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Digger's interview with Peter Wyngarde aka Jason King

Peter Wyngarde is a respected and much-loved British actor who has been equally busy on stage and on tv throughout his career. Amongst his countless roles, he is more popularly recognised and remembered for his many appearances in the cult tv shows of the 60s and early 70s such as The Avengers, The Prisoner, The Saint, The Baron and, of course, his two greatest  tv successes Department S and Jason King. 

As the suave satin and velvet-wearing dandy  author/detective Jason King, with his prominent side-burns and moustache, he became a heart-throb to female viewers across Europe, achieving incredible cult status for several years and ranking top in numerous popularity polls. This sort of fame was previously only achieved by Roger Moore and Patrick McGoohan.

Peter Wyngarde as Jason King

Digger: Your website is very impressive and extensive,
packed with information and things of interest
concerning you and your career. How much of an input
do you have into the site, what do you think of
the internet and what are your favourite sites?

Peter: I have known Tina a very long time now - about
10 years - and trust her implicitly. I doubt there's
anyone on the planet who knows more about me than
she does! So, most of the work, all the research and
everything is hers, for which she has my blessing.
As for the internet itself: Unfortunately, I don't get
much time to "surf ", and so don't have any
particular sites.

Digger: Can you give us a brief background as to how
you got into acting? Can you think of anything else
you could have done or might have wanted to do
rather than act?

Peter: I became interested in acting at a very
early age, whilst in an internment camp in fact. I was
befriended by a group of actors there and began
working on my own plays. After leaving school, I walked
into an audition and was cast as the understudy to the
lead! I've never considered any other profession as
this is all I've ever wanted to do.

Digger: Do you look back on the 60s and 70s with
fondness and what are your favourite recollections
from that era?

Peter: Yes, I enjoyed the 60s and 70s, although I
wouldn't particularly like to go through all the mania
of the time. It was fun, but I wouldn't like to go
back to all that stuff.

Digger: Can you recount for us how you landed
the role of Jason King in Department S and how
he developed into a character who was 'promoted'
into his own series?

Peter: I was offered the role while I was appearing in a
play called 'The Duel' in London. I wasn't particularly
keen on the idea of starring in a long-running series, and
did my best to avoid the attentions of Monty Berman
et al. However, they managed to corner me at a dinner
party, and I ended up agreeing to appear. I remember
signing the contract on a paper napkin!

Digger: Did you realise at the time that you were on
the crest of a wave and how did being an instantly
recognisable face throughout Europe, adored by
millions of women and a role model for millions
of men, impact on your life?

Peter: The very first episodes we recorded were
actually on air as we were filming the middle lot, so
whilst still in production, we were beginning to get
feedback as to how popular Department S was becoming.
We were getting lots of fan mail, and it started getting
to the point where I couldn't go out on the street without
being recognised. It was quite frightening!

Digger: Can you please try to describe yourself
in thirty words.

Peter: No!

Digger: You played Number 2 in Checkmate, an episode
of The Prisoner. How did you enjoy this role,
what were your impressions of Patrick McGoohan
and what did you think of The Prisoner?

Peter: It was a very mysterious show. No one but Patrick
seemed to know what was going on. The most disappointing
thing for me was that I didn't get the opportunity to go
to Wales. All my scenes were shot at Elstree.

Digger: The Hellfire Club was a pretty special episode
of The Avengers. Can you tell us all about that?
What is the significance of The Hellfire Club to you?
And how would you describe Patrick and Diana?

Peter: It was a very long time ago. It was great fun
working with Diana. I was in great demand both on
and off screen after that whipping scene!

Digger: Diana had a lot of trouble getting paid
fairly even when The Avengers was a big international
hit. How did you fair when Jason King started
to top the ratings?

Peter: Fine.

Digger: You also worked with Roger Moore on
The Saint in several episodes. ITC were
notoriously mean with the location shoots - did you ever
get to go abroad when filming and how would you
describe working with Roger?

Peter: He was great fun. We had a good time during
the fight scene at the end of one of the episodes.
He didn't know that I was quite handy with a sword
(I'd fought at the Green Club), so I think it took him
a bit by surprise.

Digger: Why do you think Britain made such exciting,
entertaining, fun and memorable tv shows
during that period? Do you think we have
lost that knack?

Peter: I don't think we've particularly lost the knack
of making interesting TV shows; take Inspector Morse,
for instance. I think that's a wonderful show. I just think
all the fun has gone out of it. They just seem interested in
knocking people about. It's like a sort of phony realism.

Digger: What would you consider your biggest
successes and what would you like to have done
professionally?

Peter: I suppose the most successful has to be the
two series. Personally though, I consider my opening
night in Cyrano de Bergerac at the Bristol Old Vic
(you'll have to ask Tina the year!) to be the greatest
moment of my career.

Digger: What did you think of the affectionate
parodies of the 'British 60s action/adventure
genre' that were made in recent years, such as
'Jason Queen' by Harry Enfield or 'The Preventers'
which featured ex-'Champion' William Gaunt as a
guest star? And did you see the new series of
Randall & Hopkirk with Reeves and Mortimer and,
if so, what did you think of it?

Peter: I quite liked the Comic Strip parody.
I thought that was very funny.

Digger: Please let us know what sorts of things you
are working on at the moment.

Peter: Well, my main interest at the moment is writing
- I enjoy that very much. I'm working on a project
at the moment.

Thanks Peter for your time and trouble talking to me
Digger, August 2000

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