Miami Filming and Career Reflections

And I heard a lot of screaming going on and the alligator was heading straight for me. I was very nearly a goner. Now, do you remember your first big audition? I did have an audition with Mike Lee. And that to this day is agony because I was hopeless. Well, quite honestly, I'm not fussy Sally. I wouldn't mind seducing any of them I'll seduce anything that twinkles back And that's who Hold the slays again , here we are. Welcome to a night in at my house. Thank you for inviting me. You're so welcome. even though you've been here many times before. Now, I absolutely love you. You know how much I love you. We met in two thousand I think it was nine Or ten Was it ten? I think it was ten. Anyway, it was a long time ago. It was a long time ago. Well, I remember when first we first started and it was a vagina monologue. Do you remember when we were touring in that funny van? And I remember first being on stage with you and looking right and I nearly forgot my lines next because I was just so enthralled with your performance. and I thought Oh, if I've ever got the opportunity to write anything for this lady, I will. And I'm extremely grateful for that. And I did. And you were very brave to say the vagina monologues because not a lot of people actually say that. Do you remember we used to get interviewed for local press? and they'd say, And so you're in monolog. It's not about the quQeen. It's not practice virinaina say This couldn't say. it exists.. They do exist on women, you know. It was good show,ough, wasn't it? It was a great show. We were brilliant. We We were brilliant, Right. So I start this malachy off, okay. We're doing a fun quick fire kind of quiz thing, right? quuick fire h?. So basically, I'm ready. A question. Okay. There's something that comes to you. Okay. Got it? Yeah, okay. And this is without aal. if it filter, you can cut it. Yeah, well, maybe not. Okay First TV Cross Roger More. Oh of course. I think he's mine. Show you watch after a few Vos. I don't Well, you know, I like a musical. A musical I really like this shows how old I am. I like singing in the rain. Sometimes I'd like to put on brief Ecounter just for a good cry. I love brief Ecounter I put that scene at the end. Anyway No always cry. Now, who would your dream nighting guest be, so who would you invite Rye? Well, I wouldn't say no to George Clooney. No, I wouldn't either. Favourite TV show of all time. very difficult. Well Madame Blan of course is very high on the list. Apart from that. And of course, you know I'd have to say this, I think only fools goes on being something that you go back to if you're sad or you know lots of people My boys D fifteen now, that's the world I go to. So I think I'm going to say only fools I totally Totally got you. Now a TV death 's still not over. I'm very shocked by Olivia Coleman. The night manager, I mean, that's a spoiler. They've killed Olivia Coleman, and there's her little daughter looking at her body. I won't worry about her career though, so I think she'll be allright. You sure. Yeah. I mean, she can always go Madam bllanc. We could her We give her a smallet little while Yeah. Why not? This is my favourite question. What is your earliest TV memory Oh my earliest TV memory is definitely Bill and Ben the flowerpot man. you have to remember I'm very old and we didn't have a television for the first four years of my life. Dad went to radio rentals and in fact Dad rented our television for about four decades. He couldn't believe that this newew fangled thing wasn't going to go wrong radiontal for it. Oh did you?. So it was Bill and Ben the flower pot men. and I loved them. It was wonderful. And my father who was an airline pilot, so he wasn't there all the time, but when he came back, that was the thing he loved to watch with me. and he did the voices of Bill and Be B bl bl bl and read. And I just remember it being a glorious first time that we shared together. then when I was ten, my parents had a little boy called Simon Bill and Ben went on being shown for decades. deccades. it went on. I could share that with Simon. So how did that dynamic in your family work with Simon? and Well, everybody has tragedies in their lives, don't they? My dad, when he discovered he was having a little boy late, you know, he was a surprise ten years after me We're so excited to have a little boy. When he was three and a half, it was N Year's Eve, sixty three. And Mum had gone up to check on Simon at about hu of seven and he looked as though he was gone of slightly funny colour And then she found she couldn't wake him up and he was rushed to hospital And he went into a coma out of which he never recovered. And so our memory was on New Year's Day, M and dad sobbing and coming in and breaking the news to us that Simon had died. He had a blood clot that had gone into the brain. And my mum was very stoic about it and my father was absolutely broken by it. It completely destroyed him And my sister who was then eighteen and I was thirteen It was changed the dynamic in the house. I think losing a child does, doesn't it? How can it not? And not And I mean, I know that I didn't cry about anything until I was sixteen. Nothing seemed that sad. But you know you find a way of getting over it. My father didn't ever really get over it it's nice that I have those fun memories of our times together when we did actually he was a very jolly little boy. Well, you know what? I didn't know that about you. No, I don't tell many people. No,, well tell the world now. Tell the world now. I think that's really helpful for people though. I think it is probably good for people to know that that you know these the ghly things you think you can't possibly go on living. but you do find a way of going on living and just relishing and enjoying the times that you did have with that little person. So you can listen to a night in with Sally Lindseay every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts and you can watch on YouTube and you can stream on fiveive Now Sue grew up in the fifties, but what was the most watched television event of a decade? and you can find out after this Welcome back to a night in with Sally Lindseay. and the question before the break was what was the most watched event of the fifties when Sue grew up? And what was the answer, Sue Well, it was the coronation. It was the coronation. And I can't say that I remember watching it at the time. I've certainly seen it so many times since, but my father did get the television for our household, especially for that. Now, talking of television or our career What was your light bulk moment that made you want to go into acting? Because really you didn't come from an acting family, there was no one in your family that was I was a singing dancing person. Okay. fact, this is nothing to do with television, but before the television came into our house I had actually experienced live theatre I'd been on a stage with an audience and with the lights. I was three and a half And my sister who went to this dancing school, mum used to take me along to her classes and I'd sit on her knee. notothing would stop me from joining in apparently. And I was a pretty good tap dancer at three and a half. Wow. And I was allowed to be in the annual show, which was a big event They took over the local theatre and the big girls danced around singing a song and Al Jolson song called, Oh, you beautiful doll. Oh ye beautiful doll. And I was this little doll in a box had to stand very still. And then when the big girls had danced a bit, they ushered the doll forward, I came to life I did my little tap dos? eyes and teeth, which is of course of course love. So it must have looked quite comical. I was very tiny. And I remember very clearly loud laughter and huge applause and going back into my little box. And I have to cut to my parents sitting in the middle of the auditorium and they were the first to notice the smile disappearing from the little dolly's face and the legs crossing and the first to notice dust rising from the little dolly's box as a warm trickle ran down to the footlightes. And I remember so clearly the feeling that I knew I'd done something terribly wrong. And I should have listened to the teacher when she said, haveave you all into the little girl's room. And you'd think that would have put me off for life, wouldn't you? But in fact, what I remembered much more was the laughter and the applause And so I was a lost soul. And you've not done that on setact I learned my lesson.. It was a good thing it happened then. So I didn't then act at all until my penultimate year at school and for some reason the Miss Weakefield, the teacher of drama, which I didn't take had decided that I should play the lead in Antigony.. The honoui version of Soopocies play and it was the first time in my life I had experienced Be somebody else, you know, stepping into another character And I absolutely loved it. and I suppose I must have been reasonably good at it because Ms. Wakefield then said, I think you should go to dram School, not university. Wow. that was it. And that was it. my parents were horrified. And you know the a proper job, it didn't seem likely that I'd get in because two thousand people apply for about twelve places And the first audition I did for Webber Douglas, I hadn't really learnnt it and I didn't. And the parents were sigh of relief so I didn't get in because when I stopped I said So sorry, I'll come back when I've learnnt it. And then I went to Central and I had learnt it and got in. It was It was a surprise to everybody that I got in. but once I was there I mean there was no stopping me. And I've been just terribly lucky. I think I think you're more than that, I think you're extremely talented and also you have got a work ethic that is amazing and you're in inspiration to everybody on set because you know your lines backwards. You know everybody else's lines. I must learn the forwards one. You were learn the back. learn the forward one day, so it's getting annoying Well, I've always known what the next job is going to be I've never had one three months without knowing. I've never been off because it was actually drilled into us that you went on. I've been on with temperature of one hundred four and chuckking up in the wings. But in the old days you weren't off. I've never been off. No,t I wentn't. I remember the Royal Echange And we were doing a taste of honey. and I remember getting an injection of something, I don't know what it was then. And because I had the Nurovirus, I was on aition did like and I remember getting the Na virus again when I was behind the bar in the Rvers. and I remember stopping going Mid scene And I remember Betty going, you right, you're right, love. And I went No, I. you just got on with it, didn't you? Becauseuse you It didn't occur to us that we wouldt listen go on. Nowadays, young things, you know, Auntie's got a sore ankle, they'll be off. It's weird because I remember when I found out because if you remember years ago, I used to be in a thing called Mount Pleasant whichich I loved. So episode. Bobby Ball played my dad. Yes. And I got a call Miss call mid I was in Ireland filming a drama and it was right in the middle of the COVID horror. and I remember getting a missed call from my friend Dan Ryan and my husband. I was like, what on earth could they both be And I didn't anywhay found out that they'd passed of COVID. And I was like, oh my God What do I do? And I remember sat in the hotel room and they gave me was hotel we was filming in a hotel and they gave me it there to change. And I sat there andb and I remember thinking, Bobby, just go, getet on with it L. We in about. you know, And I just just got on with it. Now, do you remember your first big audition My first big audition, o where I didn't get the job. Well, any. I did have an audition with Mike Lee. big one. And that to this day is agony because I was hopeless. I was so unbelievably nervous and so desperately wanted him to love me. Yeah that I think I was arningingly bad and terrifing terrified and terrified. just awful, awful. I mean, there' been other times when I've met people of whom I am in awe. Yeah. And I find it absolutely impossible to speak. Yes. Nothing comes out. I did very similar thing with Danny Boyle I auditioned for a TV drama I was doing four hundred years ago. and I remember being absolutely pants I was just rubbish. and I'm thinking, that's not even me. But you just get a bit overwhelmed, don't you? Yes, and all your body is thinking is please, you're amazing. Please employ me. So in one of your earliest television roles, which was a thing called tightrope, literally saved your life. Can you tell me about that? I can tell you about this because I think it's quite an important story. It is And I had to learn self defense and karate, particularly karate, because my job, as Joanna Baringson Smith was to fell the villain in episode thirteen. So we lear the three of us were taken up by this wonderful chap, a fight A Ranger, and he was to teach us how to do karate, but he was also very concerned about these three young things going into the business. And he said, you've also got to learn about self defense too. So he taught us some self defense moves. He said, you know, you'll be walking home at night after theatre plays, you've got to know how to look after yourselves I gotut to nineteen seventy four and I was playing Dandini in Cinderella at Swinden. So those were the days where boys boys played girls yes and I was in the fishnet tights and the high heels. playing Dandini and on my way home, it was indeed late at night, there was a slight dark bit of my twenty minute walk home and out of the bushes came a chap who put his arms around my neck and I was convinced I was going to be raped or killed, as you would be. and I dropped my bags and not thinking about it, just the natural thing that I remembered from those lessons was to the heel of my hand as hard as I could under this bloat's chin like that. it quite hard and he dropped like a stone, which was nice. Suddenly remembered that this chap had said, When you go like that, you'll definitely knock him out. if you go like that, the corner of the skull could go into a nerve and then you could kill him. So I was thinking, Oh my God It's going to be deathed by Dan Dini. It's going to h the papers t I thought shall I check he's dead? But if he's not dead, they might come up and attack me. So I I picked up my bags and I ran back to my digs. and I didn't even get him in my pajamas. I lay on the bed thinking I really was convinced I'd killed him And as soon as the sun came up, I tiptoed out andt round to see if the corpse was still there. and there was no corpse So I went back, got chang and got ready and got in about lunchtime to the theatre to get ready for the matattere, and met Pete, the trumpeter, who had a bit of a thing about me. He was in the band, local chap. And I said, Pete, I think I might have killed somebody last night. He said, What do you mean? And I told him the whole story. And he said, Don't be ridiculous little thing like you. He was probably drunk and just fell over. He'll have staggered home. I said, how do I know He said,, Well, go and get ready for the show. I'll ring the hospitals,'ll bring the police and see if there was an incident. So he came back about half an hour, said There were no incidents last night. so he obviously just was a bit drunk and he staggered home. I said, I'd looked asough I killed him. He said, Oh, stop worrying. I've worried about it ever since. Do you know what you should be worried about? the fact that he grabbed you by the neck I apologise. I've gotone away with it so far. Is there any job you've ever done? and I know a few of mine that have literally stayed with you the foolog your home and it's been very hard to shake that character off I did a stage play which was written by the writer Brian Clemens. he used to come and follow us around and take us out to dinner because he was very generous. And one night I was sitting next to him and he said, Do you know what you're doing next? And I said, Bran I think I'm probably going what I thought I might do is a one woman play. You know I can sing a bit dance a bit. and actually you can write it. It was such a joke. Yeah. And four weeks later this script arrived called Aur Kid and he'd written a one woman play based on the Moo' murders. Gosh which had happened when I was sixteen. And well I was playing Myera Hindley. And when I read this script, I thought if I can do this, And eventually Brian persuaded me to do it. He said he wanted to direct it And it was only one act and it was funny. And and there was a tap dance to Franks andatra singing Heaven, I in heaven. So it was a fantastic vehicle for me But It was incredibly scary that I could sort of get into this woman's head. and The first time I did it, I did it at Pinewood because Brian had organized a room there where everybody working at Pinewood came. So there were all the people from the Avengers, Roger Moore goosh, who I was in love with.. The think place was packed with film stars watching me and I was absolutely terrified And indeed in the middle. went absolutely blank. I don't' ever had that you go Oh yees. And because in the story I was living with my grand, I said, we just got to check on Grnd went and had a look at the little sccript and came back and said, No, Gnd's fine. and carried on it and nobody noticed. but it was that Th then the whole of the next picture you werere in a white sweat yardt go. Oherrific. Terrific. So it was absolutely ghastly experience. but at the end of it, everybody thought it was wonderful. and I got lots of, that's the first time that I had Roger Moore actually saying how wonderful I was. And I went No he's wr, couldn't say anything. And I went on doing it. I did at a theatre called the Rock Garden in Covent Gen and then at the King's Head Lost two stone. was You lost two stonees. down You are two stone. I went down to S stone and I was I couldn't get rid of it. I simply couldn't get rid of her And I was asked to do it many times later, and I thought I just don't think my body will take it again But every now and then you get a role where you do have to go through something harrowing and you have to learn to get rid of it. I think that mine was when I did the last Throwes of Coronation Street. It was when I was being very much abused by Charlie Stubes And I incredibly strong storyline. Oh, it was amazing. and I didn't realize how important it was and obviously back in the day we were still getting fourty million and it was proper gold rashion figures. And it was just to do it properly It was so hard because the writers were so brilliant at how they plotted it But then I remember on a Friday night I used to have my mate Catherine and Claire around the corner In the comedy store, we'd like the biggest glass of wine you've ever seen just waiting for me because I was so Harrowed by it. I mean, it was so hard to be in that space all the time that I sort of think that's why I left Coronation Street. I just thought You can't do this again. you know, at this length level. It's like a there, you're doing it all the time every night, aren't you? And the same with Coron Aation Street, it doesn't just go away. you're not doing it once like in television and it's done It yeah,s that story. Yeah, you live in it. and I just thought I can't Oh God it nearly yeah, it really I totally get that. The thing is when it's very well written as well. I know, you get good justice. And you get letters as well. Yes get letters for people that are going through it.. And then you're thinking, I can't mess this up. And at the time, I was falling in love with Steve. So I was like, part of me was falling in love with this wonderful man and the other half was being abused by TV. And your body doesn't know the difference You know's the funny one. Y your body doesn't know the difference of trauma. We don't know, do we? We just res's only acting. It doesn't know the difference't know. That's what's so scary, isn't it? It is. so you've got to look after yourself here. Well, anyway, question before the break One of the main styars of Oie Fools and Horses initially turned down the role, but who was it? Now, what do you reckon the answer is to? I honestly don't know. It wasn't me. It wasn't you. You didn't turn it down. I didn't turn it down. It It was David. Really? It was David because he thought it was going to be a big flop but he didn't get it. And I remember him telling me that in the corner shop of when we do still open all hours, you know it was a hairdressers and need it out. And I remember him saying that he was just I like, I don't get it. don't I'm you know, I'm Ronnie Barker. what am I doing this for? You know, because he obviously thought which he was And And then all of a sudden he did it again. And I think he said that the first series was just a flop, but it didn't work at all. I think the first time it came up, David thought they were going to offer him granddad because he he'd played little old chaps. And of course, Jim Broadbent was the first person was one of the first people to be off for it and he was busy doing something else. But no the first series wasn't a huge. Now I'm going to get on to young Marlene Let's talk about Marlene. Now I love the fact You are really proud of Marlene and you can go into Marlene at the drop of a hat because about a thousand people always say, Could you just do a video for, Marlen? And you are so gracious and so wonderful about it. And I love that about you. You don't go, o no, that's my best nowa You are so gracious and know what an amazing thing it was for people and how they are so much in love with her. I't know about Gacious. I'm grateful. grateful. I'm very grateful to have got the roole of Marlen because it was You know, I I I tend to play sort of pot PAs to BMs and suddenly to have this in my life was glorious. It never occurred to me that it would be an ongoing thing, and indeed it shouldn't have been. Do you remember the term Minder? George C love Minder. whichich was George Co. It was a great favourite. And John Sullivan always credited Minder with giving him the sort of inspiration to do. Yeah because by then, you know things like the good life and you know, those comedies were terri middle class you're going through a friendrench windows at the end.es everyoneen on it think came about for. And suddly there were these two East endn S scalallywaxs who were witty and ear and V veryy naughty. And so it made him realize there was an audience for an East End show. Yeah which is how he came to write Only Fools. And he loved the idea of George Cole's character being her indoors. You never saw her. And so he thought Marlene would be her indoors You'd keep hearing everyverybody would say, Do you remember Marlen? The answer was always, all the boys remember Marlene. and you just would never see her But then he had the idea of Dlan Rodney looking after a dog and couldn't think where this dog would come from. I remember So Bysy can give Marly and a dog and they will get rid of them, send them on holiday, and ask the boys to look after the dog. So he wrote this enchanting little scene It's odd because I didn't audition for this. I mean in those days, for a big television, you'd meet the director and read with the actors or something. I just got off of the job Because apparently Susie Belbin and Rayberart knew about our kid Oh They knew and they'd seen various other things that I'd done on the television. were really good accents. they didn't it occurred to them but I was poor So they I got the role of Marlene when I was three months pregnant. with Harriet and I mean I didn't know what work would be around and it was just a couple of hours. It was glorious. It was great fun. I got togggged up in all the gear and went and met the boys and met the dog, did this little scene. really thought it was a hugely fun day and forgot about it because it didn't occur to me anything else. And then a couple of weeks later, John Selvan rang me at home and said We didn't want to see Marlene, but we love her. she's coming back. Hallelujah. Oh my Lord. what a story?. I didn't know it was an accident, suddenly he decided we like her. Oh my Lord, I can imagine it only feels without Marlene. It doesn't even Well to be honest. It's one of the first the first woman role really, a female role in that that was any of any strength. Yes, no they didn' they didn't girls would pop in and out as Dell's various girlfriends, but this was the first sort of astagiring character Yeah and she was she was greatly loved by lots of people. It was massively as my eldest Daly f when he saw you proves. But in fact, I wasn't in it very much. I only did about twenty episodes. and it's amazing that people remember you're and every. It's so weird. I just think, oh, it's Marlie. But I was lucky too because John and I, John Challice and I got on terribly well. We really became best friends And he and his wife and my husband Mark and I used to go on holidays together And John and I toured between the end of On Fies and Horses and the start of our spino series of Green Green Gass, we toured four years running with eight born plays and a Neil Simon play and just found that we loved working together on stage as well as off. and that's luck. You often hear that double acts hate each other don' all the time. I mean, when you were we'll go back to John in a bit. but when you were going when you were actually in Only Fools and you recording. Did you go out afterward? Did you have like a life outside that apart from John? or was it did everybody just go home? What happens? obviously because we have a little bit of a life outside. have a life outside? That's because we're away from home. Yes, so it does become party quite a lot No, in fact it was it started with half hour episodes and we would film we would rehearse in the mornings, then they'd be Harbot lunchime. I Rabber to have his half and then everybody go home and they're in their lines sometimes more than a half. And then we'd record on Friday. We know, I know personally that you absolutely love John. and John was one of your best friends. Right from the start, he made me laugh. It's a great It's a great attraction, isn't it if somebody can make a giggle. Often not appropriate giggles during totally but you know occasionally. there was some corpsing in only fs and horses, it must be said, corpsing being laughing hysterically and uncontrollably.es, which did happen quite a lot. but the one time it didn't happen actually it was on the night of the recording because then you knew that if it was your fault that they had to cut. Oh you were in trouble because you were in the dug house. They would pull the plugs at ten And so so when we actually started recording with the audience, everybody did really concentrate. You've got to be Yeah. If you were all filming, quite a lot of naughty things happened It's five years since he went, isn't he? Im? Yes. I still don't really believe he's gone. I still don't really believe John Sullivan's gone. It mean Joh Sullivan was only sixty four. and think of the work that he could have done because John Sullivan, I mean a bit like you, and indeed Brian Clemens all those years ago believed they could go on coming up with stories forever. and John Sullivan had so much more he could have contributed And John Challice, you know, it was horrible to hear that he'd gone, but I don't really think he's gone He hasn't gone really. He still you know, still there on the tey. He've just got the teley on and there' there And so it's a sort of comfort. You know, John Sullivan's work will never die No. And I don't think John Challice or Rog Lloyd Pack or Leenon Perce, I don't think they're dead. They're just there. They'. So their work still there. You feel them around? You know, it's really I've just remembered when we were in the back of that very luxurious carrier, they taken us around the country doing of Dina monologue And I remember you saying, Yeah, we got this call off John. and he's written this thing about John's castle or something. I don't quite know what it is. And it was when he was writing green green G. And he went, I'm not sure whether this is going to work The green grass was massive. Well, was a it started with nine million viewers and then two million turned off because David Jason and Nicholas Windters weren't in it. whichich I completely understood.. And those people kept saying, why don't you bring David Jason and Nicholasindter in And John Sullivan said, we must let it stand on its own two feet. So he didn't bring any well we did have Denzil at the beginning as a sort of introduction to get us into it. But otherwise no we didn't have any Fhills and Horssees characters. It was just the best fun to film going away. You know with green green grass, you've got to go and film with some grass. Yeah. so you couldn't do it in the studio. but we did some stuff in stud, but a lot of it was filmed. We would spend a lot of time in Shropshire and Shropshire is that way it was in Sropshire. Well, John Challice and his wife Carol had moved this amazing house. It was an abbey Abbott's lodging. And Carol threw a big party for him his sixtiet birthday to which John Sullivan came And he saw John Tallis welcoming his guests to his fine home and that's what inspired him to think. Boy and Marlin buy a state home and try and become Lord and Lady of the M. And he' right's after doesn't because it's John Sllver. you know you the idea is the idea is good. and it was a dream for us because we were touring in a play and he summoned us to his flat in Brighton and said he wanted to have a chat explain his idea and say, what do you think about a series starring Boy and Marlen? Well, I mean, that's what everybody wants to hear And also how much you've got on. Y. I mean, we've been very lucky, haven't we our I've been extremely lucky over the years with my TV husbands.. You know loveved them all. I've I love them all. I mean Tw main ones obviously was D down Rown and Mart Pleasant who stillmates now. and then obviously the miraculous, gorgeous Steve Edge. Who doesn't love Steve Edge? He's in the funniest blo concet. I lived, actually. Funniest man on and off set and also an amazingly good actor. amazingly good. And he can break your heart and make you laugh Whove we got now? world. Who's your at the half now? Little Robin. Robin Asquid. I know. That's all my fault. Well, what a dream come true that is. You too on screen are something else. You are gorgeous, sexy, funny, hilarious. You spark off each other And it's just magic in it that you find, I bet you never thought you'd probably find that chemistry again after John You know I really I really didn't. And I didn't know if I'd have the chemistry was Robin because E It transpires that we actually spent quite a lot of our childhood living a hundred yards from each other. I lived at the bottom of Windmill Hill and he lived just around the corner at the top of Windmill Hill in Rislip, Middlesex. And he famously says that he used to fancy you ' you they were a year older or something. I was a year older. And he used to follow you up the hill to the bus stop. He used to follow me up the hill. We'd take the train. he'd follow me up the hill past my house. I mean kn I knew this little chap was around. But but he was a year younger than me Now going back to only fools when you were in, um The eighties and nineties, obviously you were the best show We still the best sh Were there any sort of daft rivalry going on with other shows at the time? or was it just were you just like weird sorry, we're at top there? Well, I think no I think the The biggest show was more common wise, wasn't it? Well, of course faty toowers. Of course Faulty Ters had happened before we started. that's why I was sort of in love with John Clee. John Cleese and Roger Moore were my two. Oh they your own passions. Yeah The Faulty Tars will go on forever being everybody's favourite apart, perhaps from Only Fools. And I think it's O onlynly Fools to be honest. I think Only Fools. I've got a story you once told about when you were filming in Miami which I've got to share with the world. So tell us what happened. Well were we were very blessed, John and I. Boyie and Marlen were written in to be in this two parter. So that half of the first half was really in Peham and the second half was really set in Miami And we went out, John and I for three days filming. My kids then were about five and so that sort of age, five, six. So I said to my husband do you think you can copes three days? and we've got a bit of help. And So we went out and we got to the Everglades scene on day three of our filming, and there was a strike and they couldn'tilm they couldn't finish filming. So at the end of the day they came up and said We're going to have to keep you for a bit because we can't there was a union strike. They're very tough there and they'd have a problem about the drivers Yeah. And so we were told we'd have to stay and resoot the Everglades scene at the end, which meant we had to stay for an extra ten days. doing nothing, waiting for the Ele. Mark was through could call home What? So so sorry, M. Will you be able to cope? Yes, I think I would cope Y Yes. ten days Rult. And so when we came back, we were filming the scene with the alligator And I'd been given a A a video camea, they were huge these things, and I mean, I was hopeless at filming, but I thought I'd filmed They were massive as bigger than they were head weren' they. So I thought I'd filmed the alligator. So you had the alligator being doing his first take and his second take's a fascinating bit of filming And at one point I was filming and I lost the I lost the alligator in my viewfind and I was going like this and I looked down and I heard a lot of screaming going on. and the alligator was heading straight for me and it stop its minder had jumped on it and grabbed its jaws right by my feet I was very nearly a gonner. People used to call you Marlene in the street. Now is it now Marlene or is it Judith Judith. Is So many times. I can't tell you. I was at the theatre only two nights ago. Eight times I was stopped for selfies in the auditorium Always because they love Judith Lloyd James. Isn't that amazing? I'm a lucky girl. I've got. Honestly when I read the script, when I read your script for Judas, it was just like the first time I read Marlene, I could hear her voice. I suppose it's mine. Well, it's not, he's not Dude' very very e cliip should you say. You know, sort with me really. It's sort of you, but but but not. slightly heightened. Slightly heightened version, but I mean, she is truly ghostly and I love her. but she's She doesn't know she's been She doesn't el. She thinks everybody loves her. She everybody does doesn' they love her? She's amazing in this way. Just because she doesn't speak French in France after forty years We had to go to a break now, but a little bit of TV trivia for you to ponder on. Now in two thousand five, Sue's amazing role in O Fools and horses turned to a spinoff show, as we've just talked about, the Green Green Gass. But how many people exactly watched the Lunch episode Answer after the break So now, how many people watched the first episode? What do you think? Well, I'm pretty sure that I know this. I think it was nine million. It might have been seven, but I think it was nine and dropp to seven, or it was seven and dropped. You're absolutely right. It is nine point one three million gosh Gosh, proper numbers e? Yeah. Oh my God. So with's such an amazing career behind you and you know much to love you. What set would you like to go back on and relive one day? What set would you think mightight like to go back there Well, the awful truth, Sally, to answer though I'm being very groly here is, I just want to be in Gozo doing Madame Blanc. It's the happiest job of my life. I ever absolutely love it. I stop it. No I love it. I'd love it. and I think it's so nice that so many people now love it. The world is in such a horrible place, isn't it? that I know it's called cozy crrime and what people get offended by that I'm not offended by I.'m not offend of Cosy crime. I love it. Pace event Czy crime, it seem to me is what people want. They want to be able to take themselves out of the misery of what's going on at the ten o'clock news and just have a little plot, try and work out a few laughs It's It's bliss because you're very clever because you cast well and cast if you make a mistake, you can always write them out But we have a great tandem when we've got a little tradition after work, what do we do I'm not prepared to say. I'm not all us to say that. I'm not prepared to say what we do, although it might involve a tiny little bit of white wine. It might have a tiny bit of white wine and half a chisk. Half a chisk is the most important. So half a chisk is the amazing Beer they have in Malta. So we film Madame Oim Malta. In Goza actually And usually the four of us, sometimes SVie comes and joins us, but we have half a disisk of after a show and and a bag of crisps, don't we? discus quite we discuss the day. more crisps you have because of the salt it means you might have to have another half of a day. S sometimes we have another half sometometimes every three, but often. and' get up. And at the rap party, the sound boys both came with chisk socks Chisk underpants, chk vests. It became a big thing. Oh do you love a chess. Cisk beer. We we should advertise it really. It's amazing Now is your TV guilty pleasure. Well now this has not been mean about my husband. Well, yes, it ismark. There are some things that he won't watch. Okay. And so my guilty pleasure is then I will watch them when I can get rid of him. He plays real tennis, get him out of the house, so sometimes in the daytime I'll catch up with the things that he won't watch. G Stictly come dancing. R Titors. I mean, he won't watch traitors. And I haven't watched them much because I betele the celebrity traitors was unmissable. Unmissable. Yeah. Celia Emy Well we love thes, don't we. And I think Celia Emory's fart and owning up should be one of the highlights of everybody's life. After all the thingsge. Yes A love and O'st love feels. I thought it was glorious. It made me hot. obvious late Alan was best Well it wasn't it genius? Well, you know, it was genius? Becauseuse me and Al did our very first stand up together as you know in the day. Of course I knew that. He was slightly better than me obviously. You was so brave that you did stand up Oh. Well what happened I did the rooyal familyamily and I thought, that's it. I've made it. s I'm going I' going to be the biggest comedist star ever and couldn't get arrested for a year So I thought, well, I'm not sitting on my backside and I did stand upp. So you wrote your own stand upp. I with wrote it with Phil Meey who was wrote Royal Family with Cray Cash. Oh I see. So he wr we wrote the standup togetherher. Class and I played a blo ed a bloke Ce? Did had a Mistache side burns Yeahah. I was going to blow on Derek Cotton, that was me stand up.'ve done I've done Mouache acting. did Mache acting, yeah, it did really well actually. Well, I say well. Alan always says, I thought you're really funanny and you're just saying actually, me it really wasn't, but you know Y I' quite sure you doing You done quite well though he's done quite well in the comedy world. done badly. Certainly, we haven't got much time left here. Obviously, I've got all my life with you, but saddly here we haven't got much time so I'm going to do As in greatreat tradition of podcasts, we're gonna do your life on screen quiz Oh, well, gosh, this is I'm going to do very badly at this. No. I live for now, S. I don't live now darling. So I'veen If I've forgotten everything in the past, that's why Yes live in the. Okay, give a socket to me. So Marlaine made her debut in Only Fills and Horses in series four episode five an episode called Sleeping Dogs Le, as you described before, which aired in nineteen eighty five. Do you remember Marlene's very first line? I what I do B this want to read it Oh, J have a nice Christmas? There you go. J a nice Christmas. and then I'd say I'd say yes, I had a dog. and Rodney says, Oh, we had a turkey same as every other year There's another line in that We would get Marley now. There's another line in that where I say, it's al right, he's house trained. And Rodney says,book, we live in a flat and we got a first class stamp When this show became forty, I've got a first class damp with a picture of me with the dog and Nicholas on a first class damp. Well, I get that on my Christmas card every year. Of course you do. and you're very And I've got them all in Marth. Be not very many people get those. I cut them out and I put them all in Marthy's g. she it's on my show. Not everybody's got a first class damp. I'm proud I'm proud of my style. Marlen Boyce has married Boissy, as you know. off course you know Do you remember Boyice's real first name all of it. I do Hang on This is soight, isn't it on you? I've forgotten Abury? Yes. Aby boys, Abury something else I'm gonna to give you that. Herman Abury boys. Herman, Abury Bys Hermanb Is itt Herman wonderful Can you remember what nineteen seventies TV show did you star alongside Roowan Atkinson. Rowan Atkinson presents cananned laughter. Yes. Word have got round that there was this amazing comic talent at Oxford University and London weeekend television offered him the chance too write a half hour sitcom starring himself, and he had a girlfriend in it called Lorraine And I got to play Lorraine. and when we first met in the rehearsal room that London weeekend television, I thought, I don't don I think he's very funny. becausecause he was terribly serious and very focused. But of course as soon as you started acting together, that wonderful rubbery face, he was hysterical and he was terribly sweet You had a guest appearance as a talent manager at Estale in East Enders in two thousand one And she on to went on to date with Billy Mitchell, But during a press interview for the role, you said you'd like to return and seduce another East Enders character Who would you like to seduce to holdness Well, quite honestly, I'm not fussy Sally. I wouldn't mind seducing any of them, you know Put me in there. Well apparently you said, Phil Mitchell Yeah, I I could ever go a little seduction. Any of them really? I mean most people fancy s. I fussy. I'll seduce anything that twinkles back. And that's who Heldness Ladies and gentlemen Well, youve certainly s you for me, my love. I'm totally in love with you. Thank you. And it is mutual. and I can't tell you how grateful I am for Judas Lloyd James. Oh I love her. So thank you so much for watching, listening, and you can listen every Wednesday. wherever you get your podcast, watch on YouTube