Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
British and European champion figure skater, Olympic gold medalist.
On the island
Eight records
The nineteen thirties and forties was an era that I particularly liked and this track from that show is um one of my favourites.
my first piece of music I ever skated to was in fact the theme from Thunderbirds
Help Me Make It Through the Night
probably one of my favorite exhibition pieces of music that I skated to. I know for sure that it it is my parents, and I think it's probably because it was one of the first pieces of music that I use sort of nationally and internationally on the um skating scene
a piece of music that I heard many, many times in ice drinks all over the world, and it's in Fred Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird, and I think it was maybe three or four years having heard the piece of music before I even knew what it was.
This woman is has such a phenomenal voice and this particular piece of music is uh more or less being choreographed for herself and um literally a bunch of household appliances.
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
this is probably one of my most favourite songs
Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder & Pete Bellotte
We spend a lot of time running around to discos and I spend a lot of time listening to music and um I think if you mention anyone or disco music, the first person that they come up against is Donna Summer.
Carmen Suite: Flower Song & AdagioFavourite
Georges Bizet (arranged by Rodion Shchedrin)
a piece of music that I have skated to that um a lot of people have used and it's just to me one of the most beautiful pieces ever written.
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:27How well would you adapt to solitude?
I don't know. I I quite like to find myself on my own occasionally, especially with music. I I travel with a lot of music, with my headphones and my stereo, so um every now and again it's nice to sort of break away from the regular routine and and just sit down and do nothing.
Presenter asks
2:51What inspired you to [opt for dancing classes]?
I liked theatre and watching all types of shows on the television. Also at the same time I'd started doing sort of basic gymnastics and handstands cart wheels, and was more interested in movement with sort of my whole body rather than just swinging a leg or or chasing a ball.
Presenter asks
6:10How did they take to [your skating taking up more and more time] at school?
Very well, actually. I had gone from junior school to uh my senior school in um Bristol. And um at a comprehensive school. It was it was very difficult for me to at the beginning to try and fix everything. We were trying to skate on the weekends and skate before school and skate after school and even sometimes skate at lunchtimes between school if I had a a competition or if I needed to take a day off every now and again to to travel around the country to compete in in junior competitions.
The keepsakes
The book
James Clavell
so many people had told me to read James Clavel's Shogun, and I eventually did on the journey back from Japan. And, um, absolutely fell in love with it.
The luxury
a never-ending supply of marzipan
I think it would be nice to have a never-ending supply of marzipan.
Presenter asks
13:58How did you do in the seventy six Olympics?
Well in the 76 Olympics I did one of my best performances that I think I I have ever done. It was um a time when I had just come back from my cartilage operation. The British Championships of the December of seventy five was my first competition and I really wasn't worried how I did. It was just a question of making sure I got through the competition and knowing that my knee was okay. And I think I went through that whole season that year just thinking that I'm A maybe lucky to be skating again and I was just going to enjoy it. Very little nerves, although it was an Olympic Games. There was so much publicity and pressure on John, I felt very little. Um and it was it was a nice feeling. John had the most incredible year and it was so nice. being on the team with him. And um I had a good time. I came in ninth at the Olympic Games in Innsbruck and um in fact moved up a place at the World Championships in in Gothenburg.
Presenter asks
22:50Are you superstitious?
Yes and no. Um I would say yes because I won't walk under a ladder unless I absolutely have to. No because I skated in the thirteenth position and it seemed to do all right for me. There's various things. I I you know, do not have uh mascots or any particular colour I have to skate in or anything I have to wear. But on the other hand, I for some reason automatically always have put my right boot on or my right sock on first if I'm Doing anything now, not only just on the ice, but um my right boot and my right lace is always the first one to be done up though.
“I had never even seen ice skating before. I had watched maybe something on the television that I'd seen and I don't know why I decided I wanted to skate at that time. It was just something that looked like fun to do and um you know what seven, eight-year-old children are like, it's very difficult to say no.”
“I do get up tight. People don't see me getting nervous or or picking my fingers or or shaking. I just start to yawn and people think I'm gonna fall asleep before competition and that I was told is is a is a good way of letting the nerves out.”
“Every time I I came back stronger than than I was before and I was determined that nothing was gonna get in my way of of a of a good career.”