Interview with Kenneth Cope (2019)
Kenneth Charles Cope was born on 14th April 1931. He is an English actor best known for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in 'Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)', Jed Stone in 'Coronation Street' and Ray Hilton in 'Brookside'. He has also guest starred in four episodes of 'Casualty', as well as taking roles in 'The Bill', 'Waking the Dead', 'A Touch of Frost', 'Minder' and 'Kavanagh QC'.
Of course many 'Carry On' fans will remember him as Vic Spanner in 'Carry On At Your Convenience' (1971), the obnoxious shop steward central to the film's trade union and industrial problems storyline and rival in the film's romantic sub-plot.
In 'Carry On Matron' (1972) he took the more sympathetic role of Cyril Carter, the son of a thief (Sid James) who is forced to impersonate a female nurse as part of his father's attempt to rob a maternity hospital of its birth control pills!
In January 2019 I had the pleasure of interviewing Kenneth all about his career and involvement in the 'Carry On' series;
CP: How are you?
KC: I’m OK thank you. I had to have an operation as I had a problem with my aorta. I should have had it done years ago. It is the same thing that Bruce Forsyth had. It’s a slow recovery but I am getting there.
CP: I am sorry to hear that but it sounds like you are on the mend!
KC: I am, thank you.
CP: You have had such a long and wonderful career, which I will go into more a bit later, but I will start with the obvious; what was it like to work on the ‘Carry On’s’?
KC: It was fantastic. It really was seen as a leg up at the time if you were asked to do a 'Carry On', it really was and that is the truth. I was very lucky having come from a working-class background to be trained at The Bristol Old Vic. It wasn’t how it is these days of course. You had to pass an audition and then, if successful, get a grant, which I did. God, you learnt so much! Being asked to do a 'Carry On' really was an honour.
CP: Now, I need you to settle an argument; were you in ‘Carry On Jack’?
KC: No, I wasn’t in it.
CP: It is widely believed that you had a supporting role in it as one of the sailors?
KC: No, how dare you! (laughs). No, I never did any extra work or background roles like that. I wasn’t in 'Carry On Jack'.
CP: ‘Convenience’ & ‘Matron’ were in the ‘Golden Era’ of the ‘Carry On’s’. What are your memories of being in them?
KC: It just felt so good being in them. I will never forget the kindness they (the core team) gave to me. I remember that when I did the first one (‘Convenience’), Sid, God bless him, was watching me deliver my lines off camera. He was just nodding and smiling, he was so encouraging. I had a lot more lines with long speeches in ‘Convenience’ and it was hard work.
Above: Kenneth adds his autograph to my 'Carry On At Your Convenience' DVD sleeve.
CP: Talking of ‘Convenience’; It is one of my favourites I have to say but I understand that it wasn’t particularly well received at the time due to the subject matter?
KC: Yes, I believe it was because of the ‘strikes’ and Trade Union theme.
CP: The wonderful Renée Houston of course played your mum, she was a wonderful actress.
KC: (laughs) She was, yes. I still remember her spanking my bum! I also remember at the very end of the film that I ad-libbed. It is the scene where the new young lady employee walks around the corner looking for directions. Looking at her chest as I escorted her in, I said “Oh yes, we have a lovely pair of canteens ‘ere” I just said it and it was kept in!
CP: ‘Matron’ is of course also a well-loved entry in the series. What was it like doing ‘Matron’? Any special memories?
KC: Jacki (Piper) and Barbara (Windsor) were lovely, truly wonderful. I had immense fun on ‘Matron’ being dressed as a female nurse stealing birth control pills and being chased around by Terry Scott! I always remember that during a break from filming I went to the loo. Of course, I used the gents and so I go in dressed as this female nurse and there was a big black guy in there already, I will never forget his face, I think he thought his luck was in!
CP: What were the core team like to work with?
KC: Well, as I said, Sid was wonderful, he really was. I got on well with Kenny (Williams) too and used to sit with him and do the crossword. I knew Bernie (Bresslaw) sociably before the Carry On’s as we used to go out together for meals. I had lunch with Hattie everyday on 'Matron' and she was great. Charles Hawtrey was a bit of a loner. He was wonderful on set and knew his lines but after a scene he would be sat on his own. Both Gerald (Thomas) and Peter (Rogers) were lovely men and really listened to you if you had any ideas, they both looked after you.
CP: ‘Matron’ was your last; were you asked to do anymore or had you moved on?
KC: I honestly can’t remember. I’m not sure why I didn’t do anymore. I think the series was starting to slow down a bit by then?
CP: It is incredible that last year marked the ‘60th’ anniversary of ‘Carry On’. Why do you think that they are still so popular all these years later?
KC: They were seaside postcard humour and are easy laughs. The people in them came from variety and were incredibly talented. They knew not to hog the limelight or overstep the mark. Unfortunately, in the later ones, a few of the newer, younger members that they drafted in did.
CP: You mentioned the lovely Jacki Piper earlier. I actually saw Jacki again at an event for the ‘60th’ last year. She never seems to change!
KC: Oh, did you? How lovely. Please pass on my best to her when you see her again. She was lovely to work with.
Above: My signed still from 'Carry On Matron' with Kenneth as 'Nurse Carter' alongside the late Bill Maynard, Sid James & Bernard Bresslaw.
CP: There are always rumours of a revival of the ‘Carry On’ films, could they ever bring them back?
KC: If you have not got people like Sid (James) and Kenny (Williams) it would never work. So, no, it just wouldn’t work.
CP: You have also been a soap star over the years, from ‘Coronation Street’ to ‘Brookside’. What was that like?
KC: When I first did ‘Coronation Street’ it was supposed to be as a one-off character. I was this thug going around threatening people with a knife! (Kenneth then starts to recite his lines from as his character ‘Jed Stone’ from his stint in the show in the 1960’s and he remembers these lines perfectly after almost 50 years!). These days so many stars have big egos. I never had and would crucify anyone who was rude or selfish. I remember once on ‘Coronation Street’ that we were filming outside and it was freezing. All the extras were stood in the cold for ages and so between takes I would wander over to them and have a chat with them. I don’t mention that for any self-gratification but I just think that is how it should be?
CP: It seems that these days anyone thinks that they can have their ’15 minutes of fame’ and many have the very ego you talk about?
KC: Well, I no longer do anything in the business as I don’t like how things are run these days. I mean back when I trained and became an actor we would, for example, have a Props Master who looked after all the props and was responsible for them, even down to trying doors and the like to make sure they worked properly ahead of an entrance. They tested everything and looked after the basics. That has all gone.
CP: You also worked with Ned Sherrin and David Frost, amongst others, on ‘That Was The Week That Was’.
KC: Yes. One of the memories that I will never forget was being flown to Madison Square Garden to redo a show we had done. It was when President Kennedy had died. It was supposed to all be part of a tribute and there we were doing comedy! Those sorts of memories are the ones that you remember. I always remember that years later they had Ned (Sherrin) on ‘This is Your Life’. It was after Eamon Andrews when Michael Aspel was presenting it (the show referred to was broadcast by the BBC in February 1995). Ned and I had worked together for many years and so, as a guest, I was asked by Michael what had attracted me to Ned in the first place and what skills did the relationship involve? I simply replied ‘Our memories Eamon!’. It raised a laugh at the time!
CP: I have to mention ‘Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)’. A wonderful show that is still popular and well-remembered? What are your memories of working on the show?
KC: Michael Pratt and I just gelled. We had never met previously but we got on so well. Michael wrote and we had such a great relationship that we would just change lines and we were both on the same wavelength. That was such a lucky, lucky thing. I also did some of the writing too and I did really well out of it financially.
CP: Do you still write now?
KC: Yes, begging letters mainly! (laughs).
CP: They resurrected it in 2000-2001 with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, were you asked to take part?
KC: I was asked but to be honest I had got so much out of it financially previously that I really felt guilty trying to go back and take more.
CP: What did you think of the revival?
KC: I didn’t mind the new version but I think it was miscast. They should have had the smaller fella (Bob Mortimer) playing the ghost, he would have been much better as the ghost.
CP: With your involvement in so many cult TV shows and films will we be seeing you at any of the TV and film conventions in the future?
KC: To be honest, no. They have all become so commercialised. I don’t want to do any if I am honest. I get asked but I can’t be bothered. I did do a few ‘Dr Who’ conventions a few years ago but nothing recently.
CP: Just happily retired?
KC: Hmmm..well, yeah, I guess I am. I don’t know, I might do another one at some stage.
Above: Kenneth adds his autograph to my 'Carry On Matron' DVD sleeve.
CP: Well, I know that there are a lot of fans who would love to see you at one but fully appreciate your point about many now being very commercial affairs.
KC: Ah, that is sweet. Would they? Well, I don’t know. I may at some stage!
My sincere thanks to Kenneth Cope for giving up his time to talk to me about his career and memories of the 'Carry On's'!
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