Our special guest today is a man who has virtually made the term
"loveable rogue" his own.
It seems to describe equally well his television role
as the engagingly dishonest antiques dealer Lovejoy
and his own life as a reformed hell-raiser.
Here's Lovejoy explaining to Cassandra, played by former Dallas star Linda Gray,
how to create that authentic antique aroma.
Single icons were kept in velvet bags. Now we need two of them.
- Mm-hm. - It's important that they feel and smell right.
- Would you hold that? - Mm-hm.
So they would have accumulated...
smells like must, dust, mouse pee, vodka, borscht, tobacco...
- Mm. - And a host of other things Russian. OK.
(Sniffs) No.
Needs another century and a couple of wars thrown in.
Smell that.
Oh, that's incredible!
- It smells like the inside of a... - What?
Of a very old church. I can smell... candles, incense...
You know that sweet-and-sour smell of something very, very old?
- Good. - Lovejoy, you're a genius.
(Chuckles)
In his own words, he's no angel, but he is on their side.
Please welcome lan McShane.
(Applause)
Hi.
- How are you? - Fine.
- Ooh, what about last night, then? - What?
- Oh, Lady Jane. That was a dream. - You got to grips with her, though.
Well, only in the dream, but we might get to grips next season.
I think she's going to be a bit embarrassed next week isn't she?
- Do you think so? - She was only making a pass at you because...
- I mean, she does fancy you a bit. - Well, she was annoyed with her husband
for saying he was in Paris when he wasn't. When he was really doing a deal with...
- whatever that woman's name was. - Yes... No, I've forgotten her name.
Anyway. I got very excited there, as a lot of people did, I think.
Now, that bit we've just seen with Linda Gray, that episode is yet to come.
Now of course, you were in Dallas with Linda Gray.
It's something... We often see English stars going over to American shows.
But it's not often the other way round. How did that happen?
What we... They wanted to so a two-hour special at the end of this year.
And they wanted to... First of all we were going to go to Boston and do it on location.
And then with the cutbacks, we decided we couldn't go to Boston. So they...
They'd written this script about...
which had a 40-ish American widow whose husband was in racing.
And it suddenly seemed perfect for Linda to play the part.
So everybody talked about it, so I gave her a ring and said,
"Why don't you come over and do it?" Then she came over.
- You're also co-producing on Lovejoy... - Mm-hm. Yeah.
...and I noticed you're directing an episode. - Yeah.
Again, that's something we often see in America.
You see Larry Hagman, and Patrick Duffy's name, or Alan Alda on MASH.
Is this the American influence or is it something you've wanted to do for a while?
I've wanted to do it for a while. I've been asked over there,
and always thought I'd get the acting right first.
So I decided this time I was gonna jump in.
On a show that you've been doing for a while...
I think this year Lovejoy went very smoothly. It's gone over very well. And...
I'd like to do it. I know the character, I know the people, and, er...
I'd like to shout at the actors for a change instead of being shouted at by directors.
Get my own back.
Larry Hagman directed when you were in Dallas.
Three. And Patrick Duffy directed three of them.
That's a show that runs itself. That's a show where you walk on and...
The wardrobe used to phone me the day before. They'd say,
"Linda's wearing beige and gray", so I said,
"Well, I'll be wearing the leather jacket. Just come home from work."
Get in the truck, roll in, they open the doors, you walk in, you walk on, do the scene,
say, "thanks very much," pick up the check and go home.
You only work two days a week maximum,
cos it's a six-day shoot, Dallas. It's incredibly quick.
I've heard a lot of rubbish talked about
the difference between American and English acting.
But English actors do say that Americans are much more laidback.
They seem to be able to take the naffest words and really make it natural and relaxed.
Do you find that? You've worked with them a lot.
Well, there is a lot of rubbish talked about actors.
Any actor, if they're good... There's good and bad. That's all.
There's a difference cos they're steeped more in television and film,
but they're equally good on stage. I think there's only two categories, bad or good.
You know, and, uh... You takes your choice.
You pays your money and you takes your choice.
You were also offered a part in Dynasty, weren't you?
Yeah, that was a recurring role.
I mean, I did the Dallas because it was a cold January,
I was going to do a film over here in April,
it was perfect timing, it was like ten weeks,
and it was the last thirteen episodes of that particular cycle of Dallas.
And to leave at the end of it, so I didn't have to go back, which was nice.
But I read that you said somewhere that you didn't do Dynasty, cos...
it was too much like hard work.
Oh, no... Well, they quote you, you're supposed to have said so many different things.
No, I just didn't... I didn't like that shop gig anyway.
I always thought that those kind of shows...
Excuse me. Dallas was, if you like, the man's show.
It's two brothers, Bobby and JR.
You can't have a baddie cos JR's the baddie and Bobby's the goodie, that's it.
And Dynasty was the woman's show. Crystal and whatever Joan played, that character.
But that was perfect timing. What was it, three years ago.
- You say Dallas kind of ran itself. - Yeah.
What about Lovejoy?
I think... That's the danger, I think, sometimes. Shows run themselves, they get lazy and sloppy.
I hope we never get to that stage.
It's been five years, I think the show's come back stronger,
the people in it are terrific, we're lucky to get Chris, Dudley and Phyllis again.
I think the scripts are tighter, there's a great atmosphere, we'll look forward to it.
We've got Joanna Lumley coming in next year for two or three episodes.
- It's about time I had some romantic interest. - Oh, you're going to have a bit of...
- Yes, I think she's gonna break the old heart. - Is she?
Which reminds me, I must mention this.
This is the golden heart which is the Variety Club on Valentine's Day,
it's the wear your heart on your sleeve campaign,
and you can buy these all round the country,
they cost a pound and everybody should wear one, 75p goes back to charity,
and I'm wearing it because I'm part of the charity, it's all for kids
and the Variety Club is well-known for its charitable deeds towards children.
In fact I've got one here for you, but I'll need a pound first.
Just a minute, hang on.
Flippin' typical.
- I made this this morning. - Oh, here we are.
- They you are, darling. - Oh, thank you.
Listen, has your career gone the way you wanted it to go?
I mean, it seems to me you've been around a long time as an actor
but it's Dallas and Lovejoy that have thrown you into prominence.
Well, Dallas is bigger here and in other countries than it is in America.
I've done loads of American TV movies and a few films and theater out there.
I've lived there for 14 years,
so when you do something like Dallas and it comes to England
or Lovejoy, which is on the English screens, people go "Oh, where's he been?"
Or whatever. And... Yeah, I have been around a long time.
- Would you... - It's nice, where you are now it's nice.
I'm very happy doing Lovejoy, I hope we do it for a few years.
It'll be a nice pension for me, apart from doing it.
Would you have liked to have done more stage work,
or be more known more for classical work?
Again, I was too busy having a good time when I should have been taking it very seriously.
I've never... I like doing the theater, I hate going to the theater.
I don't mind doing... If somebody said a play, if it was terrific and I enjoyed it I'd do it.
But when they say theater, you think "Oh, blimey, rehearsal every night!"
You know, and people come in, they talk, they ruffle things,
they switch their hearing aids - neeow! - it comes back on the audience,
they get a break, they go back, Act 1 you go back in the dressing room,
and your evening's shot, you know.
Listen, we've got a little bit of classic McShane here.
We've blown the dust off a 1967 copy of Wuthering Heights.
(lan) "Oh, Cathy!"
- Oh, I say! - (Applause)
Fabulous!
- That was great stuff! - Fabulous!
I loved the hair!
- It's the same today. - I wasn't sure if it was a close-up of Cathy.
Do you remember that? That was '67, was that your wild period?
Uh... No, it was just starting.
My hair - I've always worn it in what they call the professional footballer style.
But... I did a film with Richard Burton called Villain.
And we played... It was sort loosely based on the Krays in a way
and he played this companion of the Krays, who was a homosexual villain
and I played Wolfe Lissner, his bisexual boyfriend.
And we were having a drink one night, Richard and I,
and he said, "I'm very glad you're playing this part, lan,"
and I said, "Oh? Why's that?"
And he said, "Well, you remind me of Elizabeth!"
Thank you very much!
Didn't they do something terrible to that film, they dubbed it?
In America. Yeah, they dubbed everybody except Richard.
So we all came out speaking these, whatever New York actors they were using,
they had Irish accents, and we were playing Cockneys.
(Irish accent) "Oh, Vic, stick one on him"!
There's Burton like that, it's supposed to be a heavy Cockney drama.
Needless to say, nobody went to see it. Total disaster.
As you said, you've moved back to England now. Did you miss something?
Why did you come back?
Well, I miss... I came down to London when I was 17, 18, I loved the city.
I moved cos I was bored, really, to America in '75.
I was living in the country here, making like, one or two films a year, bit cushy,
I never liked it too cushy, and I went there bit of a challenge,
then I came straight back of course, to do Jesus Of Nazareth,
with Robert Powell, who was mentioned earlier.
- Judas. - Judas, yeah.
And we were in the desert for a year and then I sort of...
My kids were living in LA, it was a base. I've lived there on and off since.
A year ago I bought a flat in England, so I go both places now.
My wife's there now enjoying the sunny climes of California,
I'm here, but it's nice to be here.
Can you see Lovejoy as a film? Have you considered that as a spin-off?
I think there's one or two of the books that would make a film,
cos we don't use the books and the stories for the television, we use original scripts.
There's a couple of books that would make good films, one set in Hong Kong and one in Rome.
But that's down the line. What we try to do every year is try and do a two-hour special,
which is like a movie for television, which is nice.
You've got a bit of love interest coming up.
Have I heard that in the third series, in March,
Lovejoy's gonna have a bit of money in his pocket?
Well, this series ends with Lovejoy getting a bit of money and so he goes off,
so at the beginning of the next series, he'll be coming back again cos he's a bit bored.
He's found out he really can't paint, whatever.
And then Lady Jane's best friend, which will be Miss Lumley,
will intrude upon my life for a few episodes
and then Jane might get a bit jealous and we might...
have a little...
Ohh! Well, on that note, I'll look forward to it, and look forward to seeing you Sunday night.
- I hope you enjoy it. - Ladies and gentlemen, lan McShane.
- Thank you, Judy. - (Applause)