Craig McLachlan Interview (Six String Stories Tour 2025 – Live & Intimate)
We catch up with the delightful (said in your best Dr. Frank-N-Furter voice) and equally awesome actor, Australia’s very own Craig McLachlan, who is currently touring Australia in his new show, Six String Stories Tour, with his snare-smackin’ mate Dave Williams.
Welcome to Impulse Gamer, Craig! So tell us about the Six String Stories Tour and how it came about.
I was doing acoustic shows in New South Wales for a bunch of people, and I invited lifelong friend “Dangerous” Dave Williams—and everyone throws this word around these days—but it was organic, it really was. Dangerous Dave Williams <laugh>, that’s a great name for a video game—he would love that! However, much to Dave’s annoyance, I can’t stick to a set list. Although I might start with the first number we agreed on, once I start engaging with the audience and the stories come out, things change.
How do you pick the stories for the tour?
I wish I had a succinct and definitive answer, but I want to keep telling stories on the spot and subjecting Dave to the stress of never knowing what we’re going to play <laugh>. We also get a number of people who have seen *Six String Stories* multiple times, and I’m like, “Wasn’t once enough?” and they go, “No, it’s our fourth time—it’s always different.”
In reality, it’s been nearly 40 years of working on both sides of the equator—whether that’s in theatre, television, films, bands, or whatever—there are so many stories out there. I have a rough road map of where we’re going to go, but that’s really it. If I can sound like an actor for a moment, the audience is my director. They really lead me into stories I haven’t thought about in decades. It’s a whole lot of fun for both the audience and me—and if I remember something in the moment, that will lead to a piece of music. I don’t have a set list of songs that loomed large in my life, but because Dave and I have been playing together for so many decades, we have hundreds of songs at our disposal—in our minds, our memories, and our fingers. It’s nice to surprise ourselves and the audience.
When you throw a curveball at Dave, what’s his reaction?
I can imagine that under his breath, he’s using a word that Donald Trump recently used to describe the players in the Middle East <laugh>. Davie is an extraordinary percussionist. However, Dave is committed enough and resolved in himself to knowing that tonight could go anywhere, as we both have a lot to draw from over the years. He’s also starting to arc up now and throws stuff right back at me with his own arsenal, which makes for some funny moments. But believe me, Dave is catching me on the board now, so I’m going to have to up my game <laugh>.
And who is one of the main characters that audiences want to hear about?
As I started my career in the ’80s and resided in “that” street, it would be the unlucky-in-love and lovable larrikin Henry. People couldn’t help but love him because he was hapless but well-meaning. One of my English fans who went to one of our intimate shows—before we branded it as *Six String Stories*—in the Hunter Valley (Wine Country), told me Henry was an “adorable plonker!” They said, “You’re probably sick to death of this and you’ve heard it for decades, but I just have to tell you—I had Henry’s poster above my bed for years and I loved him!” I love these interactions. I’m so approachable that I end up yakking way too long—much to the patience of my lovely partner Vanessa. People will also be Googling what “plonker” means now <laugh>.
Editor’s Note: Plonker is a British slang term that means a silly or stupid person. It’s often used in a light-hearted or humorous way to call someone a fool or an idiot. It was popularized by the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It’s used as an affectionate insult—more teasing than truly offensive.
That’s why I love the audience interaction. The show is very interactive—it’s not a show where you’re told to take your seat and be quiet. It’s not that sort of cake. That’s how Dave and I run Six String Stories, which makes it something hilarious.
Do you ever miss the characters you’ve played, like Dr. Blake or Henry?
No one’s ever asked me that question. If I’m being completely honest with you, the answer is yes—but it’s also not just the character. If we go back to that famous cul-de-sac just outside of Nunawading, Victoria, I was residing in that street for three years, and I would have happily continued living there for a while more. We were having fun, and it was a great education.
Soaps cop a lot of flak—and I can understand why some of them do. When I was asked to audition for Neighbours, I’d never seen it and had no idea what it was about. As a kid, I didn’t come from a soap-watching family. I was drawn to shows like Lost in Space… and I loved the original theme before they changed it.
A seasoned actor by the name of Myra De Groot—who is sadly no longer with us—took me aside very early on and said, “Now listen to me—you’re going to hear people say a lot of awful things about soaps and that you shouldn’t have done it, but use it as a living, breathing classroom.” And not a day goes by where you don’t learn something new—whether it’s from the sound department or the revolving door of directors.
I was very proud of the show, and I left Neighbour* after three years when millionaire Christopher Skase made me an offer too good to refuse. But that’s a story for another day. Back to your question—after leaving Neighbours to do a mini-series and a little bit of Home and Away (which wasn’t necessarily part of the plan), I found myself missing Henry. He was a fun guy to be around who had great energy. That sounds crazy! But if I could time travel, I would jump at the chance to revisit Dr. Blake again—he was the joy of my professional life.
What did you enjoy about Dr. Blake?
I loved the whole murder mystery nature of the show—it was a lot of fun. It’s been many years since the cameras rolled on Dr. Blake, and people still come up to me in the streets—particularly as it continues to stream around the world—and it’s very popular in the U.S. It feels like we’re still in production because of the fans asking questions about certain episodes.
So yes, I miss the crew and Dr. Blake, who had great dialogue. It takes me back to filming in Ballarat. Dr. Blake was a different sort of fun—unlike crazy old Henry, who was making plaster cast gnomes and leaving them on his mother’s carpet <laugh>.
As an actor, performer, and musician—your work transcends a large cohort of ages. What age group were you expecting in Six String Stories?
Surprisingly, it was the ultimate packet of Liquorice Allsorts! When Dave and I first started doing these gigs, we both felt it would be people 40+, and I’m not having a crack at the youngsters, but I didn’t think it would be relevant to them. However, there are people of all ages—and a lot of kids grew up watching me, especially through The Dr. Blake Mysteries. I also have a very lengthy association with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, so I get quite a few younger fans who love that.
I even had people from Wales attending the show, and they loved the TV series Bunny, created by Brian Clemens of The Avengers fame. It was a mid-to-late ’90s modern, contemporary take on that.
What are some of your fond memories of Bunny?
Bunny was very James Bond-like and action-packed. It was about covert operations, and one memory I have is of the devices used in it. They had gadgets that seemed so sci-fi—but what’s mind-blowing is that I loved those gadgets back then, and now they actually exist. It’s an honour talking to these people at Six String Stories, although I didn’t have the heart to tell the people from Wales that I wasn’t actually flying the chopper <laugh>.
When are you touring the rest of Australia, Craig?
I’m committed to a couple of projects that I can’t discuss due to non-disclosure agreements, but Dave and I have plans to keep on touring. A person from Rockhampton wrote to us the other day and said, “What? Rocky is not good enough for you, McLachlan?” We want to bring the show to everybody, as there are so many wonderful little venues around Australia.
If you could pick three characters that you’ve played to have a beer with (including non-fictional), who would they be?
That’s a good question, you sly dog, Andrew. You’ve caught me off guard again—have you been talking to that son of a bitch Dave on the phone? <laugh>
Okay… wow. It would have to be Dr. Blake, because he’s a very complex individual and I was very privileged to play him. The other would be Stuart Diver, who survived an unimaginable nightmare—trapped under the side of a mountain with the loss of his wife right next to him. I’ve never met Stuart, but he left me a wonderful message on my answering machine back in the day. God bless him.
The third would be Dr. Frank-N-Furter—though I’m not sure he’d drink beer <laugh>. But it would be a very diverse gathering, and we could get Dave along just to see how he coped with that situation!
Thanks for your time, Craig—it’s been an honour!
We haven’t even gotten into my love of Batman, or the fact that my beautiful partner Vanessa is conducting the Indie Symphony II in Melbourne. Although I can’t call myself a gamer—I’m hopeless—I’ve always had my fingers around an instrument somewhere.
I’ve also been fascinated by music composed for video games, and listening to ‘Ness playing Hades II, Cult of the Lamb, and Untitled Goose Game has been fantastic! This is a chat for another time, but a friend of mine is urging me to create a premise behind a video game and compose the entire soundtrack—and suddenly, I’m not feeling like the old fart anymore! <laugh>
Thanks again, Andrew—and ciao!
For more information please visit https://craigmclachlan.com.au/
About the Author
Andrew Bistak When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.
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