“Carrying on”…

JOHN HANNAM
Helen Worth
Looking back on well over thirty years of interviewing famous
people, from Hollywood legends, to an ex-Prime Minister, British
sporting heroes like Bobby Moore and Roger Bannister, singing idols
who have conquered the world and TV legends, including Frankie
Howerd and Benny Hill, I still wonder just how I have done it.
Back in the 60s I was so embarrassed at meeting new people, was
too shy to eat in restaurants and my confidence levels had hit the
deck. Sometimes I sat in a darkened room, on my own, just to get
away from everything.
My first interview was certainly not a hint of what was to come. It
was in 1972 at the Winter Gardens, Ventnor, and the Bachelors, then
one of the most famous singing acts in Britain, sensed just how
naïve an interviewer I was and gave me a rough ride. I cringe at the
thought of it. I still have the tape but would only play it publicly for
a sizeable sum for my current charities. Years later I met up again
with the Irish singing group and was more than ready for them. I
even managed to twist their arm for a free voice-over.
Patience is essential for any interviewer. I once waited five hours for
a five minute interview with Joe Loss and, more recently, took a ten
hour round trip to Cardiff to interview the delightful Nigel Havers.
When I got to the New Theatre, for our in-between shows interview,
I heard the stage door keeper announce that Mr. Haver's taxi was
waiting. He had forgotten our interview and was nipping back to his
hotel. He did take pity on me and I got around ten minutes - and he
got a larger taxi fare than expected.
I was due to meet Jeremy Irons at London's Langham Hotel. I arrived
an hour early, had set up all my equipment in a room donated by the
hotel. I sat in an extremely comfortable chair with my eyes peeled
on the door. Jeremy was coming into the city on his motorbike and
14
John
Hannam
Reveals
“Patience is essential for any
inter viewer. I once waited five hours
for a five minute inter view with Joe
Loss.”
would see me, as well as going to his dentist. I sat for over three
hours and never saw him enter the hotel. My mobile was flat, so I
was marooned. I went out for a quick breather and, apparently, at
that precise time, Jeremy's office had rung the hotel and I was being
paged. In the end, unaware of this, I went back to Waterloo and got
the train back to Portsmouth. When I arrived home I found that
Jeremy had been delayed and would be able to do it later in the day.
There were at least four messages on my 'phone. In the end I went
back a couple of weeks later and met Jeremy backstage at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. I saw him captivate a theatre full of
students at a workshop and was so proud he's an Islander.
When I went to the home of the late Sir Edward Heath in Salisbury
his housekeeper suggested it would be fine to set up my equipment
in the entrance hall. A few minutes later she returned to say Sir
Edward would now like to record it in the library. I set up again and
then had another visit from his housekeeper. Sir Edward had finally
decided to take me into the garden for our thirty minute chat. I had
no extension lead and his garden seemed longer than a football
pitch. They readily supplied a lead. There was no time to worry just
how this shy East Cowes boy was actually sat in the wonderful
garden of a former Prime Minister. I was dying for a cup of tea or
coffee but the offer never came.
I hate being late for interviews. I was due to meet Angela Rippon at
a Holland Park hotel. I was in good time and halfway on the tube
run from Waterloo. Then all passengers were asked to leave the train
and station due to a signal failure. There I was in the middle of
London and not a taxi in sight. I rang the hotel to pass on my
apologies to Angela. In the end I was nearly 30 minutes later. Would
she have waited? Angela, who had not got my message, was
completely relaxed. She added: "Everyone's late in London; it's just