Horror in Vegas left us in shock but we refused to fly home. We just didn’t want to let anyone down Star Su says US show had to go on
Former Hi- de- Hi! star Su Pollard has revealed how she got caught up in the Las Vegas shooting massacre.
The 68-year- old was filming in the city when a gunman shot dead 58 people from a hotel window.
High-stakes gambler Stephen Paddock launched the slaughter from the window of his suite at Mandalay Bay last October.
He also injured hundreds more revellers before killing himself in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.
Su was making ITV reality show Last Laugh In Vegas with variety legends Cannon and Ball, Bernie Clifton and Anita Harris when horror struck.
The comedy actress told how producer Frank Marino offered to fly the cast home to the UK the day after the outrage.
But they were determined to finish their project despite being left in a state of shock.
Su, who also starred in You Rang, M’Lord?, said: “They sent us out and about on the programme and filmed us doing various activities so we were away from the incident.
“We didn’t hear about it all until the next morning and it was on the news. What a shock that was.
“There we were in Vegas and it was happening. It was a very disturbing couple of hours.
“Frank came over to the house where we were all staying and discussed it with us.
“He said, ‘Look, I understand if you all want to go home.’ But we all said no. People need entertainment more than ever.
“They closed the strip for one night out of respect and then all the artists went back to their shows.
“We kept saying to the Americans we saw, ‘ You’ll be all right, just stick together.’ It has never happened in Vegas before and hopefully it will never happen again.”
Su is an old-school entertainer but she is certainly not afraid to try something new.
Exploring new opportunities was what took her to Nevada.
It’s why she is now heading to Edinburgh for her first Fringe festival.
The actress and singer will hit the boards with a show which is different from anything she has done before.
Harpy, a one-woman play created for her by awardwinning writer Philip Meeks, is about an obsessive hoarder called Birdie. The festival has previously been off limits to her because she was always filming. But Su – whose role as chalet maid Peggy Ollerenshaw in Hi- de-Hi! made her a household name in 80s – thinks her latest project was worth the wait. She said: “I’m delighted. When you’re doing something like Hi- de-Hi! constantly for something like 10 years and other things like You Rang, M’Lord?, it’s never quite the right moment. That’s all behind me now, much as I love it.
“You do different things and this is another little departure, another little avenue which I’m really excited about.
“This play is really good – it’s thought- provoking, quite touching, lots of fun in places.
“I’ve never done Edinburgh before and I’ve never done a one-woman play.”
Harpy is at the Underbelly Cowgate venue from August 2 to 26. The plot explores what t r iggered the character’s obsession with keeping things others regard as rubbish.
Su’s research was on her own doorstep. She said: “There’s a lady about three streets away from me who’s a hoarder. Aspects of her story are in the play.
“When I saw her, she was like, ‘Hello dear, how are you? I can’t really invite you in as it’s a bit cluttered.’ You can imagine.”
If Su has hoarded anything, it is professional credits in a career which just keeps on going. As well as her sitcom appearances, she has been on stage in pantos and musicals and has popped up on TV in shows such as Benidorm and Strictly Come Dancing.
She added: “I like to think it’s because people can trust me to deliver value for money.
“It’s all about how you project yourself over the years and how you want to be known as reliable.
“I’m just hoping to carry on doing the best work I can. That’s the point for me.”