Percelle Ascott
Wizards vs Aliens had some big shoes to fill. Being the newest creation by ex-Doctor Who supremo Russell T Davies and the replacement for the much loved Sarah Jane Adventures, the pressure was on to find the right formula. Thankfully, they got it spot on.
In the shape of Percelle Ascott, they found the perfect person to play Tom’s knowledgeable best friend Benny. We talked to the actor before the release of the first series on DVD about the show and his comedy project Mandem On The Wall.
So for those who haven’t watched the show, what can you tell us about your character Benny?
Benny is best friends with Tom, whose the main wizard. The two really become friends due to the alien Nekross attacking Earth, which makes them bond together. Benny is kind of the geek, he supplies all the knowledge. So we have Tom who has the magical powers, but it’s Benny that figures everything out and is always trying to help Tom and the Crowe family protect the Earth against Nekross.
It must be pretty good to play a character that’s nearly always right.
Yeah! Benny’s amazing to play because he’s so strong in terms of what he thinks and feels and the fact that he knows so much more than the Crowe family. So there are areas where they can’t help, but Benny’s always there. So it’s great that you’ve got this balance between Tom and Benny.
This is the latest show from Russell T Davies and The Sarah Jane Adventures Team. Was that something that drew you in?
Initially when I first saw the audition, it just said ‘Russell T Davies project’ so I wasn’t too sure, I thought it must just be a normal audition. Then my agency told me ‘These are the guys who created Sarah Jane Adventures and Doctor Who’ and then all of a sudden I realised this was a dream opportunity. From then on, I was just so drawn to it, I had to be a part of this project after reading the script and the characters. I just got that hunger for it and had to be a part.
So when you found out that the show was called Wizards Vs Aliens, what was your reaction?
It was definitely a surprise. It was great though, because before this I did Silent Witness and for me as an actor, I always want to jump into different worlds and characters. I want them each to be versatile and totally different from one another. This kind of opportunity was perfect, it was totally out of my comfort zone and a real challenge so I just was there saying “Yeah, let’s go for it!”
Was it a good step for you in your career?
Definitely. I’m just so grateful to have had this opportunity early in my career. When I first got the role I didn’t understand how intense it was to begin with. So in the first few weeks of filming, I was slowly trying to get into the character and I wasn’t quite ready for the filming routines. All the cast and crew helped us get comfortable though and got us to really enjoy it and after a few weeks I was just in my element.
Wizards vs Aliens isn’t the only plate you have spinning, what can you tell us about Mandem On The Wall?
Mandem On The Wall is an online comedy series that I produce, write and act in along with three other people. We set up in the summer last year and released our first episode on Christmas Eve and since then after ten amazing months it’s taken off a little bit and it’s gone from strength to strength. It’s now looking to go onto a new E4 series caller Youngers next year.
So have you been involved with that recently?
Yeah. With the Youngers project, we’ve filled it all and it’s just going into post-production. The main dream is to get Mandem On The Wall its own TV show, that’s the kind of platform that we’re trying to reach. So we’re just trying to do everything in our power to continue with our online presence and hopefully something in the future will open up for us.
So, finishing off, what can you tell us about series two of the show?
I’m not too sure on dates yet, but season two is looking amazing. With the first one, they’ve set up the foundations, both the magical and the alien worlds and it’s almost like now they can really explore them and that will be an amazing journey for Benny. Now we get to see him in the toughest challenges he’s had yet. What was nice in season one was that you got to see so much of the characters. You had Benny and Tom’s fallout with the Crowe family, the fall of Nekross and you got to see Varg and Benny and Lexi and Tom all work together. There was just so much to play with in season one and Season two is just looking like a such a bigger platform.
We also spoke to Percelle’s co-star Scott Haran, check out what he had to say right here.
Wizards Vs Aliens is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from 31 December, courtesy of FremantleMedia Enterprises
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith
Tagged in Doctor Who TV