Radio Times Magazine – 21st December, 2002

Posh Nosh Tuesdays ITV1
Name: Richard E. Grant
Age: 45
Education: Waterford Kamhlaba school Swaziland. Gained a BA English degree and performa’s diploma at Capetown University. Emigrated to London in 1982

1985 – Honest, Decent And True: Improvised film about an advertising agency, playing a copywriter called Moonee Livingstone teamed with Adrian Edmondson, which also featured Gary Oldman and Arabella Weir [see Posh Nosh below]. The day after transmission I got a new agent and was subsequently cast in Withnail And I. Arabella Weir meanwhile Fast Show’d forwards, then looked back and penned bestseller “Does My Bum Look Big In This?”

1994 – Hard Times: An opportunity to work with director Peter Barnes and opposite Alan Bates and Beatie Edney. Playing a scrounging scoundrel lounging about in frock coats snogging Beatie in the rain. Highly pleasurable. And paid too.

1996 – Karaoke: Dennis Potter’s swansong [with Cold Lazarus], with 1960’s icons Albert Finney and Julie Christie alongside Anna Chancellor and Safron Burrows. Got adulterous, kicked in the head and finally snogged Julie in the back of a Rolls Royce, with a mouthful of cotton wool and painted-on black eye. Not quite the realisation of my adolescent fantasy of finally meeting the woman who had played Bathsheba Everdene in “Far From The Madding Crowd” and starred in the erotic “Don’t Look Now”. Hard to believe anyone could ever cheat on Julie Christie.

1999 – Trial And Retribution III: I’ve known Linda La Plante for many years and she promised she would write me a part one day: “It’ll fit you like a glove” – hence my role as a murderous psychopath suffering acute manic depression. Worst moment was having to throw a bag full of maggots over Kate Buffery’s head. No faking. Terrible stench. Very real reaction. David Hayman [Detective Superintendent Michael Walker] is a really generous but highly critical taskmaster who ups the acting ante in best possible way. Exhilarating.

1999-2000 – The Scarlet Pimpernel: Pitched as an 18th century Batman/Bond figure leading a dual life. Swashing and buckling, swordfighting, riding, chasing and chasing damsels [he did many of his own stunts], ballroom dancing and sinking into bed with Elizabeth McGovern – you’ll understand that this was very hard work.

2003 – Posh Nosh: Fast forward 18 years and Arabella Weir asks me to play her pompous, pretentious, gay husband in her mini nosh-com. Each ten-minute episode features a dish and wine recommendation. Simon and Monty Marchmont equal two parts Johnny and Fanny Craddock, one part Basil and Sybil Fawlty, a dash of Delia, noisette of Nigella, splash of Floyd, lick of Ramsey and a hotchpotch of Stein, Antony Worrall-Rhodes and doodah of anyone else you care to think about that cooks so effortlessly while you sit eating a takeaway. We lost all self-control while filming “our” labrador’s birthday party seated at dinner table, surrounded by dogs – and trainers, just out of sight, cooching and cooing for the hounds to obey “order”.

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