BBC Somerset

BBC Somerset Radio

April 14, 2006

listen (external link)

Interviewed by Helen Otter

Helen Otter: Thank you for letting me come to your farm. It's very lovely. We're back in the farm office.

Anthony Head: Yes, the team office. This is where Sarah, my partner, does - it's basically the center of Tellington Touch UK. But it's great actually, I mean, it's come on leaps and bounds. Sarah got involved, oh, about, god, eight years ago. It's basically a way of working with animals and it's an extraordinary way of working with animals. It's very non-intrusive and extremely gentle and yet it's a very high success rate. They did a TV show about the work and her about two years ago called Talking to Animals. Um, and since then there has been sort of a huge upsurge. I think we're the most successful, certainly in Europe and possibly the world and they run courses from here. Because, anybody can do it. People come to learn for themselves with their own animals or sometimes with a view to making a career. But this is sort of the hub.

Helen: And you've got lots of horses on your farm.

Anthony: Yeah. (they laugh)

Helen: Do you have your own horse? Do you ride yourself?

Anthony: I don't ride. I used to ride when Sarah and I first met we used to ride in Richmond Park. I learnt for a TV show. I do know what I'm doing, it's just, um, it's sort of born out of working. It's considered a dangerous sport and I'm thankfully fairly constantly at work, so when I'm in work, it's not advisable to jump on a horse because they're dangerous.

Helen: I also wanted to talk to you about you coming to Somerset. You're not from here originally are you?

Anthony: No.

Helen: So I just wondered why did you decide to settle here. Why did you make it your home?

Anthony: Well actually, we were originally looking in Sussex because Sarah’s grandfather lived in Hastings and she was very, very close to him and our friend Pierce said "Have you thought of Bath?" and Sarah said "Oh yes, we've come out here and Tony's -” I actually worked in Bristol and Bath a couple of times and whenever I've been here, Sarah's come and joined me. We've always loved this sort of neck of the woods and Pierce stopped me there and said "You are going to find a place in Bath" and then went on to describe the house in the minutest of detail and when you walked into the house, it was definitely on.

Helen: And you got here.

Anthony: And we got here and we love it. Absolutely love it.

Helen: Have you gotten to know the county very well?

Anthony: I love it. It's - a long time ago, I did a show up in Derbyshire and I loved the Peak District. I loved the kind of the rawness of it. The stone walls and the sort craggy outcrops and there's sort of a blasted heath feeling about it. Somerset is not that, but it is - it's got a wonderful wildness to it. It’s not been tamed - like there are areas of Sussex which are so Home Counties now that it doesn't read as country any more. But this is farming country, and mining country, and consequently it's, it's got a real - there's a realness about it, sort of - not rawness, but it's got, you know, it's undulating hills, but at the same time, you've got stone walls, dry stone walls and you've got animals on it and it's not pretty-pretty. I love it.

Helen: What's your favorite part of our county?

Anthony: My home, actually. It really is. I mean, it is the most, um I don't know, I've been away an awful lot. I mean when I was doing Buffy, I was away for sort of eight - seven or eight years off and on. And just coming back home was -

Helen: I guess then coming back here was a bit of a treat.

Anthony: Yes, there's something very centering about coming back here. There's one little place coming off the motorway, off the M4, basically there's a place, an outlook that you can see the whole of Bristol/Bath and it's just beautiful. I always save it just until that point (...?) get a good sunset and breath deep. There's something very leveling and kind of just - yeah centering about coming back here.

Part Two (discussing Doctor Who):

Anthony: It is, it's funny and I hope it's scary. I hope I'm scary as the headmaster. What was fun about Mr. Finch was the first scene up was this very interesting meeting with the Doctor and it felt on the page like it was quite subdued, quite - just two people checking each other out and the director said "Don't be afraid, you know you can go quite, quite large on Doctor Who. There are no sort of parameters". I said okay and then played the scene as it felt, quieter and then there were other scenes where I just suddenly - I actually just sort of let rip and see what happens and there was stuff that actually surprised me and there was some stuff that actually surprised the crew. Whether or not - I have no idea if it will read, it may read just way off the scale, it may be less than I thought. I don't know.

Helen: Was it quite daunting to be asked to be part of Doctor Who?

Anthony: Well no, I've done little bits and pieces. I've done, I've read a couple of sort of dramatized books on tape and I did something that was something Doctor Who on the internet at one point with Stephen Fry I think, I did something in that. I've sort of been connected with it off and on for awhile and there was talk about whether I would do it and then there was voting and the Radio Times readers voted me the man most likely and all that odd stuff.

Helen: But you wanted it?

Anthony: When I came back from Buffy, I said unequivocally no. I actually talked to them years ago, years ago before I even went to the States I think and then I met them when they were - when Paul McGann got it and sort of, we talked about it then. Then when Christopher Eccleston decided not to do it for a second term, um, they - my agent came back and said "Well, they are looking at people again, do you want to?" and at that point I went "Well I guess, I don't mind being in the frame." But by that time I think they were fairly set on David and rightly so. I think it's gone a very interesting way. I think Chris Eccleston set it up and David is taking further down the line of, you know, he's more of a romantic hero, which I think is quite interesting.

Helen: So you may well be the Doctor yet then?

Anthony: I think - well, we'll see.

Helen: How much of a fan would you say that you are?

Anthony: Um, I sort of - my - I was a huge fan in my youth. I mean, William Hartnell - when I was a kid, William Hartnell was the most extraordinary thing that ever happened to television and it was super cool.

Helen: To test your knowledge.

Anthony: Oh yes.

Helen: I have a little quiz. I think you're going to do really well at this quiz by the sounds of it.

Anthony: I think I'll probably fail abysmally actually.

Helen: No, you're going to get these. But I've got a prize. If you - there are six questions. If you get three of them right, you can have your special prize.

Anthony: Okay. Is it chocolate?

Helen: Fortunately not. The chocolate won't {...} Okay. What is the name of the Doctor's time and space machine?

Anthony: (fakes not knowing) Ooh, that's a hard one. The Tar - the Tar - something beginning with a T. The Tardis.

Helen: Yeah correct. Okay, one answer. What does Tardis stand for?

Anthony: I have no idea. Time and Radial Dodah - I have no idea.

Helen: Time and Relative Dimensions in Space

Anthony: Cool.

Helen: See I knew that and I don't really watch Doctor Who.

Anthony: Not easy.

Helen: Doctor Who was first shown on TV in which year? Was it 1963, 1973 or 1983?

Anthony: '63.

Helen: How many hearts does the Doctor have? One, two or three?

Anthony: (long pause) Two, I think.

Helen:: Gosh, yeah, correct. One wrong so far. If you answer this one I'll let you go anyway. Who was the first actor to play the Doctor?

Anthony: (answers before the question is even finished) William Hartnell!

Helen: Sixth and final question. What is the Daleks' infamous war cry?

Anthony: That would be "Exterminate".

Helen: Correct. Are you ready for your prize?

Anthony: Yeah, go ahead.

Helen: It's wrapped up and I should just explain a little bit about the prize because I did a little research. There's some weird and wonderful things on the internet and there's lots of memorabilia of you that you can buy. Key rings and things like that.

Anthony: Key rings?!

Helen: Yeah, key rings of you and lots of other stuff. Lots of things, like this

Anthony: Like this

(They both start laugh)

Helen: It's probably going to freak you out but I thought it was really funny.

Anthony: This is good radio. (sounds of a box being opened) This is a picture of me...It's a framed...

Helen: It's a coaster.

Anthony: A coaster? That's very good. Where did you get a coaster of me?

Helen: Actually, it didn't come in time, I ordered it, but I'm going to have to send you it. It's a hand mirror, like a cosmetics mirror with you on the front.

Anthony: (laughs) I must have one!

Helen: Well, thank you for letting me come to your farm.

Anthony: You're welcome.

Helen: And thank you for tea.