Brief Encounter with
Kenneth Horne is a recurring role for me, since I played him in a previous show Round the Horne…Revisited for around 18 months. It’s a privilege to play someone of Horne’s stature; after all, he’s often described as the last of the great radio comedians.
How does it differ from previous roles?
The show would be very dull if it were just a museum piece, with voice-appearance-mannerisms slavishly copied. So we try to *give* an impression of the originals rather than *do* an impression. With Horne the challenge is to recreate the wonderfully warm and relaxed relationship he enjoyed with the audience. And to be onself, of course – which is exactly what Horne did. The other actors get to horse around as any number of grotesque characters. But Horne is Horne.
Do you enjoy touring? And if so, why?
Why did you become an actor?
Where did you train?
What was your first part, and where? And your break-through role?
What parts would you ideally like to play after this one?
I wouldn’t mind a return to the saturnine and sinister, actually – just to mix things up a bit.
Jonathan Rigby was talking to Anne Morley-Priestman