P. J. Hammond: I am intrigued by the information that you have accumulated. Ace of Wands was such a long time ago. I hope I am not too late to help you with your project.
Simon Coward: Had you seen any episodes of the programme before you started writing for it?
PJH: I had watched one or two episodes of Ace of Wands before being invited to write for it. From watching it I was under the impression that perhaps it had got to the stage where new writers with fresh ideas were necessary. This of course happens with most long-running shows.
SC: What did you think of the programme?
PJH: I felt that some really inventive villains and quirky storylines were missing from the earlier stories. Apart from those written by Trevor Preston, who always writes in a strange and interesting way.
SC: How different was it writing for the second series compared to the third series?
PJH: I liked writing for John Russell because he worked as a director on "The Joker" and he and I saw things in more or less the same light. We had a lot in common. Of course I have always had a great deal of respect for Pamela Lonsdale who once encouraged me to write a play for Shadows called "And Now For My Next Trick". I was very pleased with that play, which received a nomination and Pamela was the right person to get that show off the ground.
SC: Did you create the new characters Chas and Mikki?
PJH: I did not entirely create the new "assistants" for series 3. They were decided upon after long discussions between John Russell, Trevor Preston and myself.
SC: Did you do any special research for the series?
PJH: No I did not do any research for the series. It was all imagination, helped by the fact that I have always loved weird, mystery stories.
SC: What was your favourite story?
PJH: My favourite story was "Peacock Pie" with Brian Wilde playing Mr. Peacock.
SC: Were you aware of the fact that most of the master tapes of the series have now been erased? How do you react to it?
PJH: I find it very sad that tapes have been "wiped" over the years by both I.T.V. and B.B.C. I thnk that in those days, no-one really foresaw the extent of video. I believe that "wiping" is now a thing of the past.
SC: Do you think the series would stand up well now?
PJH: I think that Ace of Wands would stand up very well to the viewing public of today. Fortunately, Channel Four has led the way in re-running "oldies".
SC: After all this time, how do you view the series?
PJH: Ace of Wands was very good for me. It was great fun to do and allowed free reign to the imagination. In a way, one could say that it perhaps helped to inspire me with my own project Sapphire And Steel.
SC: Can you tell me something about "The Joker" and about the defeat of Mr. Peacock in "Peacock Pie"?
PJH: Originally, the team of villains were going to be all playing-card characters. The dummy was the JOKER of the pack. The mystic, Peacock, simply returned to his lonely island because he had been found out and because his pride had been hurt. Were we able to use the T.V. techniques of today, that last scene would have been dealt with more effectively.
SC: When writing it, did you know that "The Beautiful People" would be the final story of all?
PJH: When "The Beautiful People" was written and produced there was no definite decision made whether or not the series would return.
SC: Thank you very much.
