Doctors Three comedy legends turn up in Letherbridge!
AS A TRIO OF COMEDY LEGENDS ARRIVES IN LETHERBRIDGE, A CRAZY LOVE TRIANGLE IS SET TO CAUSE CHAOS……
Dr Sid is in for a treat this week, after he’s called to a local sheltered housing unit to visit Ronnie – played by Chuckle Brother Paul Elliott – and check out his gallbladder. But Ronnie’s medical issues are the least of his problems, as he’s embroiled in flings with his neighbours Mary and Jean – played by Hi-de-hi! stars Su Pollard and Ruth Madoc! We found out more from the hilarious guest stars themselves…
SU POLLARD MARY DUNLOP Welcome to Doctors, Su! Can you tell us a little bit about Mary?
Well, me and my old mate Ruth [who plays Jean] are vying for the attentions of this chap called Ronnie – played by another old friend of ours, Paul Chuckle! Ronnie thinks he’s dying, but is he? It’s fabulous! The three of us go back a long way, so it’s been such good fun to be together.
Tell us about Mary’s costume…
It represents a Greenham Common lady – they were women protesting against nuclear weapons in the 1980s. Mary is a free spirit who wears pantaloons and bright Doc Martens. Mary’s probably not much removed from Su, to be honest!
It’s your first time on Doctors – what do you make of the show?
It was really nice to be asked. It’s a thing off the list, I’ve done Doctors! Everyone here is excellent – although I’m hardly likely to say they’re the biggest bunch of swines, am I? We’ve had a great welcome!
Hi-de-hi! was a huge BBC comedy – do you mind being asked about it?
No! We were really fortunate to get into a great show like that. We had such good material to work with. We learned how to be disciplined, but also how to have fun. The guys at Doctors know the same feeling – it’s a fabulous bonus!
RUTH MADOC JEAN MARCH Hello Ruth! We understand that you’re a big fan of Doctors?
I am! I watch it and I think it’s lovely. I love how the stories go on for about three or four episodes, and I’m sure the viewers like that too. Sometimes I miss out on storylines if I’m working – but I’ve been catching up from Lorna [Laidlaw, who plays Mrs Tembe] today!
You have guest-starred in the show once before, haven’t you?
Yes – I was in it about three years ago, playing a woman with Alzheimer’s Disease. So this is very different, and very joyous. Not that the other role wasn’t joyous to play, but we’ve had quite a few laughs doing this one. Mary and Jean really play Ronnie along, and there’s quite a bit of comedy…
Do you still enjoy working now that you’re into your seventies?
I do! I’m going out on a long tour for [Take That star] Gary Barlow, who’s written the music for Calendar Girls. I’m doing that for 60 weeks – at my age, don’t laugh! I’m really looking forward to that.
How have you found it being reunited with Su again after all these years?
Well, we’ve not worked together since Hi-de-hi!. We’ve always kept in touch, and have done a lot of interview programmes together, so it’s been a joy to have roles together again. I don’t know what the rest of the cast have thought – we’ve had a few laughs, I have to admit!