Paul O’Grady’s close friend, Nigel Havers, has explained how the Birkenhead stars took no notice of his life-saving advice. The legendary entertainers enjoyed a strong bond and off stage as they regularly performed together in the legendary London Palladium pantomimes.
Nigel told the ECHO in an exclusive interview he was devastated when the Lily Savage star died aged 67 in 2023 from a sudden cardiac arrhythmia. He said: “I kept telling him, ‘Stop smoking’. And he kept saying, ‘F**k off’. He wouldn’t stop smoking and what can you do. He had a couple of heart attacks already. He’d rather smoke than live, he said.”
Nigel treasures the many fond memories he made with Paul on and off stage as he said it was always a joy to be in the company of the iconic entertainer. He added: “On stage with him was amazing because he’d just do whatever came into his head.
“One night he did a whole diatribe on stage about how much he hated panto and how much the pantomimes were so ridiculous. He used to say when we did panto together, ‘I f*****g hate panto.’ all the time.
He added: “He always said how much he hated doing it and he did it every year.” Nigel spoke to the ECHO as he prepares to bring his new one man show, Talking B*ll*cks, to the Liverpool Playhouse this Saturday.
Speaking about the show’s loose structure, he said: “It’s never the same. Its got no rehearsal, it’s just me talking b******s. The show’s have been going great, we’ve been really busy, it’s been full and I don’t know why people turn up.
“I say to people, ‘You could be at home watching telly’, and I list all the things they’re missing when they’re watching me. I’ve been going on stage my whole life, but it’s just great to go on and not have to learn any lines. I can just talk b******s, it’s just wonderful. I just talk to the audience, it’s the most wonderful thing.”
No topic will be off bounds as Nigel said he will address the good and the bad from his career in the show next week. He explained his tour manager has been winding him up with references to his stint on I’m A Celebrity in 2010, which saw him walk out of the ITV show, following a row about Bushtucker Trials.
He said: “He keeps playing that music from the show. He just does it randomly, just to upset me. So one night, I went off and I thumped him.
“I can assure you he’ll do it when I come to Liverpool. He plays this b****y music and it drives me mad. That’s the sort of evening you’re in for. God knows what we’ll get up to.”
The show is particularly special to Nigel as he is returning to the city which played a part in his career highlight. Nigel’s most notable role is as the star of Chariots of Fire, and many scenes of the 1981 Oscar winning classic were filmed in Merseyside.
Nigel is looking forward to returning to the region this weekend and revealed this will be the first time he has performed in a Liverpool theatre.
He said: “Liverpool people are always up for a laugh and they have a reputation for being a great audience so I’m looking forward to that. I’ll tell a few Liverpool jokes obviously and I’ll try and do the accent. But they’re a great crowd and I know they’ll be fantastic.”