(Forum username 'WILLOWHERB'.)
1. I say, young dungeoneer, what's your name then? No, including your middle
name!
'Clare Elizabeth Catherine Speedie; an act of diplomacy to keep both grandmothers (Beth and Cathy) happy.'
2. And how old are you?
'Very nearly a quarter of a century - makes a girl think...'
3. Where do you live, and on a scale of horribleness, would you class it as part of level 1, part of level 2, or part of level 3?
'The glorious "City" of Stirling. Best known by newcomers as Braveheart country (despite the movie of that name being filmed in Ireland). Known by everyone else as a not-bad town with a pretty fab castle. Scale of horribleness? Merely level 1 most times, but the town-centre neds boost it to a weirdly threatening level 3 at nightfall.'
4. What was your role in the play, and how did you come to be involved in it?
'I was a late arrival to the play, meeting everyone through another friend who knew them and had the thoroughly enjoyable task of bringing a touch of snootiness to proceedings with the Witch-Queen Greystagg. Then (yikes!) one day before recording I suddenly found I wasn't just to be the Queen, but a certain perennially rude cavern elf as well. So for those who find themselves thinking, "Hang on, I don't remember Elita being Scottish!" please remember this and make allowances for the voice!'
5. What was your favourite moment in the story?
'The death of Merlin. (Morbid, eh?) Beautifully dramatic and it fills in a story hole left by the KM television series itself where Merlin is simply said to be "no longer with us"...
6. What was your favourite moment in recording the play?
'This would be any moment when one of us just cracked up in the middle of a line and set everyone else off in fits of laughter. I'm a great believer in the virtue of blooper reels and hopefully we'll be able to have the best ones made up into something for listeners to hear!'
7. What is your first memory of The Greater Game?
'I have a very early memory of sitting, eyes glued to the TV, as Cliff (dungeoneer 2 in series 3) crawled through a drain in an emptied pool. I had watched earlier episodes than this, but Cliff's adventure was the first one I ever recorded and I have it on tape to this day.'
8. Who is your favourite character from the original series?
'I have to split this into favourite good guy and bad guy. Favourite good guy - or girl - is Gundrada, she of the jolly-hockey-sticks voice and wielder of the sword Slash - what a name! Pity she was only in one series.
'Favourite bad guy; sorry to go for the obvious, but this has to be Lord Fear. Specifically Lord F. later on when his costumes got ever more over-the-top and he located his wicked sense of humour. The later spyglass scenes were guaranteed comedy.'
9. Other than the one you played in FFR, if there was one character from the TV series you'd like to play, who would it be?
'If there was to be a drama set in earlier Dungeon times it would be brilliant fun to play Morghanna and get to be totally evil. I'm such a nice person, aren't I?'
10. What was your favourite room in the original series?
'Series 2 adventures started off rather wonderfully with the first chamber (Wheel Of Fate). You pulled the lever and hoped the vista of rooms spinning round would stop at something not too threatening - not a bomb room, for example. It looked pretty damn good for a 1988 special effect and the idea was so clever it deserves special mention, I think.'
'Clare Elizabeth Catherine Speedie; an act of diplomacy to keep both grandmothers (Beth and Cathy) happy.'
2. And how old are you?
'Very nearly a quarter of a century - makes a girl think...'
3. Where do you live, and on a scale of horribleness, would you class it as part of level 1, part of level 2, or part of level 3?
'The glorious "City" of Stirling. Best known by newcomers as Braveheart country (despite the movie of that name being filmed in Ireland). Known by everyone else as a not-bad town with a pretty fab castle. Scale of horribleness? Merely level 1 most times, but the town-centre neds boost it to a weirdly threatening level 3 at nightfall.'
4. What was your role in the play, and how did you come to be involved in it?
'I was a late arrival to the play, meeting everyone through another friend who knew them and had the thoroughly enjoyable task of bringing a touch of snootiness to proceedings with the Witch-Queen Greystagg. Then (yikes!) one day before recording I suddenly found I wasn't just to be the Queen, but a certain perennially rude cavern elf as well. So for those who find themselves thinking, "Hang on, I don't remember Elita being Scottish!" please remember this and make allowances for the voice!'
5. What was your favourite moment in the story?
'The death of Merlin. (Morbid, eh?) Beautifully dramatic and it fills in a story hole left by the KM television series itself where Merlin is simply said to be "no longer with us"...
6. What was your favourite moment in recording the play?
'This would be any moment when one of us just cracked up in the middle of a line and set everyone else off in fits of laughter. I'm a great believer in the virtue of blooper reels and hopefully we'll be able to have the best ones made up into something for listeners to hear!'
7. What is your first memory of The Greater Game?
'I have a very early memory of sitting, eyes glued to the TV, as Cliff (dungeoneer 2 in series 3) crawled through a drain in an emptied pool. I had watched earlier episodes than this, but Cliff's adventure was the first one I ever recorded and I have it on tape to this day.'
8. Who is your favourite character from the original series?
'I have to split this into favourite good guy and bad guy. Favourite good guy - or girl - is Gundrada, she of the jolly-hockey-sticks voice and wielder of the sword Slash - what a name! Pity she was only in one series.
'Favourite bad guy; sorry to go for the obvious, but this has to be Lord Fear. Specifically Lord F. later on when his costumes got ever more over-the-top and he located his wicked sense of humour. The later spyglass scenes were guaranteed comedy.'
9. Other than the one you played in FFR, if there was one character from the TV series you'd like to play, who would it be?
'If there was to be a drama set in earlier Dungeon times it would be brilliant fun to play Morghanna and get to be totally evil. I'm such a nice person, aren't I?'
10. What was your favourite room in the original series?
'Series 2 adventures started off rather wonderfully with the first chamber (Wheel Of Fate). You pulled the lever and hoped the vista of rooms spinning round would stop at something not too threatening - not a bomb room, for example. It looked pretty damn good for a 1988 special effect and the idea was so clever it deserves special mention, I think.'