::  SuOnline main page  ::  The only place to find Official News & Information - Direct from Su  ::  Su Pollard News Archive

 

April 30, 2006: Su on 'Loose Women' tomorrow
Su will be guesting on Loose Women tomorrow, Bank Holiday Monday. As mentioned below this is a pre-recorded appearance.

Check back later this week for a selection of screen captures from the show.

Loose Women : ITV1 - Monday 1st May : 1.30pm

April 30, 2006: Su on TV - More 'You Rang, M'Lord?'
You Rang, M'Lord? : UKTV Drama - Saturday 13th May : 10.00am
You Rang, M'Lord? : UKTV Drama - Sunday 14th May : 2.35am
Trouble at Mill. Series 2, episode 2. Classic comedy from Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also gave the world 'Dad's Army'. A very important person is coming to dinner, but Teddy's flirtatious nature has caused a crisis at the mill. Starring: Paul Shane, Su Pollard, and Jeffrey Holland.

See below for next weekend's You Rang, M'Lord air times.

April 30, 2006: Su newsy bits & pieces!
• Su recorded an appearance for Loose Women at the end of the week. This is scheduled to air on Monday.

• Su then took to the skies. Yes, she has jetted off to Spain on holiday.

• Su was spotted at the opening night of the musical Footloose, at the Novello Theatre (formerly The Strand) in London. Su had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the show.

April 30, 2006: 'Visit Norfolk' - 
Dad's Army Special at Bressingham  (24 April 2006)

The Dad's Army Appreciation Society has announced a special event at Bressingham Steam Museum, home of the Dad's Army Experience. The event on Sunday, May 14, will feature Jimmy Perry and David Croft "Dads Army's" co-writers, along with Su Pollard of "Hi Di Hi" fame and Donald Hewlett from "It Aint Half Hot Mum". 

[ Source: www.visitnorfolk.co.uk - 24th April 2006 ]

April 23, 2006: 'Rubbish' magazine - Launch issue
Rubbish MagazineSu is interviewed in the launch issue of new magazine 'Rubbish'.

It may sound like some media practical joke, but Volume 1 is out now, with an exclusive Su article...

Rubbish - "It's what everyone's talking about"

[ Please click on the screenshot to visit the 'Rubbish' website ]

April 23, 2006: Su on TV
Hi-De-Hi! : RTÉ 1 - Thursday 20th April: 1.55pm
Orphan Of The Storm. Series 8, episode 3. Peggy has been sacked by Alec Foster, it seems that none of her friends can help her. Then rescue comes from an unexpected quarter. Starring: Paul Shane, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland, Su Pollard, and David Griffin.

Hi-De-Hi! : RTÉ 1 - Thursday 4th May: 1.55pm
God Bless Our Family. Series 8, episode 4. Clive’s family descend on the camp with the intent of trying to persuade him to return to the fold. They bargain without the culture shock of Maplin’s. Starring: Paul Shane, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland, Su Pollard, and David Griffin.

You Rang, M'Lord? : UKTV Drama - Saturday 6th May : 10.00am
You Rang, M'Lord? : UKTV Drama - Sunday 7th May : 2.35am
You Rang, M'Lord? : UKTV Drama - Sunday 7th May : 5.10am
Labour of Love. Series 2, episode 1. Lord Meldrum gives Teddy an ultimatum - marry Madge Cartwright or be sent to work in his factory. Teddy thinks it’s a bluff but finds that his brother means every word. Alf discovers that Lady Lavender has got money stashed under her bed and schemes to relieve her of the burden.

April 9, 2006: Su on TV
Hi-De-Hi! : RTÉ 1 - Thursday 13th April : 1.55pm
Pigs Might Fly. Series 8, episode 1. Yvonne’s partner Barry has left her and she becomes a recluse in her chalet. Worried about the entertainments programme Gladys takes the initiative and sends for her substitute partner Julian Dalrymple-Sykes. Within hours Yvonne is ready to take the floor again...Starring: Paul Shane, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland, Su Pollard, and David Griffin.

Gimme Gimme Gimme : UKTV Gold - Sunday 16th April : 11.00pm
Gimme Gimme Gimme : UKTV Gold Plus 1 - Monday 16th April : 00.00am
Singing in The Drain. Series 3, episode 5. In-your-face and frankly disgusting at times comedy with the hapless flatmates with every personality flaw going. But things seem to be looking up as Linda finally realises her ambition to become a model, while Tom secures an audition for a West End musical. Starring: Kathy Burke, James Dreyfus, Brian Bovell, Beth Goddard, Su Pollard, and Jonathan Harvey.

Hi-De-Hi! : RTÉ 1 - Thursday 20th April: 1.55pm
The New Broom. Series 8, episode 2. Alec Foster, the new Camp Controller, is causing havoc at Maplin’s. He’s already sacked several staff for incompetence and when his attentions fall on the entertainment staff no one is safe... Starring: Paul Shane, Jeffrey Holland, Ruth Madoc, Su Pollard, Felix Bowness, Diane Holland, Barry Howard & David Griffin, and introducing Kenneth O'Connor.

April 2, 2006: 'The Beehive' - Stars cook up a treat 
Su has written the foreword for a new celebrity cookbook:

Charity workers who have raised more than £3,000 with a celebrity cookbook have launched a new campaign.

They want people across West Lindsey to help them pass the 1,000-mark to increase the funds of Gainsborough branch of Macmillan Cancer Relief.

Since last October, the group has sold more than 400 copies of the book - which features favourite recipes contributed by stars of the stage, big screen and TV.

Celebrities including sports presenter Suzi Perry, Olympic gold medallist Geoff Capes and soccer pundit Alan Hanson all responded to requests to contribute.

Hi-De-Hi actress Su Pollard wrote the book's foreword.

[ News Source: www.beehive.thisisessex.co.uk - 25th March 2006 ]

April 2, 2006: 'Sunday Mirror' - Typhoo's OO is back
Typhoo advert from 1983Typhoo is putting the "oo" back into its adverts to rediscover its old appeal to tea drinkers. 

It returns to TV next month with a £5million campaign that once again will encourage people to go "oo" as they sip their favourite cuppa. 

The adverts will echo the quirky mid-80s series starring celebrities like Frankie Howerd, Julie Walters and Su Pollard, who told us: "You only get an 'oo' with Typhoo." 

[ News Source: Sunday Mirror - 26th March 2006 ]

April 1, 2006: 'Wolverhampton Express & Star' - Hi-De-Hi! Su takes to tragedy
[ Wolverhampton Express - 30th March 2006 ]Best remembered as dizzy chalet maid Peggy in sitcom Hi-De-Hi!, Su Pollard has just been bitten by The Bard. Victoria Tagg reports

Breathless from visiting a friend, Su Pollard is about to exercise her bedside manner as Nurse in Romeo & Juliet. But before stepping on stage at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, the former Hi-De-Hi! star found time for a chat with the Express & Star in her dressing room.

Talking is definitely her strong point - she never stops.

"Hi darling, look - there are the party poppers for our big bash. This is our last week - we've been doing it for three months," Su says.

"I'm not used to Shakespeare, but I've loved it. Before this I was being the wicked queen in Snow White and before that it was The Vagina Monologues. It's an eclectic period for me."

Su reaches for a cough sweet. No, she hasn't got a cold - apparently they are good for "getting the saliva going," which helps when you're talking all the time.

Despite being 56, Su feels like a spring chicken and is bursting with energy.

"I should have tried getting away with 47. Actually I feel 19 and-a-half. Yes, that was a great age because I was in love with somebody and mini-skirts were all the rage."

In fact, Su was wearing a very short skirt and her legs are certainly in good shape. So how does she stay so slim?

"I try to be healthy and always get my five fruits a day. I love bananas, satsumas and apples. Oh and I'm mad on porridge - it's good for slow-release energy.

"I also work out three times a week. I have a pilates routine for stretching and toning and do 100 skips a day for my cardio. I couldn't bear it being doddery - I need to be nimble, darling."

Sue was born and brought up in Nottingham, but home is now London and has been for the past 32 years.

"Who said 'when you're tired of London, you're tired of life?' I love London, apart from the traffic - that drives me insane. You can fly to New Zealand in no time but it takes four hours for me to get to Heathrow. I don't drive, so I either get a driver or get on the Heathrow Express. It's a very good service."

New York, Bombay and Bangkok are among her favourite holiday destinations, along with Huddersfield and Skegness.

"I'm not fussy. I go with a couple of mates or my sister Jeannie. She's a human biology lecturer and very brainy."

Like a true party animal, she raves about going clubbing, drinking and eating out. 

"I'm not into champagne or spirits, I like Chardonnay or a pint of lager. I'm a mad keen lunch and dinner woman - it's my biggest extravagance.

"Going out for lunch is best because it's more relaxed and they can last forever."

Su reminisces about her longest lunch to date, spent with 'Allo 'Allo! star Carmen Silvera at Le Gavroche in Mayfair. "We started at 1pm and were still there at 7.30pm. The maitre d' came over and asked if we were staying for dinner.

"By then we were starving again, so said yes. We had fish, salad, ratatouille and cheese to share. I love cheese. Of course there were a few bottles of wine thrown in. It was all fantastic."

Su also drinks plenty of tea. If there was enough time in the day, she could easily get through 30 cups. 

"It's a totally ridiculous amount. But usually I'm too busy working. I never refuse anything, as long as it is a good quality script."

Her other indulgence is, of course, glasses. She owns about 70 pairs of specs of all shapes and sizes.

"I get them from the Anglo-American Optical Company - I've got some brilliant butterfly ones and another pair that are like guitars.

"The most I have spent is £525, which was a bit of a shock. They are the sexy secretary style with leopard skin print frames."

And she still has the owlish glasses, worn for her most famous role as scatty chalet maid Peggy Ollerenshaw in the hit TV comedy Hi-De-Hi!

"I've got the whole costume, darling. They were happy days." 

No stranger to the Grand Theatre, she last played orphanage matron Miss Hannigan in the musical Annie three years ago and is very pleased with her current role as Juliet's nurse. In fact she has been looking after the entire cast.

She said: "I'm a bit of a mother hen. I started bringing in sweets for them all, but now it's grapes and satsumas to be good.

"There are lots of young ones, so I've taken them under my wing."

As for having her own family, Su is resolutely single. She divorced Australian school teacher Peter Keogh in 1992 after eight years of marriage.

"I finished with men ages ago. I can be more productive without them. I'm just happy being everyone's aunty."

And with that she disappears backstage.

"Bye darling, lovely meeting you. Are you coming to the show?"

[ News Source: Wolverhampton Express - 30th March 2006 ]

April 1, 2006: 'Loose Women' - Screen Captures
• A selection of screen captures from Su's *fruity*appearance on ITV1's Loose Women, on Monday 27th March.

Loose Women - 27th March 2006

[ Thanks again to Paul Lomas ]

April 1, 2006: 'Romeo & Juliet' - Final Night
The Nurse & JulietTonight sees the final performance of Romeo & Juliet, at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton.

To celebrate here is a great picture of Su onstage, as Nurse, with Juliet, in a scene fro mthe production.

Reviews have been great. Please check over March news, as well as the Archived January/February 2006 News for lots of Romeo & Juliet related content.

March 28, 2006: Su guests on 'Loose Women'
• Su guested on yesterday afternoon's Loose Women on ITV1...

[ Loose Women - 27th March 2006 ]

[ Thanks to Paul Lomas - Please check back soon for more caps from the show ]

March 27, 2006: 'Romeo & Juliet' - Final week
• The final week, of the current run, of the Romeo & Juliet UK tour begins tomorrow at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton (Tuesday 28th March - Saturday 1st April).

Su has had a wonderful time playing The Nurse in the production, throughly enjoying her first Shakespearian role. The audiences have been great and reviews have been very favourable.

Romeo & Juliet

GRAND THEATRE, WOLVERHAMPTON [ Tel: 01962 429 212 ]

March 27, 2006: Calling all Perry & Croft fans!!
The Dad's Army Appreciation Society have confirmed that their Perry & Croft Day in celebration of the legendary writers is set for Sunday 14th May 2006 at the Bressingham Steam Museum, near Diss, Norfolk. It is hoped that along with the legendary writers themselves, Jimmy Perry OBE and David Croft OBE, cast members representing Dad's Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum,  Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord? will be attending. 

Su certainly hopes to be there (subject to professional commitments) reuniting with some of her colleagues from her Perry & Croft days. There will be a chance for an autograph and a chat with your favourite actors and also to view a permanant Dad's Army display based at the Museum. The event will run from 11am - 3pm. 

[ For further details contact the Dad's Army Appreciation Society : www.dadsarmy.co.uk ]

March 27, 2006: Su on Irish TV
Hi-De-Hi! : RTÉ 1 - Thursday 30th March : 1.55pm
Ivory Castles in The Air. Series 6, episode 6. Nostalgic laughs from the 1980s and the 1960s, funnily enough, in the sitcom that followed on from 'Dad's Army' and 'It Ain't Half Hot, Mum'. Spike and Gladys become Mr and Mrs Fluorabrite Toothpaste - Joe Maplin organises the 'wedding'. And is Joe known for his romantic nature and good taste? Starring: Paul Shane, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland, Su Pollard, and David Griffin.
Hi-De-Hi! : RTÉ 1 - Thursday 6th April: 1.55pm
Man Trap. Series 6, episode 7. Gladys and Spike are livid that Joe Maplin has announced their engagement to the press as a publicity stunt, but Clive sees a way of using the situation as an excuse to spurn Gladys’s unwanted attentions.. Starring: Paul Shane, Jeffrey Holland, Ruth Madoc, Su Pollard, Felix Bowness, Diane Holland, Barry Howard & David Griffin.
March 26, 2006: 'Huddersfield Examiner' - Su's really in the pink
Romeo & Juliet 2006Su Pollard has an awesome presence. She bounded into our interview full of life, a vision in pink, covered in sparkly accessories and clutching a frog handbag.

I was struck by her infectious, if a little exhausting, energy and I instantly knew that our interview would be anything but dull.

The 57-year-old is taking a well-earned break between performances of the Birmingham Rep touring production of Romeo and Juliet, in which she plays Nurse.

"It is so nice to be taking a break - I have been working hard on the part, and it has taken a lot out of me because I have to really concentrate on getting all the flowery language right.

"I wanted to do Shakespeare for a while, and the part of Nurse has been a great for me because she is a great comic figure - her character has been easy to ease into because I feel like I'm in familiar territory."

Cast members had just two weeks to rehearse for the four-month show, and perfectionist Su spent hours preparing with the show's director to ensure she got the part spot-on.

"I make sure I warm up properly before every performance. I am a firm believer in the five Ps - which are proper preparation prevents poor performance."

But despite the headaches, Su is having a ball.

"I consider the show to be one of the highlights of my career - the cast is fantastic and we have a lot of fun together."

Su grew up in Nottingham, but has made London her home for the past 32 years.

She is a self-confessed hoarder, and her town house garage is packed with treasured momentos of her career - from her original Peggy costume, to a Noel Edmund's Gotcha Oscar.

She loves the glitz and glamour of the showbiz scene and has had a firm presence on the celebrity circuit during her 30-plus years in the limelight.

She counts the likes of Michael Parkinson and Gloria Hunniford among her famous friends but does not believe in spending a lot on flashy items.

"But I do have my little luxuries like taxi rides - I never learned to drive."

She thrives on challenges and it seems she has tried her hand at everything - having attempted a film career, achieved chart success, and even penned a novel.

Su is perhaps best known for her role as yellowcoat wanabee, cleaner Peggy Ollerenshaw, in the 1980s hit sitcom Hi-De- Hi!

However, she has been performing since the age of five, when she made her acting debut in a school play and found she adored the attention.

"I just love making people laugh. To me the greatest sound of all is when you hear people practically being sick because they are laughing so much!"

But Su seems to have favoured theatre over the small screen in recent years.

"I do love television, but many shows are not as well produced these days, and are far too reliant on reality show formats. I find these shows ghastly - I have turned down three offers to appear on Celebrity Big Brother because I do not want anyone to control my actions."

But what are her thoughts on the good old days?

"I remember filming episodes of Hi-De-Hi! as if they were yesterday, and I do still miss it.

"The scripts were of such good quality, and there was a fabulous sense of comradeship on the production - we had a lot of fun and I am still in touch with cast members.

"The show is now being enjoyed by a whole new generation, which is great, and I get kids knocking on my door asking for Peggy - I tell them `She's not in at the moment because she's doing the chalets, but she'll be back tomorrow'!"

But does Su mind that she is best known for a character she played more than 20 years ago?

"I think that all stars are known for one significant point in their career, for example look at Alec Guinness - all those great performances and he is still best remembered as Ob-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars!"

As she re-applied her bright pink lippie, Su pondered future goals.

"I would love to do a musical comedy film with Barbara Streisand who I think is a fantastic actress. When I was last in California, I put a note through her door suggesting that we work together - her secretary politely declined the offer."

The tour of Romeo and Juliet finishes next month at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton, but Su's workload will not be easing.

Future projects include a revival of her successful one-woman show, a voiceover for a new series of BBC children's animation Little Robots, a reprise of her role in the Vagina Monologues, and a return to a favourite panto role of hers, the Wicked Queen in Snow White.

[ News Source: Huddersfield Daily Examiner - 24th March 2006 ]

March 26, 2006: Su on TV
Hi-De-Hi! : UKTV Drama - Monday 27th March : 3.35am
Who Killed Mr Partridge? Series 6, episode 3. Classic holiday camp sitcom. Ted, Spike and the rest of the staff must prevent the campers from learning about the death of Mr Partridge, the universally-loathed Punch and Judy man. Starring: Ruth Madoc, Paul Shane, Jeffrey Holland, Su Pollard, Barry Howard, and Leslie Dwyer.
Hi-De-Hi! : UKTV Drama - Monday 27th March : 4.05am
Spaghetti Galore. Series 6, episode 4. One of the most fondly-remembered episodes ever of the classic sitcom from the 'Dad's Army' team. Matters of the heart lead to one dinner too many for Gladys, and she'll probably never eat pasta again. Starring: Simon Cadell, Paul Shane, Jeffrey Holland, Ruth Madoc, Su Pollard, and Felix Bowness.
Hi-De-Hi! : UKTV Drama - Monday 27th March : 4.35am
A Lack of Punch. Series 6, episode 5. Hilarious laughs with the flamboyant gang keeping the campers happy at Maplin's. A new children's entertainer is hired to replace Mr Partridge - at long last. Starring: Paul Shane, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland, Su Pollard, and David Griffin.
Hi-De-Hi! : UKTV Drama - Monday 27th March : 5.05am
Ivory Castles in The Air. Series 6, episode 6. Nostalgic laughs from the 1980s and the 1960s, funnily enough, in the sitcom that followed on from 'Dad's Army' and 'It Ain't Half Hot, Mum'. Spike and Gladys become Mr and Mrs Fluorabrite Toothpaste - Joe Maplin organises the 'wedding'. And is Joe known for his romantic nature and good taste? Starring: Paul Shane, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland, Su Pollard, and David Griffin.

Little Robots : BBC2 - Monday 27th March : 9.40am
Stripy on the Ball. Stop-frame animation about Tiny and his Little Robot friends. Stripy makes a ball but the Sparky Twins steal it. They get trapped and have to be rescued by the robots, and they all play a game with the ball.

Hi-De-Hi! : UKTV Drama - Monday 27th March : 10.55am
Eruptions. Series 3, episode 13. Classic Jimmy Perry comedy from Maplin's Holiday Camp. Ted isn't happy when Joe Maplin installs a working model of a volcano which erupts during his act. The only thing to do is sabotage it! Starring: Paul Shane, Su Pollard, Ruth Madoc, Simon Cadell, and Geoffrey Holland.

March 26, 2006: 'Huddersfield Examiner' - Official opening of Oaklands Health Centre 
The new state-of-the-art Oaklands Health Centre on the outskirts of Holmfirth was officially opened yesterday by celebrity actress Su Pollard.

Oaklands opened its doors to patients last summer but staff were keen to organise an official opening and unveiling of a plaque to mark the completion of the major planning and building project which has been several years in the making.

Practice manager Jonathan Himsworth at Oaklands said: "Staff at the centre have come to know Su Pollard over the years as she regularly stays in the area and we are thrilled that she agreed to carry out the official opening ceremony for us."

[ News Source: Huddersfield Daily Examiner - 22nd March 2006 ]

March 19, 2006: Su on TV
Hi-De-Hi!, almost, takes over UKTV Drama's listings today, with no less than nine episodes being shown in two segments. 

The first lot, of four, run from 3.30am to 5.30am, with the second batch airing from 10.00am through till 1.15pm.

The channel also airs an episode of You Rang, M'Lord? this afternoon too.

March 19, 2006: 'Romeo & Juliet' - The Scotsman Review
Romeo & JulietROMEO AND JULIET ***
THEATRE ROYAL, GLASGOW

In touring theatre, you can't go far wrong with Romeo and Juliet. Many school groups were in evidence and at the end they cheered rapturously. But, in truth, Birmingham Rep's production directed by Bill Bryden is a pretty featureless affair. The actors are set adrift on Hayden Griffin's bare wooden set, which leaves them little option but to stand around artfully. Costumes are strangely eclectic - jeans cut to look like Elizabethan hose are clever enough, but to what end? The sound effects are dreadfully clichéd: claps of thunder; tolling bells; ravens cawing to send us into the interval with a sense of foreboding (the kids laughed at this - I didn't blame them). And the whole thing was topped and tailed by the sort of cheesy muzak you might hear in a cheap Italian restaurant. 

Not helped by their environment, the cast turned in competent performances, led by Jamie Doyle as an endearing and impassioned Romeo, Gus Gallagher as a sardonic, bawdy Mercutio and Su Pollard's Nurse. Anjali Jay tried perhaps a little too hard with Juliet, while Gerald Harper, as Friar Laurence, tried for solemnity but ended up with monotone. The play wasn't much harmed, save perhaps by the decision to deliver the voice of the Prince through the theatre's PA system, like an invisible, omniscient god. Shakespeare is robust, and as long as his marvellous lines are delivered competently, he still has the power to thrill the next generation.

[ News Source: The Scotsman - 17th March 2006. By Susan Mansfield ]

March 19, 2006: Su on (Digital) Radio
Su was recently heard on BBC 7 reading The Fish in Room Eleven. A story written by Heather Dyer.
March 17, 2006: 'Evening Times' - Su backs Romeo and Juliet to be a real hi de highlight
Su with her R&J co-starsHi De Hi star Su Pollard is caught between two star-crossed lovers as she promotes a new theatre show in Glasgow. 

The actress is appearing in a critically-acclaimed production of Romeo and Juliet at the Theatre Royal. 

She is starring alongside newcomers Jamie Doyle and Anjali Jay who play Shakespeare's most famous lovers. 

Su plays the nurse while Gerald Harper appears as Friar Lawrence in the show, which runs until March 18, and is directed by the award-winning Bill Bryden.

The production is the latest in a series of collaborations between Birmingham Repertory Theatre and The Touring Consortium. Previous hits include The Crucible, A Doll's House and Of Mice And Men. 

Tickets start from £10. For performance times contact the box office on 0141 240 1133. 

[ News Source: Glasgow Evening Times - 15th March 2006 ]

March 17, 2006: 'Romeo & Juliet' - Glasgow Herald Review
Romeo & Juliet, Theatre Royal, Glasgow - by Louisa McEwan

Unlike the morbid severity of Shakespeare's other famous tragedies, Hamlet or Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet has a much more youthful, vibrant and energetic spirit and that is to the fore in Birmingham Rep's staging of the well-loved tale of forbidden love and looming doom.

With comic actress Su Pollard as the nurse and time-served English thesp Gerald Harper as Friar Laurence, the show is still contemporary in design and direction. With simple wooden panelled staging, the players make good use of the cleverly angled floor and compactly minimalist environment; this is a production where none of Shakespeare's poetry is lost in the delivery.

Jamie Doyle is elegantly troubled as the innocent, fresh-faced Romeo, while his Juliet, Anjali Jay, sometimes appears a caricature of the love-struck girl. The most fleshed-out character and the hero of the comic interludes is Mercutio; as played by Gus Gallagher he is the master of witty exchanges and physical horseplay. Gallagher excels, playing confidently with the text and choreography to the delight of the giggling school girls, and his death leaves a void onstage.

There are many other enticements for the female theatre-goer. The male costumes, ladies, are a sight to behold and the explicitly base antics of the three horny lads in Act One positively blush-making. Rest assured, girls, you will not be turned off by their exclamations of love.

[ News Source: Glasgow Herald - 16th March 2006 ]

March 12, 2006: 'Romeo & Juliet' - Latest Update
Su as Nurse in 'Romeo & Juliet'A great picture of Su in character as Nurse in Romeo & Juliet.

The production finished a week-long run at the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe last night and opens in Glasgow, for its penultimate week, at the Theatre Royal on Tuesday evening.

The final week, for the time being at least, of Romeo & Juliet will be at the Grand Theatre in Woverhampton a fortnight after Glasgow, beginning on the 28th March. 

The production has received many positive reviews over the last couple of months and Su has really enjoyed her first Shakesperian onstage experience.

Please look over recent News Updates for Romeo & Juliet related Reviews, Interviews and Articles.

March 12, 2006: 'Bucks Free Press' - I’m not just froth on the top of a cappuccino
Bucks Free Press - March 2006Su was interviewed this week by 'Bucks Free Press':

Su Pollard delighted generations in the TV sitcom Hi-Di-Hi and with her one woman shows. Now she takes the role of the nurse in a modern production of Romeo and Juliet, which comes to The Swan this month.

What's it like doing Shakespeare for the first time?
It's the same approach as doing an entertainment show, preparation is everything. But I have never done this flowery language' before, so it requires a bit more concentration. If you get your haths' and your doths' mixed up, it can be dauinting as it ruins the rhythm. Essentially it is the same as any other show, but the concentration factor is phenomenal.

What do you think about your character?
She is very similar to lots of characters I have played before. She is sympathetic, as she bonds with Juliet, but she is also very light hearted. She is very bawdy at times, and gets away with talking about sex a lot. I call Shakespeare the Bawd, he's not the Bard, as his characters are always talking about sex. All of Shakespeare's characters essentially had to entertain stand-up audiences, who were completely drunk.

Can you relate to that?
Of course. I started in working men's clubs, where they introduce you and get your name wrong. You are singing away, and people stagger in front of you with their drinks, dropping them, then the cleaner comes and mops it up while you are singing My Way.

The main thing is, you have to have focus, and the ability to soldier through any situation.

Does anything make you nervous?
Opening night. It never gets any easier, because all the work that everyone has put into it yourself and other performers, backstage, lighting it all has to come together at the time. I give myself a good talking to, and think how marvellous that you have an audience who can appreciate all the hard work. So a good telling off usually does the trick.

What is your most enduring memory of being a teenager?
Wearing a fantastic striped green mini-skirt right up to my bum, fabulous boots, and a halter neck top, sitting on a bar stool in the Hippo Club and falling off it.

We were definitely the breakthrough generation. Elvis had come along, and broken the music mould, and designers had done the same with fashion, and we were so lucky to be liberated. We had those fantastic clubs with peep holes in the door, and you had to say can I speak to One-Eyed Pete please' to get let in.

What did you learn at school apart from lessons?
Team efforts and camaraderie will get you through life. You need the strength of everyone around you. Also that everybody deserves the same chance. I couldn't deal with kids being bullied or picked on. In those days it was dealt with quickly, and it doesn't seem to be the same now.