The Danny Baker Breakfast Show

BBC London Radio

November 28, 2003

Danny Baker: Anthony Head is good enough to be with us. He’s walked into the maelstrom of things. You gotta promote things. I know you have to promote things but sometimes I wonder why I get out of bed in the morning, Anthony.

Anthony Head: (laughing) Good morning.

DB: Listen, this came in earlier on this morning, from Anya (Note - it’s an email). Anya’s telling me how our interview should proceed. Don’t rollout the old chestnuts when Anthony comes in this morning, the coffee advertisement and "Buffy". Ask him something original like did he sympathise with his character in "Spooks" or how about "Manchild? Is he worried about mid-life crises? Would he like to work with partner Sarah Fisher again? Oh, "Peter Pan". There it is, we’ve got the agenda written down for us.

Woman: Who’s that from?

DB: It’s from Anya. And as always it’s helpful to get --

Man: Anya’s Anthony’s agent now.

DB: We played Elvis’s "Didja Ever (Have One Of Those Days Now)" because I understand you had an extraordinary trip here this morning.

AH: Ahhh, yes. Well, I was slightly late for the cab, went down from the hotel room, got in the cab. Bless him, turned it over and it wouldn’t turn over. So I had to get out and push it basically.

DB: Had to get out – latest here on BBC London Transport this morning: Tony Head had to push his cab all the way here. Now we know where Tony Harkins (?) is, he’ll be here any minute. He’s probably coming over Westminster Bridge as we speak. Anyway, thank you very much for joining us in the treehouse this morning.

AH: You’re welcome. Thank you for asking me.

DB: We’ve got plenty to talk about this morning, obviously. So, Peter Pan? You’re going to be Hook of course.

AH: I am going to be Hook. I’m going to be Hook and it’s not going to be a pantomime. That’s for - Let’s get that one sorted right-

DB: It’s an ill-advised time to open it then, at this time of year, isn’t it?

AH: No, because it’s a fantasy play.

DB: Very good. As it should be -

AH: As it should be.

DB: Now let me ask you how well you researched the character. Captain Hook, what was his name before he lost his hand? I would have thought it was Captain Hand. He must have been Captain Hand originally. But this is not going to be a thigh slapping, "Oh yes it is", "Oh, no it isn’t" sort of –

AH: Absolutely. Oh, no it isn’t. It is the play. It’s the original play and we’re doing it in conjunction with "Pirates of Penzance". We’re doing them back to back.

DB: Oh, terrific.

AH: If one doesn’t appeal to one audience, the other one will appeal. Hopefully, we’ll just get a really broad audience coming to both.

DB: What is it like? I’m sitting here nodding knowledgeably about the original play and all that. Is it a little dry? Because sometimes they can – obviously you’re not going to say yes. But I’m thinking of "Hook". They did "Hook" and people wanted ‘business’ "Peter Pan", let’s face it. What is the original "Peter Pan" like?

AH: Well, it’s everything that - people have taken the original play and they sort of added the bits and they make Hook very camp and this sort of rather twee gentleman walking around with a curly wig on and it’s all sort of "boo, hiss" time. All this is, this literally just stripping it back, it’s turning it back into an adventure. It’s a kid’s adventure story. It’s very cool and the designer we’ve got, Francis O’Connor, has done the most beautiful, magical design. So it’s very cool.

MAN: When I was a kid, I was taken to see "Peter Pan" at The Collesium and it was Eric Porter as Captain Hook and Dorothy Tutin as Peter Pan and it is fabulous.

(For the next 5-10 seconds, there are about 3 people talking at the same time and I can’t really make out any of them)

DB: Are all the elements there? Is there a Tinkerbell or has anything been…

AH: There is a Tinkerbell. But there’s not going to be a silly old bell ringing in the wings. You know like "ding-a-ling" (imitates bell sound). Oh shut up, it’s a stage manager! (Everyone laughs)

(At this point they start playing "Yo Ho, Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)" in the background.)

DB: I’ve got to point out that this isn’t from this production. This is just apposite, as far as I’m concerned. How is Hook played? What kind of person is Captain Hook? (laughs). How are you playing him?

AH: Basically, he’s barkin’ mad. He’s been chasing after Peter Pan forever, in Neverland and he’s been chasing him around in this boat and I’m playing him that he’s literally barking mad. We’re changing the image up a bit. The hook is actually going to be something rather nasty.

DB: Yeah, I can understand that working.

AH: I’ve never understood why they sort of do this coat hanger thing, this question mark. I mean, it’s – we’ve got a blade, basically on the end of my stump.

DB: Wasn’t there - JM Barrie - I’ve seen the illustrations that Lucy Atwell did, which kind of softened it right down. Is it quite a hard tale originally?

AH: It’s very dark actually. I mean, it’s bizarre. I think - I don’t know what drugs he was on but he might have been on something. Maybe it was his Ovaltine or something.

DB: Purely taking that Victorian fog. I think that might have had some hallucinogenic effect

Man: Are you Mr Darling as well? Usually they do Hook and Mr. Darling. Even Disney did the same voice.

AH: No. In fact, Stephen Dexter, the director, very specifically wanted – we’ve got David Burt playing Mr. Darling. Mr. Darling’s not – he’s not an authoritarian, he’s just not that well off. He’s got this business dinner party going on and he’s panicking. He’s really, really uptight and stressed. It’s nothing about him sort of giving them a hard time. It was originally, actually Hook was written with a grandmother, a kid’s grandmother in mind, she’s a bit of an authoritarian.

DB: It’s opening December the…?

AH: 15th.

DB: It does sound like a nice palette cleanser for all you fed up with the corruptions and the usual Christmas…

AH: Well, if you want a good, a seriously good adventure, like a mystical, magical experience -

(People talking over each other again)

DB: Panto has its place, of course. I’m not knocking panto. I know when Disney recovered with Beauty and the Beast, we went to see that and all the elements were there. And that, forever in our family is associated with Christmas. There’s no Christmas elements to it, but when you see it, it’s just that element of fantasy rather than a pantomime.

AH: We’ve actually got some kids in the show who were in Beauty and the Beast. And there was a – (laughs and seems to change his mind about saying something). No but, we’ve got a really young cast. All the Lost Boys are actually – there’s no one over the age of 23, I think. And me. (laughs) And Smee.

DB: It’s got to be the devil’s own job though not to go (in an exaggerated voice) "Mr Smee". (Everyone laughs)

Break

DB: Anthony Head’s good enough to be with us to promote the real Peter Pan, which opens on the 15th of December at the Savoy. An absolute delicacy, it sounds. It does sound as if it’s full of the kind of mystical magic that perhaps otherwise gets overblown by Hollywood. You had to push your cab when you got up this morning?

AH: I did.

DB: Are you a physical – can you do that sort of thing? (Tony laughs) I mean, I’m no good at that sort of thing. People think I’d be great pushing a cab or getting under the bonnet and actually fixing it. Can you actually do anything outside of your chosen profession?

AH: I can push a cab, that’s about the size of it. Um, no. I did actually the other day, my car wouldn’t start. I did open the hood and kind of looked at it –

DB: Amazingly enough, there wasn’t a big arrow going, "This bit’s wrong."

AH: Yeah, why isn’t there. It should be flashing.

DB: I don’t look under the bonnet, I look in the arm rest thing where my AA card is and say "’Hello, I’m on the side of the road." Are you handy indoors? Can you do things?

AH: I am a bit of a DIY –

DB: Such as? What have you done?

AH: In our first flat, I did actually build the bed.

DB: Did you? (very surprised)

AH: Yeah, I built a sort of mezzanine thing with a bed in it. The next flat we moved to I said, "Shall I build this one?" and Sarah said, "Please, can we buy it?" (Everyone laughs)

DB: You made your own bed? That’s amazing.

AH: Recently, I helped out with a very dear friend – we had to build a bunny enclosure for six rabbits that came from a local animal shelter.

DB: You’re looking after them now?

AH: Yes. It’s called Bunnyingham Palace and it’s huge…

Woman: How many bunnies do you have now? If you started off with six?

AH: Seven. (everyone laughs)

DB: They tend to go off exponentially. So you built that didja?

AH: Well, I helped. I can’t – I cannot take the credit. But it is a piece of wonder. People go, "And this is for rabbits?" It’s amazing, it’s huge. It’s about thirty feet by fifteen or something.

DB: Now before we come back to Peter Pan, supposing you were skint and that was it. Supposing the Puritans took over again and banned all activity –

AH: Could happen any old time.

DB: Any time. The Puritans said no more acting, that’s it because it’s sinful. What would you turn your hand to? Honestly?

AH: Oh, god. I’d write subversive tracts. "Get the Puritans out of here!"

DB: ---- Any morning when we’re slow, I can play Anthony’s "Get the Puritans out of here." (everyone laughs) Can we do that without any music behind it? Can you say that for me again? And, action!

AH: Get the Puritans out of here.