This week’s DIARY features the first part of an informal interview with the wonderful Derek Fowlds, who reminisced about working with Peter Cushing, as well as many other great names, including Robert Morley, Alistair Sim, Alec Guinness, Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington.
It was an honour to spend an afternoon with the Derek, known to viewers as Mr. Derek from the BBC’s Basil Brush, Bernard Woolley, the perfect foil for Sir Humphrey and Jim Hacker, and more recently Oscar Blaketon, who he played for 18 years in ITV’s Heartbeat.
Derek starred opposite Peter Cushing in Hammer Films’ 1967 gothic shocker, Frankenstein Created Woman and has affectionate memories of the six week shoot. He got to know and respect Peter, an admiration that is just as strong today. In December 1986, while Derek was appearing in Yes, Prime Minister, he received a fan letter from Peter. It arrived out of the blue and is an example of the generosity for which Peter has become known and helped cement the affection that Derek holds for him.
Derek has also recorded an interview for our new documentary, PETER CUSHING: In His Own Words. The film is currently in production and our weekly PRODUCTION DIARIES help to provide updates on progress and insights into the workings behind the scenes. The second part of Derek’s interview, where he talks more about his career will feature in a future edition of our PRODUCTION DIARY.