What was Granada like to work for?
From the word go they were smashing, absolutely smashing. I remember my boss was Michael… big tall fella, very handsome. Mike Scott. When I first started he was there. But yes, everybody was really nice. And I really do think that everybody enjoyed it so much – that’s why they were nice. If you’re working in a grotty place, then you’re going to be miserable sods, aren’t you? But everybody seemed to enjoy it as much.
And how did Granada treat employees? Why was it fun?
Because they took what you said as you knew what you were doing – they didn’t question it. I don’t remember them ever questioning why you had done something. …
And do you think part of the enjoyment was the social side as well?
Oh, my God, was it! I mean, there were parties like you wouldn’t believe. I remember after every drama, and they used to have a wrap party, and they used to go to the Bull’s Head on the Salford side of the river, then we used to go to the Film Exchange. You used to go up to town or somewhere, and on the way back you would call in at the Film Exchange and you’d get a solid glass, a strong one, about that big, with a paper lid on, of wine, and they called them Glockles. We used to take them into make-up all afternoon and have a Glockle.
And is it quite sociable on location as well?
Oh, yes! Always. Because you very rarely finished after six o’clock, so you were able to go to your hotel to get all tarted up, and we all went for a meal together – it was lovely.
So it was like a family.
It was! And we used to stay in lovely hotels.
And the canteen…
Oh! It was lovely, the canteen. Has anybody mentioned Elsie? Oh, she was lovely. She used to give you whatever you wanted, and she was queen of the salads. And she used to make the salads all very pretty and all that. And there’d be a bloody great big queue behind you while she made your salad. It was lovely, I loved the canteen, and you all had your own little bit to sit in. We always sat in the bigger room, the first two tables together, so the eight of us could get on, and the cameramen used to sit at the back, the stage crews all used to go in that first room… you were in a sort of… that’s your chair, you stay there.
