Time flies with you know Who
- Publication: The Newcastle Journal
- Date: 1994-04-13
- Author: David Whetstone
- Page: 51
- Language: English
AT ONE point during his one-man show Jon Pertwee glances at his watch and says: "Goodness me! We've been going for two hours and we - haven't got past the war."
A producer who specialises in this kind of event reckoned he would be a natural and has been proved right.
"When I asked him what I should do, what I should prepare, he said 'Don't prepare anything. Just go on and talk as you're talking to me now'."
This is exactly what he has been doing for the last couple of weeks and will be doing again at Hexham's Queen's Hall Arts Centre tomorrow night.
The audience, he predicts, will be full of Whovians - as Dr Who fans style themselves. But there may also be who enjoyed his performances as Worzel Gummidge (just out on video) and some older folk who used to tune in to The Navy Lark on the radio.
It has been a long and varied career with more than enough material for an evening of anecdotes.
The son of a playwright, Mr Pertwee (from the Huguenot "Perthuis") always cut a dash, even during the war when he ruffled feathers as the first naval rating to wear a monocle.
When he auditioned for Dr Who, he wore the cape which became the Time Lord's trademark for five year.
The autobiography, Moon Boots And Dinner Suits, came out 10 years ago. "Worzel Gummidge had just been cancelled and was at a bit of a loose end but I've been extremely busy ever since. There's a whole new chapter which I haven't had time to write."
Amazingly (since he neither looks it nor acts it), Jon Pertwee is not far off his 75th birthday. His energetic skiing and skin-diving days are behind him but he agrees he still has a youthful approach to life.
There's a simple explanation for the longevity of his center, "I've always made sure I've had a lot of strings to my bow," he says.
"If ever I had been doing any one thing for a long time, I would make sure to shoot off in another direction afterwards. I know a lot of actors who are are not working now because they haven't done this"
It's often the younger producers in television and show business who are responsible for stalling the career of actors desperate to change tack or spread their, he reckons.
"It took Leslie Phillips ages to get away from playing those silly ass roles he was famous for. He did it in the end and now, of course, be is proving what a fine character actor he is."
To a certain extent, he feels he has been a victim of the same blinkered attitude. A recent role in a series about Basque terrorists gave him a break into 'serious TV drama, but, he admits ruefully. "I think the Press got bored with it after the third episode."
He'll do it in the end, though, as he has done most other things, including working in a circus and stand-up comedy.
There's an American TV series coming up, which will take him to Prague, and any number of Dr Who conferences which he regularly attends.
Caption: Who's Who: Jon Pertwee brings his one-man show to Hexham tomorrow night.
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- APA 6th ed.: Whetstone, David (1994-04-13). Time flies with you know Who. The Newcastle Journal p. 51.
- MLA 7th ed.: Whetstone, David. "Time flies with you know Who." The Newcastle Journal [add city] 1994-04-13, 51. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Whetstone, David. "Time flies with you know Who." The Newcastle Journal, edition, sec., 1994-04-13
- Turabian: Whetstone, David. "Time flies with you know Who." The Newcastle Journal, 1994-04-13, section, 51 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Time flies with you know Who | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Time_flies_with_you_know_Who | work=The Newcastle Journal | pages=51 | date=1994-04-13 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=19 April 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Time flies with you know Who | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Time_flies_with_you_know_Who | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=19 April 2025}}</ref>
