The following interview took place at the Lathom Slipway pub in Burscough, West Lancashire on August 12^th 1996.  Freddie played the birdwatcher who endured one of Foggy’s war stories at the beginning of ‘Once in a Moonlit Junkyard’.

M:     Good Evening Freddie.  Thank you for sparing the time for this interview.  I can see from the pub that you’re pretty busy

  F:      That’s no problem Mike, it’s nice to meet you.

M:     I’d like to talk to you about your appearance in ‘Last of the Summer Wine’, but first can we start at the very beginning.  How did you first become involved in show business?

F:      Well, my grandparents were involved and my mother was a dancer, so it developed from there really.  From being a young child I was made to tell jokes.

M:     What did you do before you became involved in show business?

F:      I’ve always been involved in show business.  I started off as a Redcoat at Butlins and it all developed from there.

M:     How did you get the part in Summer Wine?

F:      I went along to see Alan Bell and he offered me the part of the birdwatcher.

M:     Do you watch Summer Wine?  If so, have you watched it from the beginning?

F:      Yes, I always try to watch it when possible.  Actually in 1982 I went into theatrical management and came up with the idea of a ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ film.  I went along to see Roy Clarke and his agent but nothing came of it.

M:     Really, that’s very interesting.  Perhaps you sparked the idea of the TV film, ‘Getting Sam Home’, that was made the following year.  What are your thoughts on Roy Clarke’s writing?

F:      He’s a very skilled man.  He’s done so much …… ‘Summer Wine’, ‘Open All Hours’, etc …..

M:     Did you know that the programme is about to celebrate its 25^th anniversary?

F:      Really, that’s amazing.  No other country could keep a comedy series running so long.  It seems as though it could run for ever.

M:     Do you have a favourite character in the series?

F:      I was very fond of John Comer as Sid.  John was a great mate.  He was originally part of a double act called ‘The Comer Brothers’ and they appeared in quite a few movies, and also in quite a few of my pantomimes.  My favourite character however is Compo as played by my old mate Bill Owen.

M:     So you also know Bill?

F:      Yes, I’ve known him for years.  In 1972 he wrote a song for me called ‘So Lucky’.  It was a huge hit in South America and is presently becoming something of a cult record on Radio Merseyside, I do have copies on sale her in the pub!  When Bill was playing Dame in pantomime he came to me for Dame instruction.

M:     Do you have any other Summer Wine friends?

F:      Oh yes.  I was a great friend of Michael Bates, Blamire from the original trio.  We were in panto together shortly before he died.  He was the funniest  man off stage that I’ve ever met.  He was a great mimic.  I’ve just remembered a really funny story regarding Michael.  Would you like to hear it?

  M:     Oh yes please.

F:      Well, Michael went along for an audition for the part of Field Marshall Montgomery in the film ‘Patton for Glory’.  After the audition the director told Michael that he didn’t think he was suitable for the role and Michael was rather disappointed.  When Michael got home he phoned the director and did a great impersonation of Montgomery.  He told the director that he had heard about the movie and that they had better find a good actor to portray him or he would sue them.  The director was so shaken that he got straight on the phone and offered the part to Michael (laughter).

  M:     Did you know any other members of the cast before you appeared on the programme?

F:      Yes I’ve met and worked with most of the Summer Wine cast.

M:     You appeared on screen with Bill and Brian Wilde.  Were any other members of the cast around?

F:      No, it was just Bill, Brian and myself that day.

M:     How long did your scenes take to film?

F:      It took us half a day to film my scenes.

M:     You filmed your scenes in Marsden near the church, did you visit Holmfirth while you were over there?

F:      No Unfortunately I didn’t make Holmfirth.

M:     Are there any funny stories that you can recall about the time you spent filming?

F:      Not really.  Apart from the fact that Bill was really surprised to see me as he didn’t know I was appearing in the episode.

M:     Would you like to appear again in a future episode, perhaps a bigger role next time?

F:      It’s funny you should ask that.  I received a phone call last Wednesday asking if I’d like to appear in the new series.  Unfortunately I was busy and couldn’t make it over there.  I would like to appear again though.  I’m looking forward to the day when I’m actually old enough to appear as a regular.

M:     What do you do to relax?

F:      I like to play golf when I get the chance.

M:     What type of things do you like to watch on television?

F:      I’m a great soap fan – ‘Coronation Street’ and ‘Eastenders’.  I also like comedy, but there are so few good sitcoms over here.  I like ‘Summer Wine’ and ‘Men Behaving Badly’.  I really like American comedy – my favourite is ‘Cybill’.

M:     I see you had Jim Bowen appearing here a few weeks ago.  Did you know that he’s made quite a few appearances in Summer Wine?

F:      No I didn’t.  What role did he play?

M:     He played a man in the street in the 1988 Christmas special ‘CRUMS’ and then returned a few times as a library employee who always ended up throwing Foggy out!  So it seems as though you’ve both had run ins with the great warrior.

F:      Really.  I’ve actually known Jim for quite a while now.  We’ve worked together on the QE2 where he plays in a jazz band.

M:     Recently you’ve appeared in quite a few TV programmes including ‘Casualty’.  Are we likely to see more of you on our screens in the near future?

F:      Yes I’ve just made a programme for BBC2 called ‘Mange Tout’ about a deaf boy.  I’ve also just made an appearance in the new series of ‘Hetty Wainthrop’ with the wonderful Patricia Routledge.  I play a chip shop owner who holds the key to the mystery.  My latest film ‘Funny Bones’ has just been released on video.

M:     What made you decide to run a pub?

F:      I’ve been thinking about it for several years now and have been looking around the country for the right one.  We came to see this one and it seemed absolutely perfect. 

M:     Well that’s about all that I’ve got to ask you for now.  Thank you for sparing the time Freddie, it’s been really interesting and informative talking to you.

F:      It’s my pleasure Mike.  I’ve really enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you again soon.