Richard O'Brien

Richard O’Brien made his mark in the history of musicals — and cult movies — after creating the tale of a sweet transvestite from Transylvania. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has played on cinema screens for decades. The stage show continues to win new fans. O’Brien has gone on to a wide range of projects, including movie Dark City and hosting New Zealand’s DNA Detectives and UK hit The Crystal Maze.

I left school with no qualifications and apparently no potential. Rock 'n' roll kept me going. I was a gauche undereducated teenager who loved comics, B-movies and all things populist. I adored them. I love the joy and the spirit and the unintentional comedy in B-movies. Richard O'Brien on the inspirations behind Rocky Horror, in a March 2013 interview with British website The Skinny