Interviews
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DRIVING FORCE TV Soap - Date unknown Along with tearing around the Colcroft Estate in cop cars, scoring the show's best lines is an other factor keeping Graham Cole on The Bill beat as PC Tony Stamp. "I've just shot an ep where Polly Page and I investigate an undertaker who's lost his hearse," says Graham very early one morning by phone from the set. "And my last line is: 'A hearse, a hearse - my kingdom for a hearse!'". The ABC's Saturday night of English cop dramas - The Bill and Heartbeat - is proving unbeatable in the ratings. Graham, a 12-year stalwart of the East End crime-fighters and a revered theatre actor, says it's the strong ensemble cast that's made the show a hit. "It's an actors' show. But it's not for prissy actors, and that makes it special and exciting. Some people say the show's suffered a little since going from a half-hour to an hour. But there's more thinking time, we're not just belt ing around all the time. In the old days we shot scenes that never got to air." PC Stamp is an old-style cop, reluctant to make arrests and only ever drawing his baton to smash windows, not villains. He's not bothered about his weight, hates paperwork, loves rugby and would rather have a curry and go to the pub than cook - there's nothing New Age about him. And careening about in "panda cars" is one of his - and Graham's - favourite pastimes. "I love rally and motor racing! I've actually stayed so long because of the cars. I do all my own car stunts and the way we shoot The Bill, often with hand held cameras, we don't stop the public in those shots! Most of my working time is on the streets. I enjoy that." Despite its pro-police premise, The Bill is primarily loved for its raw and gritty, though warm, slice of urban law enforcement. He's "used to" playing the affable cop and says he doesn't know what else he'd do, but he's in demand for stage work and speaking. But he cautions contemporaries like Heartbeat's Nick Berry, recently quoted as saying acting is an overpaid, easy lark. Says Graham: "TV does tend to give you a false sense of security." ME AND MY FOOD - GRAHAM COLE Eva - date unknown Playing PC Tony Stamp in The Bill has provided me with the perfect excuse for eating really badly! As he's a bachelor, I can have huge pizzas, kebabs and curries and claim I'm eating for my character.My wife Cherry always tries to get me to eat fruit, but I'm not realty a fruit person. Bananas are O K but that's about it. In terms of what I put into my body, I'm very unhealthy. People are so clued up about food nowadays. They want to know what's in the sauces, but none of that bothers me. When I was a child, my favourite meal was Sun day roast. On Monday, we'd have bubble and squeak with the cold meat left over from Sunday. I miss all that- it seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. I was born in Willesden, north London, and we moved to Harlow when I was about 5. It was a new town and there wasn't even a shopping centre. When I was older I worked on a farm for Mr and Mrs Woods. They'd feed me, these huge doorstep sandwiches and home made cakes. Even now, I badger Cherry for home made cakes.
I also worked in orthopaedics for the NHS for 5 years. After being in and out of the operating theatres all day, all you fancy is a sandwich when you get home, so that changed my diet a bit. Then, when I was 21, I changed the type of theatre I worked in and I went into acting. When I was on tour l'd have a big breakfast and then not eat until 6.30 In the evening. Then I'd only have a sandwich as you can't do a show on a full stomach. Consequently, I'd be in the curry house at 11 at night. On The Bill, where I've been for over 8 years, caterers are with us all day. I have a huge break fast, biscuits at 10.30am and another meal at lunch time. My downfall will always be the pudding. Most of my colleagues don't eat pudding as they're worried about doing the scenes after lunch. It's never bothered me. I know the words and I can still run down the street after eating spotted dick and custard. When we've doing chases, younger members of the cast ask me to slow down! Of course, I did used to play rugby, which helps. I tended to drink a lot of lager after the matches then. But now I don't go to pubs any more as I'm not a smoker and I find the atmosphere hard to take. We have two children, Matthew, aged 12, and Laura, who's 10, and we like to go out for meals. One of my favourites is chicken satay. We may just have four starters, things like filled potato skins, and a huge pudding rather than a main course. At home my real faves are medium hot beef curry, served with onion bhajis, poppadoms and nan bread. I love roast chicken and spotted dick. I also like what we call 'bits and pieces'. This is fingers of chicken and fish and a selection of dips which you can buy from supermarkets. I don't like salads be cause I find them so bland. We used to have them at home, but when I reached 40 - I'm 44 now - I decided that not only did I not have to take any notice of the mother-in-law any more, but I didn't have to eat anything I didn't like. That was a milestone for me! |
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BOY IN BLACK AND BLUE Publication and date unknown
THE Bill's Graham Cole has copped so many knocks in the line of duty he has ended up in hospital at least ten times.
Graham, star of this week's landmark 999th episode, has had a catalogue of injuries playing tough PC Stamp.
He has suffered cuts which needed stitches in both his hands, has scan on both arms and has seriously bruised his elbows, shoulders, right hip and feet.
This year alone, 44-year-old Graham has had to be whisked to hospital three times.
After his latest accident three weeks ago, he needed four stitches after slicing a finger to the bone trying to tear down a door. He says: "I get more knocks than many real coppers.
"I reckon I'd be more at home in Casualty than in The Bill but I love doing all my own stunts.
"Stamp's been through it all. I've been been stabbed. bricked and cornered by thugs - all sorts of horrible things have happened to me."
After his latest accident he was taken to St Bart's Hospital in London-but only after he had finished filming.
He says: "I was trying to rip down some pieces of wood on some boarded-up flats. I slipped forward and injured my hand on the door frame. You could see my bone through the cut but we had to finish the scene."
Graham, 6ft 2in and almost 15st, has also suffered from tinnitus - a constant throbbing in his ears-since he joined the show in 1988. He eases his aches and pains by visiting an acupuncturist.
He says: "My wife spends most of her time rubbing myligaments. She is used to me coming home looking battered and bruised. It's all in a day's work for me."
In this week's hour-long celebration episode (Tuesday, ITV, 8p m ). Stamp has to act fast when a tanker overturns near an underground station.
Former rugby player Graham says: "We filmed the episode in the early hours of the morning in January and it was freezing.
"I had to have cold water squirted all over me. which was extremely unpleasant. But it was all par for the course for Stamp."
While Stamp goes home to a lonely bachelor pad. Graham has been happily married for 22 years. He and wife Cherry live in Bromley, Kent, with children Matthew, 12, and Laura, ten.
Graham says: "I get quite a lot of cheeky letters from female fans. I reply to all of them but I make sure I casually drop Cherry's name in." |
| 999 AND STILL WORKING HARD
Inside TV - date unknown The Bill clocks up 999 episodes this week and celebrates with a special hour-long episode in which Sun Hill's finest are called to deal with a chemical tanker which crashes in a busy London street. "Filming The Bill can be nearly as gruelling for the actors as real-life police work, as What's On TV discovered when we spent a day with actor Graham Cole, who plays Pc Tony Stamp... 5.25am - Wake up. Graham's alarm is set for 5.30am, but he switches it off before it wakes his wife, Cherry. 'I seem to have a knack of waking up five minutes before the alarm goes oft,' he says.
6.30am - Leaves home in Bromley, Kent, for the 12-mile journey to The Bill's studios in south-west London. ' I don't bother with breakfast at home,' he says. 'I can always grab something at work.
7.00am - am: Graham arrives on set and wanders into the Green Room, where the cast wait before filming, for a cup of coffee. 7.20am - : After a quick brush-up in the make-up department, he dons Stamp's uniform. 'That puts me straight into policeman mode,' he says. He has another glance at today's scripts to refresh his memory. 'I usually do that in the toilet,' he laughs. 'It's the only place where you don't get pestered!' 7.30am - Boards a coach to take him to the morning's location. The annoying thing is you often get on the bus and it takes you halfway home!' he laughs. 8.10am - : Arrives a location to shoot scenes for the first of two episodes he is working on today. He waits around while the cameras are set up. 10.30am - Tea break. Then it's on to his main scene where he chases a villain down the street and, after jumping over a couple of walls, catches up with him. He gets splattered with mud. 11.15am - "During a break in filming, Graham is invited in by a pensioner for a cup of tea. 11.30am - A van arrives thinking Graham is a real Pc asks for directions. Graham doesn't know where he is, so he can't help. 'Over 12 million people watch the show, but he obviously wasn't one of them!' he laughs, as the driver pulls away mumbling about unhelpful coppers. 11.45am - : The cast have been spotted by some fans and Graham begins signing autographs. 'If we re in someone's street invading their privacy, it's the least we can do.' 1.05pm - Lunchtime. 'Beef again,' Graham laughs. 'I think the caterers have done a deal with someone!" 2.10pm - A coach arrives to take Graham and some of the team back to the studios. Graham then drives to Woolwich to film a scene for The Bill's 999th episode. 3.30pm - Meets the stunt arranger to work out a driving scene. 'I love all that driving stuff,' says Graham. 4.05pm - The rehearsals begin for other scenes, with plenty of special effects in evidence. 5.00pm - Tea break. 'Don't say I'm eating a sandwich,' says Graham, eating a sandwich! 6.08pm - Filming gets underway. The special effects team switch on as jets and four cars are ablaze as Stamp and Quinnan (Andrew Paul) arrive at the scene. 'It looks like Beirut,' says Graham. 8.30pm - Dinner break. Graham phones his wife Cherry and gays goodnight to his children Matthew, 12, and 10-year-old Laura. 11.07pm - The shoot is going well and the cast and crew break for hot soup and rolls. 1.00am - Stamp and three colleagues are sprayed with water by firemen who fear they've been contaminated by chemicals from the crashed tanker. The male cast members wear drysuits under their uniforms but poor Lisa Geoghan, who plays WPc Polly Page, can't because she's wearing a skirt. 'The water was icy,' shivers Graham. Still soaking, the actors have two more scenes to shoot before they can dry themselves off. 2.30am - It's all over and the actors head off to a mobile home for a hot shower. But there's a problem: the shower isn't working. After drying off, Graham changes and heads home. 3.00am - Once home, Graham makes himself a coffee and puts on cable TV. He turns to a shopping channel. 'That unwinds me. It makes me laugh and sends me to sleep,' he grins. He kooks in on his children before climbing into bed, kissing his sleeping wife on the head and dozing off. |
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