INTERVIEW: Love Affair

Friday, 24th September, 1971

What Makes Peter King?

Handsome, witty and wise – that’s Jason King, TV’s most seductive sleuth. Colette O’Hare wondered just how much Peter Wyngarde was in his screen creation…

“What is Bavarian Goulash?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, in what way is it different from say Hungarian Goulash?” 

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen Hungarian Goulash!” 

Where Jason King might have rushed in, taken his investigations step stage further, or even called the manager, Peter Wyngarde wisely decided to order something else.

At the self-service counter, he instructed the new recruits to his favorite health food shop , how were they kept the trays and made sure everyone had their full complement of knives and forks. 

“I like health food.” he said. “I’m not exclusively vegetarian, but somehow you feel it’s doing you good – even if it’s not. It makes you feel virtuous, you know. I think I’ll have a glass of water too to cleanse my tubes.” 

Lean, indelibly tanned, moustached like a Mexican bandit, our Best Dressed Male Personality wore a superb black Kaftan – made to his own design in Morocco – and dark brown suede trousers. He carried a packet of Pall Mall in the top of one boot, and cigarette lighter in the top of the other. “It does away with bulging pockets.” 

Mr. Wyngarde sounds just like you’d like your man to sound should you live so long. He does NOT grunt. “Smoke?” but asks in that graciously seductive voice, “Will you have one of these?” 

He is pestered by a lot of ladies. A friend inadvertently let slip his phone number to a telephonist, and the same day eighteen eager and unidentified females were on the line. How does he feel about such adulation? 

“Terrified!”

Married at the age of twenty-two, divorced five years later, he has since formulated some highly interesting theories on the subject of the wedded state. 

“I’m not against marriage – but I think I would be against marrying too young – as I did. You need to be ready for marriage to really understand what you’re taking on. 

“Some time ago I almost remarried. She was an actress with a small son. We had a wonderful relationship and I was quite happy with things the way they were, but she decided she wanted to get married. So I said all right. if that’s what you want – but don’t for God’s sake expect me to rush out and buy a house and all the trimmings. Don’t uproot me from my happy home where I’ve lived, man and boy, for the last 15 years. She had a lovely home of her own and so had I – why should either of us give up our independence. Gradually she came round to my way of thinking. Then her mother came on the scene. But people don’t live like that, she said. Why? Well they do just DON’T, that’s all. So we didn’t get married and the relationship faded away.” 

By now he had worked his way through the final course on – economy size bowl of natural yogurt. 

“Could someone get me a coffee.” he asked. “I don’t think I can move!” 

Back on the subject of Jason King, he said.

“When making Department S and this present series, I took a little tip from my friend Roger Moore. He told me that in the earlier Saint programs he made the mistake, or at least the writers, did of having him win every fight. It got so he could hardly show his face in public without someone wanting to fight and prove that he wasn’t so tough. I make sure that Jason King loses more fights than he wins, but occasionally people do say, “How did you do that in that last programme? – trying to goad me into taking them on, I usually say, well. it’s like this. I was paid a lot for that program. If you’d like to pay me the same, I’ll let you in on the secret.” 

“And of course no discussion on Mr. king would be complete without some mention of, well, clothes. 

“I like to wear casual clothes, really more by the way of change,” said Peter. “Not just to relax in – I can relax perfectly in the suits I wore for the series – they’re designed and cut so that it IS possible to relax in them.In fact, often I feel more comfortable in a suit than in jeans if the jeans aren’t properly made.” 

The coffee – decaffeinated – stirred not shaken – had arrived, 

“Do you think people are physical enough?” he wonders for no particular reason. “I don’t think they are. I think we should have more physical contact – go around hugging people – not just in perfunctory sort of way – but really hugging them.” 

What, everybody?

“Well if you don’t fancy hugging a particular person, then you’d have to ask yourself why. in fact the less they appeal to you the harder you ought to try – get over this thing about looks – it’s just another example of selfishness, isn’t it? Don’t you think it would be a good idea? Sales of deodorants would soar for a start.”

Interview by Collette O’Hare

The following is taken from the inside cover of the magazine:

Writer Collette O’Hare is still talking about her interview with TV super-sleuth, Jason King, alias the elegant Peter Wyngarde. Apparently Peter is even more devastating in real life and Ms. O’Hare is still starstruck with the joy of being within touching distance! “Never mind,” we said kindly. “Working journalists and highly-paid actors shouldn’t mix anyway. Just forget him – and keep typing.” “What?” she shrieked. “You don’t think I’d waste another minute stuck here behind a hot typewriter if he ever dropped so much as a hint of encouragement, do you?” Loyalty, we decided, will never be her strong point…