I know Mum is looking down and guiding me
Neighbours icon Alan Fletcher, 65, reveals his favourite Karl Kennedy storylines and opens up on the inspiration behind his new album..
Hi Alan! What have you loved the most about being part of Neighbours?
The people. Working with Jackie Woodburne, my on-screen wife [Susan Kennedy] is incredible. She’s a wonderful friend and a wonderful actress and we support each other every step of the way. To have that kind of working relationship is heaven and I am very lucky I have so many long-standing pals here.
What were some of your favourite storylines?
I loved all the big affairs, they were so much fun. But really, I loved all the silly stuff. My favourite was in episode 7000 where Karl lost a lottery ticket worth $7000 and searched everywhere for it. He went to Toadie’s, who was having a naturist lunch, so Karl had to nude up to find his ticket.
What are your mustsee shows on TV?
There’s an absolute ripper I’m watching at the moment – State Of The Union from Nick Hornby, starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd. Those little 10-minute episodes are gems. It’s about a couple who meet for a coffee every morning before their marriage counselling session and I just love it.
Is there anything you can’t bear watching?
I just can’t seem to get into reality TV. While I know what we’re watching can be mildly entertaining, I can only really see it as manufactured television. So, for me, it doesn’t have the same credibility as scripted drama.
Are you a binge-watcher?
Definitely. I have to pace myself. I don’t really allow myself to watch more than an hour or two of television per day – mainly because I have so many more things I need to do. Are there any other shows you’d love to be in? Any of the UK crime dramas or anything that David Tennant does. He’s just extraordinary.
Congratulations on your new music. Are you happy with the album Dispatches? I’m absolutely thrilled. Alyce Platt, who I perform with, is a great friend of mine and a beautiful singer but you can never be sure whether your voices are going to blend together. When we started singing, there was no question in my mind that it was perfect. And as we have such a long relationship, I think that comes through with music.
You must have a favourite song from the album...
There is a song which was originally written for my mum called Hey You. My mum has sadly passed but she was a spiritualist and believed in reincarnation. She was my spiritual guide all my life and said she’d always look down on me when she wasn’t here. So it’s a song to her asking, ‘Are you there?’ and it means so much to me.
Alan’s new single Sorry Is The Word is available to stream and download now. Listen at https://ffm.to/sorryistheword. His album Dispatches is out later this year.