Rita Riggs, the costume supervisor who worked closely with Hitchcock on The Birds and Marnie, was interviewed on tape Wednesday 5^th September 2012 in LA and questioned about Hitchcock deliberately enjoying the torture during the telephone booth and attic scenes.

“I really don’t buy that and I’m sorry that the BBC has taken that line. I was on set all the time. I’ve never forgotten painstakingly putting elastic bands and birds and crows on Tippi. I was personally attaching the crows and it was lengthy, it was tedious and it just wore Tippi out.

“Because of the extent of his career, I have nothing but kind words to say about Mr. Hitchcock.

“He could have been a total Jekyll and Hyde but I never saw that. I think Hitch did many things to get performances from her, particularly in Marnie, because he didn’t depend on her with acting technique, he may have shocked her with all manner of his techniques. I never really thought he was serious. He was a jokester and a prankster and I have good memories all through The Birds and Marnie. We would be talking about something, maybe strawberries, and I came home that night and there was a packet of Wild Strawberries from France, and it was that kind of prank constantly.”