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Interview With Christopher Smith aka Robert Sugden
WHILE ROBERT PLAYED HAPPY FAMILIES, THINGS TURNED SOUR OFF-SCREEN WHEN CHRISTOPHER WAS REPLACED...
Years before Robert Sugden was the hormonal boy racer he is today, an angelic blonde child stood in his place. That boy was Christopher Smith, who stepped into the role of Robert when he was just four years old, and stayed there until he was 16. And, as Christopher, now 18, reveals, growing up on the show was a priceless experience.
“I didn’t know anything else at the time, but I look back and realise what a great opportunity it was,” recalls Christopher. “My parents made sure it never interfered with my education, so I got the best of both worlds. Everybody on the set used to look after me. Then, after I’d finished filming, I’d be whisked back to school to be with my friends.”
However in 2001 the axe fell, when producers decided to pack Robert off to Spain, before recasting Karl Davies in the role months later. In a dispute that is still ongoing, Christopher is allegedly suing Granada for unfair dismissal.
“I can’t talk about my feelings regarding the way I left the show because of ongoing matters,” is all he will say. “Leaving the show happened so fast, so it not being a part of my life took a while to kick in.”
Christopher does have happier memories of his time on the show, however, particularly the kidnap storyline that saw Robert snatched from his family, in 1995 by hermit Derek Simpson.
“It was a whole new experience for me to get a storyline of my own. We were filming in a cold barn, but I loved it. It was a chance to do some acting other then the usual family at breakfast stuff.”
And keen to point out there are no hard feelings towards the cast, Christopher talks fondly of his fellow actors.
“I was really pleased when they cast Kelvin Fletcher (Andy) as my brother. Up until then I was the only person my age in the cast, and it meant the show started to feature the younger characters more. I still see them around Leeds occasionally. I actually met Karl Davies, who took over my part, after I left. There aren’t any hard feelings towards him - he’s a nice guy.”
While he may not have predicted such an impromptu end to his days at Emmerdale, Christopher has no regrets about spending his formative years on the show, which has helped him concentrate on his wider goals.
“I’d like to go to university now, and study film and TV production. Having been around all kinds of cameras and sound equipment, I’ve had a pretty good introduction to it. Ideally I’d love to learn all about the work that goes on behind the scenes, and eventually direct my own stuff.”
Andy Baker
Inside Soap
Emmerdale Cast Interviews Homepage
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