Interview about doll photography on the BBC

[Arthur1960]

Hi guys, here's a link to an interview I did for the BBC back in April which has just been released as a pod cast on the BBC Sounds app. Becca, the journalist, approached the subject with an open mind and I think that's reflected in what she has produced. Having just listened to it myself I feel this is a nicely balanced piece and certainly one I'm glad to have cooperated with. It's part of a series she has done looking at what people have been doing during periods of lockdown due to the pandemic and how technology as helped with that. My bit comes in at the 24 min mark:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09jl914

[Rock13]

I truly enjoyed your interview, Arthur1960 and it's always great to see that doll veterans such as yourself are getting the word out and representing our community in such a positive light. Thank you!

[Nanako]

Very interesting interview. I think one can establish a chronology of your previous interviews by simply noting the number of dolls you owned at that particular time .

I really enjoyed the section at the end about your own "ward" of patients in you home. Not as talkitive, but equally engaging, I'm sure.

[Arthur1960]

Thanks Rock13, although we conducted the interview over the Internet, it proved to be a very positive experience. She never raised the issue of sex once which was refreshing! We talked about it outside the interview but she was keen to show that our synthetic ladies had other skills!
Hi Nanako, ha ha, that's a good point, the first interview I did I think I had 8 dolls and that seemed like a lot! Yes the bit about my dolls perhaps being surrogate patients was something that occurred to me last year and probably explains why I can cope which such a large number of ladies!

[Rock13]

Thanks Rock13, although we conducted the interview over the Internet, it proved to be a very positive experience. She never raised the issue of sex once which was refreshing! We talked about it outside the interview but she was keen to show that our synthetic ladies had other skills!

Yes, it all came off as quite respectable and "G" rated, which I found refreshing. Weren't you also on an episode of Erika Miley's "Sex Talk" podcast a few years ago? I know she interviewed Jeff from Booty Call Dolls, but I seem to recall that you were in on that one as well.

[Tighes]

I really liked that mate. You’ve spoken in a way that engages people into the understanding of what dolls mean to some people. I love how you said you don’t like the term “Sex Doll”. I loved that as I’m the same. As with you, my girls are only used for photography but are amazing companionship for me. I love coming home and seeing them all there. They are my family and it’s definitely not a chore to look after them.
I think people’s perception is definately changing the more they hear the word “Companion” as opposed to “Sex Doll”
I have a close friend who is also a photographer, and I was super reluctant about telling her about my girls, but funny enough, she was super supportive about how I use them. She could not believe the realism of them when I showed her some photos. All she kept saying is “I want to shoot them now as well”. We are collaborating a shoot together soon as I’m planning another wedding shoot with one of them. With both our experience in shooting weddings, we should be able to come up other something pretty damn good.

Well done mate. It’s positive advertising what you’ve done and definitely pushing things in the right way!!!

Cheers
Tighes

[AGL]

Wow, what an excellent interview!

I'm glad to see the dolls shown in a positive way, to hopefully release some of the stigma that normally surrounds them.

[Arthur1960]

Hi Rock13, I don't think that was me in the podcast you mention, although I did record one here in the UK back in 2019 along with Graham of Love Doll UK. Other stuff I've done has been for media companies and seems to have found its way onto YouTube.
Hi Tighes, thanks, glad you like it. For me it was a very positive experience as I had more time to explore just what my dolls meant to me and the positive effect they have had. I could have gone on longer and I did talk about what I see as the positive benefits of doll ownership aside from just sex but obviously some bits had to be cut out. Still I think the jorno did a great job of editing it and I was very happy with the result. Whilst we skirted around the sexual aspect of dolls and that was deliberate for the purpose of her piece, it's something that at some point I wouldn't mind going into if it were done in a grown up, non sensational way but for that interview I was keen to stick to the photography bit. Your collaboration with another photographer sounds like fun, I wouldn't mind doing that myself, particularly as you can always pick up useful tips from someone else!
Thanks AGL, yes that's one of the reasons I agree to do these things as to me a lot of the stigma attatched to dolls is totally crazy and is probably largely down to a misunderstanding of them and just what is available right now!

[Playtime]

G'day everyone,....


That was a great interview.

Very well done with non of the sensationalist outcry to go with it.


Playtime.

[Arisa_]

I’m a somewhat newbie to dolls and I’m sure what I’m going to say has probably been said a hundred times over the years. It wasn’t until finding this old post and then hearing the interview that I thought to myself “Oh, so that’s Arthur” thinking back to the YouTube documentaries that I’ve recently seen with you in it! Well done I say and thank you for trying to open the minds of others about these dolls and sure they may be fun to “play” with, they are most certainly much more than that.

As Matt McMullen said on a video (although in relation to his robotic AI dolls but I feel equally applicable in context for non-robotic dolls) “.. a robot (Harmony doll) that, if you so choose, you could have sex with her"

[koaplayer1998]

Hi guys, here's a link to an interview I did for the BBC back in April which has just been released as a pod cast on the BBC Sounds app. Becca, the journalist, approached the subject with an open mind and I think that's reflected in what she has produced. Having just listened to it myself I feel this is a nicely balanced piece and certainly one I'm glad to have cooperated with. It's part of a series she has done looking at what people have been doing during periods of lockdown due to the pandemic and how technology as helped with that. My bit comes in at the 24 min mark:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09jl914

Glad this was finally called to my attention, although almost three years later. Fantastic job! So, you had an Isabella, too.

[baphometric]

I missed this the first time around, really good interview! I can't wait until I'm retired and I have a lot more time and energy for doll photo shoots.

[Arthur1960]

I’m a somewhat newbie to dolls and I’m sure what I’m going to say has probably been said a hundred times over the years. It wasn’t until finding this old post and then hearing the interview that I thought to myself “Oh, so that’s Arthur” thinking back to the YouTube documentaries that I’ve recently seen with you in it! Well done I say and thank you for trying to open the minds of others about these dolls and sure they may be fun to “play” with, they are most certainly much more than that.

As Matt McMullen said on a video (although in relation to his robotic AI dolls but I feel equally applicable in context for non-robotic dolls) “.. a robot (Harmony doll) that, if you so choose, you could have sex with her"

Hi there and thanks, yes that's me. This BBC podcast was particularly good as the journalist involved was very thoughtful and was putting together a series of interviews that were linked by the theme of how people were using technology to combat loneliness and keep active during the pandemic lockdowns. Although, of course, it's just as relevant now as it was then. I had previously decided to avoid any more media stuff as there was often a tendency to make what I do fit into the sensationalist story that the media outlet wanted to do rather than just make an honest story about my experience. That was certainly the case when the tabloid media got hold of some interviews I did and started concocting a lot of very silly stories some of which actually made it into the more lurid parts of the internet. However when I was approached by Becca from the BBC she said from the outset that I could say whatever I wanted and would get final approval on what went out. The key thing for me was to try and get folk to look at dolls other than just expensive 'sex toys' and that they could actually play an important part in keeping you interested and active, particular when entering a period of life when many of your previous roles have gone, ie in retirement etc. I think I was able to get that across so in that respect I think the podcast is probably the best thing I did although the German documentary was also a lot of fun a few years before hand!

Hi guys, here's a link to an interview I did for the BBC back in April which has just been released as a pod cast on the BBC Sounds app. Becca, the journalist, approached the subject with an open mind and I think that's reflected in what she has produced. Having just listened to it myself I feel this is a nicely balanced piece and certainly one I'm glad to have cooperated with. It's part of a series she has done looking at what people have been doing during periods of lockdown due to the pandemic and how technology as helped with that. My bit comes in at the 24 min mark:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09jl914

Glad this was finally called to my attention, although almost three years later. Fantastic job! So, you had an Isabella, too.

Thanks! Yes indeed, have you not met my Isabella yet? Well here's a pic, she must have arrived shortly before I did the podcast as I can recall being worried if there might be a problem because of the Covid lockdown. She's actually got a birthday coming up in a few weeks so she will be getting some new pics done!

I missed this the first time around, really good interview! I can't wait until I'm retired and I have a lot more time and energy for doll photo shoots.

Thank, glad you liked it. Yes I couldn't do half of what I do if I were still working, in fact I discovered dolls just at the right time as I'd been retired a couple of years and was wondering just what to do with myself and then Sarah came along and I haven't looked back since!