Full transcript of “Katy Manning - "The Real Story Behind The Five Doctors"”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:00 hello I'm Katie Manning and you're listening to the Sirens of audio you lucky people do you all know the real story of the five doctors sorry am I causing a problem I'm not making this difficult enough for you I'm going to make I was a girl who knew exactly how to wear a m skir always wear nck to match he's still following yes that's made it easier or harder for you harder I love a little gossip uh anyway so he done it's all right you can take it is so depressed because her crisps
0:51 are stale Dam uh you are suggesting then that I'm about to come say the tears were not from pain they were from can you imagine how I felt aren't you lucky you're not my [Music] child [Music]
1:54 okay everybody we're having some uh some issues with the uh quiz so we're going to delay that for a moment and go straight to the qu to the Q&A so welcome Katie Manny back the [Applause] stage I think I'm the technical hitch thank you all right I just heard a little bit you were talking I I'm sorry I'm so used to having this huge voice um I remember working in the West End once a theater three Three Doors Down from the Apollo where I was appearing said by the way Katie could you keep your voice down we can hear you in the Mae but I don't know do you all know the
2:40 real story of the five doctors no no yeah CU you know how you Dallas my font of knowledge here but when they did the five doctors um this may be of interest or not I think it's interesting um every was oh I met you in the five doctors well I should have been but I was living in Australia I was doing a play over here and I couldn't go and Liz said to me she said oh because obviously Tom had said I'm not doing it having worked with Tom now I can see that happening back then and so he refused to do it so and
3:28 Liz and Tom were so happiness together you know anyway so listen do you know how hard it was to be given your lines as Joe and I had to sort of you know sah Jan them and and like so that's why I'm not in the five doctors because me and Tom were well I was not available CU I was in Australia and he was not available because he just didn't Jo I want to do it he was in that mode then very different m now so that's that so who question okay I'll come to you my darlings I love doing this B sale of the
4:17 century Kae as you can ask question do you um most people ask what your favorite episode is do you have the least favorite one that film uh no I I can truly say that there were bits in certain episodes where I thought I do wish they hadn't stayed on the sea Devil's really tragic flipflops or uh what it thongs here uh and I felt that when you've got a an alien and it all you know because of the budget restrictions Etc and there's a bit that doesn't work very well sorry am I causing a
5:04 problem and a bit you know it was like you know the one with the Do Not the planet of those tragic old GCS were like granny Manny and we we so frighten of them yeah really and I always love it with unit because unit right they would not stop firing guns at things that wouldn't die because they were made of freaking metal you know oh oh get the Bazookas out you know oh no that didn't sound right just just scrub past that uh anyway so but there were always little
5:49 bits but when you're doing something it's such joy and to be honest I didn't watch everything after we' done it because um you know I was actually working a lot and uh but interesting a little tiny do you want a little bit of useless information on the day that's all I have on the day uh that my first Doctor Who went out the terror of the ORS it was the it had become the radio and TV times I'm so old I remember when it was just the radio times and on my first performance you know first and it said Doctor Who ter the A and they there was never John per we first they didn't do
6:35 the listing like they do it now you know it would be random you know third monster from the left was often had top billing anyway and if you looked over on the radio page at exactly the same time as I was going up it said the last word sports report jail Manning my father was upstaging me already or did I win that battle anyway right who's going a question Oh I thought you put yes darling hello Katie how long did it take to have your wonderful hair done from the time monster you know that lovely hair sty
7:20 you mean all the dread that was three wigs sewn together they were heavier than my head I walked out like this uh a long long time um but it was I really enjoyed having that you know done but it was so heavy you know it really I don't know how I kept my head up actually so extravagant it was it was really cool I enjoyed it though right hello sweetheart so I was wondering what your opinion was and did you enjoy the of evil oh I do you know that's one of my fav yeah I mean I really really love that I love the fact you saw another
8:05 side there were many many sides to Joe as you want me you know everything from being clumsy to offering her life for the doctors which was a first to you know never doing what she was told it's certainly not a member of unit and her behavior or uniform um but in the mind of evil you so she could also do a little bit of C she took on a whole male prison that woman you know and I don't like guns so I wasn't real happy about that that's one thing I'm I don't like guns in Doctor Who I have to be honest with you I I I just feel it's not necessary and uh but there we go um but it was lovely to see Joe actually taking
8:53 on an entire male prison you know and I like actually like that outfit you know I wore a lot of things I wasn't really happy with but do you know what people ask about outfits they think we choose them well some do I don't I just wore what I was told including the ever shrinking souit in the sea Devils where they said we're doing a thing called the sea devils and it was a a wol I'm not making this difficult enough for you I'm going to make it oh yeah let's really get the kid I'll see how good you
9:40 are but in the ls right um I they said to me don't get the soup wet excuse me no and John and I saw that SEO and John said oh let's go have a go at that we were on it well of course wool shrinks I like this oh and if you look carefully when you if you ever watch something that and the buttons were bursting I mean I look like an incredible hul was about Gastly souit and for those of you who need to know this information I was a girl who knew exactly how to wear a Min skirt always wear knickers to
10:25 match Hello darling hello we can't go meeting like I know um I was just going to ask um would be lucky enough to have you return as Joe a couple of times now but I was wondering if given the opportunity would you ever want to come um play Iris wild time in live action oh yes oh lovey would I would I ever I love AR world time um you know and Panda I don't and we talk about having the first hello sweet sat on your knee then we talk about you know having a female I'm look at it I'm really doing I'm like a dog making his
11:12 basket we talk about you know we talk about the first time female Kim Lord how many years has Irish been floating around in the Multiverse in a number 22 put me bus with a bar in the back and A demented panda about 25 years so you know there's been one out there and she was a tough one that one so yeah I'd love to come back I think it'd be great to have old granny Joe here suddenly turned into Irish as we do know I turn into H very quickly I make me own hot SL I know how to rock a hot with a lot of feathers right right sweetie
11:58 pie he still following yeah just working hard hi Katie um Jing the three doctors um did you um did you get to meet William H because I believe he was filmed separately before most of the no sadly well I had met him at the BBC Studios but he and it's actually really touching I think I'm sorry this down here um it's really touch in that's made it easier or harder for you harder good right let's see how the edit works oh yeah I'll edit it um anyway uh it was very touching
12:45 because there was a man who had actually was the footprint to Doctor Who the very first person to play it and he he actually died very shortly afterward as you probably all know and how lovely it was that this actor got his last harah in the character that he had brought into this extraordinary world that we all now are a part of 60 years on you know I mean it it's absolutely touches my heart to think what a great way oh gosh i' love it if I could go out like that can someone fix it can I have a quick like a three minute return to Doctor Who and then I
13:31 just go boom but it was lovely um and he was a very interesting man that I can tell you from the you know from my short but I met him when he was doing a different show not when he was doing Doctor Who Pat trout do you want any of the stories of the three do absolutely you want the gossip I love a little gossip um now I'm moving aren't you lucky you're not my child anyway you're like a director what here I'm directed um anyway in the three doctors now you
14:16 think that John perrye who spent his life going from uh you know doing Cabaret and all that kind of thing radio yeah we get there but he's started in Circus Cabaret you know Music Hall all that kind of thing which is why he was made sure he got his money's worth of everything because in the old days if you worked in music and Things by the time you came off stage the guy who took the money at the box office had already gone so that's why actors now are so determined to make sure they get their money anyway so John had had this extraordinary life he'd even been uh who's the actor American actor he own
15:04 he he was his Danny K he was Danny case double uh anyway so he Don it's all right you can take it if it's my agent no anyway so he he'd already kind of had this extraordinary career I grew up hearing him on the radio and actually mimicking him you know cuz I was that child because I couldn't see I just listened to voices and did them we you know I mean I did popy at six my parents thought my goodness this child is going to need therapy imagine a six-year-old gu not any so you would imagine that he would
15:51 be a very free kind of actor that he would be able to just float into anything because that's what interestingly enough now Pat Tron was a theater actor for first and foremost and although John was known amongst older people in radio he wasn't really known um in the the kind of Television world he also on the carry-on films but it was sort of different he wasn't known so this was a very important job for John which I'll get into later if you want but uh Pat trout of course being a theater actor you would have thought that he was very very script bound you know no it was the complete opposite so there was
16:37 about I would say 15 minutes where they were kind of vying with each other you know what I mean a lot of this going on and you know their territory because this has never been done before they you know I mean and so they were kind of just a little bit territorial to begin with and when that happens I get the giggles I that's terrible when anything serious like that is going on around I just giggle I don't know why it just I anyway so they are kind of just buying each other off a bit and eventually you know Pat would say his ly and John would turn around and he'd say and Pat said well aren't you going to respond he said
17:22 I will when I know exactly what you're going to say so it worked completely in the opposite way but within about 15 minutes you saw these two extraordinary actors absolutely just mold so happily into these two roles it was it was absolutely glorious and then later on I meet Pat tr's son and me and he wants to marry me on another planet this is called sci-fi honey um but it was fascinating due to that right another question get ready look him out so we know that Jody wasn't
18:07 present in scene for your cameo for power of the doctor but she turned up afterwards what was it like meeting her Jody oh there's I I've got some lovely pictures which I should put up I don't know why but we we the pictures of us just shrieking with laughter I'm back um just shrieking with laughter she is absolutely a delight you know she's a really lovely and I thought she did a marvelous job and I will say that I felt the best I ever saw Jodie was when they allowed her to calm down right at the very end when her character just stopped being quite so wonderfully manic
18:55 brilliantly I don't mean that in a in a in a way it was absolutely right but do you all remember towards the end of her where she just kind of slowed down a bit and I thought that was absolutely magnificent you know it really worked beautifully wonderful you know she was great and she was fun she was a lot of fun absolutely so yeah anybody else oh listen I mean honestly I'm working for Mid birthday aren't I I know I don't have to do this but I just like hanging out with you hello darling hello I'm about to sit on your no um I was wondering if you had any um
19:41 interesting stories about your work of big finish and specifically Tim trer how many stories would you like about big finish so many years and so many characters um as I say I've just finished uh three books uh in which I do 50 voices do you want to hear my depressed vending machine I said to PO miles afterwards thanks a lot after 50 voices you walk out and you go to go on a bus and you suddenly think I have no idea what my voice is you know you go through the my my depressed vending machine is called Barbara and Barbara is so
20:27 depressed because her crisps are stale anyway that goes on a long time uh and so when you done 50 voices and things like that and then I did my own play notw woman which has 26 voices um but we've been finished I've done Dorian Gray I've done not many people know that I was in dracul playing the nun very well time pass I felt um and the bar lady and things so big finish gives this wonderful opportunity to kind of exercise and also they use me because it means I'm very cheap because they don't
21:12 have to get other actors in well think about this it's a really good idea get Katie and that will be one actor we pay um you also play an ice war with you well ni a Bri said the reason we'll get Katie to do this it's because we won't have to use the voice machine on her I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not um they're the most wonderful company to work for um you know how amazing that uh Jason ha ery I was at the wedding darling Oh can I tell you a little side there something else in my head um Jason hey B
21:59 right married in Australian girl now when I was directing a musical called Ur right in its early stages uh which I own I own the musical huh I have the musical on CD it's wonderful right I play the six-year-old on the CD I do the boy just if it's the the first one not yeah I played Barry's grandson that's scary thought isn't it he man I was like I got six in my pocket you know there's my my partner standing next to me anyway so uh when I was doing this and Jason had had lots of girlfriends one to other I said to him you know darling it's time you found the
22:45 right person you can't just keep you know playing the field eventually I went to a party and he said Katie I want you to come and meet my girlfriend on the notes to meet this girl who I had in the staged reading of Eureka I thought was ABS found she was fresh out of Whopper I think it was and I thought she was perfect for this part and the producers disagreed they said oh no she's too inexperienced I said nonsense you got to start somewhere this girl has got everything we want so I fought in this girl's Corner really really hard so when and said to me here meet meet this uh this my my
23:33 fiance and I W up and she said Katie Manning I went yes she said I went oh my good that was the girl I'm championed when I was directing and I thought thank goodness for that can you imagine it might be really vile so that's why I'm still working for them Dy no but he started a company when there was there was no Doctor Who and that was such a clever he now has a Publishing Company an agency uh he backs theater you know he's just gone from strength to strength and you know you're sitting there and suddenly I'm doing the two-hander with serek jackaby and we're all it's just one and it means you can
24:21 mix all the doctors and play with the timelines and you know it's really a brilliant company audio is terrific too because it means you get all the magic of all these incredible stories written by great writers amazing actors every doctor and things that aren't even Doctor Who related so you've got a whole world of being able to sit down and listen to these fantastic stories and you know it we all love working for big finish can I just jump on that cuz you men mentioned to Derek that that story that you did a two-hander with him with was so gut-wrenchingly emotional he was doing
25:06 horrible things to you I know I know I was being you know terrible things happened my dear sweet sederek jack not um it was amazing cuz he sits he's sitting there all cool in Caron Collective I dealt with many Masters in my time so to speak and you know but I was I was the first to actually be un not to be hypnotized you know he hypnotized me once and Joe it ain't never going to happen again there quite a long scene where she no you're not going to do this to me again um he is such an extraordinary actor to work with you know and the feeling of menish and
25:53 I'm the kind of actor I I feel it honey and I was traumatized doing it in a way you know I really really was um but as I say we worked with so many extraordinary actors was so lucky and uh but as I say the man left without a bead of Sweat by this time honestly could have been institutionalized I know you've done a lot for big F and all of your performances are great but that one in particular was extraordinarily powerful so the war master I can't remember the name of the story something in the night I can't remember uh but if you seek that to and the other one was when Joe comes back a couple of times with new unit and there was one is it the death of Joe Jones or something she once again offers
26:40 her life to save the world uh but it was lovely once again working with um you know Osborne and you know Kate and all the rest of it you know um because ingr was terrific and I thought they were so funny when they go back into the sea devils and Joe goes to brok of the piece with the sea Devils that the doctor never quite finished and it was her determination she wanted to go and Brak of that but since I've come back in a short film saving ABC devils in one of the box sets oh isn't that the cutest thing I mean if everybody doesn't want one of those I want that I think they're adorable um but
27:25 yeah it's amazing what the the whole whole world of Doctor Who and I remember many years ago going back on to its 50th 50th anniversary and I went to do a television a live television from uh BBC worldwide and it goes out live just before I went on this this girl comes up and she said oh by the way she said the interview you know doesn't think much of Doctor Who I thought I'm great thanks well this is going to be a fun interview isn't it he doesn't like me before I've even started you know all the show so I thought okay so I go on and he does you know that usual thing way we all go oh please get a grip give
28:14 it a rest but you know are the wobbly sexs and he showed this I said back then when you were watching it you wouldn't have noticed that because you hadn't experienced anything else duh uh you know the Avengers you watch and there's all sorts you know booms coming we didn't know then what we kind of never compare watching an old show with a modern show take it as it even the clothes of somebody on a telephone you know that sort of stuff but um anyway so he sat there and he banged all about this and this is going out BC well and I looked at him and after he finished I said so why am I here celebrating 50 years
29:00 [Music] any more questions oh oh you get busy now should I go to oh and ready [Music] kid one of your earlier stories working with Lisa Balman with the Ben Summerfield what was that like that would be one of your first it was the first one and was Iris wasn't it yes the plague herds of excelis I it was called oh there you go H quick story there's always a story isn't there I can't just s say yes I was L um because it was it said I didn't know I just come back I didn't really know I KN didn't know who
29:46 I is what I didn't know Paul Mar I knew nothing I been in Australia you know and uh so I uh they they you know I said to um Gary Russell you know what do you want he said oh just do something was great just do something uh anyway so there's a bit right at the beginning it says iris is singing quietly to herself outside a Nary whilst I don't know taking du drops of cabbages or something you that was the I don't know why I think cuz I don't think I just do which get into a lot of trouble um but I just suddenly thought I
30:33 from what i' gathered so instead of singing quietly to myself I went and Iris went from Mar room and so but it's lovely I adore her she was lovely to work with but it was very early days with ours but I think that set her right up you know from there on we knew who irus was I think you know and then you get her with Colin Vega which is another story Al together isn't it did you have a question which was your favorite Master to work with oo look into my
31:18 eyes I am hello I think it has to be Roger Doer I love Missy by the way I you I just love that um messing with you aren I Roger delard because this man was such an extraordinary actor and he played he was the sweetest most gentle lovely man you could ever imagine um who hated do he wouldn't do his own stunts hated violence you know we were in the sea Devils when he had to go on the boat he was so sick and John and I
32:04 were very naughty we kept there fatty pork chop it was such a sweet and we used to go you know we we we were all friends I was a doctor here you I went on a holiday to AA with John and his family and we used to go to Rogers to dinner um and he there was and yet he made his living out of playing always these evil characters but that Man's eyes were so hypnotic that I almost went a few times there an actor sort of hyp I'm like you know my I do anything you want you want
32:51 me to pay for lunch on there it's okay Roger but he also what was can I explain something about acting no maybe I shouldn't because you'll say when you learn explain but something about acting is that when you are playing I play mass murderesses and you know I play a lot of evil characters uh the wonderful thing that you do if I come up to you for instance I ni to start shouting in your face and you're not going to feel that much fear but if I walk up to
33:38 you and I say if you don't do what I I'm to chop your THS are you scared you better do it so that's the difference and with great respect to John Sim who I think a Fab actor I think it was a big mistake to have him shouting in nuts cuz who would be afraid of that it was too manic uh for my that that's just my you know once again opinions aren't facts and we all need to remember that in life they are but opinions you know someone says oh this doctor was better that's your opinion keep it anyway so just the
34:24 wonderful thing he was such a gentleman oh I do hope your coxics are all right Miss gr and he and Joe actually had a really good relationship he kind of respected her because she was tough stuff in her own little way so yeah right I I have to say Roger delgardo and Missy and of course now we've got a new one who I think's rather good too s like Ella sweet man because I work with his his girlfriend an in s j oh it's a little world out there right any other questions oh you've got one now I've threatened your
35:12 life they don't get topped off actually I read somewhere that actually John Perry didn't like the idea of Doctor Who recasting the Master um but I know you can't believe everything you read but no believe all that um especially when somebody has an opinion of us don't believe it it's their opinion um no he ra I think the difficulty was we were a very close team and when Roger was killed it was a huge shock it was so unexpected he hated being driven anywhere and he was you know always
35:58 liked to drive himself and he was doing this film with chu and uh he kept reminding as Chu um and unfortunately he accepted to be driven by a studio car and it was such a shock to us as a close-nit family um that he uh that he was in a situation um and that we were walk driving along and we saw a sign it said Doctor Who's uh killed and I was with John and you kind of get this moment you think you know a little heart stops and so we went and got the newspaper and we and to be able to to go back into rehearsals uh and know that we were
36:45 never going to see this wonderful friend uh again I think it was too early for John to be able to deal with and I kind of agreed I think we need needed to let it sit for a while you know to have that memory and then it was you know then of course you got Anthony a that's all I'm going to say it's an opinion um and I only say it because I know I I don't know him I never met him I was living in Australian n but what I did see I thought he was a little bit too mustach twirling little panto for me compared to Roger who was a completely
37:32 for me quiet credible character that's but it's an opinion and you're all entitled to yours I have mine do we have do we haveon up this he's had his head up a few times who oh hello hello hello I held this little one when she was a baby um I was wondering with sad taking over and um and Daisy taking over how would you feel about someone else taking over Joe in the future John C there's a job Wasing that's a really good question is it uh you are suggesting then that I'm about to car it you mean when I do
38:20 car pickles yeah hey yeah pickles I don't know because my beautiful twins um I think learned a lot about theater and therefore they're not in it but you know I I wouldn't have a clue um but it would have been lovely as if if she was old enough I'll see if I can live another 20 another 20 oh my God are we coming back here and you'll be saying and what I don't know I just don't know anything and
39:06 yes it's about the boxes Katie so you have been in behind the sofa for of course your own Seasons but you also I've been in season 17 and 20 and you've got more to come I'm AF would you consider being in like behind the so far for the other Seasons that you weren't in I hav in all the ones that I wasn't I me like you know like I've Tom and I've just done another one with uh oh no I I they actually request who they want oh and I've been no I don't I mean that's how I first saw Tom you know not first but I hadn't seen all the stuff with um uh Lala I'd never seen that show yeah um I and then I saw uh uh
39:58 Janet and Peter and Sarah and Matthew adri and Matthew who Matthew and I are so naughty together on stage wait till we see what we're like behind the sofa it's fascinating to me because I have seen all this stuff and so yes I do keep going back and it's great so no that I don't want to do my own what I to do mine for like other Seasons you know like season oh no get someone else to do that then they can save stuff you know you know I can't sit there and watch myself it's really tough cuz I can't change what it is uh right last last
40:44 question lady in pink last question we have a later does this look like my Scarff this carpet exactly I'll just lie down nobody'll know I'm here oh will hey KY just a um easy question what's your favorite moment with uh John P we like your your favorite memory uh so many so so many you know we were so close we did everything together we ate together we traveled together you know it was extraordinary you know it was a wonderful relationship and I don't get emotional a lot because I don't but
41:32 every now and again when I'm talking about somebody that have that you know you just they're in your life they're in my head every day every now and again I feel a sort of an emotion because you know he was my mentor he was my Champion um and I think what of the silliest moments right at the beginning uh and I did you know we did our own stunts in those days basically most of because they didn't care if anything happened to us now you can't do anything can't even ride a horse now without breast plates and thingies you know you and I'm one of those anyway so they taught me how to tuck roll as of a
42:17 moving car car going very slowly and it was in the terar of the aut so you do this thing so instead of them you be rolling into shot so you know you just stood there and then you do a little roll and you roll shot they could actually get me falling out of the car and rolling which is much more effective well it was my first day well I know I can't see who cares um and he was wonderful because he always said you know I have to stand by the edge of that Cliff because Katie can't see and she'll be over it she'll just keep running uh anyway so he you know he really looked after me anyway so I'm doing this thing I cut roll out the car and the first time and I pulled all the ligaments in my foot but I wasn't going to tell
43:04 anyone so I very bravely Li back and they said we'll just do that again okay I'll do that again because I'm very new and I'm just going to do everything I'm told to do so I do it again well by this the second time you know my boot is about to explode off my my leg is so SW so they know they're going to have to take take me to a an A&E so I'm putting this little room on location some probably in you know the circus or over and Christopher doy John came in and he said oh well K I'm so sorry we we're going to take you to the hospital but I just want you to know we've only got like a minute and a half of you on film so you know we'll just have to let you
43:51 go can you imagine the tears were not from pain they were from yeah can you imagine how I felt this little person my second job I mean you know anyway I'm tears and scaming I don't care about my swollen I don't care if they cut my food I don't care and I got I do it too easily don't die anyway so John came in and he said what why are you crying and I said because that's it it's over what do you mean I said no question it because I
44:36 only a minute on filing I get somebody else well my Champion turned around and took Christopher doily John to the [Music] cleaners and put his arms around me and said no darling that's not what so that may be a very tiny but that was right on my first day filming that I realized I had my champion in life you know and for this show and they were all I mean I just have to saying it caught me what a beautiful beautiful man you know really and you know Richard I'm so I go visit
45:22 Richard and um and and John um um anyway who's you know who I've known for many many years um um so friendships will always be there and I will always be there for anybody in the current the past whoever needs a little bit of support I will always be there because it's it it's the whole thing as a family and you're all part of it thank you [Applause] this has been the Sirens of audio episode 191 Katie Manning live Q&A in Sydney
46:07 October 2023 with our special thanks to Katie Manning event organizer Philip Edney panel host Dwayne bunny theme music by Joe Kramer more about us at sens of audio.com comment below to give us your feedback or contact us via email at sens of ao@ gmail.com or by any one of our socials using the app audiio Sirens handle thanks for listening audio files we'll hear you next [Music] time
