| Su
exudes an infectious energy that keeps her
constantly moving. In fact, she finds it
extremely hard to keep still. Her hands
gesticulate as she talks, seemingly conducting
the chinking coming from the plethora of faux
diamond necklaces, cascading down her chest. It’s
a warm day, she’s wearing shorts and a plain
white t-shirt, marguerite rimmed glasses and
dangling diamond clusters from her ears.
Strangely it’s only her odd socks that look
out of place as she puts the kettle on in her
North London home. “I’ve
always liked things like this,” she says
tugging at her necklace, “and I mean this is
just to wear round the house!”
“When I went to the
interview for Peggy, I saw Jimmy Perry at his
house in Westminster. He answered the door and
said, “No thank you!” He must have
thought, good god, who the bloody hell is this. I
thought I looked fabulous but I must have looked
a right sight; covered in patchouli oil, scarves
tied round my wrists because I liked all that at
the time and a bowler hat with a feather in it.
That’s quite imaginative I suppose. I just
have an eye for the bizarre. Even if it doesn’t
look fabulous, I don’t care.”
Su is inevitably remembered as
dithery chalet maid ‘Peggy’ from the
1980s sit-com Hi De Hi, but the show which ran
for 58 episodes represents but a fraction of her
thirty year career. Since it ended in 1988 she’s
recorded two albums, written a book, made a
video, toured with her one-woman show and starred
in countless theatre productions up and down the
country.
“I’m definitely a
perfectionist. I always think if you can get 100%
that’s fabulous, but you must try for 110. I
do like to prepare though, preparation is
everything,” she says, waving her hand
towards an extensively tagged script.
For the past month Su has been
in Lincoln starring as the wicked queen in the
pantomime Snow White, just one of many theatres
she has performed in over the last year playing
Miss Hannigan in Annie and Ruth in The Pirates Of
Penzance. In many respects Su prefers the theatre
to television; there’s more freedom, it’s
a work in progress and offers the chance to
improve on previous performances. There has been
talk of her returning to our screens but she’s
turned down numerous sit-coms because she feels
the scripts aren’t up to scratch.
“I just like to do what I
feel is a good vehicle, it doesn’t
necessarily have to be a star vehicle but it’s
got to be good work. I don’t like doing
rubbish. I still get offered things I did thirty
years ago and I think, I’ve been there, done
that, what satisfaction am I going to get?”
Now 53 but looking much
younger, Su takes care of herself by skipping and
taking vitamins although this doesn’t
entirely account for her boundless energy.
“I’ve been dead lucky.
I’ve always had a zest for life simply
because I’ve always lived for the now. It’s
no good getting excited about something that’s
happening in November if it’s only August. I’ve
got to enjoy every single day I have because they
don’t come again.”
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Su is
equally unequivocal when it comes to her personal
philosophies. “Work
hard, play hard in equal measures and be
responsible for yourself. If you feel you’ve
done everything that you could for yourself in
your own life, you’re doing a good job, but
you do have to establish some sort of route or
growth with yourself otherwise you just dither.
If you don’t stretch yourself you don’t
know how you will tackle things. You don’t
know your own strength or what you’re
capable of.”
Su hasn’t any children but
she’s never regretted her decision. “Absolutely
not; drive me nuts! I know people say you can
have it all if you plan, but being a mother is a
full-time job. You’ve got to give that child
all the support and security and let’s face
it, if you have a funny childhood, you’re
stuffed up. So many people are dysfunctional. I
didn’t want that sort of responsibility, I
wanted a career. I don’t think its being
selfish, I’m just trying to realise my
potential with the talent I’ve been given.
Let’s face it, more and more people get
divorced and then what happens to the kids? Too
hard, I think, no thank you. I baby-sit for
anybody anytime because I enjoy that, but that’s
all the involvement I want.”
Unsurprisingly, Su’s life
has been full of capers. Her stage debut in a
school nativity play saw her fall through the box
she was standing on as she announced the arrival
of Angel Gabriel. She came second to a singing
Jack Russell in her first television appearance
on Opportunity Knocks and her ex-husband, Peter
Keogh proposed to her whilst she was dressed as
an insect, filming an episode of Hi De Hi.
“When he asked me to marry
him I said, “Don’t be so ridiculous!”
Then I had to go straight on, dressed as a
centipede, banging a pair of bongos. I came back
and said, “What did you say?” It was
weird, but it was great. Bless, I thought, that’s
a funny proposal. I’m glad I got married. It’s
one of those things isn’t it, sometimes they
last, sometimes they don’t.”
Su hasn’t had much luck
with men. “I’m hopeless, hopeless,
hopeless at choosing blokes. I always have been.
Suddenly I think to myself, what am I doing with
him, this is ridiculous. So I’ve decided to
give myself a break and maybe I’ll suddenly
meet somebody marvellous. I don’t seem to
have met anybody I feel is equal enough, in terms
of liking the same things. It’s very
difficult to meet somebody unless they’re an
actor and I’ve never gone out with actors.
Their egos are right out here, but at the moment
it’s nice not to have any involvement that
takes me away from my focus, especially when I’m
touring.”
“I’ve been very
unfortunate with the chaps I’ve met. Sadly,
two of them have kissed and told which I can’t
bear. I just hate that, so I think I’ve got
to be really careful, but you’ll be the
first to know if I get ensconced in a romance. I
might stick it on my website and say hey, guess
what guys! Mind you, I might not. I might just
keep him under wraps.”
BritishExPat.com
April 2003
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