I used to put leopard print on just to get recognised
Birds of a Feather star on fame
BIRDS of a Feather star Lesley Joseph has revealed she used to get in a flap when people didn’t recognise her from the hit show.
The 78-year-old is best known for playing sex-obsessed Dorien Green in the hit sitcom.
And Lesley admits that in the early days of the show, she would often go home and put on a loud leopardprint outfit, like her character wore, so she could get people’s attention.
She said: “The first episode went out to millions of people and nobody recognised me in the street.
“So I said, ‘OK, I’m going to do something about this!’ and I went home, put on leopard-skin and my make-up, and walked the street again. Then people stopped me.”
Birds of a Feather – which also starred Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson as sisters Sharon and Tracey – ran on the BBC from 1989 to 1998 and was revived on ITV from 2014 to 2020. In its heyday, it would regularly attract 20 million viewers.
Lesley said: “The first time I realised how big Birds was when I was on the loo in a restaurant.
“Somebody knocked on the door and put their hands under with a pen and paper, saying, ‘Would you sign this, please?’”
Recalling her first meeting with her co-stars, she added: “It was 1988 and we were taken to The Ritz. I’ll always remember Pauline was wearing trainers and Linda put sparkling water in her Champagne.”
Lesley, who took part in Strictly in 2016, is currently appearing in the stage musical of Sister Act alongside soul legend Beverley Knight.
And she has just been announced as the new trustee of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund, which supports actors who cannot work because of illness, injury or old age, as well as youngsters who are struggling to make it in the industry.
Lesley said of the charity, which has the King as its patron: “It’s in everybody’s interest that the Government keeps the arts going. I know a lot of people that have had
real problems and I just want to say that if you’re having a really hard time and your back is against the wall, this charity is there to help you.”
Find out more about the fund at actorsbenevolentfund.co.uk