Wednesday 29 Oct 2014
Stuart Goldsmith was born in Bristol and moved to Leamington Spa at the age of seven where he was a member of the Warwick-based youth theatre company Playbox Theatre and went on to work as a Court Jester at Warwick Castle.
The actor and comedian can often be seen performing at Covent Garden where he met the other performers who star as the Roboidz. A lifelong sci-fi fan, Stuart was delighted to be given a role that took him to a different dimension and allowed him to slide down banisters.
How did you react when you were approached to play Caleb?
I was completely blown away – surprised and incredibly excited!ÌýThe producer rang me up and said he wanted to "give me some feedback" on the audition, so I thought I'd missed out – but it turned out he was only kidding, and offered me the job!
Caleb is a fairly tortured soul. He is a bit of a maverick, is part machine and has no recollection of his past – did you base him on anyone in particular?Ìý
There's a lot of different elements to him – I was most interested in exploring how like a child he is.
He's been trapped in Future Gate all alone for five years, with only Cybele for company, and is so excited to see other faces, even kids. ÌýHe's like a big kid himself, always playing around and trying to keep himself amused, but he's also very vulnerable, and aware he has adult responsibilities.Ìý
I sort of based him on my own godchildren and nephews, and all the energy and excitement they have when we're mucking about together. He's also quite a lot like me, aged 14, especially his dress sense.
This is your first foray into children's television – did it live up to your expectations?Ìý
It surpassed my expectations on every level! ÌýThe producers were so generous, making sure everyone on the set had the freedom to throw in new ideas, so we all kept each other on our toes.
What were the challenges of filming the series on a container ship?Ìý
Well it was pretty imposing when we first arrived – I don't think any of us had any idea what it was going to be like!Ìý The crew made us feel very welcome, and we all seemed to get used to it pretty quickly.Ìý
When the weather was bad it felt like we were lost at sea, looking out into the Scottish mist and sleet, but some mornings it was beautiful – still and sunny – and I thought:"Yep, I understand why some people would live like this".Ìý
When we filmed in the depths of the cargo hold we were actually under water, and the walls were freezing cold, so we survived by huddling round hand-warmers and cups of tea!Ìý
There were also more stairs and ladders than you can imagine – I got particularly good at sliding down the banisters...Ìý
Any amusing anecdotes?Ìý
The performers inside the Roboidz are old friends of mine and on the first day I was really nervous so they kept trying to make me laugh so I'd relax.Ìý
I'd be standing on a balcony introducing the show really seriously – "I'm Caleb, and this is the year 2110" – and, whenever we stopped filming, they'd wave up at me and go: "Ooh, look at me, all stuck in the future!"Ìý
Did you manage to try some of the games and if so how did you get on compared to the child competitors? Ìý
Whenever we tested the missions I always asked if I could have a go.Ìý I don't want to give anything away, but there's a mission at the end of the series (called Shocker) that one of the producers beat me at – and I'm certain she cheated!Ìý I want a rematch!
Another mission from the final episode (called Robovaders) was really difficult, and all the production team had a go and failed.Ìý When the recruits got stuck into it we couldn't believe how well they did – they smashed our puny scores to bits!
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