Glenn:  We were discussing your role in the upcoming Lost In Space movie.  Akiva Goldsman has kindly shown me your scenes with William Hurt and Matt LeBlanc.  Your portrayal of the Mission Control General is quite impressive and different to anything you have done before.

Mark:  Yes, I have never played the part of an authority figure.  This is a very tough General, that's an imposing figure and I’ve never thought of myself that way.  As I’ve said, I was uncomfortable with it, but I worked at it and I worked on my lines.

I know I have a good guttural voice for the General and in my biography of this guy, he comes from hard life of the streets.

He's not a highfalutin' officer ho had worked his way up. I chose that my character hadn't been married, and his work is his life.

G:  I'm sure Lost In Space fans will agree that you have a very different hard-edged look in this film.  Tell us more about the General's physical appearance in this movie.

M:   Yeah, well this General looks the part. I put a 3-inch scar on my chin, you'll have to look hard to see it, then they gave me a military haircut and greyed my hair.

At this time, the producers hadn't seen me so when I walked on the film set wearing my uniform and sporting my haircut.  Stephen Hopkins the director and Akiva Goldsman the writer and producer said: "Ah, that's the General."'

They had a marine on the set to remind me of posture and stature etc.  There's a certain way you stand to give yourself authority, which gives you the texture for the part.

You know Glenn, I hadn't been in front of a camera for seven years, so for this role I had to give it a lot of thought.

G:  Matt LeBlanc - the new Major Don West.  Tell us about meeting Matt, working with him and did you give him any tips on how to play your character?

M:  Oh, no. I would never say anything like that, Major Don West now belongs to Matt LeBlanc and it belonged to him as soon as they said to him you're going to play the part.  Even when we were acting together, I never ever thought of him taking my part at anytime...

G:  (interrupting) But Mark, you acted out scenes with Matt LeBlanc playing Major West, with you as his commanding officer.  They must have been emotional scenes for you, looking at your former character!

M:  No. When we played it, me as the General, and Matt as the Major, I was not thinking about Matt playing my "old" character, because it was so long ago.  If I had played the part of Major Don West just a few years ago, it might have been strange, but it's been such a long, long time.

I'm happy he's playing the part.  As the General, I make sure that he is the pilot on the Jupiter II after the previous pilot was murdered. I have to persuade Professor Robinson that he's the man for the job.  It's an interesting part.  Anyway, I'm now the General, and Matt is the Major that I want to fly the Jupiter ... to get up there to Alpha Prime.

G:  That's the planet orbiting the star Alpha Centauri?

M:  Right.

G:  Did Matt give you his opinion of the Lost In Space TV series when you were working with him?

M:  No, we never talked about it, but I heard him tell an interviewer he loved the series when he was younger.  He asked me to send him the TV un-aired pilot as he had never seen it.  He wanted to see it just for the fun of it.

But, you know, he's made choices for his role, his character of Don West will be his creation, there'll be edges to it, like I think I had, but it's his character now and he'll do a terrific job with it.

He'll have it all, much more than I ever had with the role.  He'll have the opportunity to show another side of West that I couldn't.

G:  One thing Matt can't do, nor anyone else, is take away the fact that you created the role.  You are the base character of Major West that will stay for all-time.

M:  Well, that's true, but he's recreating it, which is just as important.

G:  What is you're opinion on William Hurt playing Professor John Robinson and Gary Oldman playing Dr. Smith?

M:  I think they're great choices, because they're great actors.  We have a Academy Award winner (William Hurt) and one that will probably win a Academy Award (Gary Oldman) in the not too distant future.

William Hurt to me is one of the finest actors in America, he's a terrific man, I just admire him so much and he works so hard.  He'll be the one that holds the glue of this movie together, you know.. the seriousness of it.  He won't let it get too cute; he'll keep it focused.  He has the power to do that he's such a good actor.

 And Gary Oldman, boy, what he's doing with Smith is great.  You just can't miss with him.  He's a great heavy; and this movie is the serious version!  This is like the first season of the (TV) show and we had those great ratings.

I think it's great that New Line Cinema has gone this way; they couldn't put 77 million dollars in this project going the other way.

I am so pleased seeing William Hurt, Gary Oldman, Matt LeBlanc and Mimi Rogers being part of the Lost In Space movie - I get Goosebumps just thinking about it.

Especially with William Hurt, my wife's favourite actor.  These are extremely talented actors, pouring their talents into Lost In Space. William invited me to his trailer during filming for a get-together, to chat about this 'n' that, you know, some male bonding.  His presence, his mannerisms, his knowledge of the English language left me in awe.  He really is one of our best actors.

G:  Was there a respect for the Lost in Space originals, when you arrived on-set from the movie actors?

M:  Sure, everyone was great to us- I took my son John on the set and the technical crew showed him around and even let him operate the giant Blawp (a large lizard monkey) and William Hurt, ... he loved Angela.  When she did her lines with William, he said "Oh my.    God, that was perfect and when you give that little smile, that makes it"...As I said before, she melts you and her smile, it got to weaken everyone on the set.

G:  We now know that June, yourself, Marta and Angela are in this film.  Like most fans, are you sad that Bill Mumy and Jonathan Harris will not be in this picture?

M:  Oh yeah, ...I would have liked to see all of us in the picture. I think it would have been wonderful.  The fans would have liked it, they will be looking for them.

I'm glad and excited I did it because it has turned out to be a really nice part.  But you have to understand that the reason that I did the movie was because I know that the fans would like to see us in it.

As much as I love Billy and Jonathan, I'm sorry they're not in the film and the fans are going to be sorry too. ...They couldn't work things out with the producers.

My opinion is that life's too short to worry about these things, with a project like this; you get a good trip to London and have a great time.  How long are we going to be around? .... You know what I mean?

You go over there, have a good time, meet the cast and enjoy yourself The people were wonderful over there to my family, they could not have treated me better and the crew were just great!

The best crew that I've ever worked with and it was the best experience of my acting life.

G:  Did you, June, Angela and Marta get chance to get together while filming on the Lost In Space movie?

M:  No.  We didn't get a chance to socially, but on the set we talked, that was nice, it was fun, we chatted mostly about the enormity of the production.  I'm in a scene that Angela and Marta is, so that's nice too, you know.

G:  If this Lost In Space movie is a success at the box office, what do you see as the future for Lost In Space?

M:  Well, there'll be the sequel first and there's a good possibility that my character will be in the sequel, so I'll be happy about that.  It'll give me another chance to go London and do some more acting for them before I'm all through. (laughs)

For this movie to be a success they have to make between 100 million to 125 million dollars.  That's all because their marketing is going to be so big.  They'll get it.

G:  New Line Cinema has promised that there will be a huge range of Lost In Space merchandising to be released soon.  How do you feel about that?

M:  First of all Glenn, without doubt it's amazing ... that this is all happening to Lost In Space. When we were on the air, none of us realised the size of the vast audience watching us.  None of us would have realised the long-levity of the show or what a baby boomer would be.

I was amused when I first saw the board game.  Now with TV running re-runs continuously, coupled with all the publicity we've done with Sci-fi conventions, Lost In Space is hot.

Lost In Space is bursting with great hardware; there will be a lot of merchandise.  What I would treasure the most is a little General doll from the movie - and if they do make it, I'll bring it to future Sci-fi shows and sign it. (laughs).

I don't have anything from the television series, I treasure the Lost In Space videotapes from Columbia House and what people give me things at Sci-fi shows, such as the Robinson Robot - the Japanese one.

G:  Would you like to have your own life-size Robinson Robot?

M:  I know Bob May would love to have (laughs)

G:  (laughs) Yes he would, there's no denying that!

M:  Well, actually there is a company here in the States that supposedly will be marketing full size Robinson Robots for a price tag of about (US) 10,000 in conjunction with the movie.

G:  Wow!

M:  If I had my own real Robot, I would program him to do all the little things in life.  We have become slaves to our machines; televisions, stereos, our cars, all things that can break down.

I would have my Robot programmed to take care of all the mechanical things that can go wrong.  Let a machine take care of other machines and I'll go spend more time with my family and play some more golf.

 G:  We've mentioned before that Lost In Space is now more popular than ever, so it is fair to say that the image of Lost In Space has certainly changed as years have gone by.  Today the series has a more endearing feeling to the fans that have grown with it.

For you Mark, was there ever a time when you'd had enough of Lost In Space?  Was there a time when you wanted to be disassociated with the show?

M:  Oh yeah, before it started! (laughs) I get away when they were fitting me to that silver jump suit and I said "What have I got myself in for?" I felt my whole career going down the drain when filming started on that pilot.

G:  Why did you feel so uncomfortable?

M:  Oh I think I cried that day, I cried! My (then) wife put her hand on my shoulder and said:  “It’s gonna be OK.” But I said, “I don’t know if I can do this!”

She said, "Yes you can, yes you can!" So, taking her advice. I told myself continually "Yes I can, yes I can!" I wasn’t happy.

I had realised that this was going to be physical challenge.  It wasn't the kind of direction that I wanted. I wouldn’t be getting my teeth into material that dealt with the reality of "down to earth" things.

My image of Lost In Space had to do with outer space and stuff that would be hard for me imaging or to relate to.

G:  What pulled you through to complete the pilot?

M:  Well, once you're in it, you just do the best work you can, but what really pulled me through was getting to know the other cast members.  June, Guy, getting their support with Marta, Angela and Billy.  You know, and Marta was very nice.  So it was nice after we all got to know each other.

But before that moment I didn't know any of the people, I felt very alone, I didn't understand science fiction, I didn't know what I was getting myself in for.  It wasn't my choice for doing this kind of a show.

Back then, my agent at that time was a man named David Gerber.  David said.  "Well, listen, you just do it and don’t worry about it.  Take the money because nobody’s gonna see it and it’ll never sell.”  I said, ”OK”.

Well, many months later, they sold it. After the pilot, I continued being busy, acting in this ‘n that, and when I got the series go-ahead news, it scared me.  So I went to find David, because he had said, “I promise I can get you out of this if you don’t like it.'

But he wasn’t around anymore! About six months had passed and as in Hollywood, he changed jobs; he had become a producer over at 20^th Century Fox, where Irwin was!  So I just said to myself “Well, this is meant for me to do, so I’ll just do it and do the best job I can”.

I’m being very candid, I didn't want to do the show.  Of course, in retrospect, it's the best thing that ever happened to me as an actor, ‘cause I'm still talking about it.  But there are down sides of it as well as the good sides.  After Lost In Space all of us had made such an impact on television that we all had a price to pay.

That was a time when I wanted to be disassociated with the show. I said a few things I shouldn't have.  The reason I don't talk about this too much, is because there are so many Lost In Space fans, and I don't want to disillusion them. I appreciate these fans and I understand they really like Lost In Space, but as I say I didn't know that they existed before the 25th anniversary of the show in I990.

Now that I appreciate them and I know they're out there, I look back saying "Gee, I really shouldn't have felt that way".  Because there are a lot of people who love the show and grew with it.  People have become Pilots, Scientists at NASA, Astro-physicists, and gone into the field of computer work - all because of Lost In Space.

My less than favourable recollections of Lost In Space in the past let a lot of people down, and I've been responsible for people doing good things in life.

I became an inspiration to some young people and I was a pretty good role model as Major West - I didn't realise it for a while.

I feel bad now, that I was negative towards the show while I was doing it and for about I0 years after.  When I auditioned for the Broadway play "The Act" with Liza Minnelli in I978, I had to list what I had done in the past, my television credits. I never mentioned that I was in a show called Lost In Space.

I listed The Detectives, Johnny Ringo, my guest appearances on Perry Mason, The Fugitive, things like that. I never mentioned Lost In Space. That's how negative I was about it.  That was up until I978.

G:  What is it like today when somebody recognises you as Major West from Lost In Space?

M:  Now, it's exciting, because the fans really have a positive feeling towards the show.  The fans are fun, they are terrific people and they come from all walks of life.  I've met dental hygienists to policemen who love the show.  They are very generous too, some of these conventions raise money for worthwhile charities.

When I'm signing pictures, I can see that they're glad I'm there.

These are the people who grew up with it, but now there're baby boomers, they're in their forties now.  They say "Hey Mark, God, that was my favourite show, you were my favourite character, I love that show, you know, and I’m so happy to meet you!"

It's like a whole different existence. I never got that when I was doing the show!  I'd be at the day school.  I'd go out with my friends in Beverly Hills or I'd be hanging out with other actors or athletes or whoever. ... They never watched Lost In Space if had lived in a small town, I might have gotten some of that, (adulation) but not in Beverly Hills.  Beverly Hills wasn't at all a ga-ga over Lost In Space. So, it's amazing to me, and it's great now.

People now openly tell me they love the show, love the character of Don West and admired the work that I'd did.  Some of these people look at me with awe, and that makes me feel pretty damn good.

It's great! I feel terrific that it all happened.  This is my reward now after all those years of living with negative feelings about it.  I'm getting the rewards of feeling 'Wow, it was OK!'...complete turnaround.

A complete turnaround.  It's unbelievable that it happened, now Lost In Space is bigger than ever.

G:  Speaking of fans, there was one behind the-scenes story you shared with the 1990 Boston convention. I wonder if you could share it with us again.  You met a young bloke, who said you looked exactly like ...

M:  That's a great story.  It's a kind of story that almost needs an audience, you know, but I was at Nantucket Beach here in Massachusetts with my kids - this is more than twenty five years ago - and there was a young man who recognised me, or at least he thought he did.

He kept on looking at me.  He'd had a few too many beers, I could see that.  He was sitting outside the rides area and finally he came over & said, "I've got to tell you something.  You know, you look just like Mark Goddard - the guy on Lost In Space."

He said, "You've got the same hair, and the same features, and the same height as he has.  It's unbelievable.  It's uncanny.  "

He walked away, then came back and said, "I can't get over it, you know the National Enquirer, they have this contest.  They pay fifty dollars for a look-alike.  If I had a camera, I’d take a picture of you.  I’d send that in and we'd win that fifty dollars!"

He said, "We'd win the prize because you look just like this guy.  " Then he left, a few minutes later he came back and said:

"Anyway, my name's Joey.  " He put his hand out and I shook his hand.

Joey said, "What's your name?"

I said, 'Mark Goddard.

And Joey said, "Oh my God!  You've even got the same name.

(laughter from the students) Do you believe that?  He refused to believe.  "You've even got the same name!" (laughs) A true story!

G:  Invariably Mark, Lost In Space will be compared to Star Trek for years to come, what are your thoughts on a comparison.

M:  Star Trek is of the mind, Lost In Space is a show of feelings - it's from the heart and family.  It is not a show to be analysed too closely, you let yourself go with it.

Like Star Trek, Lost In Space is played on television somewhere in the world everyday, they're both cult shows. Lost In Space was on air before Star Trek, lasted longer and actually had a bigger audience than Star Trek. When our show first played, our first season had an average 22 rating, today Seinfeld, a hit show only gets a 15.

Star Trek fans got organised then, but Lost In Space fans are going to get organised.  On April 3 1998 - because we'll see them showing up in all the theatres all over the world for the first Lost In Space film!

G:  That'll probably be exactly thirty years since Lost In Space finished showing it's first run on CBS.

M:  The long arm of coincidence; you see, ... everything is perfect.

G:  Most fans don't realise how different this movie is going to be, but I'll wager they will be there in the masses to see it!

M:  I wager you'd be right.  The thing I want to say is; I hope that they enjoy the movie, don't be critical and don't have an attitude of "let's see if it lives up to what the series was".  Don't expect to get the same feelings you got when you watched the series when you were 10 years old.  That can't happen.  Don't be cynical - let yourself and your kids experience it on your own.

G:  Mark, thinking back to the original series, if you could change anything about it, what would it be?

M:  I would have liked it to stay serious our ratings did drop when the show got less serious.  If I were to do a graph, I'm sure our ratings would show a decline, as the shows got more fanciful.

But there's no denying Lost In Space was, and is a successful show and perhaps the reasons it succeeded are for both areas the comedy of Dr. Smith and the Robot, and the more serious adventures.

But, from just a personal point of view, I would have liked it to have stayed serious with adventures of a family lost in space; dealing with life, family and technology.  This isn't to take anything away from Jonathan and the Robot. I watch their performances today and they still make me laugh.

G:  'you stiff sit down and watch Lost in Space today?

M:  Sure, I watch it with my son John.

G:  What is John's opinion?

M:  He thinks it's great

G:  Did you have any directing influence over your character in Lost In Space?

M:  No.  Even though Don West was a character created through my personal choices and my own inflections.

The only person who had any control was Jonathan Harris.  Jonathan had so much to do, his character, Dr. Zachary Smith was so flamboyant that he was able to make things happen.

My character was fairly one-dimensional, so I had my relationship with Dr. Smith, the family and a supposed relationship with Judy Robinson.

Actors in a series didn't have the control that they have today over their job or even in their personal lives.  Getting stopped for drunk driving in those days might have meant your entire career was over then.  Not today.

But I believe I brought an inner light, an impatience that we needed to keep us moving.

G:  I agree.  On a lighter side Mark, who would you most like to be lost in space with outside of your family?

M:  (laughs) Well, ...it would have to be one of two people.  Demi Moore, she is a terrific woman and a hell of an actress.  My wife would say Al Pacino, so, it's okay for me to say what I think.

Other than that, some athlete that I could shoot baskets with, ...say Larry Bird.  Someone to talk with, have that male bonding, you know, watch sports etc.

G:  Do you have a favourite book and movie?

M:  My favourite reading book is The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.  The movie would be Shane.

G:  Most people don't know this but you are related to the famous scientist; Professor Robert Goddard - the father of modern rocket technology.

M:  Yes I am.

G:  It's absolutely incredible to contemplate that 70 years ago Robert Goddard was inventing the basis of star travel and Mark Goddard would go on to portray a pilot of star travel.

M:  Yes, Robert Goddard really did pave the way to make space travel possible.

G:  Do you believe Mark, that mankind should be exploring space?

M:  Yes, definitely.  But it should be done in a way where we are continually coming up with new technologies that will help us on Earth, to bring us together and make the quality of life better for all people with ongoing research to wipe out diseases.

That's how we should explore, use all the imagination of man to travel into space, and while he is doing that use the same technology to help us out on Earth.

G:  Do you think that alien intelligent life really exists?

M:  I had a different opinion in 1965; I believe we should have had proof by now.  So today, I really believe we are unique.

G:  The 60's produced some classic television, did you have a favourite show at that time and do you have a favourite now?

M:  For the 1960s, it was Dick Van Dyke Show - it was a great show. Cheers is my favourite show of all time. I liked The Beverly Hillbillies and... Gunsmoke.  I was on all those shows back then.  In fact I appeared on a very popular show called The Bill Dana Show with Jonathan Harris.  Now this is well before Lost In Space.

It was an episode called "Speak for your self, Jose". I had forgotten all about that appearance but a fan sent me a tape of it recently and after all these years, it was a great surprise.  I'm sure Jonathan doesn't recall that either as we've never talked of it.

G:  Knowing Jonathan, I'm sure that Jonathan remembers, but he is waiting for you to bring it up in conversation.

M:  (laughs) Yeah, maybe.

G:  Is there a television show today that you would like to appear on?

M:  Babylon 5 for the fun of it because I meet so many of the fans of it and of course, because Billy Mumy is in it.

G:  These days Mark you're married to a lovely lady, may I ask how you met her and was she a fan of Lost In Space before she met you?

M:  (laughs) Evelyn, she's a doctor. ...You know on Lost In Space the Robinsons had Dr. Smith, well, my wife is my Doctor.  Evelyn has a doctorate and she is an English Professor at a Boston College. I met her at our Catholic Church, outside in the parking lot.

Actually, we married in that church as it turned out, and of course we have a seven-year-old boy now named John Goddard.

G:  Did Evelyn recognise you from Lost In Space?

M:  No. Evelyn didn't know my work on Lost In Space, but she knew me from General Hospital, she had watched that a little, so she knew my character (Derrick Barrington) a little bit.

As for Lost In Space, I don't think she's really sat down to watch an episode.  Although she's a baby boomer, ...I'm sure she's seen of it. ...We rarely talk about it.

 ... I've never really asked her.  It isn't a show that she is into. I don't think she is into science fiction that much.

G:  What does Mark Goddard do for relaxation?

M:  I play basketball, ...I do a lot of basketball. I play tennis a couple of times a week, and I write, I like to write a lot. I have a story called Step kids.  My daughter produced it and it's a good film, a good family film. I wrote the story to that to which I'm proud of.

I have a 97-year-mother who lives nearby. I have a beautiful home that my wife and I are furnishing. I love to work and travel to conventions and then spend time with my kids.  Basically that's it. I have a good life, I've been blessed.  I'm 61, and I have good genes from my mother, so life is good.

G:  You have a deep love of basketball, don't you?

M:   I love it! I used to love the Celtics! I hope they're big in Australia!  They probably are.  Yeah, I love basketball.  It's a big part of my life. I played basketball for Scituate High School. I played Varsity Basketball as a freshman and I was good. I was a shooter though. I didn't play defence. I didn't care about defence.

All I wanted was to do was shoot get stopped and have the girls say, "Wow!" So I wasn't a good player, but I was a good shooter. I was All State, so I guess I was all right. I was pretty good.  My Basketball coaching days were short lived, because I became involved with these kids, although I play basketball, I'm really not teaching it.

G:  Larry Bird has now retired from the Celtics, are you still a big Celtics fan?

M:   Well, (laughs) not as big as when Larry Bird was around, but now we've got Pick Pitino as a coach, I think the Celtics will start to get interesting again.  We'll see, Basketball for me is the sport.  Larry Bird is now coaching the Indiana Pacers.  I'll be rooting a little bit for them too.

G:  Would you move camps?

M:  No.

G:  These days Mark, you're a schoolteacher and councillor.  Can you tell us about your teaching career?

M:  Well, I work with kids at school in Massachusetts; they are termed "at risk" kids.  They're kids who are going through adjustments in life that have experienced emotional disturbances.  They're great kids aged between 12 and 18.

I've had good experiences so far with kids.  I'm not into discipline and I probably should be, but I'm not, so sometimes they take advantage of me.  But that's all right, as long as I keep showing respect for them, they'll show respect to me, and we'll get the day's teaching done.

In my class, we learn a lot about life skills and what life's about. I open the world to a lot of these guys that have had the world shut down to them.  Some of them are a real challenge, but it's rewarding.

Working with them, we give them structure and a lot of caring.  We give them a lot of listening to and the academics too. I even teach a video course with them.

To me the kids are great; I get more satisfaction out of working in a school situation than anything I've ever done. I wanna work with kids, I wanna be with kids.  I'm just, you know, to them "Mr Goddard.  "

I've never had the satisfaction with my acting career that I get from school teaching.  No way.

G:  Here in Boston the local cable television network and you were involved in your own TV programme.  Can you tell us about the programme?

It was called Not So Strictly Speaking. It was just a show where kids would get around and rap about stuff.  We talk about peer pressure, friendship, or parenting, what's happening in schools.

I would give the kids an idea of what they want to talk about and then we do some improvisational work on it. I let them be the parents and I be the kid, to see what it looks like from that perspective.  It was a chance to let them talk about the issues.

G:  What do your students think of your past Hollywood career?

M:  I read the press articles to them about Lost In Space and tell them about it.  Some of my new students tune in to Lost In Space on cable and get a shock that their teacher's in it.  They've become interested; I'm like their little internet. I tell them all about it. I want them to experience that with me.

They have gone through all this Lost In Space television and movie buzz with me and we can share that, so I'm a different teacher for them.  They like to get pictures of me for their parents.  But they know how proud I am of them ... and to be honest, these kids have a lot more to worry about than my stardom or lack of stardom.

They are trying to make good choices for their own lives, but this gives them a little slice of the unusual - something special to share.  After all they're part of my family too.

G:  Why is your involvement with young people so important to you?

M:  Well, I worked at the Headstart Program in California in '62 and a lot of other organisations because I felt that I had some thing to give others.  In New York working with Liza Minnelli, I also worked at the Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre as a volunteer recreational therapist. I found it rewarding.

Now I work with at risk kids professionally.  Trying to give back a little bit is important to me.  I've had my disappointments and a down side in life - I'm divorced twice so I try to make up for that.  When I was on the road acting, I took my children with me – I wasn’t an absent Dad.  In my career, I kind of fell into acting and television.  I did seek it and was very lucky.

G:  Your favourite television appearance?

M:  Johnny Ringo, because it was my first, working with Aaron Spelling and Don Durant … and it was a great western.

G:  What has been the most satisfying part of your acting career?

M:  The most satisfying thing for me ever, television was getting into the Actor's Studio and working with Lee Strasberg. I never heard a discouraging word and that's where I feel like I did some of my best work.

G: Now, Australia.  You'll be there October 1997, have you been to our shores before?

M:  No I haven't, I can't wait to get there! …Believe me!

G:  What do you know about us?  What image comes to your mind of Australia?

M:  Well, it's one the most beautiful places in the world, distinct and different.  John and I watch the discovery channel and we see a lot of the Australian animals that you can't see in America, only in Australia.  The beauty of the animals and Sydney Harbour is just breathtaking and the people seem very, very friendly.  Whenever I've talked to anyone, they want to go there.  It's "Oh, my God it's the place to be".  It's a dream for people; it's very exciting for anybody to visit.

G:  Yes, I think in many ways, Australia has been isolated for so long from world attention.  With the success of the Paul Hogan's movie Crocodile Dundee and the forthcoming Olympics, people are starting to wonder about us, I guess.

When Jonathan Harris was in Australia, he couldn't wait to enter the Sydney Opera House, Dick Tufeld couldn't wait to experience Aboriginal culture and didgeridoo playing, Bob May couldn't wait to hug a Koala.  Is there anything about Australia you are waiting to experience?

M:  I really just want to meet the people and have a nice Fosters beer and perhaps a nice meat pie, but most important to me meeting the people.  Knowing that the fans from Lost In Space are coming out to say hello to me is more than I could ask for.

G:  At your Australian appearances, which we have called: 'Major Don West - The I997 Blast-Off Tour, what can people expect to see and hear?

M:  I like that title, ...well, they are going to hear a lot about the movie, they will be able to ask any question at all.  I'm very candid about everything that has happened in my life and I'll have a lot of good stories to tell them about Lost In Space.

I'll tell a lot of backstage stories - news that no one has ever heard.  They will get a lot of surprises about Lost In Space. I'm really looking forward to it.

G:  So am I. Finally Mark, tell me about the students in your class that we have watching us at the moment, and by the way, they have been very well behaved.

M:  Yes they have, these are the kids I do acting workshop with.  Watching this interview being done was their workshop today, it's not everyday that somebody comes all the way from Australia to conduct an interview.  You've been great, guys.  Thanks for being quiet, and listening.  It's been terrific.

G:  Mark, I cannot begin to tell you how great it is to have the opportunity for this interview.

M:  Well, thank you Glenn, I've enjoyed it thoroughly and you've been very professional. (the students applause and Mark smiles) They've just been telling me by director's sign language that we've got two or three minutes left before the bell rings. (laughs)

You see, they're even watching out for me now.  The bell's going to ring, so they take care of me, these kids.

G:  Mark Goddard, I'd like to wish you all the very best in your future life and career, and I thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it.

M:  Thank you very much.

G:  Thank you very much, boys, girls, and everyone. (Glenn turns to the students) Would you please put your hands together for Mr. Goddard! (long applause)

M:  Thanks mate!

G:  (softly) Good onya Charles!