2 H&H Series, Thursday September 18, 2014

photography Bridget Galton | interview | Peter Davison A Time Lord enters global political battle Actor is ready to question invasion of Iraq in a timely Hare revival, he tells Bridget Galton

eter Davison cannot personal, political speech, there’s escape the prefix Dr no-one to help you, you’re on your in his acting roles – own then someone says, ‘You’ve unless of course he’s just cut out four pages!’” says the playing a vet. affable Davison who has a ready, On the advice of Patrick self-deprecating humour. PTroughton, the well-known actor But as Isis make headway in ■ Hindus at Murugan Hindu Temple, Highgate Hill, carry a sacred statue of deities at the end of a Kavadi famously quit the role of Doctor Iraq, and America once more ceremony Picture: Richard Slater Who after three years to avoid debates its role in the country, being typecast. it’s a deadly serious and timely Luckily his career hasn’t been revival of Hare’s 2006 play which overshadowed by the Time Lord – originally starred although his personal life became and . Richard opens eyes to forever entwined with the series The classic Hare examination when ex-doctor David Tennant of the intersection between public married his daughter Georgia. Now he’s on stage at the Park Theatre playing a medical doctor city’s diverse population in ’s The Vertical Hour – the title inspired by the window of time after a combat catastrophe when a medic can still be of use.

rimrose Hill Druids ‘Scary’ and Hindus in As the 63-year-old rehearses the Highgate are among role of Oliver Lucas, a British the images in an doctor ideologically opposed to the exhibition celebrating 2003 invasion of Iraq, he points out the rich diversity of life in the it’s his first straight theatre role in capital.P 15 years. People In London is a love letter “It’s quite scary, I’ve done a lot to the city from St John’s Wood of musicals recently (Spamalot, photographer Richard Slater, Chicago, Legally Blonde) and featuring 400 images taken over earlier in my career I tried every five years. four years to go off and do some Running at the Royal theatre. But as you get older, time Geographical Society until slips and you realise it has in October 17, the exhibition and fact been 15 years. I am doing my accompanying book are divided best to get these lines in but the into six themes: problem with doing a David Hare ■ Peter Davison played The Doctor Tribal London celebrates play is you want to do it absolutely from 1981 to 1984 ■ Londoners’ social groupings, from Druids on Primrose Hill celebrate the autumn equinox as it’s written. You embark on a Picture: Gary Weaser/Keystone/Getty Images Camden Town punks and Gay Picture: Richard Slater Pride marchers to Royal Ascot Christmas Serpentine swim. “immeasurably for the better”. racegoers. Slater says: “It was a self- “It was a great city but it’s now Faith In London highlights appointed commission. I am a wonderful,” he adds. the co-existing religions, from Londoner, born and brought up “A magnet for creativity and Comedy about lesbians’ quest for Southall Sikhs to worshippers in a here. I love London, its diversity, talent for the whole world. The Whitechapel mosque. vitality and creativity, and I extra nationalities who have come a child needs to be more daring The London Melting Pot think it’s the people who make here have broken down some of spotlights the racial and ethnic it the fabulous place it is. Rather the more rigid social barriers, BREEDERS (Nicholas Burns) to act as sperm diversity of Londoners, and than taking landscapes and widened our horizons and opened St James Theatre donor, with Caroline carrying Celebrating London the many tourist attractions, the idea was us to new ideas – from how we eat ★★★✩✩ the child whose genetic makeup parades and festivals that to photograph people. The Royal to our arts scene. matches her wife’s. They invite take place including the Canal Geographical Society backed “I thought I knew the place Jimmy and girlfriend Sharon Cavalcade in Little Venice, the the exhibition because it’s social but I now realise I hardly knew ow enlightened are (Jemima Rooper) to move in with Notting Hill carnival and Shrove geography – people in their place. anything at all about the city. we when it comes to them, creating a modern family Tuesday pancake races. But it’s also history, recording “You can go from Royal Ascot unconventional families? unit, but tensions arise when the Street London captures the London today.” to a shelter for the homeless in HBen Ockrent’s topical piece conception demands more than energy and drama you encounter Deptford and it’s another world. suggests there are variations that anticipated. on a walk around London, from Themes Some places are so foreign and still have the power to shock, but Ockrent illustrates the laborious street performers in Covent Garden Slater started with “a vague, exotic, I would look around at an Breeders, though frank and funny, nature of this process compared to a Michael Jackson tribute unstructured list of subjects”, but amazing scene like the Sikh new is ultimately too nice to do its to the relative effortlessness of flashmob. crystallising the project into six year in Southall, and think, ‘Can I provocative subject matter justice. heterosexual conception, and And London Surprises are those themes helped focus the direction really be in London?’ Andrea (Tamzin Outhwaite) and Outhwaite passionately conveys seemingly out-of-context spots of his lens. Caroline (Angela Griffin) want Andrea’s frustration at fighting such as urban Brixton’s rustic He believes the city has ■ People in London is free and open a baby that reflects them both, for something that comes so windmill, the Roundhouse’s changed since his days as a Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm and so ask Andrea’s brother Jimmy easily to others. In a moment of temporary beach, and the UCS schoolboy in Hampstead, from 10am to 4pm on Saturdays. Thursday September 18, 2014, H&H Series 3 Clarinet Lessons offered

favourite All Creatures Great and All grades from beginner to Small, playing a hapless young vet in Yorkshire alongside Christopher Diploma levels It was just an Timothy and Robert Hardy. The fame it brought led to Ian Herbert FRAM extraordinary folly. other screen parts including the fifth incarnation of The Doctor, It seemed that and popular series such as The 0207 435 6823 ordinary people Last Detective, At Home with the Braithwaites and Law and Order UK. 07702 420 383 could see what ‘Exciting’ the politicians “Theatre is traditionally where actors spread their wings but I’ve been very What's On lucky to be in several things on TV couldn’t.... One I haven’t wanted to change a word of the great lies of. In theatre you never have to pin down the way you play something, Odeon Camden Town it changes from night to night, it’s Film times for Friday 19th to was that we could Thursday 25th Sept Inclusive exciting. With TV you think, ‘This Opening times: Fri 14:15, Sat- is the take, I have to do the definitive Sun 11:45, Mon - Thu 14:15 be attacked in 45 A Most Wanted Man (15) thing’ and these days you don’t even W/CHAIR AUDIO DESC 2h02m get a rehearsal. Fri 15:15 18:00 20:45 minutes by Iraq “That isn’t so bad because I like Sat 12:00 15:15 18:00 20:45 Sun 12:00 s/t 15:15 18:00 20:45 working quickly and have never Mon 15:15 s/t 18:00 20:45 liked an enormous amount of talking Tue 15:15 18:00 s/t 20:45 Wed-Thu 15:15 18:00 20:45 beforehand.” A Walk Among The Tombstones (15) Although he wondered at the time W/CHAIR 1h54m whether he should have gone on Fri 14:30 17:15 20:00 Sat-Sun 12:00 14:30 17:15 20:00 longer as The Doctor, he was in his Mon 14:30 17:15 20:15 early 30s and “younger actors don’t Tue-Thu 14:30 17:15 20:00 want to hang around that long in case Lucy (15) W/CHAIR AUDIO DESC 1h29m - a great opportunity might appear.” Contains strong bloody violence “I remember in the rehearsal Fri -Sun 17:45 Tue-Thu 17:45 rooms seeing contemporaries of mine Magic in the Moonlight (12A) coming in doing different parts while ■ Peter Davison is starring in The Vertical Hour at the Park Theatre W/CHAIR 1h37m I was still doing Doctor Who. Fri 15:30 18:15 20:30 Sat-Sun 13:00 15:30 18:15 20:30 and private lives - personal philosophy and bring democracy to countries “If I had done it later in life I might Mon-Thu 15:30 18:15 20:30 and global politics - sees Davison’s regardless of whether they want it or have stayed in it until I was dead.” NT Live: Medea (Encore) (PG)(TBC) W/CHAIR 1h45m charming womaniser visited by his are ready for it, regardless that it is a He is happy to continue his Mon 20:00 son and American girlfriend Nadia deeply flawed way of governing that association, attending fan Pride (15) – an ex-war correspondent – whose means governments get elected by conventions, narrating audio CDs of W/CHAIR AUDIO DESC 2h00m - Contains strong language and sex references experience covering the Balkans and less than 50 per cent of the electorate. episodes from his era, and taking part Fri 15:00 20:15 Gulf War prompts her to agree with There is no ideal system but we’ve in the 50th anniversary celebrations. Sat-Sun 20:15 Mon 15:00 17:35 America’s intervention in Iraq. somehow got ourselves to a point “I don’t regret doing it although Tue-Thu 15:00 20:15 “He’s an interesting flawed where it’s the answer to everything in I regret we didn’t have the special The Riot Club (15) character,” says Davison, every country.” effects – that was one of the great 1h47m Fri 18:30 21:00 “He’s lived in a certain way that has Recalling the atmosphere in the UK things about the return. I never Sat-Sun 12:45 15:45 18:30 21:00 brought enormous damage and death. as millions marched against Tony needed to turn my back on it like Tom Mon-Thu 18:30 21:00 The Boxtrolls (PG) He does kind of take responsibility for Blair’s decision to go to war, the actor Baker who did it for seven years and W/CHAIR 1h37m - it and realise what he did within the adds: “It was just an extraordinary found it necessary to close the door Contains mild violence and threat Fri 15:45 marriage and to his son, while also folly. It seemed that ordinary people for a while. But you know the return Sat-Sun 12:15 15:00 defending himself. He bares his soul could see what the politicians wouldn’t have happened without the Mon-Thu 15:45 For details and bookings visit in the end.” couldn’t, as if the closer you got to it original series, the people who grew www.odeon.co.uk or call 0871 2244007 The play is couched as an argument the less you could see the big picture. up watching it like Mark Gatiss and Please be aware you may be between opposing ideas about One of the great lies was that we Steven Moffat who raised the bar in asked for identification whether countries should intervene could be attacked in 45 minutes by the whole quality of it.” in the affairs of others. Iraq. As for that odd coincidence of “Nadia is not a hawk but she “As my character points out, the having an ex-Doctor Who son-in-law, epitomises that Americans have a evidence for going to war came from he admits: “It’s kind of a weird thing, completely different approach to corrupt and dishonest elements when we take the dog for a walk in the Got something to their country. We are generally very within the country who were opposed park together, it kind of freaks Doctor cynical about our politicians, while to Saddam Hussein.” Who fans out.” in America, there is honour in the After training at Central School celebrate? office of President. There is also this of Speech and Drama, Davison’s big ■ The Vertical Hour is at the Park Theatre evangelical approach to intervene break came in Sunday night family from September 23 until October 26.

or just feels pressure to pursue it. More successfully, Tamara Harvey’s lively production draws out organic conflict and tracks shifting sibling, romantic and platonic bonds. Outhwaite and Griffin share a convincing, understated chemistry; Burns is master of the pained reaction as his sister overshares, but also hints at Jimmy’s stubborn irresponsibility; and Rooper commits to Sharon’s bluntness and crippling isolation. A visual echo of building a life through gradual construction work is literal but effective, while the use of Swedish covers of pop songs and ■ Jemima Rooper, Tamzin Outhwaite and Nicholas Burns Picture: Manuel Harlan carols during scene changes is oddly rancour, Jimmy even questions the warrior Sharon that the dire state of brilliant. More of that creative contradiction between her desire to our planet should outweigh desire daring might lift Breeders from cosy Whatever your special procreate and her sexual preference. for children dismissed, and Caroline comedy to true zeitgeist theatre. However, such spikiness is in short afforded only a hint of doubt as to Until October 4. occasion, share it with supply, with a suggestion from eco- whether she really wants motherhood, Marianka Swain .co.uk