Our run-ins with the likes of Maggie and Diana
In my time with Natural Theatre Company I managed to brush up against royalty and the upper echelons of the ruling classes on many occasions.
Apart from my alter-ego Lady Margaret’s famous audience with the president of Costa Rica and his cabinet, which made the front page of every redtop in Central America, I have mingled with the high and mighty no end my dears.
The sight of said president’s Minister of Finance waving Lady M’s tapestry handbag is not to be forgotten and was even featured on the country’s ten o’clock news, it being budget day!
Margaret Thatcher was fascinated by the theatre company’s starchy nannies when she attended the Last Night of the Proms at Brisbane’s World Expo.
This was the UK’S cultural contribution to the event, and yes, they did sing Rule Britannia despite the republican tendency at the time.
As we approached her party, burly security guards tried to usher us away. But broad shouldered as they were, they were no match for the nannies and their shiny Silver Cross prams.
Well, they could hardly rugby tackle five prim ladies of a certain age, especially when we threatened to give them all a big cuddle.
I don’t think their leader, a particularly tough looking female, had any protocol for being referred to as ‘Diddums’. Denis fell about laughing when he saw our ‘babies’ were miniature Maggies. Maggie said in her best Spitting Image tones ‘Get away with you!’.
Later, after the prime ministerial party departed by river launch, the security guards, all crammed onto a straining golf buggy, overtook the line of Nannies.
Several of them gave us a two fingered salute, which Nanny thought very rude indeed.
Perhaps our greatest royal triumph was meeting Princess Diana.
If she were alive today, I doubt she would recognise me for my colleagues and I were sporting the pointy masks and beige raincoats of the company’s trademark characters, The Coneheads.
It was a corporate reception for sponsors of the Covent Garden Festival at the salubrious Garrick Club. We were booked to perform in the foyer and on the grand staircase.
As everyone was crammed into the reception room, we ended up mostly amusing the catering staff in the basement kitchen.
However, on one of our forays onto the stairs, a mischievous looking chap suggested we were in the wrong place and indicated a large door.
Of course, we went through and found ourselves face to face with the Princess. Chaos ensued, in which Diana joined enthusiastically. We heard the festival director hissing furiously ‘Get them out of here!’
Apparently, the invasion of a band of comical aliens had upset the strictly timed meet and greet system being employed.
We received a stiff letter from the director, in which he demanded to know which member of his staff had let us into the reception.
I didn’t let on that the naughty culprit was none other than Ned Sherrin, guest of honour at the event!
Ralph Oswick was artistic director of Natural Theatre for 45 years and is now an active patron of Bath Comedy Festival