3 minute read
TALES OF SINBAD
A Mersey Care member of staff, William Coughlin, was in conversation with Michael Stark thanks to a partnership between Mersey Care and Made in Manchester, producers of Distinct Nostalgia.
Soap super fan, William Coughlin.
Michael Starke. Loveable rogue Sinbad was a favourite in Channel 4’s Brookside for 16 years. Two decades later actor Michael Starke spoke exclusively to soap super fan William Coughlin for MC magazine, about the highs and lows of life on ‘the Close’.
Michael Starke
WC: Your character was a good role model. How easy was it to play Sinbad?
MS: It can be hard to play a character that has so much of yourself, you usually have your instincts and the character’s instinct, but it means you can say ‘I think he’d say this, or do that’.
WC: He always seemed very bubbly?
MS: He was! The thing I loved about him the most was his fun side. He was a tremendous optimist. He was one of those people who could just make people smile. As the storyline deepened, with the Jordache plot and him finding his mum, the role changed and Sinbad became much more serious and troubled. Sustaining that was hard – with every storyline came a bit more baggage. I met with Phil Redmond to ask if we could bring back some humour. Phil said ‘Sinbad has become the conscience of Brookside’. The storyline was changing so the character had to change as well.
WC: What would a typical day on set be like?
MS: Ten hour days and in the early days rehearsals in between recording. Once we went to five shows a week there was no time for rehearsals, you’d have to know your lines and make sure you were in early. If they were ahead of schedule they’d shoot extra scenes – you’d have an hour to learn your lines!
WC: Who did you most enjoy working with and why?
MS: Everyone was great, but Louis Emerick and I got on so well. He took Sinbad in as a lodger and we became great friends. We developed our own code, we’d learn our lines together and made going to work fun. We’re constantly in touch, he’s a great mate.
WC: Were you a mentor to younger cast members?
MS: (Laughs) No one took a blind bit of notice of me! We tried to be there for the younger actors, to say be aware of this or that, dealing with life in what felt like a goldfish bowl. We’d give tips on learning lines. Anna Friel who played Beth Jordache had a spark, you knew she’d do well, look at what she’s on gone to do, but she would always ask for advice. I don’t think there was a lot we could teach her. There were quite a few great young actors, some decided not to stay in the business.”
WC: Where was the garage and shops? I’ve been to the set and it wasn’t there.
MS: There was a little pathway from the Close with a sign saying Brookside parade – that pathway was three miles long! It was actually in Childwall. They built a garage, some shops, a nightclub, a hairdresser’s and a launderette – Ron Dixon had his sweet shop there!
WC: You’ve done pantomimes. What stands out?
MS: I love pantomime, two shows a day for eight weeks is really hard work, but it’s great. I remember walking on stage and realised I wasn’t in the scene and pretended to sleepwalk – the director loved it so much he kept it in!
WC: You were a window cleaner in Brookside. Were there any mishaps with your bucket?
MS: The one scene you’d never see was me up the ladder looking down – I’m a terrible coward! The directors persuaded me to slide down the ladder; I fell and never did it again!
Trawl through Distinct Nostalgia's player for interviews and hours of soap history from Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, and Brookside.
