In the final part of our video interview with British actor, writer and director, Robert Gillespie, Andy Howells discovers where Robert got the inspiration and title from for his new autobiography.
Robert, who has delighted viewers over the decades with guest appearances in tv series such as Porridge, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? and Rising Damp also starred as cartoonist Dudley Rush in 5 series of the 80s sit-com Keep it In the Family, has recently published a new memoir new memoir, Are You Going to Do that Little Jump?
Robert explains: “My partner and I had a daughter when I was in my 50s, so she missed all the early parts of our lives. It started with “You need to tell Lucy what has happened to you”.
The Thinking Man’s Goldfish
Robert took pen to paper and thanks to an extensive archive of scrapbooks and memorabilia accumulated over the decades, his new biography began to take shape. The title, however, was less forthcoming.
“At one time I tried a nonsense title – The Thinking Man’s Goldfish,” continues Robert, “Then of course there’s a lovely short play by Terrance Rattigan called Harlequinade. The central characters are a grand actor manager and his lady wife who tour the provinces.”
“At one point they’re rehearsing and the old boy as usual – because I saw a lot of Donald Wolfit who was one of the last great actor managers in theatre – whose rehearsing and finally he winds down and stops which is the cue for his wife to have a little moment. So, she starts getting her momentum up. She starts and she stops, and she look so her husband and says, “Are you going to do that little jump during my speech? I thought this is a total actors thing- it’s about upstaging!”
- You can watch the final part of the Robert Gillespie interview above and all four parts of the interview here as a YouTube playlist
- Order Robert Gillespie’s new memoir, via Are You Going to Do that Little Jump? official website
- Thanks to Robert Gillespie for the interview.