a really rich seam being struck. What are your memories of stories like The Celestial Toymaker and The Gunfighters?

The Celestial Toymaker was a favourite right from the start, and Michael Gough was an interesting actor with whom to work. Carmen Silvera was a joy, and the storyline was really very clever. As to the Gunfighters, I didn’t really like it at the time, but I have seen it since, and it is quite a good funny script, and the performances aren’t bad at all. I think it was not much fun to work on because the director, Rex Tucker didn’t give any time to directing me and Jackie Lane. We were the regulars in the cast, and as he didn’t cast us he didn’t pay us much heed or attention.

Did you know of the suggestion that William Hartnell was originally to be leaving during the Celestial Toymaker? (apparently the Toymaker would have ”rearranged” what the Doctor looked like).

The serial was the second attempt to see if the show worked without the Doctor,- they were trying to find a way to write Bill out, but it didn’t happen straight away as you know. Bill took three weeks holiday and only appeared as a disembodied hand after the first episode.

I know that William Hartnell was becoming ill by the time you joined, and I know you must have been asked a million times how difficult he was, but, researching that time, it seems to me you struck a bit of a rapport with him and that, despite his crotchetiness you were able to relate with him. How was he?

I enjoyed Bill’s company, he was kind and generous to me, and we struck up some sort of friendship. He often took me for lunch, and seemed to try to mentor me (I was a very inexperienced TV actor at the time). I watched him persecute some directors, and also have no rapport with a lot of the guesting actors, but with me, Maureen and Jackie, he could be delightful.

In The Dalek Masterplan the role of the companion became somewhat tenuous with both Katarina and Sara Kingdom dying during the episode. What were your thoughts on that? Not usual fare for a children’s series…

Total surprise when Katarina died. I thought she was supposed to have been the new permanent companion replacing the beautiful Maureen O’Brien. Jean Marsh, on the other hand knew she was only going to survive to the end of the serial. It was a good story line in that respect. She was never really the Doctor’s travelling companion, just a character who joined us for a while.

You left with The Savages… was this your choice? What was your thinking behind leaving?

It wasn’t my choice – Innes Lloyd the producer, decided arbitrarily that companions would only stay for 1 year at a time. I wasn’t happy about being written out, and Bill was furious, little knowing that his days on the show were numbered too.

After Doctor Who you continued to act – noticeably returning to Z Cars for instance, and then Blue Peter came along… how did that happen?

Pure fluke really. Two dinner parties that I knew nothing of resulted in my name being given to the Blue Peter Producers who then contacted my agent (actually my ex-agent because they had just said I would have to get some different representation as they couldn’t get me any work!). I then contacted the BBC and was invited to meet Biddy Baxter and her team, and then auditioned a couple of times before being offered the “best job in TV”.

Blue Peter seemed to put on hold your acting career. Was that frustrating? Or were you happy to move into presenting?

After I learned how to do it, I enjoyed being a Presenter. But it was a hard job learning how “not to act”.

You struck up a wonderful rapport with your co-presenters on Blue Peter… what a lot of people consider the “definitive” line-up is yourself, John Noakes, Valerie Singleton and later Lesley Judd. Did you all get on in “real life” as you seem to onscreen?

Yes, and we remain good friends to this day.

The expeditions look both exhilarating and perhaps a lot of hard work… do any stand out to you? What was your favourite/worst?

All of the expeditions were a joy – one of the favourites was the expedition to Morocco. I think it is because we had such a varied time – the stories were fun to work on, and I think Marrakesh is the most foreign place I have ever visited. Quite wonderful and exciting. The worst was probably Brunei. It was a dull country in many ways. The only reason for its existence is the oil, which meant there were many expats working there. The film with the former headhunters in their Long Huts was pretty interesting, and the short film on Jungle survival was fun, but on the whole it wasn’t the best trip I’ve been on.

What do you think the enduring appeal of Blue Peter is?

I have no idea other than the fact that its values have always been good, its production team has been excellent, and there is always a new audience growing into and out of the show.

And I suppose, I should ask the same question about Doctor Who?

That is a bigger imponderable. I have no idea why the show has continued so long, or become such a cult show. It has changed a lot since its inception, yet somehow it has captured the imagination of an ever-growing audience

And during that time you managed to do an awful lot of Doctor Who promotions – even having Jon Pertwee bring in the Whomobile! You knew Jon personally, didn’t you? How did you find him?

I liked Jon a lot. I never really liked him as the Doctor, but he was a splendid man. My wife and I had many a dinner with him and his wife, Ingeborg, both in the UK and on the island of Ibiza. He became a good friend. The last time I saw him was at a convention in Manchester – he had just had some surgery for skin cancer, apart from which he seemed very well.

You left Blue Peter in 1978… was that a personal choice? Why did you leave?

That was my choice. I came home from a holiday in Greece and just thought it was time move on. The producers agreed, and asked me to stay a further six months up until Easter 1978. I did, and the BBC kindly offered me a number of series’ to work on – Stopwatch, We’re Going Places, and Blue Peter Specials. Other shows came along, and the eighties were a very busy and successful time for me.

And then on to Kick Start for, what, 12 years? What are your memories of that?

I was so disappointed when Kickstart and Junior Kickstart ended. The promoter, Nick Brittain, couldn’t get the sponsorship necessary to make the shows. The sponsors changed twice – Norwich Union and Lombard Tricity supported the programme for most of the time, and it was a great show to work on. But it only took a weekend to make the entire series.

You’ve played “a presenter” a few times – maybe due to your own corporate films career – and of course famously appeared in The Office. How did that come about? Did you get to work directly with Gervais and Merchant?

I was asked by Ricky to appear on his Channel 4 chat show from the Trafalgar Studios, and after the show he told me he was planning a series that the BBC had commissioned. I suggested that if he ever needed an old fart like me then give me a call. He did, and I made the corporate video insert for The Office. Great fun, played dead straight, (apart from the last line). I have been asked many times if I objected to one of my old corporate videos being used on the show. It wasn’t old. It was made especially for The Office!

You’re well known for your amiable and enthusiastic willingness to be associated with Doctor Who, even after this time. How have fans been with you?

Very supportive usually – because I haven’t attended a lot of Doctor Who events, I think I am still a bit of a novelty.

Have you seen any of the new series? If so what do you think of it, and the Doctor now?

I am not a regular viewer, but what I have seen looks extremely professional to me. It is shot like a film – when I was in the show it was done as a continuous “as Live” recording – and has all the benefits of modern technology going for it. I like David Tennant and thought he was a good choice. I also liked Christopher Eccleston. But I am not sure about this new 20 something. I’ll give him a chance, but it doesn’t fit the image I would expect..

There has of course been a couple of successful old companions return – Sarah Jane and K9 – and now there are rumours that a “60s” companion is to appear in the new series… could you envisage Steven Taylor reappearing with the Doctor? It would be a nice role reversal, perhaps, and a story to tell…?

I would jump at the chance.

What have you got coming up in the future?

The next big event for me will be Discover Dogs for the kennel Club, and then Cruft’s in the spring of 2010. There will be a number of one-off programmes too, but nothing like a series at the moment. I am still taking the time to publicise my autobiography which has a good section on Doctor Who. It is called “Here’s One I Wrote Earlier” and it is published by green Umbrella. It is still available through Amazon and other good bookshops. I am also making another Doctor Who DVD on The Ark, and have two in the pipeline for release early in 2010. One was with Richard Martin Maureeen O’Brien and William Russell, about the Chase. And the other is of The Space Museum, with Russ, Maureen and the author. They are very good and NOT to be missed.

Do you have a message for the members of Outpost Skaro?

Enjoy the read, and keep on supporting “good, quality TV”.

My thanks to Peter for taking the time to chat.