麻豆约拍

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IN TOUCH 鈥� The Entertainers

TX:听 27.12.2022听 2040-2100

PRESENTER:听 听听听听听听听听 PETER WHITE

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PRODUCER:听 听听听听听听听听听 BETH HEMMINGS

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Music - piano

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White

Good evening.听

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Music 鈥� piano

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White

I鈥檓 sure you will all recognise that.听 At this time of year everyone wants to be entertained but it鈥檚 only given to a few to be entertaining but tonight, we鈥檝e got a studio full of them.听 Represented here tonight we鈥檝e got stand-up, TV and film acting, cartoons, pantomime and none of my guests are planning to let their visual impairment stand in their way.

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So, let鈥檚 get you all to introduce yourselves and tell us what you鈥檙e doing professionally over the Christmas festivities 鈥� if anything.

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Wallwork

Hi, I鈥檓 Ellie Wallwork. I鈥檓 a 22-year-old film and TV actor and over the festive period I鈥檓 fundraising for a short film that I鈥檓 creating.

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Stollery

Hi, I鈥檓 Eleanor Stollery.听 I鈥檓 11 years old, I鈥檝e performed on stage and I鈥檓 the voice of a cartoon character.

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Sawyers

Hi everyone, my name is Jake Sawyers.听 I am an actor, comedian, drag queen 鈥� whatever pays the bills really 鈥� and over the Christmas period I am performing in a pantomime 鈥� Snow White.

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White

Let鈥檚 start with Ellie because Ellie, I think, we can claim, on In Touch, we were early to spot your talent because as far as I make it, you first came on to the programme when you were about 12, I think?

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Wallwork

I was 12, yes.

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White

You were 12 because of a film you were making with a group of blind and partially sighted children.听 So, an early start 鈥� just remind us about that.

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Wallwork

It was a film called Imagine, it was filmed in Portugal and I was 11, when I filmed it, I think, so same age as Eleanor now, which is really weird to me, Eleanor, because you鈥檙e so confident and I wasn鈥檛.听 So, I mean, I think, In Touch was my first ever radio interview, any kind of interview at all, really and it really helped me to actually feel a lot more confident.

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White

And did you know then, Ellie, that acting was what you really wanted to do?

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Wallwork

No, I had no idea.听 I was more into music, really, when I was younger and I considered, at the time, I鈥檇 like to do acting 鈥� as kids sometimes do, we think oh I鈥檇 love to do that 鈥� but it wasn鈥檛 until later on that I actually had more of a career in mind for myself with it.

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White

Okay.听 Well, as you pointed out, it may have been an early start for you but we鈥檝e got someone here who you鈥檝e already heard who can beat that 鈥� Eleanor, Eleanor Stollery.听 How old were you when you broke into theatre in possibly one of the most iconic Christmas stories of all time really?

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Stollery

I was eight years old and I was in a Christmas Carol at the Old Vic.听 We were part of a little mailing list for a theatre company and there was an open audition 鈥� Tiny Tim in a Christmas Carol at the Old Vic.听 My mummy and daddy and I spoke to each other about it and we were like 鈥� why don鈥檛 we just go for it鈥�

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White

Turn up.

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Stollery

Just go for the experience, yeah.听 About a week, later, maybe, I got a recall and we were like 鈥� this is okay, another amazing experience, a recall for a West End audition.听 And then about two weeks later, they said 鈥� we鈥檇 like to offer you the part 鈥� and I don鈥檛 think, at that time, we quite believed it until the rehearsals started.

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White

Right, you got the part but just tell us why you had to stop.

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Stollery

Well, the reason is in the name 鈥� Tiny Tim 鈥� I got too tall.

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White

Tiny Tim obviously couldn鈥檛 be tall Tim.

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Wallwork

I wouldn鈥檛 have even thought of that.

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Sawyers

I鈥檓 still convinced I could be Gavroche in Les Mis and I鈥檓 28, so, I think you鈥檒l be fine Eleanor.

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White

Right.听 But Eleanor, just to stay with you, something even more exciting came along.听 Just listen to this:

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Clip 鈥� Milo

Looks like another parcel.听 Ahh, it smells like coconuts.听 Can I please have something to eat now?

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Coconut macaroons?

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Oh yes, please.

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Stollery

So, after the first year of Christmas Carol I got an agent and was put forward for quite a few roles and I got the part of Lark in a children鈥檚 TV series called Milo, this is on Channel Milkshake in the mornings, every day.听 And it was just a really amazing experience.听 I鈥檇 never thought that I鈥檇 be doing anything like that.

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White

Yeah, and Ellie鈥檚 quite right, you do sound terrifying confident for your age.听 Anyway, stay there.听 Jake, let me bring in you 鈥� any child acting for you when you got started?

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Sawyers

Yeah, I actually started at the same age.听 I was watching an episode of Blue Peter, one day they advertised a cooking competition and the prize was to appear on the show every month for a year to cook live.听 So, myself and my brother entered that competition and I ended up winning the competition, against, I think, it was 12,000 other kids in the UK鈥�

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White

Including your brother.

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Sawyers

Well, it鈥檚 quite a sore subject because my brother didn鈥檛 even get past the first round, bless him.听 But, yeah, I ended up winning and then cooked live on 麻豆约拍 1 on Blue Peter every month, which was such an amazing experience and I think a great professional grounding at that young age as well.

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White

And, you know, with that sort of exposure did the offers come rolling in?

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Sawyers

Not immediately, no, I sort of carried on with mainstream school, always wanting to act, present.听 So, you know, I went to university, I trained in acting and then the parts started coming but I think what I learnt from that young age, not even about acting or presenting, just about existing in this professional industry as a visually impaired person, I think, really helped me out in my adulthood.

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White

Now, talking of iconic Christmas entertainment, it doesn鈥檛 get anymore traditional than pantomime and you鈥檙e in one at the moment, aren鈥檛 you?

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Sawyers

I am, yes.听 It鈥檚 my panto debut, I鈥檝e never been in a panto before, performing in Snow White down in Swansea at venue number one.

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Pantomime actuality 鈥� Snow White

And who are you?听 Squashed tomatoes and stew?听 You鈥檙e as minging as rotten fruit, you are, I鈥檓 going to need that new Doctor Who to come and regenerate my eyes.听 They鈥檒l never be any peach prom queen like moi 鈥� the most perfect queen in all the land.

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White

You鈥檙e not a dame by any chance, are you?

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Sawyers

Oh yes I am.

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White

I don鈥檛 know how I guessed.

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Sawyers

Yeah, I鈥檓 鈥� so it鈥檚 sort of a pint-sized panto, it鈥檚 an hour and 15 minutes, it鈥檚 at a reduced price so if people can鈥檛 afford to go to the bit pantos they can come to ours.听 So, that means we鈥檙e multi-rolling a lot as well.听 For example, my character is the dame and the villain and then some other characters are doing the same, they sort of smash them together.听 So, for a debut of panto, it鈥檚 a lot but we鈥檙e having a lot of fun, we haven鈥檛 stopped laughing.听 We have a lot of apple related pun jokes because Snow White and the apple, which are really fun.听 We鈥檝e got the 鈥� he鈥檚 behind you 鈥� we鈥檝e got 鈥� oh no she isn鈥檛 鈥� oh yes she is.听 And my character gets to do all of them in a dress.听 So, you know, I鈥檓 having a great Christmas.

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White

And you鈥檝e also done bits of TV recently as well.

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Clip 鈥� How This Blind Girl

How this blind girl.

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Gatecrashes.

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Ten days, that鈥檚 shameful care.

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I just need to know if he鈥檚 still into me.

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And turning up uninvited to a complete stranger鈥檚 house party is the way to do that?听 So, Dylan still has no idea that you鈥檙e blind, does he?

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So far, so good.

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It鈥檚 part of [indistinct words].

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There鈥檚 nothing more terrifying than walking into a crowded room and having no idea who鈥檚 in there, you can鈥檛 see them but you know they can see you.

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I think all the people on this programme recognise that feeling.听 Just tell us a bit more about that Jake.

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Sawyers

Oh, listening to that fills my heart with so much joy.听 So, that was a clip from How This Blind Girl, created by Mared Jarman.听 And we both got to this point where we were like we need to create our own work, there are these stories that are being untold about sight loss, about disabled life in general.听 And so, she created this pilot 鈥� How This Blind Girl 鈥� and she wrote me the part of her best friend and she told me and I thought 鈥� oh this is going to be the hardest acting role of my life, acting as the blind best friend.

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White

And this has been on 麻豆约拍 2 in Wales, yeah?

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Sawyers

Yes it has and it鈥檚 also available on the iPlayer as well.听 There are three five-minute episodes, really short, really snappy.

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White

I think we got the picture of that.听 Ellie, I mean, you have had some very high-profile TV parts 鈥� Doctor Who 鈥� which we, amongst others, were all over like a rash.听 But you were also in Call the Midwife:

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Clip 鈥� Call the Midwife

Marion can鈥檛 see.听 She鈥檚 a danger to herself.听 So, imagine what she might do to a baby.

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Well, can鈥檛 you help, you鈥檙e her sister after all?

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I don鈥檛 want her to.听 She told me I was selfish and I had no right to bring a baby into this world.

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It is selfish.

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So, you were playing a blind expectant mum there being given grief by your sister.听 Do you remember that?听 It鈥檚 all a bit of a while ago now isn鈥檛 it.

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Wallwork

Yeah, no, I have very clear memories of all of it.听 So, it鈥檚 really funny because the woman who played Beryl, who was my sister in the show, is absolutely lovely, I鈥檝e never met such a wonderful woman.听 And obviously, she鈥檚 playing this character who is very against her blind sister having a baby and she says some really horrible things.

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White

I mean it鈥檚 clear there that a point is being made and I guess what it was attempting to do, on the whole, was point out how inappropriate that was.听 I鈥檓 just wondering how much sort of say you had in that part?听 Did they say 鈥� are you comfortable playing this?

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Wallwork

Yeah, they did.听 I had quite a lot of input in making sure that it was as representative as possible and I think the difficulty here is that it鈥檚 set in the sixties and the sixties was not a tolerant time for anybody.听 And so, having to play that role was very difficult because I became extremely aware of how lucky I am now to have been brought up in a time where we don鈥檛 have as much prejudice as we had back in the sixties.听 I鈥檝e never had 鈥渆asy鈥� (in quotation marks) roles, I鈥檝e always had roles that are quite challenging.

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White

It doesn鈥檛 get much more mainstream, I suppose, than Doctor Who and Call the Midwife.听 Was that the direction that you wanted, actually, to go in or were you looking for something a bit more serious?

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Wallwork

I don鈥檛 really know.听 I don鈥檛 think I ever had any expectations.听 I mean being on such a high-profile show is quite intimidating anyway and so I think I was in control of the story that was being told insofar as I am telling that story through my actions and through my words, even if those words hadn鈥檛 been written specifically for me.

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White

But your very latest project, you鈥檙e definitely in control of, that鈥檚 the idea, isn鈥檛 it?

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Wallwork

Yes, absolutely, such a breath of fresh air.听 So, at the moment, I鈥檓 co-writing a short film, an LGBTQ+ drama short film called Picturesque.听 So, I鈥檓 co-writing it and sort of also helping with the production of it with my co-director, Will Hextall.听 I鈥檓 going to also be playing the main character, called Mills, who is a blind queer woman and it鈥檚 really all about her relationship with her girlfriend, they have quite a turbulent relationship, it鈥檚 not always sunshine and roses.听 I really want to illustrate in this that everyone is deserving of love.

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White

I was just thinking, actually, it鈥檚 all very well for me to be sitting here doing the interviewing but Eleanor, this is a great opportunity for you, actually, to be asking these old timers 鈥� Jake and Ellie 鈥� about the business, particularly from the point of view of a visually impaired actor trying to get in it.

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Stollery

Well, Ellie, I know you just said that you didn鈥檛 really have any expectations but do either of you 鈥� really, really looking forward to doing anything or really want to reach for anything?

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Wallwork

Can I answer this one?

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White

Yeah, because she鈥檚 very clever, is Eleanor, because she鈥檚 pinched one of my questions really, which 鈥� because I was thinking about ambitions and things you really wanted to do.听 You go first Ellie and then Jake.

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Wallwork

I鈥檝e explored Sci-Fi, I鈥檝e explored sort of the whole gritty realism of Call the Midwife.听 I really, really, really want to get into fantasy.听 My real dream is to hold a sword and to be able to film whilst holding a sword 鈥� that鈥檚 all I really want from life.听 I want to be able to do things that I wouldn鈥檛 have thought I鈥檇 be able to do and see where that takes me.

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White

I鈥檓 quite relieved, in a way, that Ellie isn鈥檛 actually in this studio with me if she鈥檚 going to go wielding swords about the place.听 Jake, long term ambitions?

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Sawyers

I mean, honestly, Eleanor, I would like to perform at the Old Vic and voice a kids鈥� TV character on Channel 5 鈥� that is my actual dream.听 But that role鈥檚 already taken.听 For me, though, I鈥檝e really enjoyed, recently, creating my own work.听 I鈥檝e got something coming out in the New Year which I led on and acted in as well and that鈥檚 just been so liberating.听 I think, sometimes, as an actor you get to a point where you just think 鈥� right, I鈥檓 a bit tired now of doing what other people are telling me to do, I need to take this into my own hands and tell the stories I want to.

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White

Eleanor, are there any practical questions you want to ask?听 You know, how you get scripts, are they presented in a way that you want 鈥� has that been an issue for you?

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Stollery

Um, so, first of all, do either of you read braille?

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Wallwork

I do, yes.

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Sawyers

I don鈥檛, no, I鈥檓 a large print kind of boy.

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Stollery

So, my daddy, at home we have an embosser, and he will鈥�

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White

That鈥檚 cool.

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Sawyers

No, that is exciting.

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Stollery

And he will adapt my scripts slightly for me, so that it鈥檚 slightly less to read.听 So, he鈥檒l cut out all of the other lines.听 So, it was lot less under my fingertips and he would then emboss it for me, and then I鈥檇 just take to the studio.听 I found it easier when it was on paper, just because if I had my big clunky device with my braille note touch plus with me, you know, you鈥檇 be able to hear the clicking of the keys every time I read the line and it would be 鈥� it wouldn鈥檛 be very good over the microphone.

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White

Let me ask Ellie this.听 Companies, you know, the 麻豆约拍, Channel 5 or a stage company, do you push them to do things鈥�

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Wallwork

Yes.

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White

鈥� or do you think, I鈥檇 better try to be as kind of normal, in their terms鈥�

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Wallwork

No, absolutely not.

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White

鈥� and not 鈥� never, you don鈥檛?

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Wallwork

So, I鈥檝e got a really amazing agent who 鈥� she is extremely good at pushing for things like this for me.听 But if, for whatever reason, they send through a script revision, last minute, which has happened a lot, I have to be very clear and say 鈥� no, a pdf for me is not adequate, I need a Word document or I would like, if at all possible, for you to print it out in hard copy braille.听 I absolutely will not budge on accessibility and if they aren鈥檛 willing to provide for me, I push and I push and I push.听 I used to feel very bad about it, I used to feel like I was some kind of nuisance or inconvenience but we spend enough time as it is, as visually impaired people, trying to accommodate other people in order to make things easier and things like that, they should do that for us.

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White

So, that鈥檚 the message Eleanor, you have to push to save your poor old dad writing out all those鈥�

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Stollery

There鈥檚 only been one casting director or person that鈥檚 contacted my agent and said 鈥� you鈥檝e told me that you鈥檙e going to be putting this visually impaired girl forward, is there anything that I can do to help her read the script 鈥� there鈥檚 only been one and we were like 鈥� thank you so much but it鈥檚 okay, you know, it鈥檚 only a few lines that I need to learn for this audition but thank you so much, you鈥檝e been the only one that鈥檚 said this.

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White

Right.听 There鈥檚 one more thing on visual impairment specifically I want to ask you all.听 How much now is your visual impairment a barrier and how much is it 鈥� can it be a tool of your own trade, a sort of useful attribute?听 Jake.

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Sawyers

Yeah, I think it鈥檚 a huge benefit.听 I never see it as a barrier, more for personal reasons, I don鈥檛 think we can live our lives thinking that we have something that is a barrier.听 For example, in my writing, my visual impairment influences that a lot.听 But even when I鈥檓 just performing in something, which has nothing to do with impairment, I鈥檓 sort of changing perceptions and everyone on this show, right now, is changing perceptions by just being in that space.听 Like all the work Eleanor鈥檚 doing, those roles may not be about visual impairment but the fact that they鈥檝e got a vision impaired actor performing those is just going to change the way people see how we work, it鈥檚 just about changing that landscape of what people can do and what people can鈥檛.

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White

And what about you Ellie, do you ever feel they鈥檙e just ticking boxes?

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Wallwork

I wouldn鈥檛 quite say they鈥檙e ticking boxes, it鈥檚 more that I want to be considered a person who is visually impaired and not just to have my visual impairment be the only thing that gets me roles.

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White

Right.听 We鈥檝e been quite serious some of the time, tonight, I mean it is Christmas, I just wonder about embarrassing funny moments in your careers, sort of partly based on visual impairment.听 Have you had situations where things have gone wrong because of your visual impairment?

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Sawyers

I mean I can鈥檛 think of anything specific but I run off comedy, so any time something awkward happens, say, if I trip or somebody points out something that I can鈥檛 see, I will always be the first person to make a joke out of it and it鈥檚 always a tasteful joke.听 And if someone else then feels like they can make a joke, I always say, you can but it has to be funny, if I don鈥檛 laugh then I鈥檓 low key offended.听 But as hard as it is sometimes being visually impaired it does really come with its funny little moments.

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Wallwork

I walked into a wall once when I was filming Doctor Who and I found it hilarious because it didn鈥檛 hurt, I was in no danger whatsoever and people didn鈥檛 quite understand that I found the humour in it and they were sort of really shocked and confused and I was sort of like 鈥� it鈥檚 fine because I am finding it funny, it鈥檚 not because I despise my disability or anything like that, it鈥檚 just because I can see the humour in something that maybe others might find a little bit confusing and I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 anything wrong with that.听 We鈥檝e all walked into walls, we鈥檝e all done things that are embarrassing鈥�

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White

Have you walked into walls Eleanor?

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Stollery

I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e walked into walls but I鈥檝e walked into a couple of doorframes.

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White

You鈥檙e starting small.听 You鈥檒l work your way up to walls.

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Sadly, we鈥檝e got to leave it there or though perhaps it鈥檚 just as well, who knows what else would come out if we went on.听 The party鈥檚 nearly over.听 Really big thank you to all of you 鈥� Eleanor Stollery, Jake Sawyers, Ellie Wallwork 鈥� thanks very much.听 And that鈥檚 it from me, Peter White, producer Beth Hemmings and studio manager Sharon Hughes, goodbye.

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