ED2011 Children's Shows ED2011 Interviews ED2011 Week3 Edition

Bagpuss: When Camille met Bagpuss

By | Published on Wednesday 24 August 2011

Bagpuss

Bagpuss, dear Bagpuss, old fat furry catpuss… is here at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, no doubt delighting swathes of parents, oh, and their children too.
This week’s guest editor Camille O’Sullivan is a fan, and was determined to find out more about this seemingly eternally popular stripy, cloth cat.

CO’S: Meow. Delighted to see you here. Lots of people come to the Fringe looking for fame, or to get on TV, but you’re already very famous and have been on TV for years. Why is the little pink cat coming to Edinburgh?
BP: This is the first time I’ve ever performed on stage, and Edinburgh is always the place for firsts…

CO’S: Congratulations on the rave reviews you have been receiving. What is your show about?
BP: It’s about what is it like to go back, what will you find there, who you will meet and whether it will feel the same…

CO’S: I sadly do not get UK TV, so have only fallen in love with you from afar over the years, but even learnt some Bagpuss songs. What is Bagpuss all about, have you changed over the years?
BP: Well there are lots of old familiar faces, my old friends from the TV show are here, and we are telling some of our favourite stories again. But now we’re on stage and performing for new friends every day – that is very exciting.

CO’S: Who would you love to see at the festival?
BP: My old friend Ivor the Engine but I think he broke down somewhere near Newcastle.

CO’S: Do you have any favourite Edinburgh cat basket haunts?
BP: The penthouse suite at the Balmoral hotel has always suited me quite well…

CO’S: Who are your feline inspirations? Are there any famous cats you admire?
BP: I wish I could be like Bagheera in the Jungle Book, currently touring with Birmingham Stage Company…

CO’S: Who is your favourite puppet that you aspire to (if you were a puppet).
BP: Pinocchio. I’m a real cat really, but no one believes me…

CO’S: Do you read your reviews?
BP: Only the good ones.

CO’S: What’s on your rider?
BP: Fillet steak, champagne, caviar. I’m a very sophisticated cat.

CO’S: How would you respond to a heckle?
BP: I would yawn.

CO’S: How do you get on with the human being actors in your show?
BP: Are there other actors? I didn’t notice!

CO’S: Why pink?
BP: I was supposed to be orange. But when I was made the chemicals they used made me pink.

CO’S: Gabriel and Professor Yaffle – who’d win in a fight?
BP: You seem to have overlooked the fact that Madeleine is a pink belt in karate.

CO’S: What plans do you have after the Fringe – will you tour?
BP: Yes, I am going on tour. I will be at Birmingham Old Rep Theatre and Sutton Secombe Theatre in November and at Canterbury Gulbenkian Theatre in December. Hopefully I’ll be back in London for Christmas too.

CO’S: Ask yourself a question you would have liked to have been asked!! (Sorry, new to this…)
BP: “What is your favourite show at the Fringe?” Bagpuss! 12 noon, Assembly George Square Theatre!

CO’S: Meow, thank you very much.

Bagpuss performed at Assembly George Square during Fringe 2011.

LINKS: www.camilleosullivan.com



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