Where are they now? Yours chats to Nerys Hughes
Ever wondered what happened to the stars of yesteryear? We chat to Liver Birds and District Nurse actress Nerys Hughes
When Nerys Hughes was asked to take over from Pauline Collins for the part of Sandra Hutchinson after the first series of The Liver Birds, she became an instant hit. Her rapport with on-screen housemate Polly James was so wonderful it often had us in stitches and was so successful it lasted a whole decade (1969-1979). “That was a wonderful series to be involved with,” says Nerys. “Carla Lane wrote more than a script; it was a way of life and so many people identified it.”
But Nerys’ acting career began much earlier than The Liver Birds. Having grown up in the Welsh seaside resort of Rhyl, Nerys took a teaching and drama course and, at the end of three years, entered and won a competition for a six-month contract with BBC Radio. From there, Nerys worked with the RSC at the Stratford Theatre Festival and the following year made her TV debut on Dixon of Dock Green. “Acting comes very naturally to me,” she says. “I’ve found challenging roles of course but mostly I’ve been very lucky. I never found it that difficult.”
But it was in 1964 when her really big break came, with director Ken Loach casting her in a series called Diary of a Young Man.
The Liver Birds followed, in which she not only became a household name, but also made a firm friend in the form of Polly James who played alongside her. “Polly is the godmother of my daughter and I’m still friends with her today,” she says.
After that, in 1984 another successful part landed on Nerys’ lap as she joined the cast of The District Nurse, set in a poverty-stricken mining town during the Twenties.
Julia Smith, who went on to write EastEnders, conceived and wrote the part for Nerys. So convincing was her depiction of the district nurse Megan Roberts, she regularly received letters from viewers with various ailments asking for her advice. “One said, ‘I’m 40 years old and I keep wetting my bed... what shall I do?’ I didn’t know if he was having me on, but some viewers definitely thought I really knew what I was doing.”
Since then, Nerys (76), has gueststarred in Doctor Who, received an Outstanding Contribution to Television Award and most recently appeared on a celebrity edition of Pointless. And she still has hopes for more fabulous roles to come.
“If I got offered a part that was really interesting, deep and relevant, I’d love to do it, but I don’t get offered parts like that,” admits Nerys. “People remember The Liver Birds, which was so long ago. I get offered the odd comedy thing, but I don’t usually find them very funny. I choose to do less mainstream things because they’re more flexible. It’s lovely to still be asked though.”
In the meantime, her main focus these days is her son Ben, a film cameraman like his father, Patrick Turley, her daughter, Mari-Claire, a personal trainer and their respective families. “My life is nothing like when I was working non-stop – I didn’t have a minute then – but it’s still quite full and rich, mainly because I’m very involved with my family who come before everything.”
So convincing was her depiction of the district nurse Megan Roberts, Nerys regularly received letters from viewers with various ailments asking for her advice.