Wombling Free (1977) - Bonnie Langford Interview - video Dailymotion

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00:00Bonnie, what was it that attracted you to the idea of making Wombling Free?

00:07Well, to make Wombling Free, I went down to Pinewood Studios and I met the director.

00:16And as soon as I sort of heard that it was about the Wombles and he told me the story,

00:23it really made me feel lovely.

00:25You know, I really wanted to make a Womble film because there hasn't been a film of the Wombles

00:30and I think they're so lovely, I can't understand why.

00:34But it was such a nice story and it really is a basic storyline.

00:39There isn't, it's not just scenes and little snippets of the Wombles' adventures.

00:44It's a definite story all about them, which makes it more interesting for children,

00:49which I think is what it's all about.

00:52Would you go to a close-up, please?

00:55Tell me, how do you get involved with them in the film?

01:01Well, in the film, the Wombles...

01:03Sorry, can you start again and just say in the film?

01:06In the film, the Wombles, they always want to make contact with human beings,

01:14which they haven't been able to do for 300 years because Uncle Bulgarius tried it

01:19and he's 300 years old and he's never been able to do it.

01:22But Bungo, he's determined to be the first Wombles to ever speak to a human being

01:29and he goes out and he tries to talk to a dog and to a horse and to a postman

01:35and they just never see him.

01:37But then I come along and I'm eating a Mars bar and I throw away the wrapper on the floor

01:42and he says, oh, I pick it up.

01:44And I hear him and it's all about him making contact and Uncle Bulgarius can't believe it.

01:52And then he comes to tea, Bungo does, and then he keeps forgetting to tell us to stop making a mess

02:01and keep written tidy, so he has to keep coming back and finding us and talking to us

02:06until finally we say, why don't we bring Uncle Bulgarius for his birthday party?

02:12So all the Wombles come for a birthday party, so it's lovely.

02:17A lot of grown-up actors don't like to work with young people like yourself

02:25because you tend to pinch the scenes from them.

02:28I wonder, how did you feel about working with a character like Bungo

02:33who does tend to pinch the scenes that he appears in?

02:37Well, working with a Wombles, especially Bungo, it was lovely

02:41because it was just like a little animal that you could sort of pet all the time.

02:46You really believe in them when you're with them

02:50and you tend to sort of treat them like a little baby

02:53because they are so little and so sweet that you can't object to them at all

02:59because they're just so lovely. They really are.

03:04What is your idea of what you want to be when your career has finally blossomed?

03:12I mean, you've got a big West End show to your credit, Gone with the Wind.

03:16You've got a big popular television series starting again shortly

03:20and now you've got a film.

03:22How do you see Bonnie Langford growing up?

03:26Well, I would love to do musicals when I'm older

03:30because musical films too

03:33because I love doing films. They're so nice to do

03:36and there are always lots of people involved

03:39and it's just a fantasy land, really.

03:43It's what you really dream of.

03:46And I'd love to do a musical because I can actually sing and dance

03:50and it would be so nice to be able to do actually everything.

03:56I don't know, it would be so lovely to have the orchestra and everything.

03:59I'd just love to do that.

04:02And what happens with your new television series?

04:04When does that start?

04:05Well, it's not actually a series that I've just done.

04:10I've just done a special called Lena and Bonnie with Lena Zaveroni

04:14and it's a one-hour special and I get to sing and dance, which is lovely.

04:20It's a completely musical show, a one hour of music

04:24and it comes out Easter Sunday.

04:31But it's so nice because of that.

04:35Which, yeah, it was such fun to do, it really was.

04:41Tell me finally, Bonnie,

04:44what is your idea of stardom?

04:49My idea of stardom is lovely Rolls Royces

04:56and the fact that you're making people happy.

04:59And that's why I love being in show business so much,

05:02is that it makes people happy and gives them entertainment,

05:06which is really what it's all about,

05:08which I love doing.

05:09I love talking to you.

06:2320, take one.

06:26We take the first question for an interview with Miss Bonnie Langford.

06:31Bonnie, what attracted you to the idea of doing Wombling Free?

06:36Well, what attracted me to Wombling Free was the fact that it was all about Wombles,

06:42and Wombles had never made a film before.

06:46And they're such lovely little creatures that children can really adore.

06:51And in the film, it shows children that not everybody believes in them,

06:57because the whole idea is to keep Britain tidy,

07:01and you see what you want to see.

07:04If you see good in the world, then you'll see the Wombles.

07:07And it's about making contact with Wombles.

07:11And in the film, I'm the first person to ever speak and see and talk to a Womble,

07:17which is lovely, you know, because it makes the children really think,

07:22oh, there are Wombles in the world.

07:25And then I introduce Bungo is the Womble, to my mother,

07:30who thinks that I'm just making up an imaginary character, like children do.

07:35But she sees him too, which she can't believe.

07:38And then we try and get the father to understand, which is David Tomlinson.

07:44And he won't understand.

07:45Although he does, there are little snippets in the film where he does see the Womble,

07:49but he doesn't think of it.

07:51And Uncle Bargeria borrows his morning edition of The Times,

07:56but he doesn't realise it.

07:58And then we have a party for Great Uncle Bargeria, his birthday party,

08:04because he's 300 years old.

08:06And all the Wombles come to tea.

08:09And the Mr. Frogmorton, which is the father,

08:12he comes home and sees this party going on,

08:16and he eventually admits to seeing the Wombles.

08:18So he tries to put up a stand on Wimbledon Common

08:23and speak to all the people of Wimbledon,

08:26that they can't see them because they don't want to see them.

08:29But it ends up with lots of children coming on and seeing the Wombles.

08:34So it makes the children think that there are Wombles,

08:38so when they go walking in the streets,

08:40they want to try and see a Womble.

08:4620, take two.

08:48Continuation of the saga with Miss Bonnie Langford.

08:54Tell us again, darling,

08:56what was it about Wombling Free that attracted you to the idea of making the film?

09:01Well, Wombling Free was such a lovely idea.

09:04The fact that having Wombles in a film had never been done before,

09:09and the fact that it wasn't just a series of scenes about Wombles' adventures.

09:16It was, in fact, a complete story, one big, long story,

09:20about making contact with Wombles,

09:24for children to really believe in Wombles more than they had done before.

09:28And that Wombles weren't just little puppets on a screen with great big people above them.

09:34They were actually like children, so the children could really believe in them.

09:40It was basically about making contact with the Wombles,

09:44and I was the first person to make contact with a Womble.

09:47That was Bungo, who was the youngest, which children seemed to adore most.

09:52And the fact that the Wombles can be seen by adults, too.

09:59And it's that adults say,

10:02you see what you want to see when they actually see the Wombles.

10:06So it all makes it a fantasy land for children,

10:09that not everyone can see them,

10:11so it makes it feel as though they're special if they can see a Womble,

10:15which is lovely.

10:17Tell me a bit about the story.

10:18It's basically about me making contact with a Womble,

10:24and what happens is that I introduce Bungo to my mother,

10:30and she sees him because she thinks that I'm just making it up,

10:35and it's just an imaginary creature.

10:38And she does see Bungo, which she loves.

10:42And then she tries to, we all try and tell my father,

10:46who is David Tomlinson in the story.

10:48And he won't believe in these Wombles,

10:51and he thinks that we're all going mad.

10:54And he does, in fact, talk to a Womble,

10:57but he doesn't realise it.

10:59And he lends his morning copy of the Times to Great Uncle Bulgaria,

11:05but he doesn't even notice that it is Uncle Bulgaria.

11:08And then as he does, he knows you need to do it.

11:25He's still out there.

11:26And he doesn't even notice it,

11:29and that's enough.

11:29That's not exactly right.

Wombling Free (1977) - Bonnie Langford Interview

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