00:00Good afternoon. My name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Lovely this
00:07afternoon to speak to Clive Carter, who's part of the company for the big summer musical Top
00:13Hat at Chichester Festival Theatre. Now, Clive, you were just saying you realised something
00:18mega important at the start of rehearsals, that you are celebrating 50 years in the business.
00:2450 years in the business, yes. It's a long time.
00:27And looking so young as well.
00:30Oh, flatterer. Get you everywhere.
00:34But that's fabulous, isn't it? 50 years.
00:37Yeah, I know. I can't believe I'm still doing it. As I said before, I can't believe I've got
00:40away with it for so long.
00:42Well, tell me again that story about that first pay packet in your diary.
00:47Well, what it was, I foolishly, when I was very young, I kept a diary. It didn't last
00:52a very long episode. But the first, my very first wage packet, which I'll even happily
00:58tell you was £25. And it's £25. That was my wage packet. And I wrote in my diary, I fooled
01:05them. How long can I keep this going? 50 years later, I'm still fooling everybody. Although
01:11it's not for £25 now, I can tell you.
01:13I'm sorry. So 50 years of deception. So why is...
01:19It's going to be that way, but I will now. Yes, 50 years of deception.
01:23So why is Top Hat the big one? Why are you excited by Top Hat?
01:26Oh, God. Well, I was involved with this a long time ago, 13 years ago when it first
01:33started. Also because I remember as a child, seeing all these lovely old films, these marvellous
01:40films, Top Hat, Singing in the Rain, all of them. And they all evoke such happiness, particularly
01:45this one because of the tap. I personally love a tap routine. I mean, you show me somebody
01:51who doesn't love a tap routine.
01:52Who doesn't smile when watching.
01:54Oh, it is. It's so inspiring because you just look at it. And I mean, I'm lucky because
01:58I'm watching them all during rehearsal. So, and I'm not paying for it. You will be, but
02:03I'm not. And it's just amazing. It's worth paying for, by the way, because the tap routines
02:08are fantastic. Absolutely amazing. I just sit there with my mouth open and I have to remind
02:13myself when I'm on stage, stop being Clive. You're Horace. Stop it. Because I just, it's
02:18just watching all these lovely dancers, beautiful moves, beautiful. The tap routine is amazing.
02:24Amazing. Fantastic. And you are playing, well, he's described
02:28as hapless. You are Horace. Hapless, Horace?
02:32Well, I think that's a little harsh before Horace. He drives very hard. He, you know,
02:36he's a producer. There's not that many hapless producers. They don't last very well if they
02:41are. But, no, Horace Hardwick, his heart's in the right place. It may be a little hapless,
02:47but the heart is there.
02:49Fantastic. We're very much looking forward to you continuing to deceive us on stage in
02:54Top Hat this summer in Chichester. Clive, great to meet you.
02:58Congratulations on that 50th anniversary. That's fantastic.
03:02Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Bye-bye. Thank you.
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