TV News A quick chat with Nigel Havers

Lunch Monkeys star Nigel Havers talks LA, ageing and money.

What have you enjoyed about Lunch Monkeys?

"More than anything, it just makes me laugh out loud. I like playing Mike, the head solicitor, too. He’s a fun guy and very tolerant with this bunch of kids who drive him insane and make his life hell. He just sees the goodness in them."

You come from a family of lawyers. Did you ever consider joining the legal profession yourself?

"Gosh, no way! My dad had an amazing career but my brother, who is also a lawyer, thinks I am fairly stupid. He slightly patronises me and asks if I’m working. I say, ‘Well, times are hard...’"

What’s it like working on Brothers & Sisters?

"I’ve loved it, even though I’ve not seen a single frame of the programme. I get on well with Matthew Rhys and play terrible tricks on him. He has an unbelievably good American accent, given that he is very Welsh. Sally Field and I get on well, too, and in the next series my character is going to get more serious with Nora."

Would you like to work more in America?

"Yes, if the right show came along. I had to turn down another show as it clashed with Brothers & Sisters. I wouldn’t live there, though, because I love Britain. LA’s a bit weird. I don’t mind the being healthy bit - you just have to drive miles to get anywhere."

You wrote your autobiography a few years ago. Do you have any other writing plans?

"Yes, I’m writing a historical novel set in the 15th century called Roman Road. It’s a violent revenge story about the road from York to London."

What acting ambitions do you still have?

"I’ve never had a big plan; I just wait for things to come through the letterbox. I don’t want to give up acting, though. Actors die on the job!"

There’s been a lot of debate about TV stars taking pay cuts. Do you think they should?

"People say to me how disgusting it is that Jonathan Ross gets all this money. I say, ‘Well done him - who’s his agent?’. I’m such a high spender, I need to work."

You’re approaching 60. Are you dreading it?

"No, I’m too old to care. I was running the other day and a man told me to get a move on. I stopped and asked how old he thought I was. He said 60. I was hoping he was going to say 40!"

Finally, what’s next?

"I’m playing an alien in The Sarah Jane Adventures. I had a great time. It was fantastic seeing Doctor Who and the Tardis."