Graham Seed stars in Yes, Prime Minister at Belgrade Theatre

Graham Seed stars in Yes, Prime Minister at Belgrade Theatre

Postby dutchman » Fri Jan 27, 2012 4:32 pm

If Graham Seed ruled the country he knows exactly what he would do... make the Beatles classic hit Let It Be the new national anthem.

The former Archers regular met his Ambridge demise last year, but Graham is very much alive and kicking and is now in charge of EVERYTHING.

He is about to play Prime Minister Jim Hacker in a new UK tour of Yes, Prime Minister and begins his campaign trail in Coventry.

“It’s a huge responsibility,” laughs Graham. “All that pressure. I’m not sure what law I would introduce if I was Prime Minister though. I can’t think of a thing.”

Comedian Billy Connolly once suggested the Archers theme would make a perfect national anthem for Britain, but Graham isn’t too keen – well, his character Nigel Pargetter did plunge from a roof to a grisly death in the BBC radio series and the bloodcurdling screams of the Ambridge aristocrat still haunt many fans.

“I certainly wouldn’t pick the Archers theme,” he chuckles. “I think Let It Be would be good though.”

Coventry-born actor Nigel Hawthorne as Sir Humphrey and Paul Eddington as Jim Hacker turned Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minster into comedy gold in the 80s and writers Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn have updated the comedy favourite for theatre-goers.

It proved a hit at the Chichester Festival and in London and Graham and the new cast launch their 15-week UK tour at the Belgrade Theatre next month.

“I’m really forward to coming back to Coventry,” says Graham. “Hundreds and hundreds of years ago I got my first job in Coventry. It was right after I finished at RADA in, gosh, it must have been 1971 and I went to the Belgrade to appear in Abelard and Heloise. It led to me getting my Equity card and going on to work in Chichester.

“I’ve been back to the Belgrade a few times since then. I was in Translations about 15 years ago and in a play in the 80s. Now we are starting off the new tour there.”

Graham was an Archers regular for nearly 30 years and recorded the radio favourite in Birmingham. He was the Ambridge toff, but met a violent end last year.

“I still get letters from people saying they miss Nigel,” says Graham, “It’s very kind of them. I’ve always done theatre and never had all my eggs in one basket and I’ve been busy ever since so I’m thrilled. New opportunities are opening up in my life and it’s wonderful.”

Graham rarely gets time to listen to The Archers these days. He toured with Nigel Havers last year in Basket Case and Yes, Prime Minister will take him all over the country.

“It’s a bit tense,” he smiles. “It’s a heavy responsibility playing the Prime Minister. No Prime Minister has ever made a good job of it. The government always seems to go from one crisis to another. It’s wonderful we have the same writers and they have brought it up to date, but little seems to have changed over the years. Everything is still a total disaster.”

Graham says running the country is certainly keeping him on his toes. “You have the script in front of you when you record The Archers,” he points out. “You can’t do that here. You have to get the old brain cells working. It’s all very different.”

* Yes, Prime Minister opens at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, on Tuesday, February 7 for a week-long run. Box office 024 7655 3055.

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