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Telegraph
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Christopher Biggins: ‘I earned £1m after winning I'm a Celebrity'
Actor and director Christopher Biggins, 76, has graced the screen and stage for more than 50 years. He rose to prominence with his portrayal of Lukewarm in the prison comedy, Porridge, before taking on the scene-stealing role of Nero in I, Claudius. In 2007, he was crowned king of the jungle on I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! Biggins, as he is affectionately known, and his long-time partner, Neil Sinclair, live in east London. How did money shape your upbringing? My mother and father, Pam and Bill, bought a house in Salisbury, but couldn't afford the mortgage, so they sold up and we moved into a caravan. We eventually got a house with no bathroom, just an outside lavatory and a tin bath that was dragged out on Mondays. It was a pretty frugal life, but I never wanted for anything. My parents worked very hard. My father sold motorcycles, and then cars and doubled as a motor mechanic, so he worked all hours. My mother worked in the cocktail bar at the Cathedral Hotel, which was a very swanky place back then. They also took in a lodger, Jock, who stayed for 11 years. They saved and saved, and my father's business thrived. The result was they could afford to send me to private school, installed a bathroom and the tin bath was jettisoned. What was your first job? When I left school, I went to Salisbury rep as an assistant stage manager on £2 a week, with my parents heavily subsidising me, paying for my transport and letting me live at home. I was an only child until age 18 when, as I was preparing to leave to go to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, my mother suddenly mentioned she was pregnant. I couldn't believe that one's parents still did it at that age! But I got my brother Sean out of it, which was lovely. They still helped with money for another two years. Did you think you'd make a living out of acting? No, never. But my father and mother were brilliant in supporting me from 16 to 20, so I could pursue a career on the stage. When I was 20, though, my father said I needed a backup, not least as they now had Sean. He knew I wasn't interested in motorbikes and cars, so he suggested we open an antiques shop, as we both liked bric-a-brac, which I'd run, and I could earn enough for a deposit. Did your career in antiques take off? Well, I'd sit in this shop and see no one all day, and then suddenly at five o'clock, there'd be a rush of about 15 people who all stole from you. So, that didn't seem like much of a job, and I gave it up for acting. Eventually, my father sold up, although he dabbled in bric-a-brac from the back of his garage for many years. I put all my energy into acting and have never looked back. I must add, my father was right, as he recognised how precarious a career acting is. No regrets? No, I've been very fortunate to be able to look back on a wonderful 60-odd-year career, but my father was right. When people come to me for advice about going into theatre, I always say don't do it because it's a horrible profession. I know so many brilliant actors who never got a break. It's all about being in the right place at the right time. What was your big break? Playing Lukewarm in Porridge, alongside Ronnie Barker, Richard Beckinsale and David Jason. I was on £90 an episode, which was great in 1974. When it was repeated on BBC One or BBC Two, I used to get over £1,000 an episode. However, in a bad moment, the BBC decided to sell all these sitcoms to the free-to-air stations, which means I get nothing for the repeats. If we were in America, I'd be a multi-millionaire because you get repeat fees forever over there. Did having this part make you feel more financially secure? I was very lucky because when I was in Salisbury rep, I met two actors: Jonathan Cecil and Vivien Heilbron. They had a lovely house in Fulham, and gave me two rooms, a bedroom and a sitting room, and the use of a kitchen, all for £4 a week. As you can imagine, being on £90 an episode, I became readily accustomed to a style of living that I have maintained ever since. I had enough money to afford to eat out in restaurants regularly, and in those days, you could go to a restaurant in Covent Garden called Luigi's and have a bowl of pasta, a glass of red wine and a coffee for £6. I don't know how young people these days exist, because restaurants are so expensive. What's been your career highlight? Nero in I, Claudius was a wonderful part, a great experience, and to this day, I believe I was Nero in a previous life. Soon after that, I played the sex-crazed vicar in Poldark, which was also marvellous. But I think the most life-changing experience was winning I'm a Celebrity through the public vote, which gives you amazing confidence. I got paid £50,000 for doing it, much less than they get now, but it opened doors and it was a wonderfully lucrative period. I earned £1m in the year after the jungle. Where do you live? We have a very pretty three-bed house near Victoria Park in east London, which was designed by the architect Piers Gough. It's chock-full of artwork, so much so that we don't know the word wallpaper. We also have a one-bed flat in Stratford East, which we let. Although with all the associated costs, cladding problems and so on, we may sell. Are you a spender or a saver? I'm a spender, but as you get older, you realise you have what you need. You don't need another microwave. All you need is to have a nice life. I suppose the most expensive thing in our lives is going abroad on holiday. What's been your best financial decision? Buying this house. I paid £50,000 for it 36 years ago. It's worth considerably more now. Do you have a pension? I have the state pension, which I paid in over all those years, and that gives me enough to get by on, before I earn through the day job. I'm not saying pensioners are rich, but it does help, especially with the shocking water, gas and electricity bills. I have no private pension. Do you have any plans to retire? No. I am a bit like the Frank Sinatra of the pantomime world. I finish a run and think that's it, but I keep coming back, and will be on stage as King Richard in Robin Hood at the Birmingham Hippodrome this Christmas.
The Courier
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
6 unmissable events for the whole family at Perth Festival of the Arts 2025
Looking to break out of your weekend routine? Look no further than Perth Festival of the Arts 2025. In one packed weekend (May 23-25) it hosts 16 vastly different events to choose from, as well as open air concerts and art exhibitions from ArTay and Perthshire Photographic Society. Here are six events to look out for that weekend. Those of an older disposition will remember Sir Derek Jacobi in the TV adaptation of I Claudius. But his career spans six decades and his versatility ranges from classic Shakespeare characters, cameos in both Gladiator films, The Crown, Day of the Jackal and lots more. Richard Clifford's longevity in the acting world mirrors that of Sir Derek, and with him in the driving seat for the evening there will be incredible insights and anecdotes – as he has also been Derek's partner since the 1970s. What better way to kick off the weekend? Perth Theatre, 1a Mill St, Perth PH1 5HZ. Friday May 23, 7.30pm. Tickets are £29 each; concessions £27. Council parking in Perth city centre is free after 6pm. Thimblerow car park is a short walk away from the theatre and usually has plenty of space. Lauder tells the tale of the legendary Scottish entertainer Sir Harry Lauder, who by 1911 had become the highest-paid performer in the world and an international star. MacDougall might be more familiar as the voice of classical music on BBC radio, but his versatility will bring Lauder to life, revealing a man of mischief and ingenuity and the creator of classics like Roamin' in the Gloamin' and I Love a Lassie. Winston Churchill called Lauder 'Scotland's greatest ambassador'. Jamie's one-man show, written by Jimmy Logan, will give ample proof that this was no over-exaggeration. Perth Theatre, 1a Mill St, Perth PH1 5HZ. Sunday May 25, 3pm. Adults £22.50, concessions £20.50, under-18s £5. This performance is dementia-friendly, with adapted sound and lighting for comfort and a relaxed approach to sound an movement. The festival is never purely secular – the sacred side of things plays an equally important part. The magnificent St Ninian's Cathedral, one the city's finest buildings, hosts choral evensong on Sunday, sung by the cathedral choir. The setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis will be by Noble and the anthem chosen is The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, by Sir Edward Elgar. But the music doesn't end there. At 5pm, the Cathedral's Director of Music, Geoff Bolton, will perform an organ recital, with music by JS Bach, Healey Willan, Messiaen and Eugene Gigout. Perth Cathedral (St Ninian's), N Methven St, Perth PH1 5PP Sunday May 25, 4pm. Free. If you miss this performance, don't fret – the choir will also be singing at a Choral Mass to mark Ascension Day at 7pm on May 29. World class symphony orchestras are common visitors to the festival, some international, some home-bred. This year, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra are set to bring an eclectic mix of the familiar and the less well-known. Under the baton of Grzegorz Nowak, the concert opens with a brand-new work by Jeffrey Ching, Il Maestro di Capella, commissioned for the orchestra's UK tour. The orchestra will perform two of the most popular works from the operatic and ballet repertoire including Bizet's scintillating Carmen Suite and music from perhaps the greatest of all ballets – Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Then follows Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending and Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations, before the concert ends with Beethoven's mighty fifth symphony. Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, Perth, PH1 5HZ Saturday May 24, 7.30pm. Tickets range from £22.50 to £41.50, concession £19.50 to £38.50 Under-18s are £5. Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre are on the same street, but they're different buildings – the concert hall is the round building. Children are always catered for by the festival organisers, and there's a double-dose of fun this year. Opera singers Colleen and Katie combine classical music's best loved arias and duets with singing games, sensory play and puppet friends. Perth Theatre, 1a Mill St, Perth PH1 5HZ. May 24-25, various times between 10am and 2pm. £8 per child, with one adult included. £3 per extra adult. Performances are split into 0-2 years and 2-4 years brackets. See festival website for specific times for each version. Prokofiev's music is specially arranged for wind quintet by Children's Classic Concerts. This team of musical animals, led by Owen Gunnell, will move effortlessly from madcap mayhem to virtuosic performances, with plenty of audience participation along the way. Perth Theatre Studio, 1a Mill St, Perth PH1 5HZ. Saturday May 24, 1pm and 3pm. Tickets £16, concessions £14, under-18s £8. Carers go free when accompanying the person they care for, as is the case for many of the events at Perth Festival of the Arts. Perthshire Brass, who for the past 40 years have been promoting their style of music in Perth and Kinross, will perform an outdoor concert in St Paul's Plaza this year. And Perth Festival's chairman Craig Dennis will be taking his customary seat with fellow tuba players. However, he will have one eye on the music and one on the weather. He knows only too well what performing outdoors in a Scottish summer can be like! St Paul's Church Plaza, S Methven St, Perth PH1 5NU Saturday May 24, 11am. Free Perthshire Brass forms one act on the Community Stage programme. Other acts will take place in various venues across the city, including cafe cabaret performances, pop-up drumming concerts and adventure circus workshops! For more information and ticket prices of each performance, visit the Perth Festival website or phone 01738 621031.
