Anneke Wills

Next up on my blog site is something special, an interview with Anneke Wills!


For those of you who don't know, Anneke Wills co-starred in many of Britain's best tv shows of the 1960's, such as The Saint (opposite Roger Moore), The Avengers (with Patrick Macnee, Honor Blackman, and Diana Rigg), and Doctor Who (as the companion to the First and the Second Doctors).



Anneke recently had published two autobiographies, Self Portrait and Naked, and they both can be purchased at this website: www.hirstbooks.com



Now, onto the interview:

1. In 1966 you starred alongside Roger Moore for one episode of The Saint. Although you had already been acting for 10 years, how did it feel to land the role? Could you foresee this leading to your ultra-successful TV career?

As an actor one is always hoping that everything you do will enhance your career. Of course, it was more satisfying for me to get the leading roles in the BBC dramas, like “The Primitive” in 1960, but at the same time there was some kudos attached to being in “The Saint” – and great fun to work with Roger Moore, who gave me the nickname “Knickers”...

2. You starred as Polly in Doctor Who from 1966’s The War Machines, until 1967’s The Faceless Ones, witnessing the Doctor’s first ever regeneration (from William Hartnell into Patrick Troughton). What was it like to work with 2 different actors playing (essentially) the same role?

Of course, this was the first time The Doctor had regenerated, so that in itself was nerve-wracking, because the bottom line as an actor is that you just want to be in work, and we weren’t sure whether the British public would accept the transformation. For Michael Craze and I, all the fuss about it paled into insignificance because we got to work with Patrick Troughton, who was such a nice man, and a great actor. Pat reinvented the role, and really set the standard for future Doctors. It was also a relief, because William Hartnell had become difficult to work with because of his illness, so the atmosphere on set changed overnight.

3. All of your Doctor Who episodes, excluding The War Machines, are either completely lost or incomplete. How does that feel to you? Would you like to view the lost episodes, should they be recovered?

To be perfectly honest, I have lost and had to let go of so much in my life, that a few Doctor Who episodes, for me, is neither here nor there. Of course, for the fanbase, it’s frustrating to not have a complete collection, but how many people do have a legacy from work they did 40 years ago? A tangible downside is that I miss out on the fees for the DVD commentaries! But there’s always hope that the episodes are out there somewhere... in an Australian cellar perhaps?

4. In 1963 you starred in The Avengers alongside Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman, and again in 1967 alongside Macnee and Diana Rigg. What are your memories from your time on the show? Do you prefer one episode to the other?

As a young actress, it is always wonderful to work with such consummate professionals as Pat Macnee and Honour Blackman, and I enjoyed flirting with Pat in my pussy cat costume! And it was also lovely to work with the wonderful Leonard Rossiter. One of the great things about acting is the camaraderie between the cast, which I felt in my scene with Diana Rigg – we felt like buddies. I suppose I preferred the first episode, because I had more to do!

5. You have made a return to Doctor Who, both by playing Polly and as a narrator for numerous audio adventures (I loved your work on The Tenth Planet, by the way). How does it feel to return to the Doctor Who franchise?

It feels like complete magic! I feel honoured to be involved, and to have worked with 4 more Doctors, and especially to have had the stories written for Polly (with more to come!). It was a challenging experience to read the whole of the Target book “Doctor Who and The Cybermen”, as this story had - with the exception of me - an all male, multi-national cast – so lots of different voices to do! Reading The Doctor’s lines, as Pat, was a transcendent experience – I felt as if he was sitting on my shoulders, chuckling! In fact, I often feel him sitting on my shoulders chuckling, when I’m at conventions.. his spirit is so pleased to be so fondly remembered.

6. Your two auto-biographies Self Portrait, and Naked, and your work on Doctor Who have made you a fan favourite at conventions the world over. Do you have any plans to visit Australia?

It was the warmth and encouragement shown by fans at conventions which encouraged me to write the books. I love going to the conventions – we’re one big happy family – fans and actors – which now includes Sir Derek Jacobi! If it wasn’t for the conventions, I wouldn’t have stood in the Tardis again 40 years later, and met David Tennant! Colin Baker and I had great fun climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge a few years ago, but as for the future... who knows?

Anneke also has her own website, www.annekewills.com check it out!
I would like to thank Anneke Wills for a really awesome interview, it was a real treat!
Until next time...