Andrew James Spooner is Furgus

Andrew trained as an actor at the Guildford School of Acting graduating in 1994. His first professional puppetry job was on Spitting Image. Soon after he was a core puppeteer on Muppets Treasure Island and has performed on many projects for the Jim Henson Company. He played a character called Dog on Sky Living for more than seven years. He recently worked on Muppets Most Wanted and the BBC/Henson project That Puppet Game Show. He also works as an actor appearing in TV shows including Inspector Morse, The Knock and The Bill. Andrew also lends his voice to video games and the odd cartoon as a voice over artist.

What made you decide you would like to become a puppeteer?

Lots of things. I was a kid growing up in the 70's so I was surrounded by Muppets, Star Wars and Doctor Who. I was fascinated by the filmmaking process and when the film "The Dark Crystal" was released I was blown away by it. There was a segment about it on Blue Peter and there were all these people operating the puppets. I suddenly realised that you might be able to do this as a job and I was hooked.

How did you get started?

I had no idea how you became a puppeteer. I went to drama school for 3 years but at the end of my 3 years I felt completely lost and wasn't sure being around actors was for me. Out of the blue I wrote a letter to the Jim Henson Creature Shop in Camden and to my surprise they wrote back because they were holding auditions! I went along and went through a sort of puppet boot camp for two weeks, which was an amazing experience and I've worked for them on and off since then.

How would you describe the character you play in The Furchester Hotel?

Furgus loves his family and would do anything for them. He's got that lovely streak of eccentricity about him. He would think nothing of building a bob sleigh track through the corridors and rooms of the hotel. At the same time there is a sweet naive side to his personality. No job is too big that he won't give it a go, he's very enthusiastic. Furgus is the one you want if you need something fixed. When something goes awry he is always the first name on Funella's lips.

What is your character like to work with?

Wonderful. Always eager to help and happy to laugh at my awful jokes!

Is it easy to switch between being you and the character?

Yes and no. It's harder at the beginning. During rehearsals and the first few episodes you are still finding out who this character is. By the end I can switch him on and off pretty easily. He still surprises me though. He'll react to something in a way that is completely Furgus but that I hadn't necessarily planned.

Tell me about the set of The Furchester Hotel – how did you find the raised set?

Oh it’s as good as it gets. You have complete freedom of movement. Speaking as a puppeteer that's spent many shoots scrabbling around on the floor, it was bliss.

What kind of things do The Furchester Fuzz family get up to at The Furchester Hotel?

All they want is for their customers to be happy. So if that means holding a fun run in the lobby then so be it. All the rooms are tailored to their clientele - twig rooms for caterpillars, hibernation sweets for bears etc. If anything goes wrong they will move mountains to solve it. In one episode Furgus has to find the perfect spot for a rather fussy plant and no matter how frustrated he gets all he wants to do is make the plant happy.

The Furchester Hotel was recorded in the studios at MediaCity – did you enjoy your stay in Salford?

It's a great place and the crew was the best I've worked with. It's a huge honour to walk onto a set and see the BBC and Sesame Street logos on the door. It doesn't get better than that to be honest.