Then at twenty-six I was out of work for those nine months and it all came back. 'Of course, we are different in some ways - Madelaine is more romantic than me, I'm as romantic as a plastic chair. Kevin: I think that was huge and it was sprung on me rather that idea. It was my first summer at home since I did Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in 1982. 'I think you will find few actors who actually look forward to filming scenes like that. 'A bit of a lad': Kevin Whately stars as a philandering headteacher in ITV drama The Children. Kevin developed a taste for showbiz as a child, when inspired by their mother, an opera singer and former pupil of the Royal College of Music he and his siblings would perform plays in the garage. He died at 61 and he always looked 80, he said, from the the minute he left RADA. Butso to have a 60 year old sidekick wouldve been slightly odd, I think, and it gave it a nice counterpoint, as you said, to to have a younger Geordie. But as I say, its like a moving train, and then the crew become close pals and family, so you feel you owe it to them to keep going as well, because its a lot of peoples livelihood. "What puzzles me is that I'm much older than John was when he started filming Morse, but I still don't feel grown up. Kevin: Well as I say, John was very shy and hugely experienced as a film actor, so I learned any technique that Ive got from him very quickly. Drinking was very much a way of life. who died from throat cancer in 2002. commemorating one of Britain's greatest mezzo-sopranos who died of cancer in 1953, aged just 41. . In Lewis. He is Vice President of the People's Theatre in Newcastle and has an Honorary Doctorate from Newcastle University. Kevin: I thought the the whole thing it couldve become a bit soapy so in the end I said, Look weve done enough of this Will they? Were the boring centre doing all the routine stuff while they have lots of fun being the red herrings., Thats why the two leads insisted on a bit more grit before they came back. I think it wouldve been difficult to kill him off in the same way as we did with Morse. His apprenticeship to Thaw was more than just on screen, although the age difference was actually less than a decade. 'Geraldine Somerville, who plays Sue, had a tiny baby at the time and the very last thing she wanted to do was a sex scene.'. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. There are more of them for a start, and far fewer parts to go round. 29 Comments Comments: Our rules We want our comments to be a lively and valuable . Jace: What has it been like filming in Oxford over the last 30 years? what was the louvre before it was a museum. Its an important show for ITV because it sells around the globe, says Kevin. He bumped into an American tourist down in Mexico about 3 years ago, who said, Oh, what a fine actor that Donald Whately is, and this tickled Laurence, so from then on I was Donald, and (laughs) he was delighted with that. A Flying Squad officer said to me once, 'Sometimes it takes us three days to get a man to admit his own name, whereas you solve a case in sixty minutes.' He does end up with a new wife, with a new chapter to his life, and I thought that was a fitting way to distinguish the ending as being different from that of Morse. Kathy Tu is our editor. 0:37. Quite a few people came out of retirement to do this series; theres one continuity lady whos been working with me on Morse and Lewis for 28 years. They have two children. Close bond: Kevin with his mother Mary in 1996 as he received an honorary degree 'It helps her to remember and gives us something to talk about, because otherwise the conversation can go round in. Priorities change. And actors tend to be very gung-ho and foolish, so when they were setting that up, were very aware as well that special effects boys, we call them special defects, tend to overpower these explosions, make them much bigger than theyre meant to be, and thats what happened (laughs) in that shot. 'Laurence is outrageous, quickwitted with a wonderful sense of humour. To be honest we we didnt know, when we got that last script and a bomb goes off at one point in the story, we didnt know if one of us was going to be killed (laughs). I am talking about it because I think it is really important that we improve the research and treatment of Alzheimer's.". Theres a hospital near Pinewood Studios called St. Peters and they had a disgusting old Victorian mortuary at the back, which has been knocked down now. Sign up to get the latest news on your favorite dramas and mysteries, as well as exclusive content, video, sweepstakes and more. Laurence and I have decided we dont want to do it. 'All three parts gripped me - although I accept it's increasingly difficult to hang on to a TV audience, in part because there are so many channels, in part because there's barely a subject these days, the soaps haven't covered already, whether it's incest, rape or murder. I never feel that that its goodbye to anyone. Carrying Lewis as its lead opposite Laurence Fox's Hathaway has made him realise exactly how hard Thaw worked. Lewis: Yeah I know. 3 years ago. Hes very quick-witted and can juggle 60 running gags in the air, he laughs. In another episode from 2012, the Starsky And Hutch star appeared as Paul Yelland, a visiting academic found hanged after giving a controversial talk at the university. Jace: And that final episode of Lewis features, as you mentioned earlier, a quite spectacular explosion, which is a real rarity for the show. Maureen who played my wife originally had been at drama school with me, so we were old friends. Whately is best known for his roles as Neville "Nev" Hope in the British comedy-drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Robert "Robbie" Lewis in the crime dramas Inspector Morse from 1987-2000 and Lewis from 2006-2015, his role as Jack Kerruish in the drama series Peak Practice, although he has appeared in . Jace: And what was that first meeting like with John? Madelaine Newton is a British actress best known for her portrayal of Dolly in 1970s BBC television drama When the Boat Comes In. Kevin: I think originally when we started making Morse exactly 30 years ago now, in June 1986, it was quite a risky thing; a 2 hour TV program was unheard of, and and having that amount of time to tell a story was great. Some of the staff are very good, but there are not enough quality care homes, especially for those who cannot afford to pay," he says. Two years ago he filmed what he thought was his absolutely final scene as Lewis. He died in 2004. Half of us are terrible exhibitionists and the other half are terrible shrinking violets.. Did you have any inkling that this would be the start of a 30 year run as this character? Inspector Morse was John Thaws show and Kevin talked fondly of the actor, who died from throat cancer in 2002. Im pretty sure they wont spin Hathaway off; I hope theyll find something totally different for Laurence to do in his own series, but well see what happens. The strength of the casting is such that we do not expect that nice Kevin Whately will be the villain. He would needle away until he found your Achilles Heel and then play on that with with 30 or 40 people at once. He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1993 Queen's New Year Honours List for his services to drama. Kevin: Yeah, it wasnt easy. He and Sheila Hancock married at Cirencester registry office on Christmas Eve. are kevin whately and laurence fox friendsNitro Acoustic. But yes, I can remember the feeling and the trepidation. Jace: Do you think that those changes making him a younger Geordie cop is one reason why his and Morses partnership worked so well on television? 'And, in this case, I was working with actresses who had reason to be anxious. But I haven't been in that position for a long time now. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. "I know what John would have to say," Whately laughs. Doesnt mean that you cant First it felt like a betrayal, but no. I thought, Well, were doing 3 films here, and I recognized it was a great script and that John had a magnificent voice, but thats all I remember thinking about it. What was he afraid of? Although Kevin loves sitting down and watching a DVD with Ivy, he won't be letting her anywhere near The Children. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tonyman 5 Family (1) Spouse "The pub after work was a job information exchange. In 2006, ITV announced that Kevin Whately would get his own spinoff as Detective Inspector Lewis. (Photo by Gareth Davies/Getty Images) Embed. I wake up fresh and stay fresh till the end of the day. And they were right. Kevin: Yeah. Its probably time. Laurence Fox, who plays his sidekick DS Hathaway, was even more categorical, saying that he and Kevin had agreed to call it a day and that it was definitely the end. Are Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox friends? And though we were saddened when Inspector Morse died on screen and the show came to an end, we werent starved of new Oxford mysteries for long. Jace: Its a brilliant call back to the pilot episode that Hathaway turns up to drive Robbie and Laura to the airport, complete with his Lewis sign and . He broke his foot in his teens when he tripped while running for a school bus. Jace: On the topic of sidekicks you told Radio Times a few years back quote, When this whole thing was being set up I said, I wanted a young, female, Muslim sidekick , Jace: I just thought it would be more interesting. It has survived a seismic shift in the careers of Kevin and Madelaine - when they first met she was the star, having played Dolly Seaton in the successful BBC drama When The Boat Comes In, alongside New Tricks actor James Bolam in the Seventies. 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Whately lives in Woburn Sands near Milton Keynes with his wife, actress Madelaine Newton, who starred in the 1970s BBC drama When the Boat Comes In. CLIP: Jace: Now, looking back at the pilot, what was it like to film the first episode of Lewis, which was filled with so many winks at Morse? "I don't want to make out I am some kind of victim of this, that would be pathetic," he insists. Both of his parents died from smoking-related cancers. I was told, Theres no future in acting, son. Acclaimed actor Kevin Whately, who starred in 'Auf Wiedersehen, Pet' and 'Lewis' , says his mum Mary, who died with dementia in 2009, aged, 83, began displaying symptoms at least two years. Kevin's wife, Madelaine Newton, has an extensive acting career of her own, starring in Grange Hill, Look and Read, and even Coronation Street. "Actors were huge boozers, John included. Jace: Looking back, how has Robbie Lewis evolved since you first started playing him 30 years ago? Ever modest, he denied the quality of his acting might also be responsible for the series popularity. Laurence and I see each other regularly now and talk on the phone, and its never goodbye, so in that way its not a sad occasion at all, I dont think. If you fundamentally disagree, then when the initial romance goes, you've nothing to replace it with. "I keep thinking 'Bloody hell, how did John do it'," Whately says. What did you make of how that reveal was handled? But listening to episodes ofMASTERPIECEStudio can help make that commute much more enjoyable! "We'll have to get her in a Lewis episode as some academic or other.". Six years after the Inspector's fictional end and four since the tragic death of John Thaw from cancer, Sergeant Lewis has been promoted to Detective Inspector - and Kevin Whately promoted to. Whately said Inspector Morse ran for 33 episodes and that Inspector Lewis will run for the same number of episodes. I'm getting to the point where I have done it now. Were you happy to go out with a bang as it were? Kevin: Id been asked to come down from the Northeast. What do you feel viewers should make of that shot? Kevin: (Laughs) I think you hit the nail right on the head there, Jace. Awards include C.B.E., a B.A.F.T.A Fellowship and in 1998 a Special Recognition Award. Kevin Whately chooses his words carefully. "With your own children, you love them immediately - and with grandchildren, it's exactly the same. Jace: This week we are joined by Kevin Whately. Kevin's character is involved in disputes with his ex-wife Anne, played by Lesley Sharp - as well as sad and awkward attempts to build friendships with the stepdaughter of his screen partner Sue. The executive producer ofMASTERPIECEis Rebecca Eaton. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Having hit 65, I dont want to work myself to death, which I think is what John Thaw did. Im very proud of what we did, but the reality is that in this country were meant to retire at 55 the police are and Im 10 years (laughs) beyond that age, and so I didnt want to be a 70 year old TV cop really thats the basis of it. Kevin: I loved it because the actual occasion was quite good because the every beyond the set was waiting for it. And I didnt know John at all, so I was getting used to working with John, who was much more experienced than me. Jackie Collins taught me everything I know. Kevin Whately in Lewis and his current co-star Laurence Fox . Agilize seu fluxo de trabalho com nosso sistema de gerenciamento de arquivos digitais. He has a mind like a computer Im a half-wit compared to him., The Morse-Lewis franchise has been a huge hit around the world for ITV, and now theres a third element with Morse prequel Endeavour taking off too. We knew where wed hired it from the first time, and he managed to find it in amongst all the junk at the back. Jace: The final shot of the series is Hathaway turning and walking away alone. However, you have to make such scenes look convincing. Kevin Whately: I didnt think it would work as a character on its own, or as a leading character. . But at least we can share the problems and understand the pressures and the demands it makes on you. Kevin: I think hes pretty much the same character. I was enjoying the retirement, he sighs. Kevin: Um Do you know I dont at all, Jace. Since the diagnosis, Kevin and his brother and sisters have watched helplessly as the disease has taken its cruel toll. Follow. His first great success, though, was as Detective Inspector Regan in The Sweeney (1974). When I saw him (Morse) dead I had a mental flashback of the fifteen years that we had been doing it. 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