Doc Brown interview
Doc Brown - real name Ben Smith - talks about voicing Mitchell in Strange Hill High...
Hi Ben. Tell us about Strange Hill High - how would you describe the show to someone who knows nothing about it?
Imagine every Simpsons episode was a Treehouse of Horror set in Springfield Elementary. Or Wallace & Gromit: The Early Years.
Did you get to see the animation process?
I was privileged enough to see the characters develop and the sets being built which was a big deal for me as I grew up fascinated by the labours it took to create animation of this sort. Probably ever since I first saw Morph!
What is your character like in the show? What's your favourite thing about him?
My favourite thing about him is his name - Mitchell Tanner - not only is it the kind of cool name I wanted as a kid, it's a reference to one of my favourite ever kids shows, a horror/mystery show called Eerie, Indiana whose hero was a kid called Marshall Teller.
What kind of trouble does Mitchell Tanner get into?
Mitch finds himself in all sorts! Robots, psychotic fairytale characters, the future, giant guinea pigs... It's too varied to pinpoint any one thing - Strange Hill is a troublesome school!
How do you think young boys can relate to the character of Mitchell?
I think the attraction might be that he is by no means a perfect kid. He had a chequered past at his last school and whilst he doesn't necessarily love the school authorities, he is massively loyal to his friends and would risk his own well-being for them. Also, Mitch suffers from ADHD and so has struggled academically despite being clearly creative and talented. I think he's a little hero with some little flaws and a big heart.
What was it like working with Josh Weinstein and the team?
It's been amazing working with Josh and I'm still working with him! He's very clear with his vision for the show so he's easy to respect and take advice and inspiration from. Plus he's got that experience of writing on The Simpsons that for me as a writer as well is a bit like: Whoooooa... just pure awe.
How do you think show is different from other children's animation?
I've watched kids shows since I was a kid (!) and I've not seen anything like it. I think what visually makes it stand out is that it looks like such an original mix of retro and the future in terms of puppetry mixed with the incredible FX.
Thematically as well it's basically like a horror - I find it quite creepy at times and mixed with the savvy comic writing it makes the complete package just something else!
What's the best thing about the show?
For me it has to be that it's a kids show that is saying to kids: lets go all out with the scary stuff, all out with the funny stuff, all out with the visual effects and all out with the sound and feel of this show. At times it's genuinely weird and it doesn't apologise for that which I think kids love - I know I did when I was one!
Have you voiced any characters before, did you enjoy it?
My whole life I wanted to voice a cartoon character - my dream was realised with a character called Budge on a similarly ground-breaking show called Big Babies. When that series ended, I never knew I'd get the chance again but it came with SHH and it's honestly one of my favourite things to do!
What kind of TV do you watch with your kids?
I watch the kids stuff that has universal humour and I notice my kids appreciate that stuff more too - except when I laugh too loud and they miss the next gag - they hate that! But we watch all the Pixar stuff, Wallace & Gromit, The Simpsons, Mr Bean, Tom & Jerry a lot of old Donald Duck which is still funny 70 years on and basically anything with some good slapstick in it.