Eddington, countryman at heart

Press, 27 May 1981, Page 21

Eddington, countryman at heart

Paul Eddington's favourite clothes are ■ neat checked trousers, smart sports jacket, and matching tie and handkerchief — just the sort of garb a politician might wear when opening a garden party in one of the smarter country constituencies. Which is perhaps hardly surprising: to millions Paul is their favourite politician: the harassed junior government minister Hacker, in “Yes, Minister," television’s hit politicial comedy.

“In a way, it’s an extension of the Jerry Leadbeatter character in ‘The Good Life’,” he explains. “But, whereas in that, the action seemed to skirt around me, here I’m right in the middle.” But Paul is anxious to point out that his suave, sophisticated look should not be taken to mean that his career as an actor has been easy. There has been more than a fair share of tough movements. But throughout he

By Rupert Butler, Features International.

’ Paul confesses to being “immensely flattered’’ by the praise he's received from political commentators, who say that his performance as a ’ junior minister battling against the civil servants in his department is uncannily like the real thing. Strangely, although he’s made his name playing smooth executive types, 53-year-old Paul is still a countryman at heart. He was brought up on a Worcestershire farm. “It’s ironic that of the four of us in 'The Good Life,’ I was probably the only one who could have made a go of selfsufficiency in real life," he said. “I was the only one likely to enjoy that kind' of thing." All 'of which is worlds away from the intrigues of parliamentary .life in which he's embroiled in “Yes, Minister.”

“Hacker,” explains Paul, “is a smoothy whom the Whitehall mandarins are trying constantly to unsmooth.” Not that he minds that, because he admits that the Hacker role is the sort of thing he does best.

was. supported by the faith of his wife, Patricia. Paul recalls: “During one heart-breaking period, the point came when I was determined to give it all up. A plumb job with a petrol company was dangled in front of me. “Patricia’s reaction was characteristic. She said: ‘lf you take it, I leave! You’ve got the talent to succeed’,” He declined the job. Soon afterwards he got his first break, playing Will Scarlett in the “Robin Hood” series starring Richard Greene. In those days, nobody, as he freely admits, knew or particularly cared who Paul Eddington 'was. "Today, people greet you as if you were an old friend. One lady asked for my autograph and then said in a totally matter-of-fact voice: ‘You’re my forty-fifth favourite actor.’

“I could only laugh and be thankful that at least I had made her top 50! “Another woman told me how marvellous I was in ‘Just Minister’ — then added that before that I had been frighfully wooden!”