Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
English stage actress known for JB Priestley's 'Mr. Kettle and Mrs. Moon' and performances at the Royal Court.
On the island
Eight records
No disc selections are present in this transcript. The guest never chooses any music.
The keepsakes
No book or luxury recorded for this episode.
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:08What part of England do you come from, Wendy?
I come from the north east, from Durham, and the north riding of Yorkshire.
Presenter asks
0:16Did you see a lot of theatre as a child?
I was taken to see pantomimes and musicals and um local shows, yes, about twice a year. It was a great event. But I think I was acting in my pram long before I ever went to the theatre.
Presenter asks
0:58But coming all that way to London at seventeen on your own, were your parents cooperative about that?
They were very good. They were indeed co operative. I think they thought well, she's going to do it anyway,'cause I was grimly determined to. I would have done it, whether they wanted me to or not, so they thought, Well, we better keep in with her,'cause we love her, so they were co operative.
Presenter asks
4:35Were there many complications at that time in running an acting career and bringing up two sons and looking after a husband?
It is complicated, there's no doubt about it. It's complicated and it's hard work. What one has to do is divide oneself completely in half, and you have one half which devotes itself to work and work only, and the other half devotes itself to family and family only, and never the twain shall meet. And what you mustn't do is bring home to the theatre, or theatre too much to home.
Presenter asks
8:19How much of you is there in [Jennifer] Corner [the character in 'Not in Front of the Children']?
Oh, a lot. It was written with me in mind.
“I think I was acting in my pram long before I ever went to the theatre.”
“The other students said,'Cause I was brought up on a farm, did I keep my sheep in Hyde Park?”
“What one has to do is divide oneself completely in half, and you have one half which devotes itself to work and work only, and the other half devotes itself to family and family only, and never the twain shall meet.”
“The children loved Peter Pan more than anything else I ever did. It seemed to be a magic era for them, because they keep recalling it, and they keep saying, Will you do it again? and their their eyes light up if they hear me talking about it, or if they see photos of Miss Peter Pan.”
“[After I saw the comedy film 'Just Like a Woman,' Richard Waring] said, Would you like to do a comedy series? and I said, I can't think of anything I'd love more. So he said, Well, I'll set to let's think of some ideas. I'll set to work and write one for you. I'd love to. So he did, and that's how it was born.”