Since appearing in the 1981 film ‘Chariots Of Fire’, Nigel Havers, 66, has forged a successful film and TV career, including roles in ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Coronation Street’. He has a daughter, Kate, from his first marriage. His second wife died of cancer in 2004, and he married Georgiana Bronfman in 2007.
What is your earliest Christmas memory?
I was brought up in Suffolk and I remember a very warm and cosy feeling of putting up the Christmas decorations with my mum. In those days we only put them up on Christmas Eve to mark the night before the 12 days of Christmas began.
‘What is my greatest fear? Falling off a cliff. I wake up dreaming about it’
What will you be doing on Christmas Day?
I’ll be taking it easy, because it’s the only day I have off work. My wife and I will have lunch together. I won’t have any role in making the Christmas dinner – I’ll pour the champagne instead.
Best (and worst) Christmas present?
I’m not very good at receiving; I prefer to give because I’m always a bit embarrassed about getting things. Saying that, my wife gave me a beautiful Cartier watch a couple of years ago that I wear all the time.Worst? I’m never keen on a pair of socks.
What sort of a child were you?
I don’t think I was a problem, to be honest. Nor was my brother. We pretty much did as we were told. I went to boarding school when I was six, which was fine – it was what happened in those days. If you didn’t behave you were beaten, so you learned to be good quite quickly.
What’s been your most embarrassing moment?
I was doing a play recently, See You Next Tuesday, and I thought I heard my cue and I ran on but I was a page too early. I didn’t know what to do so I just shot off again. The audience noticed all right. So many things go wrong on stage – it’s a minefield. I’ve also gone on with my flies undone.
What is your greatest fear?
Falling off a cliff. I wake up dreaming about it. Or going on stage without knowing my lines.
Who would you like to say sorry to?
When I was about 18, I was waiting for a bus. It was raining so I opened my umbrella, and in doing so managed to dislodge the wig of the woman standing next to me. It fell off into a puddle so I had to pick it up and say: ‘I’m so sorry, your wig, madam.’ She was mortified. She ran off into a shop and then down an alleyway and I had to run after her, brandishing the wig.
What’s the worst thing anyone has ever said to you?
I was in a supermarket and a man said: ‘Oh, not you again.’ I didn’t know what to do – I’d never met him, I didn’t know who he was.
Who do you dislike the most and why?
John McDonnell [Shadow Chancellor]. He’s the most dangerous politician we have at the moment. I think he’s a communist Marxist and I don’t think we should have the finances of this country run by a Marxist.
What’s your most treasured possession?
A beautiful painting by a Spanish artist, which my wife gave me last year. It’s an abstract, colourful piece.
Tell us a secret about yourself
I collect cased stuffed fish. They’re mostly 19th and early 20th century. They used to be kept in Victorian gentlemen’s studies. I’ve got quite an assortment. The jewel in the collection is a case of three trout.
What’s your most unappealing habit?
I’m over-tidy. My wife says I’m so neat that one day I’ll put her away in the cupboard.
What one law would you change?
No one should pay inheritance tax. You’ve paid tax all through your life and I don’t think you should be taxed when you die.
What is the worst job you’ve ever done?
In the Sixties I worked at an all-night hamburger joint in Knightsbridge. Most of the people who came in were drunk, and staying awake till 6am was not much fun.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
I wouldn’t go back in time because we live in the most comfortable era in the history of humanity. People complain but, boy, we’ve never had it so good.