This August 2003 Myth Makers released an interview with Gareth Thomas, and it is available on VHS (both PAL and NTSC) and DVD (PAL, region 2 & 4) from Reeltime Pictures Ltd. You can buy this by contacting enquiries@reeltimepictures.co.uk or by calling 020 8659 1717 (England), to mention two ways it can be done.
I highly recommend getting this interview, whether you get the VHS or the DVD version. I've never seen Gareth at a convention, but I imagine this is exactly what he is like at a convention MINUS the ever present cigarette and glass of alcohol. He is charming and pleasant. You feel as if he is there in the room with you just chatting casually with some other people.
The interview is basically fifty minutes long and was filmed July 14, 2003, in Gatton Park and Betchworth Quarry. Nicholas Briggs does the interview. The interview starts and ends with a gimmick which is okay. And there are some cutesy things done during the interview as well. I'm not one much for gimmicks, but I'm not complaining. Basically we have a talk with Gareth about his career. Since I am an avid Gareth Thomas fan, there was little new in his stories, but sometimes new facts or stories did surface. In other words, it wasn't a total rehash of everything I already knew. To someone who is not an avid Gareth fan, I imagine there is quite a lot of information that is new in this interview.
I recognized almost every picture that was shown on screen throughout the conversation, except perhaps one or two. I'm not quite sure but I think there was one slip-up and one picture of Sally Kynvette (Jenna) and Gareth from Star One 2003 was actually shown twice. If it wasn't the same, then it was very similar. About twenty-two still pictures were shown during the conversation. It starts out with pictures of Gareth in Rutherford and Son and then as Oberon in Midsummer's Night Dream. I personally think it would have been nicer if some of the non-Blake pictures had been labeled so that non-avid Gareth fans would have known what the pictures were of. Since I love pictures of Gareth Thomas in all his roles, I especially noticed them which is something probably most Blake's 7 fans who only see him as Blake don't.
In some ways the interview is chronological with Gareth talking about his early life to his present life and the roles he has played in-between. Since I have been interested in Gareth's credits since I got into the fandom ten years ago, I know his credits backwards and forwards. There is a lot of time spent talking about Blake's 7 which is only natural. And some specific episodes are mentioned. For the most part it goes in order, but not strictly. I think any Blake's 7 fan would probably enjoy this interview, and especially so since he does talk about Blake and the show as well.
He does mention that the only thing he has ever watched himself in was Children of the Stones because the DVD just came out last year in 2002. It's the only other DVD I own, and it has a wonderful fifteen minute interview on it. It is still available, I believe, at places like Blackstar. But I digress-much like the interview does.
The interview really covers a lot of territory, but it seems very unplanned and casual, which I doubt that it was. Gareth who is fifty-eight has been acting since the late late 1960's so we are listening to something like over thirty years experience in acting. In the 1970's he was at one time the "face of the month." Later on, it was interesting when Nick asked Gareth if he had any regrets and Gareth replied no. He talked about how when he was at cons, he adopted a con persona, a person who was jolly and available to all the fans to talk to. When questioned about his future ambition, Gareth gave a very down to earth answer that we all probably would give. He'd like to win the lottery just so he wouldn't have to worry about money anymore.
The DVD has two extras which are interesting. There is a fifteen minute Behind the Scenes section which is filming the filming being done, showing the setting up the filming, and also interviewing some of the people who helped. Diane Gies name was misspelled, but otherwise everything was fine. It was a charming addition to the DVD.
And speaking of errors, the other special section, Gareth's Biography, which really should have been called Gareth's Credits, had various errors, only some of which I am going to mention. I have helped Judith Proctor with her massive web credits for years so I am fairly familiar with Thomas's work. It's somewhat of a hobby of mine, much like Ruth Kenyon's hobby of visiting the Blake's 7 locations which was mentioned in the Behind the Scenes section. There are no pictures in this biography segment, just writing. But as I quickly read the credits, I did notice these errors:
Cash in Hand is actually Possessions (It was renamed before it was released
as a video.)
Edward VIII was actually Edward VII
The Chelworth Inheritance was Chelworth
By the Sword Divided was really By the Sword Divided II
Thomas was in three episodes of Baddiel's Syndrome-not just the pilot episode
Also, the apostrophe is wrong in the title as given on the DVD
Kalendorf who was a character in eight CD episodes of Dalek Empire (parts
1-4) and
Dalek Empire II (parts 1-4) was misspelled.
I probably shouldn't quibble, but I see no reason Horizon (who provided the credits) doesn't have correct credits for one of Blake's 7 most important stars. I have noticed over the years various problems in the credits. That's one reason I got interested in them in the first place some nine or ten years ago. And since I own all the videos of the above named shows as well as the CDs, I do know what I am talking about. Actually Edward VII was called Edward the King in America and I have all six pro NTSC videos of the show. But I do know it was called Edward VII in England.
Tonight was a pleasant approximate ninety minutes viewing the DVD. I definitely give the VHS video (PAL & NTSC) and the DVD (PAL-regions 2 & 4) two thumbs up.
See news for details of how to order - we don't currently sell it directly through the site.
Last updated on 08th of September 2003.