Actor and secret steamer fan reveals why voicing Bobo is a labour of love
Actor John Sessions says voicing Captain Bobo took him back to his childhood.
Born in Largs, the actor, who has starred in a number of major productions on TV and the big screen, was a frequent traveller on the paddle steamers of the Clyde and has retained his passion for them.
“This series presses all my buttons, it’s very sweet,” John said. “I can remember the last stages of the old Clyde, when there were still quite a lot of steamers. This would be the late ’50s and early ’60s.
“We lived in England but came home every year to stay with my granny, aunt and uncle. It was a magical time and I get awfully nostalgic for those days.
“I was crazy about the steamers. I was like a kid whose dog had to be put down when I heard of one of them was going to the breakers – it broke my heart, I knew them all.”
John, 67, says he landed the part after being recommended by Bill Paterson.
“Bill is a good friend of mine of many years and he generously said the man you want is John Sessions, who’s an old steamer nut.”
Kay Hutchison, Captain Bobo co-creator, said: “I’ve had a chance to listen to some of the first episodes and John’s added such sparkle. He has such an affinity with this part of the world and that’s why we wanted him to do it, because he loved the ships and knew some of the characters who would be on board.”
John recorded the radio series during lockdown and is now back filming after restrictions eased.
“I’m doing a film with Kenneth Branagh, an old friend from my Royal Academy days, at the moment. He’s written a new picture and Dame Judi Dench is also involved,” he continued. “I’ve done another audio book and also worked on a documentary with Lenny Henry.”
John was most recently seen in ITV’s Victoria, as politician Lord John Russell.
“I’ve done a few politicians – Geoffrey Howe, Edward Heath, Harold Wilson, Joe McCarthy, I even played Adolf Eichmann in a radio series. I don’t know why I’m asked to play so many politicians. Maybe I’m slippery and unreliable – I hope not,” he said with a laugh.