CELEBRITIES ON BARGES – WHAT COULD GO WRONG…?
Celebrity Carry On Barging sounds very Alan Partridge to us – but Lorraine Chase, 65, Nigel Havers, 65, Debbie Mcgee, 58, and Simon Callow, 67, loved messing about on the river
Celebrity Carry On Barging sounds fun! What’s in store? Lorraine Chase: We had a couple of kerfuffles! nigel havers: The main one being when Simon [Callow, who sadly wasn’t able to be at our interview] crashed into the riverbank, which smashed the crockery. It’s sometimes too late to react at four or five miles an hour… You were paired up on separate boats; Lorraine with simon, Debbie with nigel. Did you all get on? Lorraine: I felt privileged to be sharing a boat with lovely Simon but I don’t think he knew what to make of me. I also think that at first I was quite irritating! Debbie Mcgee: It was surreal being thrown together and we did all have a nice time, but it was a job. We weren’t on holiday. nigel: We worked very hard. Debbie, this was your first Tv adventure without your husband Paul [Daniels, who died last March]. how did you find that? Debbie: We filmed in September and my grief was very new at that time. But we were so busy I didn’t have a minute to think about anything other than what we were doing. Wasn’t your first date with Paul actually spent on the norfolk broads? Debbie: Boating was a big part of our lives. We were both qualified helmsmen and one exam short of a captain. We went on lots of boating holidays and in the summer we’d go out on the river for an hour in the evening. Did you do any card tricks for your co-stars? Debbie: Magic was never my thing but I did learn a repertoire of about six tricks. Since Paul died, magic hasn’t been an area I could go down – but because the four of us got on so well I did perform a trick on the last day. I was nervous, but I adored the three of them and felt it would add something a bit special. nigel climbed aboard with a suitcase full of wine. Did it turn into a booze cruise, then? Debbie: I’m sure the show will try to make it look like that, but it wasn’t. We’re not in our 20s! Would you do another barging holiday? Debbie: I love boats but I like the social side of sitting outside, having your lunch on deck. The problem with any kind of canal boat is that the space is very cramped… nigel: I thought I might buy a speedboat, but I haven’t fallen into that trap yet. Buying a boat is like standing in the shower and tearing up £50 notes. What about another holiday together? nigel: If they said to us: “Would the four of you like to do another trip?” then the answer would be yes. We had really good fun. Debbie: I was shy, but we got to know each other quickly. We’d jump on the boats and go: “Are those two up? Can we have a cup of tea?”