English Recordings

Hi

A universe away, a way, a unicorn, an apple, a book, a system, an hour, a meal, an approach, a uniform, a kilometre, an extra mile, a smile, a con, a pro, an apron, a upon b, a pun, a check, add an ad, a non, a nun, an anon

- When I was asked to audition for a job presenting on children’s television, I didn’t want to do the job at all.  I’d always wanted to be on the big screen, and had done a lot of acting at college.  In fact, it was the closest thing to acting that I could possibly have chosen, because it was presenting a live program—so having been on stage in college productions came in handy.  In those days, we didn’t have talkback—you know, that’s where you have a little gadget stuck in your ear, and you can hear the producer talking to you—so we had to rely on signals from the floor manager …  which worked fine.

- Yes.  Paul Broadly.  He was a very well-respected program editor.  He taught me so much.  He seemed quite old to me when I started—he was a grandfather—but he had this way of understanding what children could enjoy watching.  He was absolutely determined to produce the best children’s television—whether it was something about wildlife on safari, or how to make a chocolate cake.  He was devoted to the program, completely single-minded about it, and expected us to feel exactly the same.

- Oh yes, and there was always something different.  I even did parachuting for the program.  There I was, leaping out of this airplane, with the cameras on me—trying to smile, although it was pretty scary!  The stupid thing was that the jump went fine, but I fell over running back to the car, carrying the parachute—and broke my ankle.  I thought my boss would be furious, but in fact he was okay about it, and I was amazed that lots of the children who watched the program sent me cards—one even sent me a cake.

- Well, we always had a lot of music in the house, when she was young.  I wouldn’t say that I knew that she would do something special—I had to persuade her to learn an instrument—but I do remember one day, she was supposed to be doing her homework, and my partner came down the road and there was Maddy leaning out of the window, playing her flute for all she was worth.  It was a nice sunny day, and people were stopping and listening, and Maddy was bowing and really enjoying the attention!

- Well, these days, years later, when I watch my daughter singing in front of a big crowd, there’s always this curious thing—I suddenly realize that practically everyone is thinking that she’s brilliant—it’s not just me thinking, ’That’s my little girl’—it’s the whole room sharing the experience.  It’s not all roses, though.  When Maddy had a bad patch with her singing career, she was taken on by a modeling agency.

- I don’t think that modeling’s at all easy.  And I know she finds it hard when people back at the agency don’t think she looks right for a particular job—you know she’s too tall or something, or not young enough.  It can be hard—even if, like Maddy, you know you’re beautiful.

- We’ve talked about it—there is a certain look that people get on their faces when they recognize you, and I think probably that that’s what some people miss when they’re no longer famous.  But it also means that you can’t go shopping in peace.  And that can be tough—so is reading about yourself in the paper, when what’s being said is a load of rubbish.  But you just have to learn to cope with that side of it …

Hello! My name is Tom and I’m from Cape Town, in South Africa.
I’m 15 years old. I’m quite tall, 5 feet 9 inches and I’m strongly-built but I’m not chubby.
I have short frizzy black hair with a gorgeous smile!
I have a brother and a sister: Greg who is 3 years older than me and Sarah who is 5 years younger.
This year, he is studying to become an engineer while my sister is still in Primary school.
My dad is a real estate agent. He sells houses, flats, offices and farms around there.
My mom teaches Art at UCT. That stands for University of Cape Town.
As for my hobbies, I’m keen on lots of different activities: I like motorbiking, playing rugby.
I have ridden a motocross since I was 8 years old. I’m also taking part in races. And to be honest, I’m quite good at it, even if I haven’t won any medal yet!
With my brother, we have practised rugby for 6 years in the local club with most of our friends.
I’m also quite a musician: I have already played the piano, the drums and even the djembe.
I travel a lot with my family but I’ve never visited France. I hope I’ll be able to do it soon.
What about you? Have you ever been to South Africa? Would you like to come and visit us?