Joy Spink
Television
producer Joy Spink became the first female AufPet producer
when she took the helm of series 3 during it's 2001
production, and throughout it's 2002 post production. Joy
takes a break from her current projects to take a look back
at her time with the Smoggies and the Chokanaws
Hi Joy, thanks
for speaking to us, firstly, when did you first become
involved with the Auf Wiedersehen Pet revival?
I became involved with AWP at
the beginning of 2001 through the executive producers, Laura
Mackie and Franc Roddam.
What are the main concerns
and pitfalls of resurrecting a TV show after such a long
time?
One of the biggest concerns
is to make sure that it is at least as good and hopefully
better than the previous two series. There is a huge
pressure for something so popular and so fondly remembered
to live up to people’s expectations. We wanted to make sure
that we were true to the spirit of the original whilst
ensuring that the story and characters were very much part
of the 21st century.
Where you familiar with the
original two series before you began work on the third?
I wasn’t
familiar with the original two series but I watched them
last year and became very fond of the characters. I had
thought that watching 26 hours of video would be a chore but
it very quickly became a pleasure, I think the strengths
of the first two series were the performances and the
dialogue, I could also see why people held it in such high
regard. I became completely hooked.
What was the most difficult part
of the production?
Making sure we
did justice to Dick and Ian’s scripts, this was made much
easier by having such a fantastic cast, particularly having
the six original actors.
When you were all making the
series, did you ever believe that it would be as hugely
successful as it was?
It’s impossible to predict
how successful something is going to be, no matter how good
it is, so it was fantastic that so many people watched and
enjoyed it. The feedback we had was tremendous, it was very
exciting and far beyond our expectations.
How did you find working on
the top of the Transporter bridge?
Sadly, I wasn’t able to be at
the top of the transporter bridge, I have a fear of heights,
so I had to keep my feet on the ground. I wish I had been
able to go to the top of the bridge – the view on the
footage we shot looked spectacular. I can recommend
crossing the bridge in the normal way - it’s a unique
experience.
Where you at all
disappointed that the original ending of the bridge sticking
was dropped?
No, I think we
chose the best ending. We tried several endings, including
the bridge sticking, but the ending we chose worked best.
Dick and Ian were closely involved in the post-production
process and we were all in agreement about not using the
bridge sticking.
In Hindsight, would you have
done anything differently?
The most satisfying thing I
think is that the series lived up to people’s expectations,
also that it was well-received and most importantly that it
was popular with the viewers. I think we managed to satisfy
fans who have loved the show since it first appeared almost
20 years ago and also the series appealed to a new audience
who hadn’t seen ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Pet’ before. There are
always things you would do differently with the benefit of
hindsight, but I think overall we made the right decisions
at the time we made them.
'Why aye man' seems to have
proved very popular with viewers of the show. Are there any
plans for a soundtrack album?
We’re not
planning to release a soundtrack. Mark Knopfler has an
album coming out soon which will include ‘Why Aye Man’,
it’s a great track and we were very lucky that Mark let us
use it. Mark also has plans to release ‘Why Aye Man’ as a
single in the near future - the details will be on his
website.
Will you be
staying at the helm for the up coming fourth series?
I’ve started work on
another production so sadly I won’t be involved in the next
series.
Can we expect a video/DVD
release of series 3?
Yes, series 3 will be
released on video/DVD, I don’t have an exact date but it
will be towards the end of the year.
All in all, how did you
find working on Auf Wiedersehen Pet?
Producing ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Pet’ was a wonderful
experience, working with Dick and Ian was a pleasure, the
original cast were terrific; incredibly committed as well as
being fun to work with. Paul Seed, the director, the crew
and the rest of the cast were all fantastic, they were so
enthusiastic and hard-working, I think everyone felt they
were making something very special.
And finally,
Joy, what are you currently working on?
I am currently in pre-production on a two-part serial called
‘Final Demand’ by Deborah Moggach which will be shown on
BBC1 next year.
With very special thanks to Joy Spink.
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