Yonderland – Hag’s questions for the Horrible Histories & BILL Stars
Why is it good being in an actor?
Martha Howe-Douglas
It’s good being an actor…well for me because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m lucky enough to be able to do it. But also you get the chance to play lots of different characters. And characters perhaps removed from yourself which is fun and… (Laughs) like dressing up all the time. (Laughs) I used to love dressing up as a child…so now I get to do it and I get paid for it which is lovely.
Matt Baynton
There are so many good reasons. In reference to this show in particular….I get to go to work and spend my time with five of the funniest people I have ever met and every day that I leave the house I know I will spend most of the day laughing. And I can’t think of any better way to spend your time either working or off work than laughing.
So that is probably the best reason I can come up with.
I think fun is the best part of being funny and I think that when people try to be funny it can often be disastrous. But I think that when people try to have fun….the bi-product of that is funny. That’s my little pet theory.
Jim Howick
Its good being an actor before you get to dress up…as many different people. You get to pretend..Ultimately to be as many people as you are lucky enough to play. You can be a cowboy or a pirate or a Knight…..or a policeman. So if you’re young or you’re wondering what you are gonna do when you grow up. Whether or not you’re going to be a fireman or a spaceman….or anything like that, an actor’s a good thing to do because you can play all of them.
Simon Farnaby
(Laughs) It gives you a holiday from yourself. Yeah…you can pretend to be other people…yeah. And there’s not many jobs where you can escape your life…not that you want to…you might have a nice life.
Are we going into something deeper here?
(Laughs) ..I was just thinking…do I really want to say that? (Laughs)
It’s like you can live in an imaginary world. You can stay basically being a kid is the right answer I think.
Larry Rickard
You get to mess around and someone pays you for it. I remember the first time I knew this thing existed and it seemed like an awfully good thing to me. So between writing and acting the things I do, I’m kind of paid to mess and around and it’s nice to know that’s out there. (Laughs)
It’s so much fun and the way we do it…with the guys…it becomes a competition to make each other laugh.
Ben Willbond
Ok…It’s good to be an actor because you get be other people. And in Yonderland it means you get to be lots of different people…..in…You know…every show. That’s why I love it; I get to dress up and be lots of different people every other week.
Dan Renton-Skinner
Well…It’s good to be an actor because you get to play lots of different people….for a job. It means you don’t have to be yourself and you can use your imagination and you can pretend for a living. Pretending for a living is a lot of fun.
If you could go on a real quest what would be?
Martha Howe-Douglas
Oh my goodness me…what would it be? Oh gosh..A real quest? I would go….that’s a hard one.
Are you happy going on this quest?
I guess…yes… this job has been a quest in itself..This is something completely new to me; I’ve never created a show, never written a show….so this has been a quest in itself for me. Obviously Debbie has her own quest within the show…yeah; I’ve certainly gone on a quest…which has been a very enjoyable one.
If a little character came up to you and said would you go on this quest in real life would you go?
Yes I would…I’d be absolutely terrified, but of course I would…you’d be stupid not too (Laughs)
Although as I’ve got older I think I’ve lost my nerve a bit so maybe I need an elf to come and reinjection me with that.
Matt Baynton
Oh wow….well I’d love to visit Yonderland. What kind of Quest? When I was at school I did a topic and whenever we did a topic we had a folder and we did the Vikings. You’d do things on the tools they had the clothes they wore and historical facts and I always got to write a story at the back of it. And it I’d get to write a story on the back of it and it would always involve me and my friends in my class getting dragged through a time…you know…sort of with a time machine…to fight with Vikings. And I wrote one about rescuing Debbie Johnston who was the girl in my class that I thought I was in love with as a 10 year old boy.
I didn’t go on to marry her…no I didn’t….. I think I proposed to her but she wouldn’t have me. She rejected me.
I still feel the same way now…I love the idea of going through a portal and arriving in a magical world. It still holds the same enchantment as it did.
Jim Howick
A real one….on this earth? Ummmm…I’ve always wanted to see Machu Pitchi. Ummm…yeah…I’ve always….though I’ve never been very good with heights. So climbing a mountain…Machu Pitchi is quite high up isn’t it. Or maybe go to the arctic or something like that. Something quite extreme…although as I say I’m not very good with heights so it wouldn’t be climbing a mountain……it would definitely be either on the sea or in the arctic somewhere. Maybe go to one of the Poles.
Simon Farnaby
Umm….it would probably be to find some sort of creature like the YETI. Or the abominably Snowman.
He was in the news again today…I say he…he could be a she?
I’ve always thought that would be a great thing to do….go on a hunt for some sort of mythical beast. And FIND IT!
Larry Rickard
Oohh….that is a good one. I think it would probably be….well…more of an Indiana Jones quest. I’d quite like history and digging things up…hopefully it wouldn’t be one that meant me being crushed by a giant bolder or sword wielding assassins. Yeah…something cool like that ……I’d like to dig stuff up and have a little adventure off the back of that.
Is that how you are retiring then?
Yes…that’s very much my retirement plan with a nice Yacht. When I’ve had a nice days adventuring I can go there.
Ben Willbond
Um….I did a brilliant walk across the Alp a few years ago that a friend of mine arranged and if I had to go another quest it would probably be to find something at the end of the quest. But it would be across the mountains and it would probably be across Napoli or something like that because I love tracking through mountains. I’ve got this sort of Lord of the Rings vision of beautiful mountains and discovering lakes.
Did you do that for charity?
No it was a holiday – but I’d love to do something like that for charity.
Dan Renton-Skinner
Um…well…….that’s a gooden. A real quest? I think it would be to find a creature that has never been discovered. I would go to Africa or somewhere like that and spend a couple of years there and come back with something definitely.
Can I make a suggestion? Have a chat with Simon because that’s exactly what he wants to do.
Is it? (Laughs) I could go with him. Or maybe I could go…..and discover him. (Laughs)
Who is your favourite Puppet of all time?
Martha Howe-Douglas
Ooh…of all time? I was big fan of Orville. Yeah…was a big fan of Orville. I didn’t like Emu…..I was frightened of Emu!
Matt Baynton
That’s a great question……It’s probably Sir Didymus in Labyrinth…and oh well I love Ludo as well. Ludo was played and created by an artist…well he became a visual artist call Ron Mueck. And I never knew that I loved Ron Mueck and I used to go to exhibitions and stuff of his work and it was only years later that I realised he was connected to Jim Henson and stuff.
I used to run around the house doing impressions of him, quoting lines and “Sweet and Fragrant”…you know when he can’t smell the bog of eternal stench that everyone else finds impossible to deal with.
Jim Howick
Of all time? Well Animal I think. I play the drums as well….so he was always a bit of an inspiration. But yeah Animal..Is..Was always my favourite Muppet. It was always a toss between Animal and Fozzy. I always felt a bit sorry for Fozzy…kind of the failed comedian…he’s always the most tragic of all the Muppets probably Fozzy. They’re both quite similar to me…so animal’s probably my favourite.
Simon Farnaby
That’s a good quest? Favourite puppet of all time? Ummm…Could it be…It’s probably one of the Muppets isn’t it? Gonzo…no not Gonzo..Fozzy!
Yeah I think it would be Fozzy….yeah I love Fozzy. I always loved Fozzy as a Kid.
You’re working with the Muppet people…
Exactly..
Your puppets are wonderful..
Incredible aren’t they.
Larry Rickard
Ah…that is a tough one. Um….I always liked one of the Muppets called Sweetums, who was very rarely used. He was this giant…quite terrifying Monster that was sort of full human size and almost all head and mouth. But was very very docile and mainly just said his own name.
For some reason he always appealed to me and I always loved the band in the Muppets and…..Animal.
There was this great energy about him and I liked how he frustrated himself. He was his own worst enemy and got so angry because he couldn’t verbalise that was going on inside and it resulted in anger.
Ben Willbond
Gosh…that’s a really good question. It’s probably the drummer from the Muppet’s….Animal. I thinks it’s just the physicality of it and the big, wide eyed starry…it just captured that….it was of its time. You know….long haired Rock groups….you know what I mean? It just captured that sort of style beautifully.
Dan Renton-Skinner
Ummm…..my favourite puppet of all time is probably Miss Piggy. She’s good isn’t she….she’s pretty good.
Although my favourite Puppet of all time is probably Yoda. Yeah it’s probably YODA….because he’s had the most impact. Miss Piggy or Yoda….but I’m gonna go with Yoda as he’s a Guru.
Did you get the part that you wanted in Yonderland?
Martha Howe-Douglas
I did indeed. I didn’t have much competition (laughs) to be honest…being the only girl. But absolutely, I couldn’t be more thrilled – I think it’s a great opportunity and also it was quite nice to play one character and have a journey as opposed to playing lots of different parts. Initially I was a bit like…ohh, I might want to play other parts, but as it went on it was great..It was one character that has things to deal with rather than playing different people.
Matt Baynton
Well…I got some of them. One of the things we love doing is playing lots of characters. And we get to play lots of characters…but the fun is actually how many we get to do. One day you’re doing something very serious and elderly and the next day a vivacious party man.
Well you are Python for this generation – I think once you do this movie (BILL) I think you will be seen that way. It was the movies that made Python legends.
(The cast in new movie BILL – about Willam Shakespeare’s ‘Lost Years’)
Well…that’s really nice of you to say..But I couldn’t possibly say that….
Listen…all we can do is try and make funny stuff enjoy ourselves doing it. But yeah..You know..It’s often come up…the Python thing as we’re an ensemble doing these things, playing lots of characters.
They are undeniably and influence on what we do along with a lot of other people as well…to tell you the truth. It’s always a huge complement that I fell unworthy of when people mention Python.
The Beatles were the first…and now you have One Direction. Python were the Comedy Beatles – so you are One Direction.
I’m not sure I really know what that means (Laughs)
Jim Howick
Yes…One of them. I think we all had parts earmarked for us early on. So we would kind of lock ourselves in a room, not literally….but we were in a room for twenty months and we came up with the ideas and the story line and then went away and wrote each episode. I think we….our individual ideas…we played the characters we came up with the idea for. The crone is probably one of my favourite characters to play because I’ve always harboured a desire to play a busty old women….We all told the producer the parts we wanted to play. Of course we couldn’t play all of them….but yeah, we were all happy.
Simon Farnaby
Um…yes…and no. I did want to play the baddie and that’s what I’m doing. So that was great…Wizard Bradley is great.
That happens a lot with you doesn’t it?
(Laughs) Yeah..Yeah…Cos I play Death in Horrible Histories. I think I was the natural choice for that part having played Death.
Yeah the Guys…..They actually decided in my absence I would be playing that part. I came back and they were like you’re playing the Baddie and I was like…great.
Larry Rickard
Because I had a slightly different role…because of the writing..I was sort of show running. I was across the scripts from pre-production through to the end of the edit. So I was happy to take quite a back seat in terms of performing. In Horrible Histories …that was a show at first I went on to as a writer, so my role was to play the characters when the others couldn’t. But it evolved in such a way that on Yonderland I got given some roles that were just hugely fun to play….I really enjoyed wizard Bradley and him being a recurrent character. And working with Mojo – who is my favourite of the puppets in the show. There a really fun character…..a Furness fitter and there’s a character called Kendall who appears later in the series who is very eccentric. He’s a kind of Jeweller come inventor and has a slightly strange relationship with some of his inventions. And he was really good fun to play…….a really big silly character.
Ben Willbond
Yes I did…and some I didn’t know I was gonna get. We wrote it all together…we wrote…the scripts were split between all of us. We made a conscious decision to say to the production team to pick the roles for us and it worked out really well for us.
We did a secret ballet…sort of thing…where we e-mailed the Producers and said if it came down to it ‘I’ would love to play…..But effectively…in the end..It all falls pretty evenly.
Dan Renton-Skinner
I did….I got the part I wanted….I only had one part in Yonderland and its nice to play someone that you might consider normal. He puts a suit on and goes to work (Laughs) because I normally work in the more extreme of personalities.
Can you pick one difference between making Yonderland and Horrible Histories?
Martha Howe-Douglas
I think the one difference is we’ve written this..And it’s our thing. Threes a joy to that definitely – it’s our creation. Horrible Histories was brilliant as it was, but we were given the lines other people created for us, we’ve created every character in this and that’s an honour and hopefully people will enjoy it.
Matt Baynton
Puppets…that’s the big difference. That’s the big difference…there are so many…but that’s the big difference.
Do you want to work with puppets for the rest of your life now?
No…Once a year because they’re also a nightmare. They’re all DIVA’s – you can’t find a seat anywhere….cos they’re all lounging around on set drinking whisky.
Jim Howick
One difference between Horrible Histories and Yonderland? Well…it would be the puppets. We had quite a few of the crew from Horrible Histories come over. The Make-Up department…which is probably where we spent most of our time is in the make-up chair. There is one character that I play called Hern; he’s kind of half man and half deer. And..er..He only has three lines in the show and the camera sort of passes by and you sit in the make-up chair for three hours for this one small character. But…yes…I would deffinitly say it’s the puppets because everyone was there from Horrible Histories pretty much, and of course we were all there from Horrible Histories so they were the new element.
Simon Farnaby
Well…I guess the main difference is we could allow our imaginations to run wild I suppose. Because we don’t have any historical facts we have to stick to. We can just cut loose and do whatever we want (Laughs). So it’s really liberating in that way and we really enjoyed it so much because of that.
So…not having any boring facts to stick to…..(Laughs)…Not that history boring (Laughs)
..And working with Puppets I suppose.
Larry Rickard
Um…I think we’ve been able to…you know…the great thing about Horrible Histories was the fact that it was educational. We were always tied to that and I think we…from day one…that’s what it was and that’s what we loved about it. Which is why there was always a little bit of you wanting to do something but you were pulled back to the facts. So we’d be like if we did that…..and they’d be like yeah….but that didn’t happen.
So this has been so much more freeing….the laughs we’ve been able to have and the jokes we’ve been able to do because we’re in a world where you can do absolutely anything.
Also when the episodes start…each episodes set in a different part of Yonderland. It’s when the show opens there’s no telling where you are going or who you are going to meet. That was tremendously good fun and fun writing because you come to every episode fresh. So we’d be…where do we want to go…where we want to be and it was just a blank sheet of paper and we could do anything we wanted.
It’s got to be a movie next surely?
Well yeah…the six of us are filming a feature (BILL) but what happens with Yonderland from here we’ll have to see from there. Our initial goal is…if we can make people laugh we’re very happy. And if that leads us to more or leads us to other things then we’re very happy – it’s a place we’d like to go back to if we have the opportunity!
Ben Willbond
Yes…it’s the….working with Puppets. Doing scenes with Puppets…you get used to it very quickly, but it was such a weird thing because you’re….well you’re….talking to a puppet. It’s not real….BUT IT IS!
It’s kind of magical.
Dan Renton-Skinner
Yeah….well…..the biggest difference for me for making Yonderland and making Horrible Histories is I wasn’t in Horrible Histories (Laughs).
How does that feel?
That was fine….I mean I’ve known them all for a long time. I’ve worked with them all in different…various things….It’s not like I didn’t know any of them.
I’ve worked with Martha…who plays my wife on the Armstrong and Miller show and we did stuff together. If you know people off set…you know them just knocking around its easier to work with them.
Yonderland is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray and the new Movie Bill is in cinemas Feb 20th 2015!!!
