A career of stages
- Publication: East Cambridge Town Cryer
- Date: 1992-08-22
- Author: Pat Kilbey
- Page: 13
- Language: English
From Dr Who to torture in Chile, Pat Kilbey talks to actor Colin Baker
FROM Shakespere to pantomime, television to touring theatre, actor and director, Colin Baker, tackles them all with his own brand of flair and versatility.
For those with Sky television he has recently made 60 short films for the children's channel as bumbling teacher, Mr Biffin.
"I have played a wide range of parts, says Colin, "and I feel it was the right thing to do over 20 years of actin"
"I enjoyed the chance to play Dr Who because I didn't need to keep to a set character. Each Dr Who has been different, put his own interpretation on the part - and what better way to keep the story alive than having this changeable character?"
Appearing at the Arts Theatre in Cambridge from Monday September 7, Colin shows his ability for drama in the psychological thriller, "Death and the Maiden" when he plays the husband of a woman 15 years on from her arrest and torture under a repressive South American dictatorship.
He said: "This is a very powerful play with modern themes but it took a lot of hard work researching and understanding the background before we could begin to perform the actual script."
"The cast undertook extensive research into the situation in Chile, it get the thinking behind the play and spent a long time talking to experts about the state of mind of someone who has endured the treatment this woman has been through."
The play deals with the reaction of the woman, Pauline, played by actress Dearbhla Molloy, when she thinks she has seen her torturer and her husband's efforts to stop her taking revenge.
But much as he excels in drama, Colin admits his own preference is for science fiction - one of the reasons he accepted the Dr Who role and a part in the series Blake's Seven, before that.
He said: "It used to be unfashionable to admit to liking science fiction, but I really enjoy reading it for relaxation.
"There is so much scope to contain the story, you can still have the excitement, the romance, the adventure, but you are not restrained by the conditions of the world at the time. You can have any environment you like, anything can happen."
Not content with reading and acting, the father of four is writing a science fiction series of his own, aimed at children.
He is hoping to strike an agreement with one of the independent television franchises in the new year.
Caption: Colin Baker and Dearbhla Molloy in "Death and the Maiden" at Cambridge Ares Theatre from Sept 7.
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- APA 6th ed.: Kilbey, Pat (1992-08-22). A career of stages. East Cambridge Town Cryer p. 13.
- MLA 7th ed.: Kilbey, Pat. "A career of stages." East Cambridge Town Cryer [add city] 1992-08-22, 13. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Kilbey, Pat. "A career of stages." East Cambridge Town Cryer, edition, sec., 1992-08-22
- Turabian: Kilbey, Pat. "A career of stages." East Cambridge Town Cryer, 1992-08-22, section, 13 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=A career of stages | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/A_career_of_stages | work=East Cambridge Town Cryer | pages=13 | date=1992-08-22 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=23 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=A career of stages | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/A_career_of_stages | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=23 April 2025}}</ref>
