The Holly and the Ivy

PLAYING the lead role in a Christmas-themed play is not a new experience for Tony Britton. In fact, the veteran actor, who has starred in numerous plays as well as television shows including Don't Wait Up and Robin's Nest, began his acting career as Father Christmas in a school play.

"The first thing I was in was going back to kindergarten days when I was about five, and the headmistresses decided to put on a production about Father Christmas and the elves stealing the key to his toy cupboard," reminisces Tony.

"I thought that was the best thing since sliced bread - I loved playing Father Christmas!

"It was certainly from then that I never had any doubt about what I wanted to do, so school from then on really got in the way, then I had four and a half years in the Army and that was another four and a half years that got in the way and I wasn't free, really, until I was 24."

Tony's professional acting career began shortly before he was called up to fight in the Second World War, but it really got underway after he returned home, thanks to an altruistic theatre-lover.

"It was 1942 and this professional theatre company was short of young men because they'd all been called up for the war so they sent around all the amateur dramatic societies to find actors in Weston Super-Mare, where I lived, and I was in two of them.

"I was almost 18 and I was called up immediately I'd done this play, which earned me £2.10 - that was my first pay packet - I thought that wasn't bad in 1942!"

When Tony returned from war, he didn't know how to get his acting career off the ground again, so he returned to what he knew and re-joined the amateur dramatics societies that he had been a member of before he left and the rest is history.

"I went back into an amateur production in Weston and a critic from the Bristol evening newspaper came to see it. He gave me a wonderful notice and later I met him and he said 'I believe you want to turn professional, come and see me in the office next week'.

"He had a lot of contacts and he put my name about and introduced me to people and he said 'when you get a job and you have your name up in lights you must let me know so I can write about it in my column'," says Tony, still sounding impressed by this generosity.

"He gave me two introductions, both of which got me jobs and since then I've hardly been out of work - that's quite a long time now - it's getting on for 60 years!

"He was a clever and delightful man to whom I owe a tremendous amount."

Tony tries to help out aspiring young actors himself, but he admits it can be something of a minefield.

"I always try to give people advice but it's always difficult to do that unless they really, really want it," he says.

"One has to be very careful, otherwise you're just a stuffy old fellow who's trying to tell you things that you don't want to know."

Not that Tony has plied a great deal of advice on his three children: Cherry, TV presenter Fern and actor Jasper.

"They've gone their own ways and done their own things and it's required no help from Dad," he says proudly.

"They've just gone and done it, with my blessing, I must say.

"People come up to me all the time and say 'oh Fern Britton, your daughter, she's so beautiful. Your daughter is a national treasure'. And I thought 'yes, that will do. That will do very nicely!'"

Tony Britton is in The Holly and the Ivy at the Theatre Royal Winchester, from 20 to 24 January. Box office: 01962 840440.