大象传媒

Hugo Speer plays Bill Anderton

Tell me about Bill Anderton.

He's in his late thirties and is the father of one of the main boys (Doug) and he's a senior shop steward at Longbridge British Leyland Plant.

Bill has a very strong moral fibre. He's a good man but he does have his Achilles heel, which is his eye for the ladies, his one little weakness.

However, he cares very passionately about the livelihood and welfare of his workers and their families, as well as the community overall.

Bill fights to make sure his workers get justice, which is an ongoing battle with the management.

How does he deal with the political tensions in Leyland which is very much a reflection of what's going on outside the plant?

Bill has to face being a senior member of staff and has to try to be a go-between for the workers and the management.

He strikes me as more diplomatic than a lot of the other shop stewards.

He is able to see outside of the argument, although he is very firmly on the side of the workers. But he is also able to slightly appease and mollify the management in order to get more from them. So really he's a good diplomat.

What was it like working with Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais?

That was wonderful, wonderful. I read the novel just before starting working on it. I found it fantastic - I loved the novel and loved the script.

I actually saw the script first, knowing it was by Clement & La Frenais. So I knew I was working with the finest calibre of writers.

That's really my prerequisite for work - good scripts and good people - and you don't get much better than this.

Do you remember any of the real life events from the Seventies?

I was born in '68 so the Seventies for me were from two through to 12 years old. So, I remember the power cuts and three days weeks and I remember having to write by candlelight.

It was always more of a little adventure, so more of a pleasant childhood memory than anything else. It never really affected us as a family.

Did you enjoy having a moustache for the role?

No, but I grew it because real ones always look better. And it was just part of the character. It was a conscious effort to find Bill, to find the times, to find the Seventies.

But of course I spent an awful lot of time off-set in between shooting days.

Most of my friends were very amused - the one person I would have really relied on for a little moral support was my Mum but she thought it was absolutely hilarious. She would roll around laughing, tears streaming down her face every time she saw me.