♛ King Richard Armitage ♛

Today’s preview for an interview with Richard Armitage about King Richard III on Wednesday, 13.03.2013, at 11 a.m. on BBC Radio Leicester:
 
(I had not expected RANet.com to show such an interest in King Richard III and so had transcribed the Richard Armitage interview preview about the king myself. As the selected passage is a bit different, I still upload my transcription as well.
Here is RANet.com’s version and the uploaded audio-file.)
 
 
Emily Anderson asked RA about what he made about all the Richard III goings on.
 

It’s very exciting. […] The dig was fascinating and I sort of watched every step of the way and seeing the facial reconstruction as well was also fascinating.
But I was named after Richard. My father had a real passion for his story and I was born on the 22nd of August, which is the day that he died at the Battle of Bosworth.
[…] I remember being a little bit cross with my dad for naming me after a hunchback monster, but of course, you know, he was a Ricardian so he believed in something quite different to what Shakespeare was talking about and I have adopted that passion, I suppose.
So yeah, I am kind of interested in his life.

 
Emily Anderson: So it has a special significance for you and as we have heard from the originator of the search, Philippa Langley, I am sure you have heard her speaking quite fondly of Richard III, it looks like history might need to be re-written.
 

Well yeah. I mean, there is not an awful lot there.
Any documentation that really was around at the time of his life was either destroyed or just simply didn’t exists, so we don’t really know an awful lot about him and certainly not any psychology as to why he was perceived in the way that he was. […]
The physical thing aside, you know, with regard to the scoliosis, at the time […] the idea of someone who is physically deformed being a malevolent person was actually quite a normal thing. Obviously we think differently to that today.
It would be interesting to have another look at his life aside from Shakespeares fantastic villain.
But really it is almost a pantomime creation and I am interested in looking at a psychological version of that story, whereby we try to understand […] who he was and why he did the things he did.

 
Emily Anderson: There have been various quotes from you from other people’s suggestion that may be you’d be the perfect person to play Richard III if there were to be a screenplay or film about him.
 

Well, I find that very flattering.
I mean I live in a dream world of may be doing that, but I’m a little bit too tall and perhaps a little bit too old now, but I certainly like to be involved in a production, whether that’s on stage or on film I don’t know.

 
Emily Anderson: Philippa Langley, who was the originator of the search, has told the BBC Radio Leicester, she can’t see past you, Richard Armitage, for the role and she is writing a screenplay at the moment.
 

Yes. I have read her screenplay and I have been in contact with Philippa for a long time and, you know, I was so thrilled that she was able to be such an integral part of that dig and as […] a member of the Richard III Society.
So I just want to offer my congratulations to her for that success.

 
Emily Anderson: Have you been to Leicester yet since the find of Richard III? Because obviously we have got the dig site, we’ve got the visitors’ centre, a brand new
visitors’ center opening next year. Is that may be something you could be tempted to have a look at?
 

Without a doubt. I mean, it’s definitely on my list of things to do.
I think it is a real privilege for Leicester to have that find.
I suppose the idea of a re-burial is now on everyone’s lips.

 
Emily Anderson: Can I ask you your opinion?
 

I think, he should probably stay where he was found.

 
Emily Anderson: In Leicester. So next year, when the re-internment happens, maybe we could see you in Leicester to come along and have a look for yourself?
 

For sure. Without a doubt.

 
Dave Andrews: You heard him. We might expect him here now definitely. […]
Too old, too tall?
One can do marvelous things these days, can’t they, when doing film. I don’t think the age bit.
He looks pretty good for his age and as Philippa Langley who wrote the screenplay or has written the screenplay already, pointed out, you know, in those days back, in Richard III’s day, they didn’t have the moisturizers and all the creams and that sort of things. They probably would have looked older than he actually was.
Anyway, I think he still would be great in that particular part.
 
 

♛ FanstRAvaganza 4 ♛

 
A big Fan-Event is coming up this week in the Richard Armitage Fandom.
It is in the 4th year of its existence and every year more bloggers join in to celebrate Richard Armitage for one week of blogging.
The event takes place on the individual blogs and has a central Facebook page as well, so not to miss anything, watch out for FanstRAvaganza!
 
The KingRichardArmitage website will join in, though the planned schedule might get a bit distracted and side-stepped by the current interview of Richard Armitage on BBC Radio Leicester about King Richard III.
 
The KRA-articles for FanstRAvaganza 4 are marked with this banner and will be available via a similar banner at the right side:

 
Can you imagine how curious I had been before today’s interview preview? ;o)
 
 

♛ King Richard III ♛

• Grand Falls Windsor Advertiser (Canada): Memories of the car park king, by Sue Hickey (07.03.2013) – Analysing Shakespeare and the ‘truth’ about King Richard III.

 

• European Hospital: Richard III – modern imaging transforms a historical image, by Mark Nicholls (07.03.2013) – Discovering the importance of a CT scan for the research about King Richard III.

 

• The York Press: Richard III by David Baldwin (Amberley, £9.99), by Stephen Lewis (09.03.2013) – Very interesting book review about the newly published King Richard III biography, which already includes the information about the Leicester discovery.

 

• ThisIsLeicestershire.co.uk: Richard III: How the odds were stacked against us ever finding king, by Peter Warzynski, Leicester Mercury (09.03.2013) – Archaeological research against all odds. Read here what mathematicians make of the find.

 

• BBC News: Richard III and arts venue ‘strengthen’ Leicester culture bid (09.03.2013) – King Richard III advances Leicester’s status as cultural city.

♛ Battle of the Cities ♛

• The York Press: Project to research and celebrate King Richard III, by Kate Liptrot (07.03.2013) – York starts to prepare and present its connection to King Richard III.

 

• BBC News: Richard III burial appeal for County Durham (07.03.2013) – New rival Durham in the debate now also re-opened in Parliament.

 

• The Independent: Still arguing over Richard III’s bones, by Andy McSmith (08.03.2013)
  

  If Richard III had been half as popular in his lifetime as he is today, he could have reigned for many happy years.