'If I'm Not Wearing Make-up No One Gives Me Second Look'

The Birds of a Feather star talks about her image, ‘friends for life’ and how she’d love to take Young Frankenstein to Broadway…

- Richard Barber

We think we’re in charge of our own destiny,’ says comedy actress Lesley Joseph. ‘But we’re not. Look at me. I’m 72 now and I’ve just had the busiest five years of my career.’

In no particular order, she starred as Miss Hannigan in a national tour of the musical, Annie and partnered Anton Du Beke in 2016’s Strictly. (She was the oldest contestant in the show’s history.) Before that, and along with co-stars Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson, she enjoyed a sell-out theatre tour as man-eating Dorien Green in Birds of a Feather, which was then recommissioned by ITV (it had originally been a big BBC hit in the 90s), the new series attracting huge audiences.

And now, she’s having a high old time as Frau Blücher in the West End stage production of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.

No wonder she’s in barnstorming form. And quite a lot of this good fortune, she says, can be laid at the door of Strictly.

Highly respected choreographer and director Susan Stroman has been over from Broadway licking Young Frankenstein into shape alongside the legendary Mr Brooks.

‘Stro, as we call her, told me I had to be in good physical shape because the show involves a lot of movement,’ says Lesley. ‘Luckily, I’d kept trim after Strictly, so that stood me in good stead.’

Even Lesley’s clothes are testament to that. Today she’s dressed in a figure-skimming, full-length jersey dress that was a gift from Daisy Lowe after they both appeared last year on Strictly.