Post by Lucy of Ravenscar on May 1, 2020 8:12:59 GMT
Daniel Rendell did an interview with Paul Rainbow (previously Paul Duggan), who played Tom the Fletcher in Robin Hood and the Sorcerer:
1. How did you hear of the job. Was it advertised initially as a short term role?
The main casting Director (Esta Charkham) was liaising with a local Bristol-based casting director (Laura Cairns). My understanding was they were looking for some local West Country based actors to supplement the main cast. In those days you needed an Equity card up front to get any king of professional work and I already had one. Laura came to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (where I was studying) and I found myself meeting her first, with a view to being put forward for the part.
2. What was it like coming on to set. Were you welcomed? It's often cited as one of the nicest sets to have worked on, with a line of popular actors wanting to get on the show.
Very much so. I can’t remember working with a friendlier bunch of people (cast and/or crew) either before or since. Very welcoming from the start. A bit of a cliché but it was a bit like a big family.
3. At that stage was it apparent you were a part of something different happening, and how popular it wouldbecome, or was it hard to tell?
We certainly knew it was something special because the budget allocated for the first two-hour special was something quite extraordinary for the time. The fact that it was also ‘film for TV’ rather than shot on video made it feel extremely special. The production values all round (including the amazing sets) only added to the sense of it being a special production. We certainly had an idea that it was a ‘classy’ production, but I don’t think any of us really knew how popular it might be. It’s always difficult to know that until shows are aired.
4. Can you tell us a bit about working with the merrie men (and woman) A young Ray Winstone. Did you ask for advice?
As it was only my second TV job I certainly remember thinking I had a lot to learn, but I think I did that more by observing the other more experienced actors on set (including Ray Winstone) than getting first-hand advice. I can’t remember asking for any. There was so much friendliness and generosity on (and off) set, that I don’t remember being treated like a ‘novice’ in anyway. We had a lot of laughs as the Merrie Men both on and off set.
5. Did you always know your character was getting killed off. Did Kip (Richard Carpenter) tell you about your character or was in not well defined?
It’s a long time ago, but I think I had all the scenes for both episodes up front, so always knew that I’d be ‘killed off’ at the end of episode 2. In fact, I’m sure that was mentioned at my first interview for the job. Both Richard Carpenter and Ian Sharp (the director) gave me a few steers as to who the character was, his background and his relationship with the rest of the gang.
6. Were you aware of the subtle homosexual overtones between your character and Mark Audley's Dickon of Barnsley. Were you directed to play that?
Again, it’s a long time ago. I think it may have been mentioned very ‘obliquely’ that their relationship was a bit ambiguous, but we never really explored that or went into depth about it in terms of a possible sexual relationship.
7. Did you get recognised when the episode went out?
I honestly can’t remember if I did when it went out. I was back at drama school by that time in my final year and it was all a bit ‘full on’ and in an education bubble so I don’t think I was ‘swanning’ around Bristol being recognised by anyone. It was only years later when I came across fans of the show in a social context that I realised how popular the show had been/was and how I’d been remembered quite amazingly for my small part in it.
8. How did you get on with using the bow and sword fighting. Did you also go to the training camp beforehand with fight arranger, Terry Walsh?
Yes, I remember having a day of archery training with the others (I think in Richmond – somewhere off the A3) and we had fight practice with Terry yes before filming. I can’t remember where that was though (I think most of it was on set but there may have been a dedicated fight training day before that). Of course, I’d already had sword fighting training at my drama school as part of that course, so I wasn’t exactly new to that kind of fighting.
9. Any abiding memories of your time with the crew, and filming up in Northumberland? You also shot down around Bristol for forest scenes on a very steep sloping hill. Were there dangers and did you incur any injuries?
Hahaha, well I remember being wet and cold a lot. Even with industrial drying machines, leather and general animal skins have a remarkable way of holding in water vapour which the typical English forest temperature can easily penetrate. But apart from that I remember having a great time with the cast and crew both on and off set and only have fond memories of my time filming up at Bamburgh and Alnwick castles and Brinkburn Priory. I was lucky enough not to get injured (I can’t remember the very steep sloping hill near Bristol in particular, there seemed to be a great many sloping hills) but I do remember sharing a dark hole with a few Merrie Men and a mouse, which I think must have been up north somewhere).
10. Did you take any photos and did you keep any souvenirs?
I took a few photos and I’ll send you a couple with these answers. I did have a silver arrow badge souvenir but unfortunately I lost that some time ago in a house move.
11. What have you been up to since. You were last seen in The Bill & Kavanagh Q.C
I did quite a lot of TV work in the 80s and early 90s over and above The Bill and Kavanagh Q.C (including ‘Our Friends in the North’, ‘No Bananas’, ‘Brookside’, ‘Framed’, ‘EastEnders’, ‘Casualty’, ‘Piece of Cake’ and ‘Wish Me Luck’), then concentrated on stage work in the late 90s and 00s (including long stints with the now sadly disbanded ‘Oxford Stage Company’ and subsequently Bath Theatre Royal and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre).
12. Do you still act?
I still act occasionally (when I’m not working in my alternative career of graphic design project managing). Recently I did a few seasons of a BBC Radio production called ‘Home Front’ and I’m still open to offers if an interesting acting job comes up.
13. Presumably the name change was that 'Duggan' was being used by someone else? ----
Well, it was actually the other way round. When I went to join Equity (a few years before Robin of Sherwood) they already had a Paul Rainbow (my real name) on their books and wouldn’t allow me to use it. So, I had to choose another name and chose Duggan, for no other reason than there wasn’t one in Equity and it sounded a good enough name. A year or so after RoS a friend of mine said why don’t you ask Equity if that other Paul Rainbow is still around (he wasn’t – not sure why – I remember asking Equity at the time but they wouldn’t tell me) so I got my own name back and used that for all future acting work.
Good questions and brought back quite a few memories, Daniel.
Best wishes
Paul Rainbow (aka Duggan, aka Tom the Fletcher)