Were you a fan before you joined?

I would not describe myself as a fan of the original series. But I really was a fan, and my family had already come together before I joined the series of The Next Generation. I was particularly impressed with the courage that it took to cast Patrick Stewart in the role of Picard because it just went against every piece of television wisdom that I'd ever been introduced to.

I had worked at networks, I was involved with those stories what do you need in a leading man? Well, a bald Englishman didn't fit that characterisation very clearly.