Poet Pam laments her early ‘folksy’ image
IT WAS the television talent show that was to launch her career more than 40 years ago, but Pam Ayres has admitted that her big break on Opportunity Knocks may not have been as welcome as she first thought.
The poet and comedian revealed she had mixed feelings about her success in the competition, as she feels the way she was presented on the programme contributed to her being “pigeonholed”
during her career. Ayres, 71, won the competition hosted by Hughie Green in 1975 for her recitals of humorous self-penned poems such as Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth.
Ayres, known for her distinctive rural Berkshire accent, went on to publish six books of poetry, host her own TV show and toured theatres around the world with her live show.
Other poets including John Cooper Clarke have cited her success on the programme as an inspiration to start their own careers.
During an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs yesterday, Ayres was asked by host Kirsty Young for her memories of her victory.
Ayres said: “I’ve got mixed feelings about it really. Because I was very gullible at the time, I was very green. Because of my accent they gave me this rubbishy old set, this comfy old armchair, and a teapot with a knitted tea cosy on it.
“It just made me look really folksy, where I didn’t necessarily want to look like that. Because of my accent, you get pigeon-holed.”
Among the tracks Ayres chose were The Times They Are a-Changin’ by Bob Dylan, Independence Day by Bruce Springsteen and Simply the Best by Tina Turner.