Derren Nesbitt, Actor

 

Derren Nesbitt is one of the great British characters, capable of creating hugely interesting characters wherever he goes, especially when it comes to bad guys. A powerful presence and scene stealer, he pinches everything that isn't nailed down in a 1964 episode of 'Gideons Way' called 'The Tin God', playing a super-confident, super-smooth psycho bastard with great hair called John 'Benny' Benson. Benson breaks out of prison in order to kill his his wife, who turned him in because she realised he was a monster - and, true to form, the bastard plans to ruthlessly uses his adoring son as bait to bring her to him. 

Dez is great - at first he's charming and funny and likeable - although clearly something of a rogue. As soon as you warm to him, however, he commits an unnecessary, furtive murder and you realise that you've fundamentally misjudged him: he's a psycho. 

Just for company, he takes a seemingly pre-pubescent John Hurt along for the ride. Then makes him drive. Then shoots him when things don't work out. Hurt looks ridiculously young (he's actually 24, which still seems ridiculously young to me given my advanced age) and hasn't yet developed his trademark voice, equal parts whine and gravel. 

The son is played by a 14 year old Michael Cashman, later to become Colin in 'Eastenders' and, since 1999, a Member of the European Parliament, although I always think of him as Terhew in 'Unman, Wittering and Zigo' for some reason.

All these older people seen when much younger gives me an idea for a new feature, but I think the title will need some work. 

Derren Nesbitt, Actor

'I'll show 'em'

'He shouldn't have interfered, should he?'

'Go stuff yourself!' - obviously not a phrase the Norwegians understand.

Derren Nesbitt gives a tremendous performance in Donovan Winter's last film (to date!) sleazy hostage thriller 'Give Us Tomorrow'. Once again, he's a real bastard, but this time he's a nasty, brutish one, totally devoid of his usual smooth, psychotic charm. It's a rather obscure film, but, obviously, was once available in Norway.

Derren Nesbitt, Actor

Derren Nesbitt as nasty gangster Sid Sabbath in Dick Emery vehicle 'Ooh...You Are Awful' from 1972. Here he subtly conveys the various stages of being being covered in cream from an exploding milk float.

Later, Derren goes head to head with Dick Emery in a horrible cross-dressing face off. The results are disturbing, to say the least, with Derren looking like the missing link between Alejandro Jodorowsky and Damaris Hayman.



Alejandro Jodorowsky.

Damaris Hayman.

Derren Nesbitt, Actor

Our old pal Derren Nesbitt turns up in under-rated 1972 espionage thriller 'Innocent Bystanders' as Andrew Royce, a British spy intent on giving colleague Stanley Baker a kicking.

Stanley Baker beats him up, of course, he's Stanley Baker.

Derren Nesbitt, Actor

In many ways, the defining role of Derren Nesbitt's career was as Gestapo Major Von Halpen in the classic 'Where Eagles Dare' (1968). If, for instance, you were talking to some bizarre person who didn't know who Derren was, I guarantee that they would remember him in this film (if they say 'what's Where Eagles Dare?', then just walk away - to hell with them). 

Derren does his really rather good German accent, and, despite being the most ruthless, arrogant Nazi you can imagine who would clearly do truly awful things in the name of the Fuhrer, he also manages to be quirky and interesting and, well, sort of charming, up until the very second that dead-eyed psycho Clint Eastwood shoots him in the head.

Derren Nesbitt, Actor

Derren Nesbitt fights the law and the law wins in 'My Name is Sergeant Bergerac' a 1990 episode of, yep, 'Bergerac'.

Derren Nesbitt, Actor

Derren Nesbitt gets his clipped German accent out of the Left Luggage as Gunther Esslin in 'Chorale', a 1982 episode of 'The Chinese Detective'.

Derren Nesbitt, Actor

A young-ish (29) Derren Nesbitt as 'The Man' in taut b-movie'Life In Danger' (1964). Please note the sign behind him. It's political correctness gone non-existent.

All Our Old Friends Have All Got So Old

Peter Wyngarde and Derren Nesbitt as they appeared in the 2007 documentary 'Don't Knock Yourself Out', made to commemorate the 40th anniversary of 'The Prisoner'.

It's Your Phonecall

Derren Nesbitt gives an acting masterclass on Convincing Phone Technique.

The Prisoner: It's Your Funeral

‘It’s Your Funeral’ was the eleventh episode of ‘The Prisoner’, originally broadcast on the 8th of December, 1967.

It’s probably the most densely plotted of all ‘Prisoner’ episodes, although its complexity seems contrived rather than clever. Number Six uncovers a plot to assassinate the outgoing Number Two (Andre Van Gylenhall). Concerned that this will lead to reprisals, Six decides to intervene and, in an unlikely volte face, reports the plotters to the new Number Two (our mate Derren Nesbitt, resplendent with a peroxide bouffant and massive glasses) – the new Number Two, however, says he doesn’t believe him – although, in actual fact, he simply isn’t interested in the warning – he already knows all about the plot and is doing all he can to make sure it comes to fruition…

The estimable Mr. Nesbitt has said that he had no idea what was going on, received no instruction whatsoever, and so played the role in a state of perpetual confusion, and that this feeling was beginning to spread across the production. To make matters worse, Patrick McGoohan was apparently feeling the pressure by this point, and dealing with it by being extremely difficult and aggressive on set, most notably frenziedly throttling Alan Bradley out of ‘Coronation Street’ during an unnecessarily heated fight scene.

‘It’s Your Funeral’ is packed with incident, but it gives the impression of being slightly rushed and cobbled together. McGoohan had apparently only wanted to make seven episodes, but was talked into making more despite his concern that it would spread the material too thinly (interestingly, the seventh episode broadcast was ‘Many Happy Returns’, which would have provided a brilliantly enigmatic and ironic end to the show). I’m grateful for ALL the episodes, but some are more focused than others, and several are deeply flawed. That said, ‘The Prisoner’ is the greatest television series of all time, so it’s all relative, isn’t it?