I’M DOING THIS FOR MY GRANDKIDS
MAUREEN LIPMAN
plays a grandmother comforting her grandson over his failed exams, perking up when he reveals one of the few he passed was sociology.
“An ology? He gets an ology and says he’s failed. You get an ology and you’re a scientist!” she reassures him.
DESPITE her jolly finale to 2016 Maureen has had to mourn the loss of several famous friends this year. They include much-loved comedienne Victoria Wood who died from cancer in April and whose memorial service she attended in London in July. “It’s been a horrible year and it’s a very frightening time politically in the world too,” she adds. “But at the same time we also have to be optimistic about the good things in life – which is not something I’m particularly gifted at. And we have to laugh and show our children that we’re not afraid. But none of this is easy.”
What she does find effortless is taking time off between panto performances. “I had Monday off last week and I was exhausted. But that’s the whole point – if you don’t suffer you don’t enjoy pleasure.
“I lay on the sofa with my dogs, watched three movies and Planet Earth and ate things I shouldn’t eat. But I was so appreciative of all those simple pleasures.”
Once she’s hung up her Wicked Fairy costume in early January she’s planning a short rest before returning to stage and screen.
“I hope I’ll continue to work, I want to. There’s always new stuff for an old dog. I thoroughly enjoyed doing Plebs last and I’m hoping back in.
“I’ll also be doing a documentary up in Hull about people getting over various traumas and I quite liked doing Have I Got News For You too so perhaps that will come up again.
“I’m not exactly on the A-list but the B-list keeps me working so that’s good. There’s always something for me to do.”
With that our interview comes to a close because the next “something” she must do is channelling her evil genius for a matinee performance as the Wicked Fairy. year in Bulgaria they’ll write me
Maureen Lipman is appearing in Sleeping Beauty at the Richmond Theatre until January 8. For more information visit agttickets.com