Chez Lester interview

Chez Lester was a comedy soap opera with music, broadcast on Leicester's Cable 7 community TV channel between 1994 and 1996. Cast members included Linda, who played Agatha Spent and Mick as Spring-Heeled Jack, as well as members of local bands POI and SuperEight. A Chez Lester zine featured these interviews:

Q: Firstly, Linda, how would you describe the character, Agatha Spent?
Linda: Agatha is strong-minded but can easily be taken in by people because she's a sucker for a good plan or idea. She keeps herself to herself and isn't in the habit of having heart to hearts.
Q: Do you like playing the role?
Linda: Yes, I do like playing the role.
Q: What are your favourite Chez Lester moments, involving yourself and involving others?
Linda: My favourite moment is when Ruth's Agatha lets the cat out of the bag to Agatha's sister.
(This is in episode 14 when Bridget - played by Ruth Miller - is pretending to be Agatha, whilst keeping her hostage in the shed. Agatha's sister, Alex - played here by Linda - pays a visit and suspects nothing until Bridget's wig falls off.) My favourite bit without me is Jack and Singer's bath cleaning.
Q: How would you like Agatha to develop?
Linda: In future episodes I'd like Agatha to fall in love, to hatch a revenge plot and to discover a passion for Ritz crackers.
Q: Would you be happy to spend the rest of your life acting in a soap opera, a la William Roache (Ken Barlow)?
Linda: No I wouldn't be happy. I'd be very, very bored.
Q: Which soap operas do you watch?
Linda: Coronation Street, Brookside, Neighbours (but not religiously), and if I really haven't got anything better to do I'll watch EastEnders.

Michael Derrick on soaps...

"I sometimes watch soaps when I get back from work and I'm just sitting around. The only real soap I enjoy watching, except Coronation Street which I like cause I visited the set, is Shortland Street. The only soap character I could compare to Spring-Heeled Jack is the wee guy out of Shortland Street with specs, who's always seasick. (Shortland Street is just Chez Lester except the budget is £20 more and it's serious.)

Take the High Road, which is set on the west coast of Scotland, is dead boring, like Emmerdale. My most hated soap is The Archers. When we're at work and we switch from Virgin, if I hear the Archers theme tune it makes me physically sick. I cannae stand EastEnders, except for Gillian Taylforth cause she gave a blow job on the motorway and she was in On Safari. Soaps are dead boring!"

'Mick Derrick is a member of Prolapse and the wonderful Cha Cha 2000. He is an actor, an archaeologist and wine connoisseur.'

Chez Lester on MySpace