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Posted on Friday, April 24th, 2009 at 10:06pm

Hugo Blick - known to most here as a young Jack Nicholson, erm i mean Jack Napier! However he is known to most everyone else as a great television writer, producer and director having created the highly acclaimed British television programs Marion & Geoff, Sensitive Skin and The Last Word Monologues.

Paul Rodgers caught up with Hugo recently to talk Batman, Nicholson and Percy. Percy?

Paul: How did you come to be involved with the production of Batman?

Hugo: I was writer working on a project in Pinewood. Legend has it, but personally I don't know, that Nicholson saw me wondering the corridors. I do remember being called to meet Tim Burton where he had me say this weird line and grin.

Paul: Ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?

Hugo: I got the gig. If only everything in life could be that easy.

Paul: How long were you on set and did you have much interaction with other cast & crew?

Hugo: As I remember, I was only on set the once. Maybe twice for some photos. But the night scene was definitely a single hit. In Pinewood. It was cold...hence the steam from my breath. During the night Tim had a few extra ideas he wanted to try. He looked like the kind of guy who got new ideas every minute. I remember looking at the producers who were all standing in a line with their hands in front of their crotches looking like someone was about to kick them.

I enjoyed the scene. Felt good...a little extra line, "Catch you later!"...something like that.

Paul: "See ya around kid!"

Hugo: I know everyone got very psyched up about it, although one guy thought I looked more like Richard Widmark. Personally, I played it Clint Eastwood.

Paul: Was your voice dubbed in the scene or is that your own voice slowed down and made deeper?

Hugo: That's me with a damn fine Eastwood impression. If you happen upon the second episode in the first series of Sensitive Skin I made a couple of years back you can hear me doing it all over again.

Paul: Can you describe some good / bad experiences during your time on Batman?

Hugo: I do remember having a great suit cut for me by Bob Ringwood the designer, I'd like to have kept that. But I did get sent a lot of gifts including a drawing of me by Tim. Should have remembered to keep that too.

Paul: Oh yeah! That would have been great to see. Did you talk with (or view footage of) Jack Nicholson to prepare for the role? If not, how did you prepare?

Hugo: I prepared for the role by visiting the Scala flea pit cinema in Kings Cross to watch the late night showing of 'Easy Rider' surrounded by bikers and toked up to the eyeballs. It was the least I could do.

I'm not entirely sure if this is a dream, but I do seem to remember Nicholson joining me in a gents in Pinewood and we were both standing there, you know...raising the water table...and then Jack just looked down and said, "My, my, were Percy and I busy this weekend!" I think he'd been to Paris.

Paul: Are you aware of the small cult following you have due to your role as a "young Joker" and has it given you any interesting experiences?

Hugo: I am not aware of a cult but I do use the role to scare my young children to bed. But strangely enough I met someone a couple of months back who asked me to smile at them and when I did their knees went wobbly. Must be something going on...that or I should just clean my teeth more often.

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Thanks to Hugo for giving your time for this interview and Sian for all your help.

If your not familiar with Hugo's recent work then do yourself a favour and watch some of these -

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