What was your first TV memory?
Thunderbirds in black and white! You could tell the Tracy brothers apart by their coloured sashes, but not when you were watching in black and white. Lady Penelope wore pink and travelled in a pink Cadillac, but the clothes and the car were grey on my telly. It was a lovely show. I even remember the theme tune.
What was your first TV appearance?
It was in 1963 in The Three Scampis first but most remember me being on The David Nixon Show that same year. I got my own series in 1968 which became a real launch pad for talent. I started with Mr Rodney, Rodney Bewes. He went on to do The Likely Lads; and Mr Derek, Derek Fowlds who went on to play Sir Bernard Woolley on Yes Minister and Yes Prime. Also I had Deryck Guyler, Mr Deryck, who was Norman Potter in Please Sir. He played a washboard for Morecambe & Wise too.
Who was your first TV crush?
The lovely Jan Hunt in Crackerjack. She was a ball of energy and still effervescent now. And also Anita Harris who had the best legs in the business. I met Kylie at Glastonbury and she was perfect as we’re just about the same height.
What is your favourite current show?
Lots, I’m a fox loving the box, especially Ted Lasso, such a feel-good programme.
Which TV show would you take to a desert island?
Breaking Bad, because it’s brilliantly done, one of the best box sets from the early days of binge-watching. I’d take Friends and Frasier if I could too. They are so well written. I get my fix of them every day.
What TV show would you like to put out of its misery?
I’ve had my fill of I’m A Celebrity. They lost me with the cruelty to the critters. I’ve had enough of it.
Guiltiest TV pleasure?
The Repair Shop! I adore it! I often need repairing, I’ve been around since 1962! It’s a lovely show. You can’t go wrong with it, the skills, the emotions. I’ve had many a good cry watching it. And Strictly Come Dancing is one of my all-time favourites.
What are you up to at the moment?
I’ve just released a single, Boom Boom! It’s Christmas Again!, to raise money for Save The Children and the Shooting Star Chase children’s hospice. If it gets to Number One I will run for Number Ten. And I’m in panto at the Theatre Royal Windsor with Anita Harris. I do hope the royals come again, the princes and princess came before and loved it.
- ‘Boom! Boom! It’s Christmas Again’ by Basil Brush is out now. Sleeping Beauty runs at Theatre Royal Windsor until January 8. For more information and tickets see theatreroyalwindsor.co
.uk