Why fame is no joke to comedian Peter Bowles

Press, 27 December 1979, Page 11

Why fame is no joke to comedian Peter Bowles

He ha< made his name as a television comedv star, hut Peter Bogles wants to hr taken seriously too . . .

Six months ago, he was a vaguely familiar IV face to which comparatively few people could put a name- Today, thanks to

the current smash-hit comedy senes "Only When I Laugh," 43-year-old Peter Bowles ts a star. It has certainly been a busy year for him. First, "To The Manor Born," in which he co-starred with Penelope Keith, roared up the ratings. And now "Only When I Laugh" proves that his star quality' is no tiuke. Ahead;, second series of

botn shows are well under way, but fame is no joke for Peter Bowles. He does not want us to forget that he is a serious actor too, and wants to do some classic dramas by Ibsen and Chekhov to prove it. A far cry from Glover in "Only When I Laugh.” and Richard de Vere. the grocer who bought a stately home in “To The Manor Born.” Peter Bowles did, in fact, siart life "to the manor born," butbehe did not actually live in the manor, but in a thatched

cottage in the grounds of a beautiful home in Upper Boddington, Warwickshire. H i s father was valet-chauffeur and his mother nanny to the family. Little Peter was allowed into the big house occasionally to play with the children, and sometimes given a ride in one of the elegant RollsRoyces his father drove. Later, though, when dad gave up his job as chauffeur to become a RollsRoyce engineer, he moved to a council house in Nottingham, and it is of this

that he has the most vivid memories. "Even in those far-off days," he says, "I was always acting. I can still remember when 1 was about seven, I entered a talent contest without telling anyone. I sang a song and won third prize which was half-a-crown — quite a bit of money then. "I didn’t have the speaking voice 1 have now. of course. I used the local accent, because I'd never have survived with the other lads if I'd tried to talk ’posh.’ • "But even so, I was always the star of the class When it came to verse speaking, or reading aloud, or taking part in end-of-term plays. "It never occurred to me to become a professional actor, though, until I was about 15, and it was announced at a school prize-giving that a former pupil had won an award at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. “I suddenly realized that you could actually do what 1 enjoyed most, and get paid for it. 1 "I applied for an audition at the R.A.D.A.. got in, and, as my parents could only afford to support me for one term, won a scholarship. Thank God I did, or my life might have taken a different course entirely. ‘‘My mother was always very encouraging about my acting ambitions, but my father thought it was a pretty insecure way to earn a living. He still does. "He’s right, of course, for I've often been out of work in the past. And

when you have children (he has three teen-agers), it can be very worrying." He first met his wife, the former actress Susan Bennett, when he was at R.A.D.A. “But it wasn't until 1959, when we were both with the Bristol Old Vic Company that I really got to know her. I knew I wanted to marry her immediately — in fact 1 proposed to her 24 hours after our first date, but she just laughed and turned me down flat, “She kept on turning me down for quite a long time, but then eventually she decided I must be serious, and said 'Yes.' Now, I take great pleasure in pointing out to her how right 1 was, and how well it's worked. “It’s funny,” he smiled, “I m often accused of having ‘rakish’ looks, and I’ve often played philanderers, but I’ve never been the type to go after other women. I really am happiest at home with the family.” Sudden fame has brought him a fair number of fan letters from women. “They are very complimentary,” he says modestly. “And I love reading them.” With two hit television series to his credit, and a play in London’s West End in the New Year, Peter Bowles says he wants to do even more serious tehatre work. “I’m very fond of both Chekhov and Ibsen,” he said, “and I'd like to be able to draw an audience without just playing for laughs. A change would be nice.”