Thora Hird

Speaker 20:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

Speaker 20:08

The programme was originally broadcast in nineteen eighty nine.

Speaker 20:11

And the presenter was Sue Lawley.

Presenter0:30

My castaway this week is one of Britain's great character actresses. She's been in the business for as long as she's lived, having first appeared on the stage at the age of eight weeks. She's appeared in a hundred films and played in countless theatres, from the Royalty Morecambe to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. In recent years, her talent has come to be enjoyed by an even wider audience. This year, BAFTA voted her Best Television Actress for her performance in the Alan Bennett play A Cream Cracker Under the Sattee. She comes from Lancashire, but you can find her characters everywhere. She is Thora Heard.

Presenter1:04

A member of Equity at Eight Weeks, were you, Thora? Oh, no, not really. No, my mother was in a play that was being directed, or they called it produced in those days, far back, by my father. And she was playing the village maid, who'd been done wrong by the squire's son. So I I suppose I played the unfortunate result. But I was eight weeks old and my dad was about forty years ahead in the business. Truthfully, Sue, he was. And he wouldn't have a baby with a wooden head in a shawl that might knock off the scenery. Anything like that, you know. And he just said to my mother, take her on.

Presenter1:40

And I can honestly say it was the first and only job I've ever got through influence.

Presenter1:46

We'll talk more about your life in a second, but but tell me first about you, Thora, on a desert island, because I have this vision of you being a bit like Doris in a cream cracker under the city, sitting there kind of bemoaning your fate.

Presenter2:00

Well, I wouldn't bemoan my fate, because that was Doris, and I'm not a bemoaner, but I would really hate it, Sue, because I don't I'm not very fond of my own company, and I'm usually surrounded anyway. So, um, if there were flowers on this famous island, or nice pebbles, I would find myself doing a bit of art one way or another. But I would talk to myself. Would you? Are you a cleaner-upper? Would you kind of establish robots?

Thora Hird2:27

Yeah.

Presenter2:29

Don't manage love.

Presenter2:31

I'm nearly a nuisance. Not so much now that I'm older, but um I don't mean that disease about getting up and cleaning the house, then starting again.

Presenter2:40

But um I'm a little bit tidy, if I may say, before we go to the cottage.

Presenter2:46

I wipe all down the sides of the sink, the tap, and all this, you see, and Scotty will say

Presenter2:51

Oh, heavens, the spring cleaning's started. Now I've got the engine running. I said, I'm just leaving this to come into, and I walk into it at the other end. And are you a good cook?

Presenter3:02

I would make do with something, I think. But will you need your music to keep your pecker up? That would be beautiful.

Thora Hird3:07

What about

Thora Hird3:09

Hmm.

Presenter3:11

So what was what's the first record you'd like?

Presenter3:14

Well, the first record I've chosen is Temptation Rag. Now that's a very, very old tune, but when I was a little girl I had four cousins smashing tap dancers. We didn't call it tap dancing then, it was called Wallopin. And from being four years old, I didn't know I was only four when this happened, but we had a a tile floor in our kitchen in the north.

Presenter3:36

And they would kneel in front of me and take my little foot and say one, two, three, and um we had a record of that.

Presenter3:44

So it was put on very slowly on the gramophone, and then later on when I had like a group of girls.

Presenter3:51

I always had that tune because I'm a bit like that. I'm a bit silly, nostalgic, you know. But it's a s wonderful tap-dancing tune.

Presenter4:59

Temptation Rag played by the Pasadena Roof Orchestra and Thora walloping away. I never knew tap dancing was called walloping. You're not old enough. And I mean, that's truthfully, I mean, I was scarcely old enough to know, but it was my cousins who told me this, and they earned the living tap dancing in the business, you know. This was all in Morecambe, wasn't it? Yes, Morecombe in Lancashire. Born and bred. Born and bred.

Thora Hird5:18

Yes.

Presenter5:22

Now, tell me about your mother. She was an actress and a singer. Yes, my mother was Maury Mair, that was the name. Well, it was the real name, by the way, Maury Mair. My father was James Henry Heard.

Speaker 25:25

So I understand.

Presenter5:32

My mother was a singer, my father was front-evouse manager some weeks, a comic the other, and it was quite true that my father

Presenter5:41

Fancy, my mother, if that's the expression I can use on your programme.

Presenter5:45

And him

Presenter5:47

They you see, the the Johnnies used to wait at the stage door for the girls with flowers, and one Johnny waited about four nights, and the next day my mother and dad went on a picnic, and he proposed that day, just in case, like, the fellow was there that night. Well, that's what my mother said.

Presenter6:03

But they used to tour around before they had boasted that they had been in every county in England and had postcards to prove it, you know.

Thora Hird6:05

Oh yes.

Presenter6:11

But having and it was hard work in those days'cause there were one night stands, a lot of them, you know.

Speaker 26:11

Nah.

Presenter6:16

But what happened then when you came along? Well, this was it. My mother had been married nearly six years when she said she wanted some children but she didn't want to tour them.

Presenter6:25

So my father and my mother at Morecambe was my mother's home town.

Presenter6:30

And uh they went to Morecambe.

Presenter6:33

And it wasn't very easy to get a job, but my father was a very good swimmer and got a job as the whatever you call it in charge of the Bear bathing pool. I don't mean Bear without clothes. Bear is at the end of the promenade at Morecambe. Well, he was the lifeguard, is he? Well, they didn't call it that then, but he was everything in charge. Paid your threatens to him, you know.

Thora Hird6:45

What?

Presenter6:52

She wasn't there very long.

Presenter6:54

Because soon after that he went as manager on the West End Pier, do you see? And then after that went to the Alambra, and then after the Alambra to the Royalty Theatre, from the Royalty Theatre to the Central Pier, moving up a little tread in this So always the theatre was the one for you?

Thora Hird7:08

It's only for you.

Presenter7:09

And did they teach you everything you you knew then? Yes, my father was very critical, but always constructively and never destructively.

Presenter7:20

And and anything if I do know anything about comedy timing or um or pathos, anything of that I owe to my dad.

Presenter7:29

Nothing was too much trouble, and he would say to me, while we were eating, you know,

Presenter7:35

That line when you say to the man or the broken speech or something, why did you do it like that?

Presenter7:42

And of course, you know, in your teens I'd say, Well, you see, dad because and he said, I thought so,'cause that is wrong.

Presenter7:49

And then he would tell me how to do it. And he would really break that speech up. And he'd say, If you put the inflection on that word, you'll get a laugh, but not with the word you're doing. It's extraordinary, isn't it, how if you just

Presenter8:02

Put the inflect on one word and not another. It's a funny line.

Presenter8:06

And you went and put that into practice and it worked? Oh, yes. Oh, yes. What about ordinary schooler?'Cause you did you did go to school. I went to a private school, do you mind? Once a week. Very posh. Oh, yes. Um, Miss Nelson's school.

Thora Hird8:08

Oh ye

Thora Hird8:13

I went to the

Thora Hird8:15

Only posh.

Presenter8:21

And I have to say, Sue, I know we're all inclined to be a little bit faithful to anything that's to do with our past lives, but by Jove, they gave you an education.

Presenter8:32

I left school when I was fourteen.

Presenter8:35

And uh

Presenter8:36

B well, my birthday's in May. So

Presenter8:40

Aleft school.

Presenter8:42

And the day they were all going back to school I put a clean blouse and my gem slip on, and I stood in the front room window at home.

Presenter8:49

And my mother said, Thora, where are you? and I was watching the girls go up our street to school. And my mother never said a word, she just got my school bag, brought it in, put it on the table and said, Go and ask Miss Nelson if you can go back for another term.

Presenter9:04

I was out quicker than I told you.

Presenter9:07

And I never sung Holy, Holy, Holy so well in my life as that morning when I went back to school. I loved it.

Thora Hird9:11

Yeah.

Presenter9:12

You loved it so much? I loved school.

Presenter9:15

Shall we have your second record? Well, now the second one.

Presenter9:19

That we're having is plays away to do with school.

Presenter9:22

Because, briefly.

Presenter9:25

We had an annual school concert, and it was a good concert, and we always finished with the entire school marching on the stage, snakes and everything, always to blaze away.

Presenter9:37

After the first two bars, I am there.

Presenter9:41

And of course, if you ever became the leader of that, you know, you rather told your relatives, I'm leading this year. And did you lead?

Presenter9:48

Only one, yeah.

Presenter11:01

Blaze Away played by the Royal Artillery Band, with Thora Hurd up front.

Presenter11:07

Hallie said you were you were born and bred for the theatre, Thora. You didn't go right into it, did you? No, no. Oh, no. No, I was in the amateurs in Morecambe for a long time, which really brings me nearly to my next record in a in a funny way.

Presenter11:21

Do you know, as I sit here, I don't know if this person is alive. I do hope he is. He was called Freddie Tomlinson.

Presenter11:28

And he was the best waltzer I mean old fashioned waltzer.

Presenter11:32

Ever, ever.

Presenter11:33

I waltzer reverse, no trouble. Oh, it was a good Waltzer.

Presenter11:38

I had seen the film at the Palladium.

Presenter11:41

I think it was Jesse Matthews, I can't remember, in a black velvet dress, at least half of it was, but the other half was silver Lorex, you see. And uh I went four times in the ninepennies to draw it.

Presenter11:54

and then went to the little lady round the corner, misses Hayward, who made it for me.

Presenter11:59

And I can remember wa the first time I wore that dress waltzing with Freddie Tomlinson and thinking, Just excuse me, would you look at this?

Presenter12:09

I think youthful conceit is beautiful because you're not hurting anybody, are you? Where had you met him then? Oh, in the amateurs, I should have said that. He was what? Oh, I don't mean we were ever boy and girl friend or anything like that because

Presenter12:22

You were all chums in the amateurs. You know, my dad would direct direct them. But I mention it because really. And I've waltzed with some beautiful waltzers, but oh, our Fred. He was the best. Oh, yeah. We better hear this waltz. Which one is it? Well, it's silver and gold. And I should have said that the first time I had the dress, I went a waltz.

Thora Hird12:37

When I

Presenter12:42

With Freddie, they were playing this. So there again, every time I hear this lovely.

Presenter12:47

Music.

Presenter12:48

I I just take and of course it's Strauss and I love Vienna and all round there, don't you?

Presenter13:56

Strauss's Gold and Silver Waltz, opus seventy nine, played by the Johann Strauss Orchestra of Vienna conducted by Villy Boskovsky.

Presenter14:04

And that was Thora Hurd and Freddie Tomlinson swirling round the monument.

Thora Hird14:07

Yeah.

Presenter14:09

Was this when you were working in the co-op, Thora?'Cause you did a stint. Yes, yes. The great thing about that was, you see, we had the most fantastic customers there. Any shop has, if you look hard enough.

Thora Hird14:12

That is yeah.

Presenter14:20

I think I've played them nearly all, so and truthfully.

Presenter14:24

You see, when I'm not a good enough actress.

Presenter14:26

To build a character, I'll think of somebody that came in the car.

Presenter14:30

Maybe if I'm thinking and when I'm doing a certain part, I think, Oh, I'll put a bit of Mrs X in there, you know. Yes. In in her best hat. Like the well-off voice I use in in things, you see. The which voice? The well-off voice, as we call it. I'd never used that in my life because it was my auntie.

Speaker 214:43

A bunch of boys.

Presenter14:49

And when I was about five or six I was in Manchester, and she gave me some watercress for my tea.

Presenter14:55

Anne told me to eat it because there was a lot of iron in it, and the shop bell went.

Presenter15:00

And she went through the curtain, and though she said now, eat that,'cause there was a lot of iron in it.

Presenter15:05

When she went into the shop, I heard her say, Oh, hello, Mrs. Armitage. And if you're little, I thought you'd to have a voice in the shop that was different to the one when they were feeding somebody with watercress. Do you see? Well, no, it it says in your Who's Who in the Theatre entry that you began your career in 1931 when you were, what, twenty years old? Yeah, well, I'd done a a little few bits before then in rep, pound a week.

Presenter15:32

Oh, yes. But you see I na I was never important in rep.

Presenter15:36

Only two or three occasions. Well, I have to say, in one play called As You Are.

Presenter15:43

They cast me as the mother-in-law.

Presenter15:45

And George Formby happened to come on the Tuesday because Ealing's two girls had bought that play to make a film for him.

Presenter15:53

And he asked to see me after the play, and to make that brief, the result was he said, Oh, I think you're ooh, you're a proper champion in this. I'd love you to play it in the film.

Presenter16:02

This sounds just a line to say that to you now, but could you imagine a pound a week in rap and somebody said I'd love you to play it in the film? I mean, this was the

Presenter16:12

Unattainable, you see. Well, that was the Tuesday and the Friday night. A gentleman came up from Ealing, but I didn't know it was Gordon Hamilton Gay, the casting director. And he said Miss Heard and I said yes, and he said I have come from London to see you play.

Presenter16:30

And I said

Presenter16:31

Oh, but the fare's three pounds seventeen and nine. It was then to London.

Presenter16:37

And he said, Well, never mind that, may we go out to supper? And I hate to tell you we did, and all I had was a Horlicks because I couldn't eat anything with this thing. And they tested me, I came to to town for it. And of course the Milsen boom ending would be that I got the part, but I didn't because I wasn't old enough.

Presenter16:56

But I got a contact.

Presenter16:58

Ten pounds a week if I didn't work, ten pounds a day if I did. So what sort of work did you get? Well, the first film was the Will Hay film.

Presenter17:07

uh black sheep of Whitehall, and they kept pushing me and said, Watch this girl's test, you see and um and understandably said, No, I want somebody who's known.

Presenter17:18

And they tested, as they used to in those days, so many.

Presenter17:22

And then he said, Well, I'll see the test.

Presenter17:25

And I am told, because I wasn't there, that he said, What a face, send her a telegram.

Presenter17:29

What do you mean when they said, what a face, look at this face. What a face. Well, because when I'd done this test, they said, now go and get the beauty treatment, you see. Well, just imagine the lashes.

Thora Hird17:33

Well, I'm not sure.

Presenter17:43

The little rosebud lips, the curls all here

Presenter17:47

And

Presenter17:48

The fact was that I didn't understand the test, so when I hadn't done it right the first time, I didn't realise they were doing medium close ups, sides, and all all this. I didn't realise. And I thought I wasn't doing it right, and turned round and said to them

Presenter18:05

Well, that's it, if I haven't done it right now.

Presenter18:08

I didn't ask to come down, you asked me, and I'm doing all this.

Presenter18:12

And the shooting in, I didn't know this.

Presenter18:15

And then somebody said cut.

Presenter18:17

And they had that test, and the following morning I went to Rush's theatre, saw the board come on.

Presenter18:24

Thought I had just a clap, saw these curls and these lips, and me saying

Presenter18:30

Look, if I haven't done it right now, I mean, there's no point in it, because you asked me to co I didn't ask to come down here and I'm doing all this, and that got me the contract. So it was the real Thora Heard, truly, that scored. That looked funny enough, because I've never been a l raving beauty, you see. But that's what got me the the

Presenter18:47

Contract

Presenter18:48

Do you think in some ways that's gone on being true? That that that actually it is the real Thoraherd, it is what you are. Well, obviously, when I play.

Presenter18:57

The the wife in Laster Summer Wine. If I was like that with my husband, he'd have left me years ago. You follow. And a lot of things like that. But um I do and well, any of us try to get to the nitty-gritty, don't we, and play it. Let's pause and have another record, shall we? Number four.

Presenter19:14

Are we Cumberland Gap in? Oh ha ha Lonnie Donnegan. I suppose I have nearly every record of his, but I love that one. And he gets so excited, he says Umberland Gap.

Speaker 319:26

Got a gal six feet tall, sleeps in the kitchen with a feet in the hall, Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap, fifteen miles on the Cumberland Gap, Humberland Gap, Cumberland Gap, fifteen miles on the Cumberland Gap

Speaker 319:37

Bling it!

Speaker 319:38

Held two old ladies sitting in the sand, each one wishing that the other was a man, Hummel and Gab, Humblin' Gab, fifteen miles after humming gab, hummel and gab, humming gab, fifteen miles

Speaker 319:51

Yeah.

Presenter19:54

It's a good dusting well, is that? You're right, it's a Cumberland gap. But it's a good Dustin Weller if you've worked to do in the house, you know. I love records, I like that when I'm.

Thora Hird19:57

Uh

Presenter20:02

You go a bit fast.

Thora Hird20:03

Boss.

Presenter20:05

Let's talk about the theatre, Thora, because if you've done a hundred films, you've surely done a hundred theatres. Ah, oh, yeah, many more. Many, many more. But this is if you count a weekly rep, you know, say one a week then. Oh, yes. Now, your first London appearance was at the Vauderville in October 1944 as Mrs. Game in No Books. No medals, Esther McCrackenfield medals, with Faye Compton and Frederick Leicester starring. And then there was Mrs. Holmes in Flowers for the Living. Wow. Well, now.

Thora Hird20:10

Time.

Thora Hird20:12

Anymore.

Thora Hird20:19

Now your fair

Thora Hird20:24

Yeah.

Thora Hird20:26

No medals.

Thora Hird20:33

Now

Presenter20:35

That play really did everything for me. That's certainly been your favourite part.

Thora Hird20:39

Okay.

Thora Hird20:40

As

Presenter20:41

Not my favourite part, but a very, very good part, a heartbreaking part. And uh the following day, you know, I mean, there were so many offers for films and things, one couldn't do them all. And that's always the moment in anybody's life that's great, isn't it?

Thora Hird20:43

Very

Presenter20:56

Wonderful. You've done some Shakespeare too as well, some classical. Not a lot, as Paul Daniels would say. Uh not a lot. Uh when you remember uh Cedric McCina did a one a month

Thora Hird21:00

Not a lot.

Presenter21:08

But a big production. On the television. Yes, on telly, for BBC.

Thora Hird21:09

On the television? Yes, on television.

Presenter21:12

I did the nursing Romeo and Juliet and Mrs. Hardcastle and She Stoops to Concord and enjoyed them both. Shall we have some more music then? Yes, please.

Presenter21:21

So what we're oh, we're on to number five already, aren't we?

Presenter21:26

Well, it's none but the lonely heart.

Presenter21:28

And death.

Presenter21:29

Believe you me if I I'm easily moved when I'm playing, but if it was a morning when I wasn't easily moved, I'd only have to play the first eight bars of this and I'd be off.

Presenter22:40

Tchaikovsky's None But the Lonely Heart, played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ettore Strata. That would give me a lovely excuse on the island if I was sorry for myself.

Presenter22:52

Have a good week. I would, I would. We ought to talk about you and the Alan Bennett roles, the latest of which brought you the the BAFTA Award for Best Actress for A Cream Cracker Under the City. It was a wonderful part, wasn't it? Oh, yes, yes, yes. How would you describe Doris? She was a a strange combination because she aroused great sadness, but also was a lot of humour in it. That was a clever thing. Oh, well this is clever Alan. Yes. This is Alan Bennett, the Mr. Wonderman.

Thora Hird23:15

How will they

Presenter23:21

I mean, Alan can write a line and I promise you said one way you would break your heart. Said another way, it is very, very funny.

Presenter23:29

But to me the one thing that strikes me so much about Alan he doesn't he writes so well he doesn't have to mention a word. I mean, now uh everybody didn't see Creamcracker, but where I mentioned about the baby

Presenter23:44

and and saying, I would like to have.

Presenter23:46

Called it John, but the nurse said it wasn't fit to be called anything and had earned a newspaper.

Presenter23:53

He might just as well have put over the screen miscarriage, miscarriage, you knew it w never mentioned the word.

Presenter24:00

You just knew automatically. Well, the viewers too, and a lot of people sent this to me. Did you watch yourself back in week? Well, I did. The first time I saw it.

Thora Hird24:01

Well then

Thora Hird24:05

Well

Presenter24:09

Of course it was the usual thing. Ooh, I could have done that better.

Presenter24:13

And um then I saw it for a second time.

Presenter24:16

And uh

Presenter24:18

We're still thinking, I'm gonna die. No, you'd never see yourself. I would never see myself thinking, Thor, that's it.

Presenter24:25

Ten out of ten. But you must have been a bit moved when you saw that. Oh, I was moved.

Thora Hird24:25

But you must have been

Presenter24:30

I was fighting not to be moved when I was playing it, too, I'll tell you.

Presenter24:33

Of course, you've played lots of his his characters before, and they always have such wonderful lines in them, don't they? Well, they do, yeah.

Presenter24:41

And there's always lines that the public remember, you know.

Presenter24:45

When I did the play, I did two that were in a hospital. One I did where I was a patient in hospital.

Presenter24:51

And there's a little Chinese boy, um, young fella.

Presenter24:56

I brought a box of chocolates for somebody. However, I I can't remember the situation entirely, but the thing was that I was offered one.

Presenter25:04

And uh he wrote the line, and this is not absolutely right, but like the line was, Well, it'll take more than a box of Cadbury's milk tray to wipe out the memory of Pearl Harbour.

Presenter25:17

Was that the one when the when the husband came to call and you've had those wonderful conversations? Yes, and he had written and Alan, you see, was so aware that if people are not seriously ill in hospital and are about to come out and the husband comes every afternoon, of course they run out of things to say.

Thora Hird25:20

Yeah.

Presenter25:34

I remember the husband coming to see me and that and sitting there. We're both sitting saying nothing, and he suddenly says

Presenter25:41

I did the back kitchen floor this morning.

Presenter25:44

and she never said anything, and then she you saw her face thinking and she turned and she said

Presenter25:49

Which bucket did you use?

Presenter25:52

He said, But that red one, that plastic one and she said, But that's not the back kitchen floor bucket not thanking him for having another floor and just used the wrong bucket.

Presenter26:03

And that he comes out with lines that women laugh at.

Presenter26:07

They were just a little bit more. Oh, true, true. Um, in Cracker Under the SETI.

Speaker 226:08

Just so very real to it.

Presenter26:14

I think she was pointing out, like, that her husband was always going to do this and that. She never said, but he never did any of it.

Presenter26:21

Do you see? But then she starts to talk about fret work.

Presenter26:26

And then to herself she said

Presenter26:29

But it was growing mushrooms in the Sala saga all over again.

Presenter26:33

You see, it's beautiful lines, aren't they? Oh, beautiful.

Thora Hird26:37

Ah

Presenter26:39

Let's have another record.

Presenter26:41

Oh yes. Now where are we to and where don't shrink the cups, we're not so sorry. Well, I'm enjoying the coffee.

Thora Hird26:43

Thanks.

Thora Hird26:45

What's the pickney?

Presenter26:48

Well, this is When the Saints Go Marching In and it is by Sid Phillips.

Presenter26:54

Now stop me, because God rest Sid Phillips, I think he was the greatest, greatest clarionette player I've ever heard. Anybody, Americans anybody. Great.

Thora Hird27:42

Oh when the saints go marching in Oh when the saints go marching in I wanna be in their number when the saints go marching in

Speaker 227:49

I want to go.

Presenter28:06

When the Saints go marching in, said Phillips and his band. Yeah, well there's more I have a bit more affection too to that tune, because when I did Hallelujah, the the comedy show at Leeds television, and that was the signature tune.

Thora Hird28:09

Yeah

Presenter28:20

When the Saints Come Marching In. Not on the Sid Phillips record, but When the Saints Come Marching In.

Thora Hird28:20

When the sale is a

Presenter28:25

Of course the television I suppose you're very best known for i is what is irreverently known in the trade as the Godspot.

Presenter28:32

Yes, isn't it extraordinary?

Thora Hird28:33

Yes, isn't it?

Speaker 228:34

Right.

Presenter28:35

Twelfth year this year. I'm preparing another set now at the moment. We are preparing, I should say.

Speaker 228:36

To prepare.

Presenter28:41

Um it's well, when I say isn't it amazing, it's amazing the pleasure it gives to people and the amount of fan mail on it and uh I never realized there were so many people in the world with no one.

Presenter28:53

And I mean not with the fourth cousin removed.

Presenter28:57

There's so many people alone. So are they writing about their loneliness? No, no, never complaining. No, just well, I don't know. It's very difficult to say this to you without but you know me well enough to know I've no swank and I haven't. A lot of have people have a feeling I go into their room when I do it.

Thora Hird29:00

Uh Uh

Speaker 229:00

Uh

Thora Hird29:00

Uh

Speaker 229:00

Uh

Thora Hird29:00

Yeah.

Thora Hird29:05

Wasn't it just saying

Presenter29:18

And I'm doing it just for them, which pleases me, you see.

Thora Hird29:22

Yeah.

Presenter29:22

Because there's nothing sophisticated about the programme.

Presenter29:26

M

Presenter29:28

And they were right to me what one old lady wrote to me and said um

Presenter29:32

When I said goodbye on this Sunday, you know. It's the letter started Oh, Thora, not dear Thora.

Presenter29:39

Oh, Thor, aren't you coming to see me next Sunday?

Presenter29:42

That's heartbreaking, you know, Sue, when they

Thora Hird29:44

Percent.

Presenter29:45

thinking somebody I I love the fact

Presenter29:48

Let people think I've been in the room.

Presenter29:51

There's also in all of this, of course, what comes through is your own religious conviction. It's very strong, isn't it?

Thora Hird29:57

It's very strong.

Presenter29:59

Couldn't do without my pal upstairs.

Presenter30:02

I couldn't

Presenter30:03

And so is there an element of perhaps your having had a happy life and that rubbing off really with all the people who regard you as their friend? I've had fifty years bliss with Scotty. I've a daughter that I am proud of. It's very loving. I've two healthy grandchildren. I've a son-in-law who is lovely.

Presenter30:24

I've so much love around me that it is easy for me to give a bit out. Do you follow what I'm saying? without sounding and you will f I don't mean that, I mean ordinary. I mean I say my prayers to the Lord, walking about the house many a time.

Presenter30:39

Should we have some more music there? Here's another one that on the island, if I'm walking about feeling sorry for myself, it'd be a good excuse for me to have a little weep, just on my own. It's beautiful. It's Mozart's concerto, but you're gonna say all that.

Presenter30:54

Well we'll hear it first and then I'll say

Thora Hird30:54

Yeah.

Thora Hird30:55

Alright.

Presenter31:25

Isn't that beautiful? It was lovely. It was the andante from Mozart's Concerto No. Twenty one in C major played by Richard Clademan of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Thora Hird31:33

Losing well.

Presenter31:35

Well, that is a little bit of a cheat that I love it, but I really put that on for Scotty and Jan because they're well into your good music, you know.

Presenter31:44

I wonder if you had not been an actress, which obviously you were destined to be, as we've heard, I I wonder what you might have liked to have been. Do you see yourself in any other role that life had to offer?

Presenter31:55

Well, um not really. The s strange thing is

Presenter32:00

I've always sort of been happy in all I've done. This is what I think is such a blessing. I don't mean it is a blessing when you can adapt yourself, but it wasn't clever me adapting myself.

Presenter32:11

I've always been in

Presenter32:13

something that I've enjoyed. I've I really have had such a a wonderful life and I hope it goes on a bit. And what are you working on now?

Presenter32:23

Well, just finished. Now just excuse me saying this.

Presenter32:27

and one of the most beautiful, breathtaking sets I've ever been in.

Presenter32:33

And this was Taylor of Gloucester.

Presenter32:36

The Beatrix Potter tail.

Thora Hird32:36

Yeah.

Presenter32:37

Yes, and I walked onto that set.

Presenter32:40

And I am a silly hussy.

Presenter32:42

So nobody need write and tell me I am.

Presenter32:45

Do you know, I ne I felt emotional.

Presenter32:48

It was like a painting.

Presenter32:49

Little icicles, you know what I mean. Snow on the trees. Beautiful. It is if nobody likes the acting.

Presenter32:59

I defy anybody not to say.

Presenter33:02

Oh, would you look at that?'Cause it looked like a series of lovely cards, or one of her books, you know. And who are you in the middle of all that? Well, I'm the housekeeper.

Thora Hird33:08

But

Presenter33:10

And any more Alan Bennetts?

Presenter33:12

Oh, I would hope so, please, God. Let's have your last record. Right, well.

Presenter33:17

I don't want to be m morbid about this.

Presenter33:21

But this is my favourite hymn anyway, Onward Christian Soldiers.

Presenter33:26

I thought it was a good go-out. I could p march about the island a bit with this, Sue. I love it. All my life I've loved this hymn.

Presenter33:34

And um

Presenter33:36

Well, I wouldn't mind them playing it, you know, when I've had it, if you want to know.

Thora Hird33:51

With us, your voice has in triumphant song. Glory, praise, and honor.

Speaker 334:05

On to the prize farm!

Thora Hird34:11

Uh

Presenter34:37

Good morning.

Presenter34:41

Onward Christian Soldiers, sung by the Harry Simeon Chorale. Great. I defy you not to choose that for one of your eight. Oh, it is.

Thora Hird34:47

That's it. Oh, okay. That's it, is it?

Presenter34:51

Now, what about your book? You've got the complete works of Shakespeare and you've got the Bible. What else would you like to have? Well, um.

Thora Hird34:56

Yeah

Presenter34:58

The Bible's a great book, isn't it? It is a great book to read. Anyway, I've got the Bible, I've got the Shakespeare. Now, the book, there's no conceit to this, Sue, but I wrote a book called Seen and Heard, S-C-E-N-E and H-I-R-D, and there's so much of my childhood in it that I might forget a bit of it on the island, so I'll take that to have a read and remind myself.

Presenter35:21

And a luxury. A luxury.

Thora Hird35:21

Action.

Presenter35:24

But it can't be any practical use. It's got to be something that you just enjoy for itself.

Thora Hird35:26

We see

Presenter35:28

I see.

Presenter35:30

Oh, that is so difficult, you know.

Presenter35:33

I think I wouldn't mind very much taking a bit of nice cleansing milk.

Presenter35:38

'Cause I'm not going to bother all the washing lark. I might never swim. But a little bit of cleansing milk would be nice. Just to make you feel beautiful.

Speaker 235:45

Just to make

Presenter35:46

Not expensive.

Presenter35:48

Just and some tissues, you know. The little outfit.

Presenter35:54

Okay.

Presenter35:55

Right, a little outfit to cleanse Thora Heard's face. And let me say, Thora Heard, thank you very much indeed for letting us hear your desert island discs.

Thora Hird35:57

Uh

Presenter36:03

Thank you for having me. It's been lovely.

Speaker 236:13

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.