FIRST IMPRESSIONS: LES DENNIS

A TV presenter and actor. ‘Our survey says’ he is best known for the TV series Family Fortunes, which he fronted for 15 years. He has appeared in several stage productions, including Chicago, and lives with his wife and children in Cheshire.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am currently appearing as King Arthur in Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre in London.

When were you at your happiest?
Now. I feel blessed that I have a new lease of life. I have a young family, a grown-up son whom I love, a great relationship with my wife Claire, and my career seems to be in a great shape

What is your greatest fear?
A fear for the future of our children and the invasion of technology. We are going to end up glued to our screens, rather than talking to a human face.

What is your earliest memory?
Moving to a house in Speke when I was very little. I remember being in the back of the removal van.

Who has been your greatest influence?
My mum. My dad would say, ‘Get a proper job, there is no chance of you doing anything in showbiz because working-class kids can’t do that,’ and my mum would say ‘believe’. She gave me the belief and I think that is the earliest and best influence.

What do you most dislike about yourself?
I say ‘yes’ too often. Sometimes I accept things and think, ‘What did I do that for?’ ‘No’ is a good word, I still need to learn that.

What trait do you most deplore?
Lack of courtesy, particularly when you are driving and you let somebody through and they just drive on – it drives me mad. I call my wife ‘Claire in the community’ because she looks out for everybody.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I’m OK about the lines on my face. I always say that I have worked hard for these lines and they’re not wrinkles, but laughter lines. I suppose I am a bit heavier than I would like to be.

What is your most treasured possession?
All my dad’s football contracts from 1936. He played for Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers – they’re very precious to me. In those days they got £1 a week.

What is your favourite book?
The Go-Between by LP Hartley. The opening line, ‘The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there’ is about not looking back and not having regrets.

Your favourite film?
The Godfather. I still get nervous for Michael when he’s looking for that gun in the toilet, even though I have seen it 100 times.

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Your favourite piece of music?

Rubber Soul: I’m a big Beatles fan. My favourite track is In My Life. Every time I go to Liverpool it plays in my head. It’s probably going to be my funeral song.

What is your favourite meal?
Sunday roast: a leg of lamb, with all the trimmings.

Who would you most like to come to dinner?
John Lennon: an amazing person and a brilliant musician. When he died I was so gutted. I’d also have Jack Nicholson, David Attenborough and my dad. He died in 1982 and I didn’t get enough time with him. There is loads I’d like to ask him.

What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I wasn’t very good at chemistry and the teacher said to me, ‘You will amount to nothing. When you are sweeping the streets, you’ll be sorry’. But sometimes a nasty thing can spur you on, so she did me a favour.

What is your secret vice?
Chocolate. Claire finds pockets stuffed with Green & Black’s paper, or, at Christmas, purple Quality Street wrappers.

Which phrase do you most overuse?
Absolutely.

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A work-life balance.

What would you like your epitaph to read?
A line in Spamalot: ‘You must always face the curtain with a bow.’ It’s a great line and sums up what I have done in this business.

Les Dennis is in Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London WC2: 020-7492 1532, www.montypythonsspamalot.com