Boyd Clack - Interviews
Please Choose From The List Of Interviews below:
Got a question for Boyd?
Jonathan Thomas with Boyd Clack
- Friday 20th October 2006
This interview took place in a coffee shop in Cardiff. Apologies for the somewhat bad sound, I assure you any future interviews will be better quality. For now though, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. P.S. Anyone who wishes to transcribe the interview for us, that would be great!
Listen to the interview in full here
...Or download the entire interview as tracks for your media player and mp3 device here.
Interview Recorded and edited by Jonathan Thomas
Many Thanks to Damien Read for Re-Mastering the recording (Read Music
- Email Read Music)
1. Tell us about yourself, where were you brought up and what made you into the person you are today?
2. What do you love doing most?
3. How did you get into writing and acting?
4. Do you have any strong beliefs, how do they affect your writing?
5. Tell us about how Satellite City started?
6. What was the radio show like and how did it help you make Satellite City into a full blown TV show?
7. Satellite City is the most successful Welsh sitcoms ever to hit our screens, it has hit a sort of cult status here in the valleys of Wales, people everyday ask about the show, how does this make you feel and why is it do you think that it was so popular?
8. What was your favourite episode?
9. Who was your favourite character?
10. Who did you enjoy working alongside the most? Who did you become close to whilst filming Satellite City?
11. You acted in the show as Gwyn, are you and Gwyn similar in personality? Was it fun playing Gwyn?
12. Where did you get the ideas for characters? Are they based on real people? (Lead into family/background) Were the characters based on anybody in particular?
13. Were you 100% happy with the show? What would you have changed?
14. Tell us more about the language and colloquialism's used in the show? How did you come up with such a hilarious script?
15. Why did it come to an end; why did we never get to see Satellite City again?
16. Why have we never been able to get a Satellite City DVD?
17. What's your favourite Satellite City or High Hopes?
18. Drawing on your personal experiences, do you have any advice for aspiring writers and actors?
19. So tell us why you decided to write and act in comedy?
20. The Celluloid World Of Dezmond Rezillo was very experimental and surreal, how did you go from that to writing with more realism that we see in High Hopes? Have you changed as a writer? (Would you say as you’ve got older, you’ve matured as a writer?)
21. You co-wrote Satellite City with Jane, High Hopes and Thick Cut with Kirsten Jones. Why have you chosen to write the material with partners? Do you feel it is important to have a female voice?
22. Among all the characters Bridget is the only character that goes through a major change in her physical look and mannerisms between series 1 and 2. In series 1 episode 5 she is afraid of the “I Skinned my Cousin 5” yet in “Hard Sell” the 1st episode of the 2nd series she suggests watching “Night of the Living Dead”. She has also turned into a ‘Goth’, why is this?
23. Randy is considered by some to be a little annoying on times, why did you choose to place an American in amongst the overtly Welsh characters in Satellite City? What do you think was the benefit of having Randy in the show?
24. Would you considor bringing back the price family in the future?
25. Would it be possible to join the prices up with the hepplewaites for a special?
26. What plans do you have for future sitcoms?
27. What tastes nicer? Beetroot or Ham?
28. So what’s next for Boyd Clack?
29. Boyd's thoughts on the controversy of High Hopes
30. What are your hopes and plans for the future?
The concept behind High Hopes
- Writer Boyd Clack talks about his high hopes for High Hopes
In a nutshell, what is High Hopes?
It's about how society has changed in my lifetime.
When I was a little boy there was a mam and dad, a home, brothers and sisters, caring neighbours and an extended family network. It stood as an example to us as individuals. Now we see that our society has lost its impulse toward mutual self help and the American instinct of unenlightened self-interest has been foisted upon us. Caught in this moral vacuum traditional families fall apart all the time.
So it's about families then?
Divorce and separation are virtually the norm and as a result of this the definition of what a family actually is has undergone a necessary change.
Youngsters sleeping rough often see others in the same situation as being family, and High Hopes is an extension of that.
Our newly-formed family is glued together by a whole mountain of unused love. There are many such groups of people in the world. Not family by blood but family by choice. High Hopes is about one of these.
Where did the idea come from?
The idea for High Hopes came initially from an article in The South Wales Echo about some youngsters finding an old man's body under a stairwell on a Valleys estate.
This then got muddled up in my head with the plight of the homeless, especially young homeless people.
We have a generation of young people cast adrift. They have no security, no love and no hope. This isn't their fault - it's ours.
So does High Hopes have a message?
Both Charlie and Hoffman are living rough due to family disintegration. This sad situation is only too common these days and our society no longer has the safety nets it once had to help these poor little ones. They, themselves, are often driven to petty crime and drugs. They fall easy prey to the unsavoury wiles of unscrupulous adults.
These young people are not aliens, they are us. We ignore their plight at our own peril.
You acted in High Hopes as well as writing it. Have you enjoyed working with the legendary Gareth Gwenlan?
I've never worked with a director like Gareth. He has a natural authority and obvious immense control of what he's doing and it gives the cast and crew real security and confidence.
Why have you used film titles for each episode? For example, the first episode is called Saving Private Ryan?
My writing partner Kirsten Jones is a great cinema-goer and the idea was hers. The titles also give a direction to and an indication of the flavour of the indiviudal episodes.
What makes you respond in a comedic way? What makes you laugh?
There is a thin line between comedy and tragedy. Comedy can open people's eyes to realities they would normally choose to ignore. An example in the series is the episode Primary Colours, which explores racism and the fear and ignorance that fosters it.
To make people laugh by exposing stupidity is a way of making a point because comedy can get past the guard of even the most closed mind. This means you are not just preaching to the converted.
Many comedy writers will tell you that comedy is a profoundly serious business. There is a long and proud history of British sitcoms having essentially tragic roots. Steptoe and Son, Rising Damp and Reginald Perrin are good examples.
This Article is copyright of the BBC and is used only on this site for educational purposes, please take time to view the original article on the Official 'High Hopes' BBC homepage at:
Almost all names, pictures and media are used for educational purposes only, and are copyright to BBC, Boyd Clack, the actors, actresses and individuals mentioned herein.