Christopher Biggins: ‘I earned £1m after winning I'm a Celebrity'
Actor and director Christopher Biggins, 76, has graced the screen and stage for more than 50 years.
He rose to prominence with his portrayal of Lukewarm in the prison comedy, Porridge, before taking on the scene-stealing role of Nero in I, Claudius. In 2007, he was crowned king of the jungle on I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!
Biggins, as he is affectionately known, and his long-time partner, Neil Sinclair, live in east London.
How did money shape your upbringing?
My mother and father, Pam and Bill, bought a house in Salisbury, but couldn't afford the mortgage, so they sold up and we moved into a caravan. We eventually got a house with no bathroom, just an outside lavatory and a tin bath that was dragged out on Mondays. It was a pretty frugal life, but I never wanted for anything.
My parents worked very hard. My father sold motorcycles, and then cars and doubled as a motor mechanic, so he worked all hours. My mother worked in the cocktail bar at the Cathedral Hotel, which was a very swanky place back then.
They also took in a lodger, Jock, who stayed for 11 years. They saved and saved, and my father's business thrived. The result was they could afford to send me to private school, installed a bathroom and the tin bath was jettisoned.
What was your first job?
When I left school, I went to Salisbury rep as an assistant stage manager on £2 a week, with my parents heavily subsidising me, paying for my transport and letting me live at home.
I was an only child until age 18 when, as I was preparing to leave to go to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, my mother suddenly mentioned she was pregnant. I couldn't believe that one's parents still did it at that age!
But I got my brother Sean out of it, which was lovely. They still helped with money for another two years.
Did you think you'd make a living out of acting?
No, never. But my father and mother were brilliant in supporting me from 16 to 20, so I could pursue a career on the stage.
When I was 20, though, my father said I needed a backup, not least as they now had Sean. He knew I wasn't interested in motorbikes and cars, so he suggested we open an antiques shop, as we both liked bric-a-brac, which I'd run, and I could earn enough for a deposit.
Did your career in antiques take off?
Well, I'd sit in this shop and see no one all day, and then suddenly at five o'clock, there'd be a rush of about 15 people who all stole from you.
So, that didn't seem like much of a job, and I gave it up for acting. Eventually, my father sold up, although he dabbled in bric-a-brac from the back of his garage for many years.
I put all my energy into acting and have never looked back. I must add, my father was right, as he recognised how precarious a career acting is.
No regrets?
No, I've been very fortunate to be able to look back on a wonderful 60-odd-year career, but my father was right. When people come to me for advice about going into theatre, I always say don't do it because it's a horrible profession.
I know so many brilliant actors who never got a break. It's all about being in the right place at the right time.
What was your big break?
Playing Lukewarm in Porridge, alongside Ronnie Barker, Richard Beckinsale and David Jason. I was on £90 an episode, which was great in 1974. When it was repeated on BBC One or BBC Two, I used to get over £1,000 an episode.
However, in a bad moment, the BBC decided to sell all these sitcoms to the free-to-air stations, which means I get nothing for the repeats. If we were in America, I'd be a multi-millionaire because you get repeat fees forever over there.
Did having this part make you feel more financially secure?
I was very lucky because when I was in Salisbury rep, I met two actors: Jonathan Cecil and Vivien Heilbron. They had a lovely house in Fulham, and gave me two rooms, a bedroom and a sitting room, and the use of a kitchen, all for £4 a week.
As you can imagine, being on £90 an episode, I became readily accustomed to a style of living that I have maintained ever since.
I had enough money to afford to eat out in restaurants regularly, and in those days, you could go to a restaurant in Covent Garden called Luigi's and have a bowl of pasta, a glass of red wine and a coffee for £6. I don't know how young people these days exist, because restaurants are so expensive.
What's been your career highlight?
Nero in I, Claudius was a wonderful part, a great experience, and to this day, I believe I was Nero in a previous life. Soon after that, I played the sex-crazed vicar in Poldark, which was also marvellous.
But I think the most life-changing experience was winning I'm a Celebrity through the public vote, which gives you amazing confidence. I got paid £50,000 for doing it, much less than they get now, but it opened doors and it was a wonderfully lucrative period. I earned £1m in the year after the jungle.
Where do you live?
We have a very pretty three-bed house near Victoria Park in east London, which was designed by the architect Piers Gough. It's chock-full of artwork, so much so that we don't know the word wallpaper.
We also have a one-bed flat in Stratford East, which we let. Although with all the associated costs, cladding problems and so on, we may sell.
Are you a spender or a saver?
I'm a spender, but as you get older, you realise you have what you need. You don't need another microwave. All you need is to have a nice life. I suppose the most expensive thing in our lives is going abroad on holiday.
What's been your best financial decision?
Buying this house. I paid £50,000 for it 36 years ago. It's worth considerably more now.
Do you have a pension?
I have the state pension, which I paid in over all those years, and that gives me enough to get by on, before I earn through the day job.
I'm not saying pensioners are rich, but it does help, especially with the shocking water, gas and electricity bills. I have no private pension.
Do you have any plans to retire?
No. I am a bit like the Frank Sinatra of the pantomime world. I finish a run and think that's it, but I keep coming back, and will be on stage as King Richard in Robin Hood at the Birmingham Hippodrome this Christmas.
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