You are a Football Consultant for Dream Team, what exactly does this entail? Firstly hello to all at harchester.net I'm one of three that work in the new football department, I work along side Charlie Rice (Football Producer) & Dominic Wright (Co Football Producer) between the three of us we attempt to make everything related to football look as realistic as possible. My first job this series was to pick up the pieces from the terrible disaster at Cardiff and get a whole new first team squad, I have to say that was more difficult than I expected replacing a group of characters that were as diverse and committed to their jobs as Alex Lawler, Wes Cain, Alex O'Brien, Ryan Lee & Danny Mills added to that the other 1st teamers who graced our screens in the series! So I hope you're warming not only to the main cast members but also the supporting artists that help make the show an absolute joy to work on. On a day to day basis I normally concentrate on the football choreography on the training pitch aiming to bring as much skill and realism to every scene, when I'm not on the training pitch you'll find me on set getting to grips with the scenes in hand again where ever a touch of football knowledge is needed then I'm in the scenes to help or dictate when needed. I'm always trying with help from my department to improve the show in anyway and attempt to get as much product placement on our screens as possible with help from the likes of Umbro, Kelme, Puma, Nike, Mitre and Diamond Sports to name but a few.
How did it feel taking over Andy for the position? Do you still speak to him? The Ans.... As he's warmly known was and still is an absolute legend!!!! He's a real character that I've watched as a kid at Southend United and Brentford then eventually I was lucky enough to play football with him whilst briefly on trial at Brighton where I saw the first signs of how he gives people around him the confidence to be as good as they can be! He instilled those qualities and more in everyone that had the pleasure of working with him and to be perfectly honest he has left a void that could never be filled like The Ans could fill it, so a daunting task for the first few hours but I'm a very confident person and had and still have a great team around me. I often speak to Ans and had a chat with him last week whilst he was literally between scenes on the 2nd part of The Goal trilogy, we try to meet up as much as possible but with hectic schedules it's difficult.
You have been around since series 6, which past series did you enjoy the most, either as a fan or part of production? That's a hard one! Every series I have taken part in has been immense and a massive learning curve! Series 8 was successful on the pitch but was the saddest for obvious reasons culminating in the death of my teammates at Cardiff, series 7 was a really close group of actors and I think it showed in a lot of the scenes but unfortunately we got relegated! Series 6 ended with the Jamie Parker siege scary... Mmmm I'd have to say I would take the best bits from all the past series I have appeared in and make a Premiership winning team both on and off the pitch.
Which cast members do you miss the most? Everyone to a certain extent really, I still see most of the guys and some of the gals so there's not really anyone to miss. But if you must have one then Chucky (Curtis) he was such a determined person and again diverse and really made the character his own, he wore his heart on his sleeve during scenes and his determination is a benchmark for the future. Chucky's pants often put a smile on faces, lets say they would brighten up any day even with sunglasses on!
Have you played football professionally in the past? I started my career at Millwall as a schoolboy where I played mainly as a defender, I progressed through the youth and reserve teams upon till the Billy Bonds era in 1998 when my services were no longer required, I left to pursue my career elsewhere and later went on to appear for numerous teams some very briefly like Stevenage Borough, Billericay, Brighton, Leyton Orient, Hull, Carlisle, Scarborough, Hayes, Lincoln, Halifax the list goes on I've lost count myself! I've got the war scars to prove it having had three operations in my career and the odd injury.
How did you get to be a regular 'Extra' on the show? By being given the opportunity by Andy Ansah, having played with him he knew my football background. Micky Bennett whom I played with at Millwall made the initially call on my behalf as he's best friends with Ans and having spoke to him he basically put me forward for the role and I was lucky enough to have been given the opportunity.
Can you foresee yourself getting more of a central role? Would you even like to be more at the front of the show? People often take it for granted how difficult acting can be. I have great respect for my fellow cast members especially Danny Husbands who play's Sullivan. He is a talented actor and has really worked hard and it has to be said he has been recognized and is reaping the rewards, I would like to think I have more to offer and I'm enjoying every new challenge and grasping it with both hands, but most importantly sharing what I've learned with the up and coming cast members to make them better and confident.
What has been your favourite storyline both that you have played a part in and in regards to the show as a whole? For me personally winning the play off final at Cardiff was immense, the two days we spent in Cardiff actually filming those scenes on the pitch and walking around the stadium was different class, we were also lucky enough to meet the staff and children from the local community that paint the special one of paintings in the tunnel leading out to the pitch from the home and away changing rooms which you can see before every sporting event, unfortunately at the end me, Sully and Naysmith were left splitting the cab fare back to Harchester minus our team mates.
What does the future hold for Darren White? Well there is a young lady we'll refer to her as my trickle..... Oh sorry you mean work!? To be as successful with Dreamteam and help maintain the shows high standards set by all that have and still work on this amazing role-a- coaster that is Harchester United. Long live the Dragons.
Harchester United are portrayed as a team of high quality Premiership footballers. Have many of the cast actually got talent on the pitch and who do you regard as those with most talent? Danny Husbands (Sully) Played for Portsmouth at schoolboy level then played for Newport, Eastleigh & Dulwich Hamlet.
Alex O'reilly (Alex O'Mare) played in goal for Republic of Ireland U21's, West Ham & Northampton to name a few of his clubs a talented keeper still capable of performing at league level.
Scott Forrester a former youth player at Millwall and Palace and made a real name for himself at Non-league levels from an early age attracting numerous bids from league clubs.
Arvey Betts Played for Kettering Town but turned his hand to coaching before Harchester came calling a talented box to box fullback.
Lonyo is talented both on and off the pitch with top 10 dance tracks... Summer Of Love, Destiny and Garage Girls, he signed with the Bon Garcon label and appeared on Top Of Pops, T4, Breakfast News, Flava, Big Breakfast if that wasn't enough he has hosted MTV Base Beech parties for 2 years and performed in front 125,000 at Leeds love parade 2001.
Andrew Douglas (Nathan Andrews) Who played for Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday more recently appeared in Shipwrecked the reality TV programme where e he more than caused a stir.
Warren Waugh Former Exeter front man, a man mountain with a big character, Warren plays (Dean Bennett) for the Dragons, Another reality TV performer some of you may remember him playing and losing when Fash F.C. met Dreamteam..
Junior Kadi (Junior Olivera Paulista) played for Palace before moving to Coventry has also played for Woking and Kingstonians.
Anthony Rivere played for Welling and England Semi-pro team gaining a cap against Belgium. He's currently playing for Fisher Athletic along side teammates Tim Clancy and Ben Walsh who played for Millwall and Q.P.R. respectively.
Marcus Sawyer who played for Barnet is our very own (Emmanuel Patrice) talented left sided player with guile and pace.
Jack Bircham younger Brother of Marc at Q.P.R. has a string to his own bow a talented pro golfer look out for him in the future. Added to the Q.P.R. theme is young Will Holloway son of Ian Holloway.
Just a few names there to keep you on your toes but you'll get to know the other talented players like Lamin Oja, Wes Jackman, Jason Mabs (Mabs-Carlisle), Ryan Martin, Orin Stewart and one or two more in due course. All the players that appear in the show from a non-acting perspective are all highly skilled footballers adding to the past history of the show which has proven time and time again to be the best. That includes in past charity matches.
How did it feel knowing you were to be one of the few survivors of the coach explosion? Deep! Well I had mixed emotions and the Boss (Jane Hewland) told me I was going to survive the blaze, which was a huge relief, but at the same time difficult as I knew that so many colleagues more importantly friends would be out of a job. It's been a blessing for most of the previous cast members as a lot of them have bounced back and are doing just fine!
What were your thoughts on such a dramatic 'cull'? A brave, positive and a very confident move by those who continually keep the dragons rolling in the right direction series after series.
If you could have saved one of those that perished in the explosion who would it have been and why? All OR NONE! Ok... Jaws played by Phil Brodie, he was one of the funniest people I have had the misfortune of working with a really funny character that had me in stitches and so different from his character although they smelt the same which was worrying.... Scary! He would switch between himself to Jaws to a rude boy character with a bit of Ali G, so you can imagine I was the unlucky one sitting next to him and having to listen to the same jokes over and over again. If I failed to laugh then the Jaws character quickly jumped in failing that on my leg. Ha! Big up to Phil one of the most talented people I've met!
Why do believe that you were one of those to survive? You would have to ask those in the know that question, I would like to think that I can offer the show something no one else can with new ideas and a diverse ways of doing things both on and off set.
Was it hard to come to terms with working with a brand new cast? No it's been a pleasure to a certain extent and a breath of fresh air working with new people and finding that balance to get the optimum performance out of them, some need a cuddle (you know who you are) and others need two on the hour every hour, it must be daunting to come into an environment like we have on set so we try to make the transition as easy as possible but in the end we're bonding and getting to know each other that bit more UNFORTUNATELY day by day.
Who do you get on with best from the cast? Well with Danny (Sully) and Ricky (Ryan) obviously we have a bond and have been friends both at work and away from work for over 3 years now so naturally we get on well, Alex O'reilly who plays O'mare is maybe the closet other than Danny and Ricky as we often played against each other when he was at West Ham and I was at Millwall, we both have mutual friends so Alex O'reilly, with Lonyo (Franco Rossi), Arvey Betts (Damien Evans), and Scott Forrester (Jodie Carter) trailing in his wake.
Do you socialize with each other at all? Well this is my secret weapon I call it TAP TAP! But not everyone is getting the hang of it! Socializing was one of the things we done well in the previous series, which showed on screen especially the changing rooms and football scenes where you need that energy and banter that I honestly believe you get from togetherness. In previous years we had that in abundance and it just goes to show as I regard those past charters as friends for life. Unfortunately it's proving difficult for certain individuals to get their heads round it and I feel they're not getting as much from the experience as they could. But hopefully that will come.
Do you get recognized by any of the Dream Team fans? If so have you had any 'scary' moments? Sometimes, but not as much as Mr. Naysmith recognized that is. It's nice to have a chat with people that are fans of the show and they are the one's that make it worth while, when you see the smile you can put on someone's face by just spending the time to talk with them it makes a difference and there's no one better at that than Ricky. No scary moments YET!
Did you find the scene where Lee Died at the hospital as emotional as it was portrayed? NO! Although we were all crying for about 2 hours and I remember going home with a headache and puff eyes, I got some funny looks on the way home that evening. I hope it looked convincing? Lee played his part very well I thought he played it brilliantly like only he could! Mimo
Which has been the most enjoyable season for you to film? Series 7. (Explained earlier)
Can you tell us if there will be any charity matched on the horizon? With the unfortunate incident that happened with our own Ricky Whittle then it looks unlikely at the moment, but who knows. The likes of Alex Lawler can be found turning out for The Match and I've heard he also does birthday parties & christenings. Failing that you can find James Watts who played Lee Presley in the crowd on the phone to his ma and pa, mark or even worse... +1. Did anyone else notice him?
Who has been your biggest influence in terms of your career? It's hard to narrow that down to one individual! Biggest football influence that helped me realize my potential has to be Alan Batsford, He was my Youth Development coach at Millwall and he took me out of obscurity by not only helping me on the football pitch but off it too which led to me playing for the Youth Team at 15 which led more notably to me getting called up to the England U16 Squad for that season which had the likes of.. Jodie Morris, John Curtis, John Harley, Mark Gower, Michael Branch, Neil Clement to name a few talented players which have gone on to bigger and better things. Away from football incase you haven't guessed that already it's that main man again The Ans. He has defined and shaped careers without even knowing the impact he has had on peoples lives, a confident, assertive and most importantly a real peoples person that really knows his stuff. Big up!
Where did the nickname Tyson originate? Well not that many people actually know the story let alone at Dreamteam! I'm not sure I should let the secret out of the ear... I mean bag! (If anyone fancies guessing and gets it right or the 1st person to get it right will personally be given a signed shirt from the cast by your truly!!!!!!!)
How long does the average episode take to get on the screens? Anything between 6-12 weeks normally! This is a perfect opportunity to big up the boss, producers, directors & assistant directors, casting department, editors, script writers, art department, costume department, sound department, camera crew, lighting department, location managers, catering staff, the online, make up, post production, publicity department, production office, runners, the entire crew that make the programme a success and without them, well we wouldn't be in a job.
How would you like Tyson to exit the show? Exit? What do mean exit! Well if I HAD to go it would be after winning the Premiership and Champions League both as player and manager and spending the evenings with the stunning actresses that are gracing the screens at the moment the lovely Naomi (Ashleigh), Ali (Linda), Lucinda (Amy), Lauren (Scarlet) Julie (Mrs. Mackay) Strictly platonic OF COURSE!!
What team do you support? Well I watch a lot of games when I get the chance and I still have a lot of friends in that field so I try to support them whenever I get the opportunity, obviously good football helps but I'll watch any game from the Premiership right the way down all the leagues to non-league matches in the Kent league watching table toppers Beckingham Town. I'm a huge Liverpool fan and try to watch as many games as possible. Why I hear you ask when I'm a south London boy? Well I grew up watching John Barnes and was amazed by the passion and skill he showed for the game even when up against adversity. Mr. & Mrs. Cisse along with master Liam are also really good friends of mine, Alex Lawler's and Ricky Whittle's so given the opportunity we try to get up north whenever we can. We were lucky enough to attend the lavish Cisse wedding held in a Welsh castle which has to be said was UNBELIEVABLE so again every opportunity I get I try to go up and watch a game and catch up! Some people however have accused me of being a Manchester United Supporter as I think I've watched more of their games over the past 2 years than any other club BUT I grew up with a certain young man who plays for United from Peckham and watch him do his stuff as often as possible! Liverpool has always been my team and the passion the Kop generates is something to be held in high regard by any football fan. Surely!?
How do you unwind after a days filming? The truth! I get home have something to eat and watch MTV, Sky Sports or try to catch up with my friends that always seem to get neglected by me at the moment! Sorry!
Have you all been kept in the dark regarding the new owners of Harchester? Yes, I'm afraid you know as much as me!
Do you and the other cast members look at harchester.net and what do you think of the site and the feedback? Are the fan sites highly regarded? Yes I try to look at harchester.net as often as possible, I have caught one or two of the cast looking at the site and it is generally held in high regard although not everyone seems to think so. But that's what makes life-interesting right? Opinions... if everyone agreed on everything what a boring world it would be! On a hole it's held in high regard.
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