EXCLUSIVE Gavin & Stacey legend Larry Lamb, 77, says role as Mick Shipman in the sitcom is likely to be his last ever TV job as he steps back from acting

Daily Mail​

6 hours ago

Larry Lamb has revealed Gavin & Stacey is likely to be his last ever TV job as he steps back from acting.
The veteran star, 77, admits he's thrilled to finish off his acting career playing Mick Shipman for the last time in the sitcom's Christmas special, dubbed The Finale.
He's now focusing on a new novel he's written about the entertainment industry but says he'll consider taking on small stage parts 'to keep my face in', insisting he's happy to let others perform the 'bigger roles.'
As well as playing beloved dad Mick in Gavin & Stacey, Larry was also famous for his portrayal of the villainous Archie Mitchell in EastEnders, but it's his role in the classic sitcom that gave him the most joy and he admits the festive special - watched by 19 million viewers - was the perfect way to end his TV acting career.
Speaking to MailOnline, he said: 'You get so involved with these characters that they become your favourite at that time, they are the focus of your life, but to finish up in my 70s playing a character like Mick who is beloved by millions of people, you have to give the writers credit... at this stage in my career Mick is the closest to my heart.'
Larry's work has spanned six decades, but it was only in his 50s he became one of the most recognisable faces on British TV courtesy of his two career-defining roles.
The veteran star, 77, admits he's thrilled to finish off his acting career playing Mick Shipman for the last time in the sitcom's Christmas special, dubbed The Finale
As well as playing Mick in Gavin & Stacey, Larry was also famous for his portrayal of villainous Archie Mitchell in EastEnders, but it's his role in the sitcom that gave him the most joy
He continued: 'I have had a very fortunate career; I've done so much that I am really proud of that maybe not so many people know.
'I have worked at the Royal Shakespeare company, the National Theatre, I have been in 12 West End shows, I have done all the principal fringe theatres in London, on Broadway, I have been very lucky and now I am quite happy to let someone else play the big roles.'
Larry says finding fame playing Mick and Archie is a reward for his years of hard graft, many of which took place on stage, as well as the small screen.
He explained: 'For years, people didn't realise just how much time I spent working in the theatre, people assumed it was always on the TV, but it wasn't.
'My year would be half of it spent doing television and half of it would be doing plays in the theatre.
'If you have been through a life in entertainment and people don't all know you to suddenly where pretty much everybody knows you as a character...
'I find it's a reward, it's better to be known than unknown as far as I'm concerned. Particularly if you are known as a character that people really love... what a way to finish your working life.'
In May, Larry attended the BAFTA TV Awards alongside the Gavin & Stacey cast, including writers James Corden and Ruth Jones.
They were at the ceremony hoping to win the award for Memorable Moment but ended up losing out to Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris McCausland.
It was Larry who was chosen by Ruth, who plays Nessa Jenkins, to give the acceptance speech on stage, had the cast been triumphant on the night.
He said: 'Ruth called me and said James and I would like you to say a speech on everyone's behalf and I wrote this speech.
'Of course, we didn't win it, we weren't lucky on that day, but the last sentence of that speech was 'in writing Gavin and Stacey Ruth and James created a family that everyone can belong to forever and for that on behalf of everyone I thank them from the bottom of my heart' and so that was it, we are all part of that big extended family and it's a huge thing. It's honest and based on real love.'
Unlike some veteran TV actors, Larry's decision to retire has nothing to do with his health.
Indeed, the London-born star enjoys a clean-living lifestyle, which he believes will provide a solid foundation to live a long and prosperous life.
And Larry says if he has any words of wisdom to pass down, it would be to motivate yourself to stay fit from a young age.
He said: 'Start young and take care of your body, don't take it for granted, exercise. I stopped drinking years ago, I never smoked, I always try to watch what I eat although I tend to eat too much.
'You have to treasure what you have been given in a way of a body you only have one and you need to look after it.'
He added: 'I exercise every single day. I swim, I ride my bike, if I can't get out, I go on an exercise bike, but I don't just get on it and diddle away for 10 minutes, I will get on it and ride on it for an hour and hard, just exercise myself. I want to hang on.
'I want to sign up for that next bit. I am alright with the bit we're in now. The older you get the more you have to do but the main thing is to start young and don't give up on it. You have to get yourself in good shape and hang on with it.'
Larry has teamed up with his son former TV presenter George Lamb on a new campaign with National Rail which involved the duo going on a train ride together.
The pair became the first to try out National Rail's new guided Q&A Questions to Connect, which has been created to help more passengers bond on their journeys
The pair became the first to try out National Rail's new guided Q&A Questions to Connect, which has been created to help more passengers bond on their journeys.
And for Larry, the collaboration was the perfect fit, given his fondness for trains dating back to when he was a young boy.
He said: My relationship with trains and train travel goes a long way back. As a little boy there were no cars in any element of our family and anywhere you went, you got a bus, the tube and you went on the train and the train took you off on holiday to the seaside or wherever you were going.
'The smell of the station was steam trains and hundreds of people, carrying suitcases and pushing children in push chairs, I have these old images of big vibrant stations and so I had clearly been speaking about this and National Rail asked if I would be interested in working on this project particularly if it would work with George.'
Larry's campaign with National Rail follows new research which showed that three in 10 don't know where their father grew up and half don't know how their parents met, with Brits confessing to know more about celebrities than their own parents.
He said: 'According to research, Brits know more about celebrities than they do their own parents.
'They don't know their mum or dad's favourite food or how they met, it's quite extraordinary and these 36 questions that me and George were asking each other certainly opened up all of that.
'It seems a real shame that people are in a situation like that. I have been really blessed with the relationship with my children because it's all based on love and we do talk to each other about everything.'