Hello, friends. Some weeks back, Luke and I, with the kind help of our UK producer, David,

were able to speak to the man with the twisted lip himself, Mr. Clive Francis.

As we have already discussed the achievements of this accomplished actor in a previous episode,

let me simply say that talking with Mr. Francis was a real treat for us.

He generously shared fond memories about Jeremy and Edward, Granada, and his adventures beneath that incredible makeup.

So, without any further ado, we give you Clive Francis.

Well, sir, thank you for allowing us to put you on the spot today.

Not at all, not at all.

It was a very happy memory anyway, which is nice for me.

So if it's been something I loathed and have terrible memories about, I might have felt rather differently, but no, I remember it with great affection.

Wonderful.

Well, before we start with the show, I kind of just wanted to give a little bit of your

background. I mean,

you came from a family of actors, your father, the legendary Raymond Francis, and your mother,

equally accomplished, Margaret Towner. Yes. Was it a foregone conclusion in your household that

you would perform, or did you ever dabble elsewhere before choosing this path?

It was a foregone conclusion as far as I was concerned.

Okay.

Because I was brought up, as we say in the theatre, all I knew about was theatre. Although my father, who, interestingly enough, he was the first actor to play Dr. Watson.

Yes, to Alan Wheatley's Sherlock Holmes, yeah.

That's right.

And, but my father was a private man.

...