a) Watching the movies
Adrian Edmondson watched the original Alien again, considering how old it was, made back in the later 1970s, and it seemed to be made without showing the audience the monster , and thematically it was because the monster is really in the back of the mind, which for him was why good scifi was about.
He thought that it was what was scaring society now, and it’s not about some other place. it was sort of a distillation of what was happening now in our world. Rewatching the film reminded him of those ingredients that stood the test of time.
That was the fact that is probably does draw on so many contemporary issues but delivers on the body horror, the action and so on.
b) Fear of AI
For him, the most frightening element of this Alien TV series is few introduction of AI which has happened since the first film and it was a very frightening idea. it was baffling to look in the news and see drones flying out from somewhere and suddenly killing someone , and then think “well, that’s a machine isn’t it?”
And there’s a mind attached to that. is it working off what’s being fed in as data and so he rhought that this series unpacked all of that.
c) Aliens corporate world
One could remember from Aliens that they introduced people from the corporate world.
His character would have been introduced as some of those , while his boss was very young man.
The idea was that he was still a teenager but a genius like Elon Musk, but this was written before Elon Musk became newsworthy.
SO this character was CEO enforcer. Half diplomat and half thug, a heavy.
IN a world that has sort of been divided up by five mega corporations, and the boy genius is running one of them.
His favourite part of working on the series was work with Sam who plays the boy genius. Before takes, they would hold hands to near enough reinforce their bonding that it was them and her was on his side, and he should hold his hand as if Sam was child
By the end of series one, it would be revealed that Atom Eins was an android
d) Life in Bangkok
In the cast, Adrian became a sort of father figure for the rest of the cast, as he was the oldest member by some distance, which he found quite fun. On Father's Day, little Lily Newmark took him out for a treat, for a treat, and they went somewhere to make pottery
The cast got close enough and were bonding firmly,as they were basically stuck in Bangkok, and were not allowed to leave because COVID was still goong on, and they were stuck in a couple of hotels.
- Sarah from The Upcoming: Hello. Hi, Sarah from The Upcoming.Pleasure to have you here with us. Uh, joining such an iconic franchise like Alien must have been an incredible opportunity. Maybe also a bit intimidating. Is it intimidating?
Adrian Edmondson: No, I don't think it feels intimidating. It just feels exciting.
Sarah from The Upcoming: You always been a diehard fan. Did you want to go back and rewatch all the old films just to sort of remind yourself of everything that's gone on?
Adrian Edmondson: It was my duty to go back and watch some more of them. Uh, and I very much enjoyed it.
One of the questions. It's funny watching something that's sort of what was it 78 79 something like that. So it's 40 odd years old and you and you think that first one he's made without showing us a monster you know thematically that's cuz the monster's in the back of your head you know which is what good sci-fi is. It's always about what's scaring us now. It's not about some other place. It's it's it's a kind of distillation of what's happening in our world.
Sarah from The Upcoming: And did going back and rewatching it almost remind you of what those ingredients were that have made it stood the test of time.
Adrian Edmondson: You know the fact that it probably does draw on so many contemporary issues but also delivers on the body horror the action etc
I think the most frightening element of this version is is the introduction of AI which you know has happened since the first film and it's a very um frightening idea. is it's baffling now I find you know looking at the news and seeing kind of drones flying out from somewhere and suddenly killing someone you think well that's a machine isn't it who's who's where's the mind someone is there a mind attached to that is it just working off what's what's what's it been fed what what's the data uh I'm I'm terrified and I think this series unpacks all of that and tell us a bit more about your character and how he fits into the broader story.I'm uh if you remember from Aliens they they sort of introduce people from the corporate world and uh I'm I'm one of those and my boss is a very young man. Um he's still a teenager but he's genius like Elon Musk. So I'm his kind of consiliary CEO enforcer.
Sarah from The Upcoming: And did you have any favorite moments on set?
Adrian Edmondson: I mean the fact that it, you know, the incredible effects and also sort of combining those things that look quite gritty and real with the more CGI elements. My favorite bit was um me and Sam who plays the young uh boy genius.
He and I used to hold hands before takes to kind of reinforce our bonding that it was us and I'm on his side. I should hold his hand as if he's a child.
Sarah from The Upcoming: And what do you hope people take away going along for the ride, all the stuff they love in Alien, but you know, maybe prompting some of those questions about the philosophical elements of it and where our world is going.
Adrian Edmondson: I think anyone who's seen any of Fargo, you know. Noah's previous work will absolutely adore the kind of arc of it, you know, it's it's it's much more interesting. I mean, you I'm not saying the first ones were not interesting, but they were 90 minutes long, you know, and this is eight episodes, so it's eight hours of of and it takes you on a long journey.
Sarah from The Upcoming: Yeah.Can't wait to see the rest of it. Thanks so much for your time. Really enjoyed tonight. Let me chat to you. Thank you.
(the Upcoming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFkiWUwZOMA)
Adrian Edmondson: Hey, this is just so brilliant.
Ronan Keating: I'm so excited for it, too. It's amazing. Okay.And the great thing is that you don't have to have watched any of the previous Aliens films, right?
Adrian Edmondson: No. I mean, The Alien is the best monster of a sort of creative film and TV, but no, you don't need to. Um although it and it doesn't kind of it's set before the first one, but it doesn't it doesn't go into the territory of the first one.
Ronan Keating: It's kind of standalone. Now, your character is called Atom Eins. How does he fit in?
Adrian Edmondson: Atom Eins is um a kind of half. diplomat, half thug. Uh it's set in a future where, see if this rings any bells, Uh, the world has been sort of divided up by five corporations,
Ronan Keating: right?
Adrian Edmondson: And a young tech genius is running one of them. I wonder where that idea came from. But it was written before before Elon Musk.
Ronan Keating: right
Adrian Edmondson:And um and I'm I'm his sort of enforcer. I'm his heavy,
Ronan Keating: right
Adrian Edmondson:No one no one gets away with anything when I'm in the room.
Alex Jones: No.
Ronan Keating: oh, scary
Alex Jones: And you mentioned the original alien. Um the iconic one makes a return
Ronan Keating: Yuh
Adrian Edmondson: pops up in this one. Um but there's a few other little references as well. And tell us about the spaceships.
Adrian Edmondson: Um the spaceship. I was so excited when we first went. So it looks exactly like Nostromo said it's called Maginot. And oh it's just you go in it your heart….
Ronan Keating: Yeah, i can imagine
Adrian Edmondson: Sort of racing.
Alex Jones: a treat
Adrian Edmondson:I'm in I'm in my childhood world.
Alex Jones:Oh. Um you've seen it. Helen know the original. Did you love it?
Helen George: Yes. Loved it. And I'm really excited about this cine.
Adrian Edmondson: Did it scare you?
Helen George: Yeah, cuz I was really young. And it I mean it is and really Scott I mean he's incredible at creating that you know that feeling.
Adrian Edmondson: yeah, I was about 18. I saw it in the cinema and I lost my hat
Alex Jones: Because you were so scared.
Adrian Edmondson: No. I had it on my knees. Didn't want to. And there was a moment of incredible kind of uh mass hysteria and it weren't like that. And uh and I never found it.
Ronan Keating: Now, now your wife Jennifer Saunders, she's a big fan of of the Alien franchise.
Adrian Edmondson: Yeah, she likes horror in general,
Ronan Keating: but you
Adrian Edmondson: Alien is her is her favorite. It's her favorite.
Ronan Keating: You found it hard keeping the story line a secret.
Adrian Edmondson: I did. And and there there are several kind of reasons to keep a secret. One is because the the strictures of an NDA with Disney are are quite severe. Uh uh even for your family and uh and I I don't want to spoil it for her. I think she'll really enjoy it.
Alex Jones: Yeah. And you spent five months filming in Thailand on this. Now, is it right that you became sort of a father figure for the rest of the cast?
Adrian Edmondson: Oldest member of the cast by some distance. And uh that that was quite um that was quite fun. I went to three uh birthday parties for 27 year olds while I was there. And uh on Father's Day, little Lily took me out uh for a treat. We went to and made pottery.
Alex Jones: A but of course
Adrian Edmondson: it was it was very you know like a lot of casts get close don't they? But we were we were kind of stuck in Bangkok and we weren't allowed to leave because of COVID was still going on and you know and so so we were all kind of contained in this hotel or two hotels and so so we bonded quite quite firmly.
Alex Jones: Good fun. Now you've also joined another legendary series Bergerac.
Adrian Edmondson: I have. Yes. I'm just about to start filming.
Alex Jones: why don’t they do it French?
Ronan Keating: I don't know. I don't know.
Alex Jones: I suppose that there is a little bit of French.
Adrian Edmondson: I suppose I suppose Jersey is near France than England.
Alex Jones: Oh, god
Adrian Edmondson: Was that …Is that your French accent?
Ronan Keating: Bergerac
Alex Jones: Bergerac. So, who are you in it then?
Adrian Edmondson: Um, I can't give too much away. I'm I got my bucket and spade ready and uh I'm off tomorrow and uh I don't know whether I'm going to get killed or be the killer.
Alex Jones: Oh, it's the first day tomorrow.
Adrian Edmondson: It is. Yeah.
Alex Jones: Oh, exciting.
Ronan Keating: Okay. Now, Leigh-Anne, you've acted before. You were in Boxing Day was the film.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock: Yes.
Ronan Keating: Is this something you want to do more of?
Leigh-Anne Pinnock:100%. Yeah. I mean, Boxing Day was my first ever thing I'd done. I mean, I've acted in school. Um, I feel like performing is being on stage is a form of acting, so I I always knew I wanted to do it, but I want to get an acting coach. I want to perfect my craft a bit more. Um, but it's definitely something I want to get into.
Ronan Keating: nice
Alex Jones: Yeah. Uh well, you can watch Ades in Alien Earth from next Wednesday, the 13th of August on Disney Plus. In just a moment, we're going to be talking to Leanne because after a sellout UK (The One Show, 04/08/2025 Helen George, Ade Edmondson and Leigh-Anne Pinnock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVdm1fQ6I)
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