Q&A with Chris Orchard

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of Chris Orchard

Chris Orchard is an actor and singer who starred in the 80s series “Carson’s Law” which was aired in Holland. He also played parts in “Prisoner” and “Cop Shop”. His songs “Funny Kind of Day” and “Tomorrow We’ll Be Heroes” were semi-finalists in the 2020 UK Song Contest. He recently starred in two TV series “Ten Pound Poms ” for the BBC and “Prosper” for ITV. in He can be seen currently in a commercial in Australia for La Trobe finance. Check out his music on the website Broadjam!

KB: Did you always want to be a singer growing up?

I was not aware of any overt ambition to be a singer when I was young, but I did have an innate sense that I had a good singing voice and would demonstrate it sometimes in school or in churches. I remember also being able to play the harmonica when I was only around 9 or 10 so I was musically inclined. Because I grew up in a household that was more familiar with building than the arts, I think any talent I had went unrecognized. Things started to happen when I was about 15 and got my first guitar. I taught myself to play basic chords and was immediately writing songs. a couple of them survive to the present day.

KB: Who were your idols as a kid?

I am of the generation where television started to permeate our lives more frequently. I was born in Manchester in the UK to a family of modest means and when the television came into the house it was a big deal. I was very keen on the TV westerns of that time “Laramie” and ‘Wagon Train’ and I think that is when I first noticed this thing called ACTING! In my teen years I was inspired by the Beatles as were many of my generation and later Simon and Garfunkel, ‘Star Trek’ Captain Kirk.

KB: Did you have any ambition of becoming an actor growing up?

Not specifically but I did play my pretend games pretty intensely as a child. My high school friend was invited to audition for RADA in the UK when I was about 15 and that was when the seed was planted that Drama schools existed. I moved to Australia when I was 19 and after singing in restaurants and clubs for a while, I mentally joined the dots that being an actor might help me being more well-known so I auditioned for the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) with about 1500 other people, and I was one of 26 that was admitted in 1975, age 23. Same class as Mel Gibson and Judy Davies.

KB: Carson’s Law was popular in Holland. You played Thomas Carson. How did you get the part and what attracted you to it?

I had done some stage work in Sydney and landed a regular part as a doctor in a TV series called “The Young Doctors”. This brought national attention to me because unlike some of the cast regulars I had done a fair bit of theatre and been to drama school, so I must have looked competent. The biggest TV production company in Australia at that time was Crawford Productions owned by a famous Australian entrepreneur called Hector Crawford. They were involved in many of the iconic productions of that period, so it was a desirable company to work for if you wanted to advance your career. Crawford wanted to do a period drama set in Melbourne in the 1920’s largely driven by the success of ‘Brideshead Revisited’ which had a big global audience at the time.
I was invited to audition for Tommy Carson by the producer John Barningham who had also seen me on stage at The Melbourne Theatre company. I knew it was great part for a young leading man and it was a big step up in my public persona to get the part over so many other young actors.

The show had very high production values for the time. We were using two crews simultaneously, one in studio and one permanently on location. All the location footage was shot on 16mm film, and we were putting about 5 minutes of screen time in the can every day. Shooting a period drama in that time frame with period set dressing and period hair styles, is a very challenging schedule. The studio footage was multi cam video and that was later integrated with the location film footage. We worked 12-hour days and actors would travel between studio and location sometimes multiple times per day. Although it was hard work and extremely demanding, it was also a wonderful way to hone skills and learn my craft. I still consider it the highlight of my professional life despite appearing in several TV series after “Carson’s Law”.

KB: You remind me of Graham Nash with your voice. If I gave you an album with your 7 most favorite songs (not your own): Which songs would you pick and why?

Graham Nash is from Manchester: how clever of you to hear the similarities?!
Far too many songs to choose from and it varies over time. A list that would fluctuate according to my mood, but I think this eclectic bunch are significant.

The Sound of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel)
Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles)
Your Song (Elton John)
Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell)
American Pie (Don Mclean)
Summertime (George Gershwin)
Fragile (Sting)
I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Frank Sinatra)
Piano Man (Billy Joel)

KB: Are there people you would still love to work with or wished you had?

YES. Far too many to mention. Literally hundreds. David Lean. Peter O Toole. Laurence Olivier, Paul Schofield, Ronnie Barker, Clint Eastwood, Robin Williams, George Clooney, The Coen Brothers, Cate Blanchette, Judi Dench, Julia Roberts, Mandy Patinkin, Trevor Nunn. Kate Winslet, Margot Robbie.

KB: If I gave you the lead in a movie. You can pick the director and 2 co-stars. Who would your picks be?

Depends on the script and genre. A light comedy: George Clooney and Kate McKinnon directed by the Coen Brothers. (“O Brother, Where Art Thou”) is one of my all-time favorite films.
A thriller: I’d pick Ron Howard to direct, and love to work with Tom Hanks and Margot Robbie or Kate Winslet.

KB: Singing and acting: What do you like best and why?

I enjoy both. Music has probably been kindest to me in terms of providing me with a regular income. The greatest joy comes from being on a film set with a professional crew. It does not seem like work to me. When the DA says “that’s a wrap” I almost have sense of disappointment. I love the intense discipline of the work, and the sense that the whole crew are focused on getting something right for the first time if they can. There is nothing like it. I love it.

KB: What are you currently doing?

Mainly retired. I write the occasional song. I do the odd bit of television. Recently did a nice TV commercial for La Trobe Finance. Looking after my grandchildren.

Check out Chris in his new commercial for La Trobe Finance: HERE

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