Magic Piper

Simon Stabler speaks to Jacki Piper about her career, which includes appearing in four Carry On films

- Simon Stabler

The release of the 94-disc DVD set Crossroads: The Noele Gordon Collection, not to mention the Noele Gordon biopic Nolly, means  that public awareness of Midlands-based soap Crossroads has never been higher. Appearing in Nolly, which was written by Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies and stars Helena Bonham Carter, is Carry On star Jacki Piper, an actress with first-hand experience of working with the formidable Miss Gordon.

“When I was at drama school, I did about three days of filming [on Crossroads] at different times,” recalls Jacki. “You got £5 a day to work as an extra, and each time I worked as an extra, Noele Gordon was in the filming. She was very regal, and everyone was slightly nervous of her, she was very much the queen bee.”

Bonham Carter, with whom Jacki shares a scene set on a bus, was much more down to earth, however.

“She was fantastic. She was such a trouper. On the second night at one o’clock or two o’clock in the morning, when we were all so tired on the bus, doing all the scenes again from different angles, she said: ‘We’d better do something to stay awake. Let’s have a sing-song.’ So, I found the words on my phone to Goodbye-ee! Goodbye-ee! and we were all singing that at two o’clock in the morning. I thought she was an absolute trouper.”

Birmingham-born Jacki became interested in acting from an early age.