MAY 2017 41
»relationships are always
ofgreat interest to
people in a soap and
because Chris was a bit
of a tyrant and Alison
was at that time
reasonably virtuous, it
made for great drama.
There was a huge
public concern for
Alison’s emotional
welfare – I could
recount at least a dozen
times when people
would take it upon
themselves to counsel
me in the supermarket
about leaving Chris
Warner.
Back then it was
really analogue and the
big old cameras looked
like daleks. At that
stage they were taping
over second-handGloss
andCountry Calendar
tapes, so if there was a
drop-out someone
would come down
from the editing room
and say, ‘We have to
go again.’
Looking back, I
go, ‘Well done on
them for casting
right off a diverse
cast’ – something
that reflected our
true community –
and I feel like that
is something they
have remained
consistent with.
Caterina De Nave [Shortland Street’s
producer] made a point of doing that.
The memory I will always cherish
was our leaving present for Caterina.
After a day shooting, we snuck in with
the crew and shot an R18 version – it
was late-nightShortland Streetand it
was my favourite thing in the world!
We tarnished that set and we put a
whole new spin on all of those
characters! Kirsty Knight gave birth
on the reception desk, Alison Raynor
was drunk the whole time and Dr
Ropata was stomping around in
Guatemalan
Army gear. For
years it was
locked in a vault
because they were
so petrified it
would get out to the public – it would
break the internet!
It’s the silly little things that stand
out, the things that make your day
pass while you wait for your scene.
There was this little closet beside the
AD’s [assistant director’s] desk and
Andrew Binns [Nurse Steve Mills] and
I used to hide in there and jump out
and scare them. It was so infantile but
it was so much fun.
I remember Tem was terrible at
learning his lines and every time you
picked up a file on the reception desk itwould have his lines in
them! I am sure it is
still the same; every
medical folder you
open has someone’s
script in there.
Shortland Street
was way ahead of its
time. It keeps pushing
the social, political
and societal
boundaries that can
keep a lot of those
shows in a certain
place. We have a
transgender storyline
now, yetNeighbours
has only recently
introduced its first
aboriginal character.
I only have the
fondest of memories
ofShortland Street
and an undeniable
respect for it lasting
25 years. I never felt
like I didn’t want to
be there, I just felt I
had learnt what I
could on the show
and the character had
come to its end. There
is always someone
who comes out of the
woodwork and wants
to recollect the old
days of Alison Raynor.
I went through a period where I was
profoundly annoyed by that and I
wantedto be recognised for other
work, but now I am really proud of it
and I don’t mind it at all.”John Leighplayed the clumsy
Lionel Skeggins, who first appeared
briefly in 1993 and returned in 1994
and took over the hospital coffee shop
contract. He became as well known
for his colourful shirts as for his
unexpected romance with the
beautiful Kirsty Knight. Lionel’s final
episode was in 1999. John starred in
Outrageous Fortuneas Sparky and
most recently on800 Words.
“There wasn’t much New Zealand
televisionbeing made at the time and
so we were lucky because we had theLionel and his bride Kirsty.“Shortland
Streetgot me
on telly – and
itledtoother
things.”