Simon MacCorkindale, back
on television as Casuaty's new
consultant, has been delivering
foals rather than lines of late...
I was never too comfortable as a
young actor and always felt that my
best time in the business would be
around now - I'm 50 - through to the
age of 65 I've been doing a lot of
production work in the past ten years,
as well as writing and directing, so
the opportunity to do something very
visible - in a great part - was much too
good to miss My character in Casualty
[new consultant Harry Harper] is a
disciplinarian, slightly old-fashioned,
but pretty cool I've been filming since
February and it's a really nice show to
be in - egos are at a minimum.
Filming in Bristol is a bonus
because last October, Susie [his wife,
actress Susan George] and I bought
a Victorian farm on the eastern
peumeter of the Exmoor national park
It's still a two-hour drive away, but I've
just rented a flat in Bristol, so I drive in
and back about three times a week and
stay over for about three nights I like
it here, particularly the docks area,
which has some fascinating old
buildings. I have an affinity with old
boats and I like the water, so it's a good
place for me to relax.
We moved to Somerset from our
farm in Northamptonshire because we
needed more room for the Arab horses
that we breed. We're still settling in,
but we've got 114 acres for the stud
farm, and the position and layout of the
place - moorland and hills all around -
simply seduced us. It's very dramatic
and spectacular, and it reminds me a
bit of Scotland. I've always felt Scottish
- my father is a Scot and, in my head,
I am, too. I love the pipes - and wear a
kilt. We wear the MacLeod tartan and
one day I'm going to get to our ancestral
home, the Isle of Lewis in the Outer
Hebrides. We have plenty of space for
our 25 horses and four Irish setters who
not only roam the place but rule it, too.
We're very hands-on with the stud,
though we employ stable staff and a
manager who lives on-site. I don't have
the time to do so much now that I'm
involved with Casualty, but if I know
that we've got a foaling I will always
drive back at night. I got home at 10pm
the other night and the mare foaled at
10 15pm, which was very considerate.
Some weekends we present our Arabs
at horse shows, though I don't ride as
much as I used to If I get a weekend off
it will be spent largely on the farm I was
brought up in a lot of small villages -
my father was in the RAF, so I was a bit
of a nomad - and I've always felt at
home in the country.
Susie and I do Iyengar yoga, which
is quite strenuous but has a spiritual
base that also appeals to me. I was
brought up in the Church of England
and church parades were a regular
requirement for a military family. The
church formed a core of my thinking
and education, though I'm not a great
churchgoer these days. To relax I listen
to opera, particularly the Verdi canon,
because I cut my operatic teeth on
him. I don't have much of a voice
myself, but Susie sings very beautifully
and has just recorded an album.
We're both involved in our production
company, Amy International (named
after Susie's character in Straw Dogs),
though we also have partners who keep
things moving when we're busy. We've
recently produced the new series of
Relic Hunter [a US adventure series
starring Tia Carrere], and we've got a
number of TV and movie projects in
development. It's difficult for us both to
work at full pitch and put the necessary
time into the company. I am a bit
driven and I find it difficult to take
time off, but it is a very long day - I'm
frequently up at 5am to be on set at
7.30am. It's nice to get going before the
phone starts ringing, and if I can wander
quietly through the stables to say good
morning to the horses before I leave,
then that always sets me up for the day.
--Interview by David Gillard
RadioTimes 8-14 June 2002
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