Author Topic: Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!  (Read 5197 times)

Offline Barney

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Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!
« on: September 18, 2015, 10:29:04 AM »
 ;)

Hello everyone - Barney here!

I have just found out something about Follyfoot, that I never knew before.  The actor Frazer Hines (below), auditioned for the part of Steve, and here is an extract, from his book:



I was sitting with Muriel Cole and Sue Whatmough, the casting directors for Emmerdale Farm at Yorkshire Television.  I already knew Muriel, because I had auditioned for a part in Follyfoot.

Hang on you’re thinking, I don't remember Frazer Hines in Follyfoot. True. Because I wasn't in it.

Muriel thought I'd be right for it and she sent me to the programme’s producer, Francis Essex.

Taking the part would mean moving to Yorkshire for six months, which was how long the show was supposed to run.  It was a week later that I actually got to meet Francis.  I had my bags packed and practically had my ticket for the trip north.

Francis spent ninety minutes with me and at the end of the interview he said, ‘sorry Frazer you're wrong’   ‘About what.’  ‘Wrong for the part.’

To say I was surprised is to suggest that Vlad the Impaler was bad tempered.

‘How do you mean, “wrong for the part”?  Well look, I’ve spoken to you now for about an hour and a half and what strikes me most strongly, is that your eyes twinkle and you have a lovely smile.’

So I said, ‘Well yes that's me.  I've been telling you what I've been up to. And I'm enjoying myself.’

Francis took on a patient tone.  ‘You see, your character, Steve, this boy never smiles, he has sad eyes. It says so in the script’

I had read the script.  ‘Well that's the character. Give me the script and I'll play him.

‘‘But you smile too much.’

‘I do, yes.  Frazer smiles,’ I answered, ‘but Steve doesn't.  Francis, think it through: if I was playing a rapist, would you want me to grab your secretary and throw her across the desk, with my hands on her throat.  It's called acting.’

But he would have none of it, so I didn't get the part; which as it happens, was probably fortuitous for me.  If I'd been in Follyfoot, I wouldn't have been sitting there again, talking to Muriel and Sue, about Emmerdale Farm.

Extracted from Hines Sight: The Life and Loves of One of Britain's Favourite Sons by Frazer Hines
Publisher: Telos Publishing Limited; 2nd edition edition (22 Mar. 2013)
ISBN-13: 978-1845839949

Offline Jane

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Re: Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2015, 12:14:22 PM »
Thanks Barney, great find!  >41< I never knew that either  :)

Fortunate for Steve that Frazer didn't get the part! Funnily enough I've been watching the very first Emmerdale episodes and Frazer doesn't get to do much smiling, his character is quite grumpy in fact!

Offline Loopy

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Re: Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2015, 01:53:51 PM »
Fortunate for Steve that Frazer didn't get the part!




Interesting find Barney.  >41<

I think Frazer would have made a good Steve Ross actually - better than Robin Stewart who originally had the part..... but not as good as  >74< of course!!   >95< 


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Offline dave

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Re: Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2015, 05:00:29 PM »
That's a good discovery, Barney. Frazer looked a lot like Steve. Emmerdale Farm started around 1972 so there may be similarities with the Yorkshire way of life on a farm at that time - I can't remember.

Offline Tony

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Re: Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2015, 05:13:11 PM »
Interesting  >41<
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Offline pete.r.

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Re: Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2015, 05:18:46 PM »
That's a good discovery, Barney. Frazer looked a lot like Steve. Emmerdale Farm started around 1972 so there may be similarities with the Yorkshire way of life on a farm at that time - I can't remember.

Yes he does look like Steve. Thanks Barney  >41<
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Offline Jane

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Re: Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2015, 05:43:36 PM »
Quote
I think Frazer would have made a good Steve Ross actually - better than Robin Stewart who originally had the part.....

Anyone's better than him!  :P  >49<

Offline Tony

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Re: Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2015, 09:40:33 PM »
I think without a doubt Steve Hodson and Gillian Blake ( >95<) were the best choices YTV could have made  >41<
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Offline Sabrina

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Re: Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!
« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2015, 03:41:33 AM »
Thanks Barney - what a fascinating story! I'm glad Steve got the part of Steve though. It's interesting that Frazer says he was auditioning for the part of Steve; initially the character was called Paul as per the book Cobbler's Dream. Maybe it was just easier to say Steve than go through the explanation of why Paul became Steve in the series...
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Offline squeakytre

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Re: Dr Who actor, auditioned for role of Steve!
« Reply #9 on: December 25, 2015, 12:35:52 PM »
Excellent discovery Barney >41< ...and interesting about the issue of whether Steve's character had to look sad.