Character writing · Voice direction
A quiz host who's never impressed. I wrote him, then cast his voice.
"Oh, you've gone with Bolivia. How... ambitious. I suppose one must admire the confidence, even when it's entirely misplaced."
To a wrong answer
"Incorrect. I'll give you another clue, shall I? Since we're here and you very clearly need it. Whenever you're ready, anytime before Christmas."
Handing over a second clue
"Five. Flawless. I find that mildly suspicious."
To a perfect score
Earlier in my career I wrote radio and TV ads, and part of the job was directing voice talent. The same instinct applied here, except the voice I was directing was synthetic. These are the notes I'd give an actor:
Bored, not sleepy.
Pre-loaded disappointment.
You're over it. Not annoyed. Over it.
V1 · Rejected
Southern English, educated, mid-30s to early 40s. The boredom is constant, not reactive.
Too theatrical. Too period. Shakespeare in Love energy.
V2 · Rejected
Contemporary, late 30s. Not posh enough to be untouchable, just posh enough to be insufferable.
Too young, and disgruntled rather than over it. Disgruntled people still care. Edwin doesn't.
V3 · Rejected
Early 50s. Disappointed ever since university. Simply done with the question, with you, with the whole enterprise.
1% too sleepy. Passive boredom rather than active detachment. Missing the relish.
V4 · Cast
Public school educated, early to mid-50s. Considers fox hunting reasonable. Drops a coin in the WWF tin at the till. The two have never met in his head.
His disinterest is perfectly maintained, with a flicker of enjoyment he'd never let you hear.
The one rule I gave him: mock the performance, never the person.