Philip on Michael Ball's Sunday Brunch--Highlights
You can still listen for the next 6 days, here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/ball/
For those of you who don't care to or can't, here are the highlights.
These are the songs Philip chose for Michael to play:
Track: DAYDREAM BELIEVER
Artist: THE MONKEES
Album: HEY HEY IT’S THE MONKEES
Label: K-TEL
Reason: The first track he ever got, which was given to him for his 8th birthday, along with the Captain Scarlet SPV car* and he was "happy as Larry".
Track: LONDON CALLING
Artist: THE CLASH
Album: BILLY ELLIOT SOUNDTRACK
Label: POLYDOR
Reason: Best song ever written about London
Track: SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
Artist: ISRAEL KAMAKAWIWO’OLE
Album: FACING FUTURE
Label: BEYOND THE SEA
Reason: Played in last show of Life on Mars and his wife adored it and said he had to play it.
I tried to put spoiler space in after the cut, so hope it worked...
Philip was on promoting his new book, 'Things Ain't What They Used To Be'.
On the book: Publishers asked him to do a biography, but he thought he was "far too young and boring" but wanted a break from acting, so came up with this book comparing the differences between the 70's and now. Includes proof that Curly Whirly's are smaller! (He says the wrapper from LoM has made its way to Ashes to Ashes.) This sent him and Michael off on a rant on how candy is so much smaller now. Philip suggested they were just middle-aged and bitter.
He does an impersonation of his friend Scott Goram from Thin Lizzie, an American, and I'm delighted to say it's a good one! Scott was no help on the book, as he remembers nothing of the 70's. He is, however, thanked in the acknowledgments for being completely useless.
Michael: Do you sing?
Philip: Only as Steve Coogan doing Alan Partridge.
Michael: Because I was going to teach you all the words to Les Miserables.
Philip: What, now?
Michael: Because I was reading, who you'd want to be stuck in an elevator with and you said me so I could teach you all the words to Les Miserables.
Philip: I also suggested that you should do 'Life on Mars: The Musical'! You'd be fantastic!
Michael: *laughter*
On Life on Mars: nothing we haven't heard before. Match of the Day viewing for research... Simm watching The Sweeney...
Michael: It's a western, isn't it?
Philip: Totally.
Michael brings up the 'hoops' line, how it's great.
Michael: Is Harvey Keitel funny enough?
Philip: He's old enough...they cut out before he says 'Hoops', which was a shame. I was hoping Harvey would say, what's the equivalent? Hershey bars?
Michael: TV dinners.
Philip: But it's well received, the American version.
On Ashes to Ashes: The idea was that now Gene will be a small fry in a big pond, rather than a big fish in a small pond. They've moved the show to 1982 in the 2nd series because they've "run out of good tunes from 1981." Hoping for a car chase to Eye of the Tiger... Michael wondered about the A-Team theme turning up. Philip seemed game. They are contracted for a 3rd series. (I did hear this, right? Anyone confirm who listened?)
OK, I went back and listened again. Here's what they said:
Michael: How long can that go on, do you think?
Philip: Well, I think there's one more series in it. I don't want to push it and for Gene to become sort of a caricature. But we're sort of contracted for another series after this, and then maybe we'll call it a quits.
On youth/family:
Michael: Your brother is good! He's the good-looking one!
Philip: *sharp inhale* Steady on!
Michael: You ever worked together?
Philip: No, we figured it would have to be something really quite an event, but I'd love to work with him.
Michael: Could Gene Hunt have an older brother?
Philip: There is that.
Michael: I'm brilliant.
Michael then ruins the end of Cranford. Thanks, Mikey!
They take an email from Helvetica Bold, who writes to wish Philip well and say she is listening with a group in the Railway Arms. Neither Philip nor Michael realizes Helvetica Bold is a Font. Michael declares it a fantastic name.
They talk about how having a different accent in Cranford helped make it clear that he's not just Gene Hunt.
Philip says his character in 'Demons' is called Rupert and is American. Neither Michael nor Philip laughs. Clearly they are unaware that Rupert is the least American name possible. A tribute to Rupert Giles perhaps?
Philip jokes he doesn't take roles in his regular accent.
On Doctor Who: Suggests John Simm would be a great doctor. Michael geekily says he can't as he's the Master. Philip declares he's too old to play the doctor when Michael suggests he should do it.
That wraps up the interview. I was quite impressed with the ease that Philip had in going from accent to accent. He did about 3 aside from his natural in the course of the 30 minutes. They were laughing and joking the whole way through. Sounded like a lot of fun, but all Michael's interviews do!
*I don't know what this is. Anyone care to decipher?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/ball/
For those of you who don't care to or can't, here are the highlights.
These are the songs Philip chose for Michael to play:
Track: DAYDREAM BELIEVER
Artist: THE MONKEES
Album: HEY HEY IT’S THE MONKEES
Label: K-TEL
Reason: The first track he ever got, which was given to him for his 8th birthday, along with the Captain Scarlet SPV car* and he was "happy as Larry".
Track: LONDON CALLING
Artist: THE CLASH
Album: BILLY ELLIOT SOUNDTRACK
Label: POLYDOR
Reason: Best song ever written about London
Track: SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
Artist: ISRAEL KAMAKAWIWO’OLE
Album: FACING FUTURE
Label: BEYOND THE SEA
Reason: Played in last show of Life on Mars and his wife adored it and said he had to play it.
I tried to put spoiler space in after the cut, so hope it worked...
Philip was on promoting his new book, 'Things Ain't What They Used To Be'.
On the book: Publishers asked him to do a biography, but he thought he was "far too young and boring" but wanted a break from acting, so came up with this book comparing the differences between the 70's and now. Includes proof that Curly Whirly's are smaller! (He says the wrapper from LoM has made its way to Ashes to Ashes.) This sent him and Michael off on a rant on how candy is so much smaller now. Philip suggested they were just middle-aged and bitter.
He does an impersonation of his friend Scott Goram from Thin Lizzie, an American, and I'm delighted to say it's a good one! Scott was no help on the book, as he remembers nothing of the 70's. He is, however, thanked in the acknowledgments for being completely useless.
Michael: Do you sing?
Philip: Only as Steve Coogan doing Alan Partridge.
Michael: Because I was going to teach you all the words to Les Miserables.
Philip: What, now?
Michael: Because I was reading, who you'd want to be stuck in an elevator with and you said me so I could teach you all the words to Les Miserables.
Philip: I also suggested that you should do 'Life on Mars: The Musical'! You'd be fantastic!
Michael: *laughter*
On Life on Mars: nothing we haven't heard before. Match of the Day viewing for research... Simm watching The Sweeney...
Michael: It's a western, isn't it?
Philip: Totally.
Michael brings up the 'hoops' line, how it's great.
Michael: Is Harvey Keitel funny enough?
Philip: He's old enough...they cut out before he says 'Hoops', which was a shame. I was hoping Harvey would say, what's the equivalent? Hershey bars?
Michael: TV dinners.
Philip: But it's well received, the American version.
On Ashes to Ashes: The idea was that now Gene will be a small fry in a big pond, rather than a big fish in a small pond. They've moved the show to 1982 in the 2nd series because they've "run out of good tunes from 1981." Hoping for a car chase to Eye of the Tiger... Michael wondered about the A-Team theme turning up. Philip seemed game. They are contracted for a 3rd series. (I did hear this, right? Anyone confirm who listened?)
OK, I went back and listened again. Here's what they said:
Michael: How long can that go on, do you think?
Philip: Well, I think there's one more series in it. I don't want to push it and for Gene to become sort of a caricature. But we're sort of contracted for another series after this, and then maybe we'll call it a quits.
On youth/family:
Michael: Your brother is good! He's the good-looking one!
Philip: *sharp inhale* Steady on!
Michael: You ever worked together?
Philip: No, we figured it would have to be something really quite an event, but I'd love to work with him.
Michael: Could Gene Hunt have an older brother?
Philip: There is that.
Michael: I'm brilliant.
Michael then ruins the end of Cranford. Thanks, Mikey!
They take an email from Helvetica Bold, who writes to wish Philip well and say she is listening with a group in the Railway Arms. Neither Philip nor Michael realizes Helvetica Bold is a Font. Michael declares it a fantastic name.
They talk about how having a different accent in Cranford helped make it clear that he's not just Gene Hunt.
Philip says his character in 'Demons' is called Rupert and is American. Neither Michael nor Philip laughs. Clearly they are unaware that Rupert is the least American name possible. A tribute to Rupert Giles perhaps?
Philip jokes he doesn't take roles in his regular accent.
On Doctor Who: Suggests John Simm would be a great doctor. Michael geekily says he can't as he's the Master. Philip declares he's too old to play the doctor when Michael suggests he should do it.
That wraps up the interview. I was quite impressed with the ease that Philip had in going from accent to accent. He did about 3 aside from his natural in the course of the 30 minutes. They were laughing and joking the whole way through. Sounded like a lot of fun, but all Michael's interviews do!
*I don't know what this is. Anyone care to decipher?