1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,679 Speaker 1: Daily bespoke content that you won't find on the radio 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,039 Speaker 1: show The Hurtarchy Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 2: We're talking to so Tony Robinson, actor, author, comedy legend. 4 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,480 Speaker 3: I want to see your faces. 5 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 4: This is this is the bane of our existence. We 6 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 4: have cameras in our studio, but they're not connected to 7 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:18,119 Speaker 4: the system for some reason. 8 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 2: This is New Zealand for you. 9 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 3: That seems pretty pointless. 10 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, you wait till you come down to the Antipathies. 11 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 2: This is the Antipathies. This is how it works. 12 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 4: It sort of resembles the real world, but it's not quite. 13 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 2: It's all the. 14 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 3: Same at the real world, but much further south. 15 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 2: That's right. So Tony, thank you so much for your 16 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,160 Speaker 2: time this morning. It's a true honor to talk to you. 17 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 2: We're so excited about you coming down to New Zealand. Firstly, 18 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 2: can we can we start because I'm a huge fan 19 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 2: and can can can we start by talking about your 20 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 2: television stuff? You've done so many things, but can we 21 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 2: talk about television first in. 22 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, of course. 23 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 2: And the first time I ever saw you was as 24 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:13,319 Speaker 2: playing Balderic in Black Header, and I've always wanted to 25 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 2: know when did you know that Black Header and in 26 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,320 Speaker 2: particular your Baldrick character, which is one of the most 27 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 2: famous characters in British comedy history, was going to be 28 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 2: a hit. 29 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 3: It was ages and ages after I first read the 30 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 3: pilot script. There was a great kerfuffle in getting the 31 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,199 Speaker 3: pilot made, which took the best part of a year. 32 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 3: Then we made the first series, which wasn't a hit 33 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 3: at all. Then we made the second series and the 34 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 3: first time that went out did much better. But then 35 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 3: when the repeats of that series went out, it went 36 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 3: absolutely bonkers. And I still didn't really know. And I 37 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 3: lived down in Bristol. I didn't live in the glamour 38 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 3: of London. And I had a daughter who was about ten, 39 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 3: and I took her to the Autumn Tower's amusement park 40 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 3: in the Midlands, and we've been there about half an hour, 41 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 3: and suddenly word went round that there was someone famous 42 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 3: in the park, and then the kids got terribly drunk 43 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 3: by the idea, although none of them knew who I was, 44 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 3: but they I had been picked out as someone famous 45 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 3: and I had. It was such a frenzy in the 46 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 3: amusement park that eventually they had to send my daughter 47 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,959 Speaker 3: and I away for health and safety reasons, because everyone 48 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 3: had gone so berserk about the fact that I was 49 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 3: there and my daughters you can imagine, was pretty pissed off. 50 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:48,639 Speaker 3: But it was you know, as far as I was concerned, 51 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 3: I was suddenly made aware of actually what had happened 52 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 3: to me? 53 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 2: What did you base your balderic character on? 54 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 3: That's a good question. There's a lot of answers to that. 55 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 3: First of all, I've always been intrigued by the white 56 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 3: face clowns like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and the 57 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 3: way that their faces are very still and you have 58 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 3: to use your imagination to create what's there. And likewise, 59 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 3: a lot of the old movie stars like Carrie Grant 60 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 3: and Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart, they were similar, weren't they 61 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 3: They had very, very still faces which you had to 62 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 3: invest as a viewer in what you wanted. So they 63 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 3: seeing all those sorts of things on Tellian on movies 64 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 3: was one of the very big influences on me. 65 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 4: So is it almost that the viewer gets to fill 66 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 4: in whatever they think your character is imagining? 67 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 3: You know you're talking about absolutely, it's like mask work. 68 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 3: It's like you hear you as a viewer. You hear 69 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,520 Speaker 3: those words, and you look at these still faces and 70 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 3: you project your own movie into them, so everybody sees 71 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 3: something different. It's a bit, you know, maybe that's a 72 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 3: little bit too philosophical for what was actually a knock 73 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 3: about comedy character. But every time anyone that's ever flapped 74 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 3: on a failure a white face, they've been doing the 75 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 3: same thing. 76 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 2: I think, do you look back on that cast now 77 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 2: and think, wow, it was amazing that all of us 78 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:24,160 Speaker 2: were together at that particular moment in them. 79 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 3: All those wonderfully talented people, all of whom were sickeningly 80 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 3: ten years younger than me, and all of them so 81 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 3: sophisticated in what they were able to do, so so 82 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,919 Speaker 3: wise as well in very many ways, and really got comedy, 83 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 3: and it was great. Being among those people was like 84 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,240 Speaker 3: playing for the Spanish national football team. You know, you're 85 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:52,160 Speaker 3: surrounded by this incredible talent and you either raised your 86 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 3: game or you lose, and fortunately it made me raise 87 00:04:58,040 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 3: my game. 88 00:04:58,640 --> 00:04:58,719 Speaker 1: Well. 89 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 4: It almost feels like a no loose situations, like you 90 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 4: use the sporting analogy there, It's like you've got no 91 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 4: choice but to be excellent because you're around all these 92 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 4: other excellent people. You Actually it's almost like you can't fail. 93 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 3: It certainly puts you into a world where failure doesn't 94 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 3: appear to be an option. They were all lovely people 95 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 3: and all very competitive people, so you were in this 96 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 3: very competitive room. I actually learned how to write through 97 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 3: being surrounded by those people who are constantly looking at 98 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 3: the scripts and constantly changing the scripts and saying, how 99 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:36,599 Speaker 3: do we make this funnier? How do we make this better? 100 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:39,160 Speaker 3: And that's what I learned to do. 101 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 2: Have you watched any of the Blackheaders recently? 102 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 3: I seldom. I don't think I ever sit down with 103 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 3: the intention of looking at black Adder, but occasionally, if 104 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 3: I'm walking past a television shop there'll be one on, 105 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:56,840 Speaker 3: or if we're just flicking through the channels, there'll be one. 106 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 3: And I have to say I always use to be 107 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 3: a bit mean faced about it. I always thought, oh god, 108 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 3: you're the worst in this, Toney, But looking at it recently, 109 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 3: I'm proud of it. 110 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 2: How dare you, Tony? You can't say you can't you 111 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 2: cannot say that you I mean by you have got 112 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 2: to say border, border, and British comedy, the great history 113 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 2: of British comedy, and if you went top five characters 114 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 2: in British comedy history. Borderck, to your absolute credit, would 115 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 2: be right up there. One or two. 116 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 3: Perhaps I only rang myself down so that you could 117 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 3: say that. 118 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 2: So I'm reading that you're deep into Alfred the Great 119 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:45,719 Speaker 2: at the moment. 120 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 3: So yeah, so much so. Yeah. The book that which 121 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 3: is one of the things I want to talk about 122 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,880 Speaker 3: because it only came out in September and it's done 123 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 3: really well and it got into the Sunday Times Top 124 00:06:57,120 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 3: ten and that kind of thing. So I really wanted 125 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 3: to show it to you, to you all, And it's 126 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 3: about Alfred the Great. It's the only king we've got 127 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:08,920 Speaker 3: who we call the Great. Why because he was brilliant, 128 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 3: He transformed, He transformed so much stuff that he has 129 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 3: become central to English history. But also he kind of 130 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:19,480 Speaker 3: created England. He was the king of Wessex. He teamed 131 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 3: up with Mercier, which was full of the Angles, which 132 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 3: was the next kingdom. They became the Anglo Saxons. Out 133 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 3: of that they created angle Land. Alfred created England. Without Alfred, 134 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 3: there wouldn't be in England. So I wanted to write 135 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 3: about him. I wanted to write about him in a 136 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 3: funny way. In an energetic way. The observer. The English 137 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 3: observer said that what I've written is a cross between 138 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 3: Game of Thrones and Terry Pratchett, which I think is 139 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 3: a really good, goodbyeline, and so that's what I've done. 140 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 3: So that that's why I've that's why I've called this 141 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 3: show from Blackadder to king Ol. 142 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 4: When I hear you talking about obviously history is a 143 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 4: big passion of yours, and I look at guys like 144 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 4: you that have put out so much stuff over such 145 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 4: a long period of time, and you sort of wonder, 146 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:10,560 Speaker 4: how the hell does someone find time to do all 147 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 4: this stuff? Do You just go from passion to passion 148 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:14,880 Speaker 4: and whatever it does that excites you at the time. 149 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 3: It's exactly that. I've always been one of those people 150 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:21,760 Speaker 3: who's interested in everything. I've got an old hippie friend 151 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 3: who once said, there are no boring things. Everything is 152 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 3: part of the great manifestation of human life that we're 153 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:32,680 Speaker 3: all part of. There are certainly boring ways of talking 154 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 3: about things, and dear God, we've all been confronted by those, 155 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 3: but it's not the thing itself that's boring. What you 156 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,439 Speaker 3: need to do is find the way to make that 157 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,040 Speaker 3: thing exciting and that's what I've always tried to do 158 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 3: throughout my life, and I think it's why I've been 159 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 3: able to make such a variety of different kinds of 160 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 3: television programs which hopefully people who come and see the 161 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 3: show will have seen and we'll want to ask questions 162 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 3: about a whole variety of different things themselves. 163 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: Jeremy Wells, I'm a nice to it. The Hadarchy Breakfast, 164 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: Jerran and I are joined the Conflict the Hodaki Breakfast 165 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:07,959 Speaker 1: discussion group on Facebook for. 166 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 2: More, We're talking to Sir Tony Robinson, comedy Legend. Do 167 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:14,320 Speaker 2: you ever think about luck and about the role that 168 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:15,920 Speaker 2: luck played in your life? I mean the fact that 169 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:20,840 Speaker 2: you were born in England, a country with fantastic written 170 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 2: history that goes back and back and back and back. 171 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 2: That's funny, and you came along at a time when 172 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 2: during when historical comedy I guess was kind of you. 173 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 2: I guess I'm thinking Python, I'm thinking Life of Brian 174 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 2: probably before you and then Blackheader. Have you ever thought 175 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 2: about the role of luck? 176 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 3: Absolutely, the role of luck is is almost total. I 177 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 3: think it was Anne Bancroft who said luck will get 178 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 3: you there, but it's talent and hard work that will 179 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 3: keep you there. And I hope you know I'm not 180 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 3: one to about my talent, but certainly as far as 181 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 3: hard work is concerned, I've always worked very hard and 182 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 3: I didn't become celebrated until I was about thirty eight 183 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 3: thirty nine, so I'd put in a lot of spadework 184 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 3: prior to that. But you're absolutely right to be born 185 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:18,319 Speaker 3: in the time in the country that I was. It's 186 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:19,280 Speaker 3: just fantastic. 187 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 2: When I was growing up in the nineteen eighties, Tony, 188 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 2: we used to watch a lot of TV as a family. 189 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:27,319 Speaker 2: I guess it played a big part in defining our 190 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:31,120 Speaker 2: sense of humor. TV nowadays it doesn't seem like it's 191 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 2: the collective experience that it used to be. Is that 192 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 2: what you're finding as well. 193 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 3: As some extent, I think that's true. But also thank 194 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 3: god we've still got the BBC, and the BBC is 195 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 3: still able to find audiences of twelve to fourteen million people. 196 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 3: I don't know how familiar New Zealand is with Traitors 197 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 3: at the moment, but it's the big news series that's 198 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 3: on over in England and everyone's talking about it. Wherever 199 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 3: you go. You could always have a conversation about it. 200 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:10,720 Speaker 3: So I don't I think what you've described is worrying. 201 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 3: But that collective experience of television isn't dead, certainly not 202 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 3: in England, not yet. 203 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 4: No, Yeah, we do. We've got it, like we do 204 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 4: with all things. Like we said at the top of 205 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 4: this interview, we have our own version of traders. But 206 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 4: it's just a little bit shit. So people don't really. 207 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,840 Speaker 3: Fair enough. Well, I have to say ours is great. 208 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 2: We just struggle to find people who people know to 209 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 2: put on it and the people who do people do 210 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:38,679 Speaker 2: know they can't. They don't want other people to be 211 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:41,079 Speaker 2: talking about them or to be doing anything. That's the 212 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 2: challenge in museum. 213 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 4: How did Jerry's so right about the people don't sit 214 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,680 Speaker 4: down and watch TV the way they used to where 215 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:50,959 Speaker 4: it used to be was a real sort of I 216 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 4: don't know what the right word for it is, but 217 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:55,280 Speaker 4: everybody had the same frame of reference for everything, certainly 218 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 4: back in the blackadded days and things like that. It's 219 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:59,959 Speaker 4: also fractured now. How do you see how much is 220 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,439 Speaker 4: TV change since you started making it? And how much 221 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 4: do you think what's next for TV? Because obviously it's 222 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 4: all online. 223 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, now, television of course, has changed hugely, and the 224 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:20,560 Speaker 3: personnel who work in television have changed hugely. For instance, 225 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 3: behind the screen, for the first thirty or forty years 226 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:28,400 Speaker 3: of my life, it was all blokes. Why was it 227 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 3: all blokes? Just because they made the machinery so heavy, 228 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 3: they said, so the thing was we women can't do 229 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:39,079 Speaker 3: it because they couldn't carry the machines. Hey, how about 230 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 3: making the machines light? And there are lots of new 231 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:50,600 Speaker 3: and different faces on television now, Yes, you don't have 232 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 3: to wait for six weeks before you can see the 233 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:57,160 Speaker 3: whole of a series. There are a million ways in 234 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 3: which television has changed. But I think what you usually 235 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 3: find with technologies is that when a new technology comes 236 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 3: and knocks it the old one off its perch, it 237 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 3: doesn't do that completely. You know, there are still canals, 238 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 3: there are still radios, there are still helicopters, there are 239 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:17,959 Speaker 3: still movies, There is still television. I don't think it's 240 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:20,600 Speaker 3: going to die away. It just won't be the predominant 241 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 3: way that we communicate together anymore. 242 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,480 Speaker 2: You're obviously writing books as well. You've done a million 243 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 2: different things. 244 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 3: Sorry, you want to change the subject now, Borg's. 245 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 2: So the process of writing books so different than the 246 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:40,200 Speaker 2: process of being involved, the collective process of being involved 247 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 2: and television. But what do you like about all of 248 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:47,679 Speaker 2: those things? What do you like about writing solo? What 249 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 2: do you like about working collectively? 250 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:54,160 Speaker 3: What I like about working collectively is working collectively. I 251 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:58,520 Speaker 3: think the great, the great boon of black Adder was 252 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 3: that you had all of these credibly brilliant people in 253 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:05,080 Speaker 3: the same room, working towards the same end for a 254 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:07,680 Speaker 3: limited period of time, and that was just kind of magic. 255 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 3: And to be part of that. What an honor that 256 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:15,360 Speaker 3: that was. You're right, it's almost exact opposite when you're 257 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:20,840 Speaker 3: writing a book. In many ways, it's a deeply lonely thing. 258 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 3: And I had massive imposter syndrome when I was writing 259 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 3: The House of a World Plan. There was nobly around 260 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 3: to say, yeah, you can do it. Oh that adjective 261 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:37,160 Speaker 3: is really good, and oh this chapter is even better 262 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 3: than last chapter. There's no one around doing that sort 263 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:41,840 Speaker 3: of thing. You are wrestling with this thing on your own. 264 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 3: And the great thing about it is is that when 265 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 3: you've done it, it's you who's done it, and it 266 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:53,720 Speaker 3: means that your unique whoever you are, your unique imagination, 267 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 3: has done that, and there's such a reward. 268 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 4: There's something in it as well that when you're reading 269 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 4: a book, you don't get to talk back to the book, 270 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 4: you know what I mean. So the author gets to 271 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 4: put all of their ideas out there completely uninterrupted. 272 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 3: No, no, no, I'm sorry, you're hopelessly wrong. Really damn 273 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 3: Your damned characters talk back at you all the time, 274 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 3: nagging you, saying, I don't know, you want me to 275 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 3: do that. I'm not doing that. My character doesn't do that. 276 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 3: Do you really want me to say that, I'm sorry, 277 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:24,120 Speaker 3: I'm not saying it. No. In one way, you are 278 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 3: totally isolated. In another way, you're surrounded by these jabbering 279 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 3: fools who won't leave you alone. 280 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 2: That's a good point. 281 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 4: I saw a bit more like a As a reader, 282 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 4: you just have to sit there and read what the 283 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 4: author intended. And I don't know, I kind of enjoy 284 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 4: that myself. So when when you get over here, is 285 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 4: there anything you're looking forward to the most about? I 286 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 4: presume you've been to New Zealand before. Is there anything 287 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,520 Speaker 4: you're looking for a number of times? 288 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:53,800 Speaker 3: And I've made quite a few programs, history programs house 289 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 3: in New Zealand. I haven't been to christ Church since 290 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 3: shortly after the earth and I was so amazed by 291 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 3: that early struggle to bring christ Church back to life 292 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 3: with all those containers and with that fantastic art work 293 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:14,440 Speaker 3: of a one hundred and eighty five empty chairs. Is 294 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 3: that still in people's imagination? 295 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Actually, christ Church, 296 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 2: it's the energy now inside of that city. Interesting how 297 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 2: the energy of an earthquake can be devastating but also 298 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:33,200 Speaker 2: brings is a very long tail. Yeah, and there's still more, 299 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 2: there's still residual energy going through that city. It's interesting. 300 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 4: It was very much back on its feet now. You 301 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:40,200 Speaker 4: might not recognize it from when you were here last, 302 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 4: but there is still you know, you can definitely tell 303 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:44,440 Speaker 4: the earthquake went through there. But it is probably the 304 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:46,640 Speaker 4: I don't know, it's probably the best city we've got 305 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 4: going at the moment in New Zealand. 306 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 2: Just said you, yeah, I'd say so. I mean some 307 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:53,239 Speaker 2: people do say that evil travels faster along flat surfaces 308 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 2: and that situation, it can spread itself very very fast. 309 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 2: But certainly in that situation, I think as well, because 310 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:05,000 Speaker 2: all these people came into christ it's to rebuild it. 311 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 2: They brought things with them and it's kind of in 312 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:09,679 Speaker 2: a way, this is a weird thing to say, but 313 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:11,159 Speaker 2: it's kind of almost what it needed. 314 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 3: It's so frustrating for me because you know what these 315 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 3: things are like. This is going to be a whistle 316 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:21,880 Speaker 3: stop tour and what I would really like to do 317 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:24,520 Speaker 3: would be to spend say, three days in Auckland and 318 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 3: a week in christ Church and just get to know 319 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:29,760 Speaker 3: both cities much better. And I'm not going to be 320 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 3: able to, but I'm going to grab as positively as 321 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,720 Speaker 3: I can every minute and have a good old gorp Tony. 322 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 2: What can people expeact from your show? If they come along. 323 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:47,720 Speaker 3: O Chaos the first half of it, it will be 324 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:50,000 Speaker 3: an interview. I don't know who the interviewers are, ye, 325 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 3: I know that they've promised me that they're going to 326 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:55,679 Speaker 3: be really, really good people. I suspect that there'll be people, 327 00:17:55,720 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 3: you know, and they The great thing about getting a 328 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 3: really good interviewer is that they tease answers out of 329 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:08,400 Speaker 3: you that even if you've answered that question a thousand times, 330 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:12,880 Speaker 3: what's Dronak Atkinson really like? What's your favorite archeological dig? 331 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 3: All those things which I kind of slightly wins at 332 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 3: when I'm asked, they ask them in a way which 333 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 3: gets me excited and so hopefully gets other people excited. 334 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 3: So that will be more or less the first half, 335 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:26,879 Speaker 3: and also talking a little bit about the book. The 336 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 3: second half will be a quick Q and A. But 337 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,959 Speaker 3: it does get a bit crazy and fun, and I 338 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 3: like it to be entertaining and slightly controlled, but a 339 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 3: little bit mayhemsque, if there is such a word. 340 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 2: Well, we really look forward to seeing you when you 341 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:44,560 Speaker 2: come down here to Toney Robinson. Thank you so much 342 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 2: for your time. It's been a great pleasure and thank 343 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:49,600 Speaker 2: you for everything that you've done. 344 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,440 Speaker 3: Ano that's all lovely interview, Thank you very much. 345 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:55,399 Speaker 2: And an audience worth Sir Toney Robinson and Auckland at 346 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 2: the Bruce Mason Center on Tuesday the seventeenth of February 347 00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 2: twenty twenty six, christ Church at the Isaac Theater, Royal. 348 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:05,560 Speaker 1: Virgeri and manaiat Catch the Radio show from six to 349 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:07,880 Speaker 1: ten weekdays, The Hadaky Breakfast