We can’t remember a time when larger-than-life actor Christopher Biggins wasn’t on our TV screens or firmly etched in our national conscious. Whether you’ve got enough candles on your birthday cake to remember him on Surprise, Surprise with Cilla Black; or the time he played himself on Bad Girls and was taken hostage (yes, really!); or you voted for him to be crowned King of the Jungle on I’m A Celeb; or booed/cheered for him in one of the myriad pantos he’s been in, there’s no denying he’s a celebrity stalwart.
Now, the 75 year old is taking part in ITV1’s Cooking With The Stars, hosted by Emma Willis and Tom Allen, and featuring an array of eager-to-impress celebs, including Katherine Ryan, Linford Christie, Abbey Clancy, Carol Vorderman, Ellie Simmonds, Pasha Kovalev and Youtuber Harry Pinero. Each star is mentored by a professional chef as they take on a number of culinary challenges in a bid to be declared 2024’s champion, and with a line-up of laser-focussed famous faces and actual Olympians, the competition levels are high. Not that you’d know from talking to Christopher – refreshingly, he’s just there to have fun…
Why did you want to do the show?
Really, I suppose one of the pleasures of doing it was working with [mentor] Rosemary Schrager, who is not only a wonderful chef, but also she's a wonderful woman, and we've become really close good friends. We're very similar. We're large, we've got a lot of laughter in our lives and we like cooking. It was a wonderful experience, really enjoyable.
Had you met her before?
Yes, we did Tipping Point together. And I'm pleased to say she was absolutely terrible and a rugby player [Gareth Chilcott] who was also bad, which meant that I won. And I won £20,000 for my charity, which was fantastic.
What was the dynamic like with your fellow cooks?
What was so interesting was that we were a very, very eclectic group, and a lot of people were really keen on winning. I mean, they had a winning streak in them. But, honestly, all I wanted was to have a laugh. We did have a lot of laughs I have to say, it was good fun, but I didn't have that sort of urge to win that a lot of people did – and it was very interesting to see how that played out.
How would you describe your cooking skills before the show?
Well, I used to be a very good cook, and I used to really enjoy it but my partner Neil [Sinclair] does most of the cooking now. I mean, he's a brilliant cook and he loves it. In my old age, I’ve become sort of lazy. I sit there and enjoy the food, but don't get too involved. But food is a very important part of my life.
How did Cooking With The Stars compare with Celebrity MasterChef, which you did in 2014?
MasterChef is very serious. I mean, you know, it does exactly what it says on the tin: Master. Chef. I was furious when I went out. You had to cook a dish that meant something personal to you, where the person who taught you how to do that particular dish meant something to you. My great Auntie Vi who was a terrible snob – she insisted I had elocution lessons when I was a child, [puts on a West Country accent] because all my family came from Wiltshire. My Auntie Vi hated this, so I had elocution lessons, which may have led to me being an actor. But she did teach me to cook, and one of the things was a trifle. So, I made this dish and it was – even if I do say it myself – absolutely delicious. But the judges thought that it was too easy a thing to make at that stage of the competition, so I went out. I was furious because, in fact, trifles aren't easy – they take a lot of skill – and the crew absolutely lapped it up afterwards.
Your Cooking With The Stars pro chef has to watch their celeb pupil cooking one of their dishes. Who got more flustered, you or Rosemary?
I think Rosemary, because she kept shouting at me. I thought I remained wonderfully cool and collected. But she had other views.
The show has got an American feel to it with the loud dramatic music – do you approve?
Oh, yes, I think it's good. I think the more theatrical you could make it the better, because I think it's a much more watchable as a programme, you know.
Do you watch cookery shows as a rule, and will you watch this one when it comes out?
Oh, definitely. My favourite at the moment is Bake Off: The Professionals. because I love [judge] Cherish Finden, who is mad as a hatter. I love it at the end, when something terrible happens and the chefs’ creations disintegrate before their eyes! I mean, it’s a terrific programme.
Do you watch much TV in general? What have been your recent must-see shows?
Well, I do I love television. I mean, I'm addicted to it. We come in at night, and I'll have recorded something and we’ll watch it so we don't go to bed till about 2am. But recently, there was a wonderful television programme about two gay boys [Lost Boys And Fairies, available on BBC iPlayer]. Fra Fee was in it. He played the accountant and the other boy is a drag queen, they’re married, or in a civil partnership – whatever you'd like to call it – and they decide to adopt. I'm not going to say any more, but when you watch it, take your tissues with you, because you’ll never stop crying. I urge you to watch it. It's beautifully done. And I found out yesterday when we went to see the opening night of Starlight Express – which was fantastic, unbelievable – that the boy who plays a drag queen is, in fact, straight and not gay at all. I was quite impressed by that. I mean, he acted brilliantly.
There’s been quite a lot of discussion about whether gay actors should play straight roles and vice versa. What do you think?
I have huge firm opinions on those things. You're an actor, you should be able to do anything – you should be able to play any person, any character. You can act a woman you can act a man you can act a child, you can do anything. It's acting, you know? You can't suddenly say only gay people can play gay parts, only straight people can play straight roles – it's ridiculous. Watch that show – it proves my point. This boy who is gay on TV is straight – that's great. You can't say, “No, you can't do that, because you're not gay you don't fit into the storyline.” It's ridiculous. It really angers me. Acting is all about having a go and making something either a success or a wonderful flop.
You’ve had some brilliant roles. Do you actively look for them or are you happy to go with the flow?
I mean, I'm 75 years old now. I look back at my CV and I think to myself, “Well, what an amazing career I've had.” I've done Nero and [acclaimed ’80s period drama] I, Claudius, then I've done the sex crazed vicar in Poldark. I've co-hosted Surprise, Surprise with Cilla Black. It's been extraordinary. I suppose I have become “a personality”, you know? People say to me, “What's the best thing or your most favourite thing you've ever done?” And I could say being with the RSC for a year, or I, Claudius but I always say, I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, because I became the King of the Jungle, and it’s voted for by the public. And that, to me, is very important because the public watch what they want to watch, and it's marvellous. As long as the public are enjoying what you're doing, I'll continue to do it.
Talking of which, are you doing panto this year?
Yes, I’m doing Sleeping Beauty in Woking. Last year, I was in Southampton, I played The Man in the Mirror, this year I can’t remember what character I'm playing. But the producers are very good to me now, last year as the Man in the Mirror I flew in and out of every entrance. And this year, I'm flying in and out of a star. So, it’ll be good fun!
A year or two ago, you and Neil took part in Celebrity Escape To The Country. Did you make the big move out of London?
No, we didn’t, we’re still looking. I'm getting older and they showed me a beautiful house, which was in a tower. Well, you don't want to climb up 500 steps to go to bed. You want to be on one level. And once again, that's a programme which is seen by everybody. You have no idea how popular it is until people come up and say, “We saw you. Have you found a house yet?”
Anything else in the pipeline?
I’m going to Edinburgh Festival, I do two weeks at the most wonderful new venue in Edinburgh. We did it last year, and this year we're doing it again, it's called The Fringe at Prestonfield. Last year I interviewed Julian Clary, who I adore, and then we had Cliff Richard come too. This year we've got Lulu, we've got Maureen Lipman, we've got Katherine Ryan. Katherine, as you know, was on Cooking With The Stars and we were talking one day and I said, “Would you like to come and do a show in Edinburgh for me?” And she said, “Yes”. So, we've got Katherine, which I'm thrilled about, because she's a very funny, clever woman, and it's good. It's going to be a great season again, so we're very excited.
Cooking With The Stars is on ITV1 on Tuesday 30th July at 8pm