Interviewed by Dermot Murnaghan and Natasha Kaplinsky

Nat: From romantic encounters over instant coffee and slaying demons with Buffy, Anthony Head has had what you could describe as a very varied career…

Dermot: Yes you could, couldn’t you? He’s about to tread the boards on London’s West End again which must be a breeze after his role in the cult hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As the mild-mannered, Rupert Giles, he became something of an icon to college librarians everywhere…

Nat: Here’s a clip of what’s in store in tomorrow’s instalment of the final series:

S7 CLIP SHOWN

Dermot: Don’t do that look on us here!

Nat: Too scary

Dermot: Anthony’s here with us now - are you going to miss Buffy?

TONY: Yes…undoubtedly. It was a wonderful job and just lovely, lovely people to work with so, in that respect, but I mean its nice to be home, I have to say - its nice to be back with my family and just on British turf for a more permanent feel.

Nat: There are whisperings that you might be involved in some kind of Buffy spin-off. Is that something you can tell us about?

TONY: No, that’s still in the air. I mean, the last time I talked to Joss Whedon who’s the creator, who should be worshipped at all times …um … basically he still talks about it and he still, he had a lovely, lovely idea for a storyline but I mean I have no idea to be honest. He needs to make some movies for all our sakes because he really is a great, great writer and great director.

Dermot: It’s said he’s a bit of an Anglophile, do you think that’s why he got you involved?

TONY: To a certain extent, he did spend the formative part of his education here but he had as bad a time in the British education system as he did in the American, which is thankfully why we have Buffy which is all about the hideousness of being at school. He loves, he does love England, he comes back quite regularly. He’s going to come over and see Peter Pan and Pirates which is going to be cool.

Nat: We’re going to talk about that in a moment, but just a final question on Buffy. The show was so, so successful wasn’t it, sort of surprised everybody but did it surprise you as well?

TONY: I said right at the beginning when we did the sort of half hour presentation…I mean the tv company wouldn’t afford a full pilot they just didn’t have any real faith in it and I said to Joss "is this going to be a success cos I can’t tell. I love the script but I don’t know" and he said "absolutely. Nobody gets it, the tv execs don’t get it," he said "the only people who will get it will be the audience and they will pass it on word on mouth and it’ll go world-wide." And he was absolutely right.

Dermot: Let’s get onto the pirate stuff: Captain Hook AND the Pirate King. Rather related in baddie terms.

TONY: Strangely yes. No Pirate King is quite a sweetie, he’s just a poser who struts around the stage and smiles a lot, but Captain Hook we did go for a…we’re looking to go back to the original JM Barrie play. It’s a fantastical play, it’s full of magic and hopefully I’m going to be a little scarier than most Hooks have been, they tend to go a bit camp and bit sort of…

Dermot: I guess most people know it from that wonderful Disney film, is the play very different?

TONY: It is a little although actually Disney was very true to it but I mean quite often, I mean I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Hook that hasn’t had the big King Charles curly wigs and incidentally there’s a picture floating about which is of me in a very dodgy wig and a very small hat and the wrong hook which we sort of cobbled together for some photographs but ultimately we’re looking for a slightly darker image. He is a dark character and as a true opponent for Peter Pan…I mean he’s a child’s fantasy pirate so he’s scary and both productions, both Peter Pan and Pirates they’re very, very vibrant productions, very energetic and it’s…I hope Gilbert and Sullivan purists will bear with us but we’ve done a few things to Pirates just to sort of turn it on it’s head, to go into topsy-turvy land.

Nat: Well I wanted to ask you about that because you said you were pleased to be back on home turf as it were but it’s a fairly exhausting schedule for you, isn’t it?

TONY: It’s fun, it’s a challenge I must admit. We go into tech on Peter Pan in a couple of day’s time and its in very good nick for that. Pirates we’ve got two more weeks before we really have to get into tech, they’re both in a very good state and yes it’s a little tiring but I mean you know what’s life without a bit of a challenge?

Dermot: Well absolutely and good to be working isn’t it?

TONY: Oh yes! And also doing something that’s such fun. I’d been offered Captain Hook before and I’d kind of gone "mmmmmm" but this was a lovely idea, a great idea, you know Pirates across the board.

Nat: But working not just on that but a guest spot on Little Britain, now we were talking to them just last week. Let’s have a quick look at you:

LITTLE BRITAIN CLIP

Nat: Who IS your favourite member of Westlife, do you know?

TONY: <giggles> I don’t actually, they’re nice boys, I did meet them, they’re nice guys…

Dermot: What was it like working on that? We had them on, they’re very very creative, throwing ideas around all the time.

TONY: They’re lovely, they have absolutely no pretensions and they’re just just, good writers and I mean they’re just such fun and very generous I mean sometimes you go on something like that and put ideas out it’s just "excuse me, you’re the turn…what are you talking about ideas?" But they readily accept anything you put out and I’m pleased to say there are a few of my little moments in there of mine, which is very nice.

Nat: We were also Dr Who-ing last week for the anniversary and rumours are (M: you’re top of the list) that you are going to be the new Doctor. Can you give us a breakfast exclusive?

TONY: No-one’s actually asked me (giggles)

Nat: But you would like to do it?

TONY: I mean I must admit when somebody does I’ll have a jolly good think about it but so far it’s very flattering the fans have sort of gone "he’s who we’d like" but there have been some fantastic names out there. I mean I think it’d be kind of cool if they did get an unknown and there’s nothing attached to it.

Nat: But you’re doing yourself out of a job

TONY: No I mean the bottom line if they think I’m …but as I say no-one’s asked me so I don’t think they’re THAT convinced.

Dermot: Well WE’RE convinced, Anthony…very nice to see you.

TONY: Thank you very much.

Nat: Best of luck with the schedule ahead.

Dermot: I hope you get some time off over Christmas

TONY: A day … a day

Dermot: Well that’ll do …nice to see you.