It's Prisoner's Top Dog, Val Lehman

It’s 30 years since Prisoner hit Australia’s small screens and Andy & Adrian reminisce with “Top Dog” Val Lehman, also known as Bea Smith.  She’s had a rough trot – after her “darling ex husband cleared out and deserted” her, she’s had a sea change to an isolated island and if you’re interested, she’s may even take offers for top price on her Logie.

Val is hosting a gourmet BBQ to commemorate 30 years of Prisoner in February 2009, which will be held on the grounds where the original series was filmed.  Check out www.val-lehman.com for more details.

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Duration: 5:42

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Andy: Now Adrian, 1978 what a year! What a vintage! It was a great year because we were born, and also Prisoner hit the TV screens, and we’ve got one of the stars on the phone this morning – Val Lehman. Good morning.
Val: Good morning
Andy: Now, you won a Gold Logie …
Val: I won three!
Andy: … oh, i know! But one of them was in 1982, Best Actress Logie. Now do you still have the Logies?
Val: Yes I do. Do you want to buy one? If I get any poorer they be going on eBay.
Adrian: Haha! Has anybody sold a Logie? Do you know what the going rate is?
Val: I’ve no idea. I actually did offer one recently to someone for permanent exhibition but I can’t tell you where yet cos it hasn’t happened and they turned me down.
Andy: Oh! Now I have to say, do you know where the Logies are made?
Val: Do you want a couple copies do you?
Andy: No, I’m just curious to know because they are such an Australian icon for people on the silver screen. Where are they made? No one knows? Are they an Australian product? Are they a cheap import from China?
Val: Well they’re very heavy I can tell you that much. It would cost a lot of money to send over from China. I think they’re probably made in Australia and probably in Victoria I would think.
Adrian: I’d hope so! Tell me Val, what was it like working on Prisoner? And in particular are you still in touch with some of the other cast members from the show?
Val: Yes I am in touch with other cast members, in particular Amanda Muggleton, Carol Burns and Jane Clifton.
Adrian: Great! Wicked actually opened up in Melbourne and Maggie Kirkpatrick plays one of the roles.
Val: Ahh yes, in Wicked. They wouldn’t even let me audition for that role isn’t that annoying.
Adrian: Oh what, outrageous! Not right at all!
Val: Haha, I reckon I can be Wicked.
Andy: If you ever get a chance to see it, definitely go and see it cos it’s an amazing show.
Val: I have to wait until someone sends me tickets … I’m not working at the moment.
Adrian: Oh yes, because you’ve had a bit of a sea change – you’ve moved out of the big city.
Val: Yes I have, well I wasn’t in the big city I was in Ballarat which isn’t exactly the big city.
Adrian: Well there’s Sovereign Hill there.
Val: Oh true. Now I’m in another small community but this one happens to be on a sub-tropical island.
Andy: Now that sounds delightful.
Adrian: What caused that change?
Val: Well it was partly because when my darling ex-husband cleared out and deserted me and left me with a mortgage which he was supposed to pay but didn’t of course, I had to try and find somewhere to live that I would enjoy and get out of the cold weather and rid of this mortgage which is what I did.
Andy: Wonderful. Now I’ve got an idea for you for you Val.
Adrian: I’m always scared about Andy’s ideas.
Andy: Yes I’ve always got ideas – I’m an idea’s man. Now you’ve seen the success of Sex in the City The Movie. Friends are going to do a movie now. I reckon – Prisoner The Movie.
Val: Well you need to get in touch with Grundy’s for that.
Adrian: No disrespect Val, but wouldn’t it be Prisoner The Old Folks Home … it’s 30 years later …
Val: You’re very lucky you’re so far away! And that I haven’t got my steam press with me!
Andy: I would put his hand under that bloody steam press and burn it for you!
Val: I reckon his head should go in it.
Adrian: No … all the actors are a little bit older than they used to be.
Andy: That doesn’t matter.
Val: Some of us are still gorgeous, look at Amanda Muggleton she’s still gorgeous.
Andy: Some of you were serving life and all that so you could just go back to the prison… who of the ones who have been released, you could talk about that.
Val: I reckon I should come back as the big governor of the prison and play a huge dyke.
Andy: Brilliant … we’ll talk off the radio about this Val, I think it’s a bloody great idea.
Val: All you need to do is write a script and submit it to Grundy’s, there we are.
Adrian: We’ll see what we can do! We’re going to do a bit of a Gettin’ To Know You segment, were we ask a few little questions and just run through them. So first one, Val, what’s your signature dish? The Top Dog Signature Dish?
Val: My signature probably is duck breasts with a pear and walnut and rocket salad actually.
Adrian: Crickey, oh my gosh.
Val: I’m a very good cook by the way. I also make a wicked lasagna. And I’m hoping that now I’m living on this island I’m going to be cook a lot of chilly mud crabs.
Andy: Oh of course, it would be so fresh.
Adrian: Messy to eat, but very nice.
Val: You have to sit in a bath to eat them … and have a mango.
Adrian: Sounds kinky.
Andy: Stop it, I’m jealous! Now … the house is on fire, what possession do you take?
Val: My cat and my dog.
Adrian: What’s your cat’s name.
Val: My cat is Ulysses and my dog is Humphrey.
Adrian: What’s your favourite TV show at the moment?
Val: My favourite TV show ever was M.A.S.H. If M.A.S.H is ever shown again I watch it. But I also like House.
Adrian: I don’t get M.A.S.H, I never understand any of the jokes.
Val: You don’t understand the jokes in M.A.S.H! You poor tragic person!