We found out about this interview on 30 July 2014 when the Tweet above was posted by BBC Radio Leeds. So we tuned in. Since its now more than seven days since the show was broadcast, the programme is no longer available via the BBC Radio iPlayer. But not to worry, we have a transcript of the interview for you.
Liz Green : Tell you what we are proud of this morning and its the way we look on the small and the large screen. Now in a moment, yesterday, we were given exclusive access to the set of Last Tango in Halifax. They are filming series 3 right now, and our girl, Tracy Gee, was there. No spoilers, but oh it was difficult!
[Liz then dealt with some other topics on the Breakfast Show before returning to their exclusive coverage of Last Tango.]
Yesterday on BBC Radio Leeds, they gave us exclusive access to this, [plays theme to Last Tango in Halifax]. Right now they’re filming Series 3 of Last Tango in Halifax. Millions loved it, you loved it. And listen to this, we were given exclusive access to the set, to the cast. Our girl, Tracy Gee, very very hush hush, had a real treat.
Tracy Gee : Listen closely, having to whisper at the moment because they are indeed filming. Where I’m at is Celia’s flat and there’s a scene currently underway with Derek Jacobi, who of course plays Alan, and Anne Reid who plays Celia. And I’ve been told that this scene is extremely emotional. Anne Reid is currently dressed in like a dressing gown, its early morning and the house has got like tarpaulin over it to make sure its blocking out the sunlight and it does look like early morning. And I did manage, just before they went on set, to have a very quick chat with Derek and Anne, aka Celia and Alan.
Derek Jacobi, Anne Reid, what an absolute pleasure to be on the set with you this morning. I understand that you literally about to walk on set, aren’t you, Derek?
Derek Jacobi : We are. Yes, I’ve done … the camera’s been on me all morning and now its going to be on Annie this afternoon.
TG : Well, Annie, or shall we call you Celia, I’m so more used to calling you that or seeing you as that. You’re in your dressing gown, I take it that it is quite an emotional scene you’re going into.
Anne Reid : Yes, its quite emotional. Yes, we have a lot of emotional scenes but we also have a lot of comedy in it too.
TG : I was going to ask you that. How do you balance the comedy level and the tears and the upset?
AR : We’re just playing the truth. We just play the truth. I think we’ve got to go, darling.
TG : You do, darling, and I’m going to get in trouble. Well Derek and Anne, best of luck as you literally walk on set this morning.
DJ : Cheers! Thank you. Bye.
AR : Thank you.
Director’s voice (?) : Alright, from the top. Thank you Derek. Alright, nice and quiet everyone please. Camera set and action.
Celia : I’m not going.
Alan : What do you mean?
Celia : I’m not pretending, that’s what I mean. Watching my daughter, get married, to another woman.
Alan : [inaudible dialogue].
TG : This production is very much top secret at the moment. In fact, I just got turfed off set within about 8 minutes of me being there because the producer, Karen Lewis, told me that a massive big secret was about to be revealed and she just couldn’t let me hear it. I did manage to have a chat with Karen though, I spoke to her about some of those top secret story lines, and also what its like shooting a drama which has its heart rooted in West Yorkshire.
Karen Lewis : Well the location’s really important, I mean, particularly to Sally Wainwright, who is from Halifax and the whole area, the Calderdale Valley, West Yorkshire, is really her vernacular. It inspires her, and its almost like a character in our piece.
TG : Can I ask you if you’ve faced any challenges in West Yorkshire, you know, you’ve mentioned obviously you’ve been filming in Halifax quite a lot.
KL : Of course, we’re filming in the summer where we have very very short nights and we had to film a sequence where we arrive at night in a storm. So there we were, you know, on the hottest, one of the hottest day on a very short night, filming till 4 in the morning, 4:30, with massive rain effects and things like that.
TG : Of course its been boiling in West Yorkshire.
Both laugh.
TG : Its typical!
KL : Its ironic, but it looks great, you know, hopefully, when its all cut together as well.
TG : Moving forward, how to you balance the emotional aspects of the storyline alongside the drama and even the comedy, because you know from laughing one minute to crying the next …
KL : I know. I think that’s why Sally’s so clever, because she can do that from page to page, and in this series we do have a couple of really big shocks.
TG : Oh come on, do spill!
KL : I can’t.
TG : We know you want to spill.
KL : No, I really can’t tell you but you can spot a recasting, but otherwise it would ruin it for the audience if I told you what these were. But its just like life, one minute you’re laughing, one minute you’re crying. That’s a very specific thing to Last Tango where in a way you can tell any story in it and it just seems to work.
TG : Can I just ask though, will any of these big shocks,will they involve any of the key characters?
KL : Yeah. Totally. Ha ha.
TG : Urgh, good grief. Watch this space for Series 3 coming your way then.
KL : Yeah. I’m not going to say what happens in the end, ha ha …
TG : Oh dear, and we can’t get anything out …
KL : I know, really because I would be sacked!
TG : Well OK, Karen Lewis, thank you very much for speaking to us.
KL : That’s OK, its a pleasure.
TG : Thank you.
Liz Green : Oh, can’t wait. And no one else had access to that set but our Tracy Gee.
Ed’s Note :
We first heard about the “recasting” from this interview. Right after the show was aired, we went on Twitter to speculate about the recasting. The first response was from LesleyW, who identified William Ashley as William. It was also LesleyW who subsequently told us to check out the Tweets posted by William’s replacement, Dean Smith. You can see screen caps of Dean’s tweets about the recasting on this Page.
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