Celestial Toyroom 508/9 (Landscape)
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
screeching sound coming from the engine. EDITORIAL DOWNTIME WITH It also had a poster promoting a local gig — where Peter himself was to sing in a jazz by Alan Stevens PETER MILES band — blu-tacked to the passenger window. "Thank you. That's what I wanted to know." By Dylan Rees “I answer frankly, none of this smarmy stuff, and I say what I believe,” was his opening This issue commences with a previously Peter Miles is a name familiar to most fans remark, setting down the ground rules for unpublished and quite extraordinary of genre television. He appeared in episodes our talk in his second floor flat. interview with Peter Miles. of Moonbase 3, Survivors, Blake’s 7 and had three major roles in classic Doctor Who; most The rooms were filled with trophies from his I say that because, having known the man notably as Davros’ right hand man, Nyder, long career. Flyers and posters from various for over thirty years, I feel that Dylan Rees in the 1975 story Genesis of the Daleks. theatre performances lined the hallway. The has captured him precisely. The warmth, the Peter passed away in February of 2018, but sitting room had shelves stacked with DVDs, humour, the eccentricity; this is Peter relaxed his legacy as the perennial ‘Bad Guy’ was CDs and VHS recordings of his many roles, and in full flow, clearly demonstrating assured in the annals of Cult TV history long and the desk in the corner was piled high that there was much more to him than before then. with correspondence. his signature role as the cold and ruthless Security Commander Nyder would suggest. From someone who worked for Davros, we move on to a boy who employed a Dalek, as Issue 508-9 Ian Scales takes us back to 1980 and the fête Edited by Alan Stevens of Doctor Who. Fiona Moore and I then pick Cover by Andy Lambert up the sink-plunger, revisiting Peter Capaldi’s Proofreading by Ann Worrall encounter with Davros and the Daleks, and Fiona Moore before we all take a trip to John Darley’s workshop for a spot of Dalek building! Postcard by JL Fletcher Published by the Next stop, a Doctor Who forum, and Mathew Doctor Who Appreciation Society Peck’s account of how he sweats blood to Early in 2015, I had the pleasure of spending run it successfully, while Dale Smith has his Layout by Nicholas Hollands an afternoon with Peter at his home in Ealing, own encounter with the darker aspect of All content is © and later at a pizza house around the corner, fandom’s psyche. Which leads us effectively relevant contributor/DWAS where the staff greeted him warmly. They into our final article for this month, where No copyright infringement is intended even offered us a discount because Mr Miles Jez Strickley examines the irrationality was such a local favourite. At the time I was “I still get fan mail for Doctor Who and other of the Cybermen — a study beautifully interviewing people for my book Downtime: things.” Peter seemed truly amazed by his complimented by Andy Lambert’s chilling CONTACT US: The Lost Years of Doctor Who (Obverse popularity. wrap-around cover. DWAS, PO Box 1011, Books). While researching this subject, I Horsham, RH12 9RZ, UK discovered Magic Bullet’s phenomenal Knowing him to be a regular at conventions, I would like to gratefully acknowledge JL or email: [email protected] Kaldor City series, in which Peter gives a I asked if he minded being the centre of so Fletcher’s striking Genesis of the Daleks memorable performance as Firstmaster much attention. postcard, and David Bickerstaff and Steven Landerchild. Producer Alan Stevens agreed Allen for furnishing reference photos of FIND US ONLINE to put me in touch with Peter and he readily “I adore it. Sci-fi fans have such deep respect Daleks and Cybermen for these respective www.dwasonline.co.uk agreed to an interview. for people who do well in their favourite artworks; and also Andy Hopkinson, Alex facebook.com/dwasonline TV shows, and they treat you as if it’s your Moore, Mary Milton and David Bickerstaff It was a bright winter morning when I hopped birthday all the time. They’ve got such a nice (again!), for providing me with some never- twitter.com/dwas63 on the Piccadilly line from my home in north approach. I know I’ve signed many thousands seen-before photographs to illustrate the youtube.com/dwasonline London and headed down to Ealing. Peter of autographs in my life, and I’m not even Peter Miles feature. instagram.com/dwasonline had generously agreed to pick me up from Doctor Who, but I sure have signed them, the station in a car that had seen better days: and everyone who comes in front of me is a door that refused to lock and a suspicious a joy to meet. I haven’t met one awkward - 2 - - 3 - customer, or one strange person, not one. Our conversation then turned to other Sarah Jane Adventures, politicking and bad management, which is It’s amazing.” performers he’d appeared with and admired. and she was jolly good in nothing new at the BBC.” it too, though I have to For Peter, it was not only the fans that were a “I worked quite a bit with Nick Courtney, say, she never seemed Peter also had the good luck to work with delight to be around. He explained that other and I’ve been to lots of conventions with to enjoy her success. As Jon Pertwee and his producer Barry Letts in Who alumni, such as Anneke Wills, were a him. I remember in Coventry, at one of our a person, some people Doctor Who and the Silurians and Invasion of source of great comfort to him: “Although events together, it was announced over the might have called her the Dinosaurs, then later in the 1995 Doctor they know they are only seeing you for the microphone that he had been appointed the ‘a real live wire’, but I’d Who BBC radio play, The Paradise of Death. evening or for the weekend, they sort of President of the Doctor Who Appreciation go further; I’d say she befriend you, because we worked on the Society! I nearly cried, I was so touched for was never able to fully “Barry was an interesting case,” Peter same show.” him. I had such a high regard for Nick, he was relax.” chuckled. “If I was a school boy of 13 or 14, wonderful.” there is a phrase I would use and you’ll know During the course of our chat, I learned that And what of the four Doctor Who actors it; I would say that guy is a ‘goodie goodie’. Peter attended his first convention in the Courtney passed away in 2011, and Peter Peter has appeared alongside? He’s never naughty. Barry Letts quite rightly early 1980s, appearing alongside ‘Davros‘ attended his memorial service: took Doctor Who, and the production of it, actor Michael Wisher. “Sylvester McCoy is terrific. We worked terribly seriously, but he had no sense of “It was held at the chapel in Covent Garden. together on the BBV audio drama Prosperity humour.” It was beautiful too. Very cleverly done. They Island and that was a lot of fun.” placed video screens on either side to display the story of Nick’s life. Tom Baker gave the And Tom Baker? main speech and it was superb.” A faint smile spread across Peter’s face as he reminisced. “I’ve got his biography right there.” He pointed his walking stick at his modest collection of books. “Nick says wonderful things “We were seen as a double act, because I’m about me in it, so I’m the only one in Genesis who could chat up even more touched. It I asked him for an example of this. Davros, query, and even contradict him. We was lovely of him.” “For me he’s a big television star! Seven were a team. Michael Wisher loved working years as Doctor Who, and very good in the “I saw Barry tell off Pertwee once. He said with me and vice versa.” Another Doctor Who star that died the same part; that’s major. It was a real pleasure to to him, ‘Why are you always larking about, year was Elisabeth Sladen… work with him on Genesis. My goodness, he having a good laugh when you’re rehearsing?’ Of course, Peter also reprised his role of certainly knew the script was a masterpiece Jon said, ‘Yes we laugh: it’s about getting the Nyder for the Big Finish mini series I Davros, “That was a bombshell! I think it was a shock and gave it his all.” team to work together; you make everybody in which Terry Molloy voiced Davros. to a lot of people. She, and her husband, relaxed; you make everybody like each other.’ Brian Millar, were only a few doors away from As for Colin Baker, Peter, who worked with He was right of course. “Anybody working with Terry Molloy is going me and, during the times Liz and I worked him for BBV and Big Finish, is sympathetic. Larking about develops to have it easy,” Peter told me, “because in together, I would give her a lift in my car to teamwork. Jon said to my opinion he’s topnotch. I think he’s as the studio, and we would often socialise, but “Colin is a fine actor and very aware that he Barry, ‘We’re never late brilliant at playing Davros as Michael Wisher, she kept her illness very quiet.” will always be the Doctor, but he must have for work, we never muck whom everybody reveres.