A Bonnie Lass
With a career spanning 50 years, Bonnie Langford has done it all and shows no signs of slowing down. Niamh O’Reilly chats to the star of stage and screen to find out the secret behind her longevity.
Musical theatre legend and TV actress Bonnie Langford could likely show today's wannabes a thing or two about longevity, however. The showbiz icon has a starring turn in Anything Goes, which comes to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.
“I’ve missed being in a company, I’ve missed that a lot", Bonnie muses. The past two years have been tough on the theatre and arts industry, although Bonnie has kept busy in the intervening period most famously with a scene stealing appearance in ITV’s the Masked Dancer last year. “It was completely bonkers”, she laughs. “It was really hard work. It was difficult trying to navigate movement; not only with the head which was really big, but also the tail. ”Langford wowed not only the panel of celebrity judges, but the entire nation who were shocked to discover it was in fact the 57-year-old inside the squirrel outfit all along. She beat a host of other contestants such as Tamzin Outhwaite and Howard Donald and ultimately came in a close second to 32-year-old Olympic gymnast Louis Smith.
The show brought Bonnie back into the spotlight, reminding audiences of her impressive list of talents. Although for the down-to-earth and personable actress, keeping schtum was a challenge. “I had no idea who else was there. Some of my friends were in it and I didn’t even know they were there.”
While Bonnie's high leg lifts and splits summarily impressed one and all, looking back on her career, it’s no surprise, given her history of singing and dancing in a host of West End shows such as Cats, 42nd Street and Chicago to name just a few. And who could forget her daring moves in ITV’s Dancing on Ice in 2006. “I like to keep fit” she admits, having just finished a workout that morning.“I enjoy body conditioning, dance, cardio, Pilates and yoga.”
The star’s been singing and dancing since she was a small child, getting her first big break at the tender age of six, winning TV talent show Opportunity Knocks.
“It was almost the Britain’s Got Talent of its time”, she recalls and even though she was young, she has a very clear and happy recollection of her big break.
“It was just a day out, a lovely day out. I had to sing with an orchestra and then I went into the studio and then they told me if I looked at the big camera with the big red light on above it, then I’d be literally looking at my friends at home and I just found it fascinating.”
Calm, laid back and with a natural ease for showbiz, Bonnie’s relaxed attitude stood her in good stead and came very much from her parents. “They [my parents] were very laid back. I went with my dad to the studio because my mother was busy and then she joined later, and it was only down the road from home. It was just such a nice experience. I wasn’t fazed by it at all.”
Bonnie’s career continued to grow and at the age of 12 she starred in TV show Just William alongside British icon Diana Dors, who she remembers fondly. “She played my mum, and she was wonderful. We used to rehearse in an old territorial army barracks in London and she used to drive up in her Rolls Royce and she was always very laid back, in old t-shirts, leggings and flip flops. But one time she came in and on the back of her t-shirt it said, ‘I was Britain’s sex symbol’ That was Diana all over. She absolutely took her work seriously, but not herself. A fantastic lady, I loved her.”
Working with such a huge star at such a young age might have fazed others, but not Bonnie. Indeed, these days she’s more relaxed about things than ever.
“I don’t like drama off stage, on stage is fine, but I’m not a person who really thrives on chaos.”
After Just William, Langford bagged the role of Mel Bush, the Doctor’s companion, in the BBC's sci-fi drama Doctor Who, working with both Sylvester McCoy and Colin Baker. But there were tough times too for the one-time child star. “I got into the original cast of Cats and that carried me through that sort of ageless time. But there were moments maybe in my mid- 20s when I found it very hard.”
“I didn’t want to turn my back on it (acting) because I had such happy memories of it, but at the same time, I wanted to say, ‘I’m not that child anymore’.”
Bonnie persevered but found that her image as the “squeaky clean” kid who didn’t go out partying was a hard mantle to have on her shoulders. “I’ve always done everything in moderation, I’ve never been a wild child. I never drank or smoked or took drugs and that’s mature, but I got chastised for that. You can’t win”
“I’ve always tried to be authentic to me, nobody else, just me and I didn’t want to go out to drink, smoke or go partying.
Not everyone can like that, I’ve but I’ve never tried to be what I’m told to be, I’ve just been true to me, right or wrong.”
That authenticity turned out to be one of her best assets, contributing to her popularity on the BBC’s hit soap Eastenders.
Initially a guest spot, the role turned into a permanent job when she took on the role of Carmel Kazemi. The actress tackled some gritty storylines in her time, especially the death of her onscreen son Shakil.
"I came into Liverpool and a load of kids came in and thinking I couldn’t hear, they were talking about these different Eastenders storylines, one of them all the way back in the beginning. I was thinking how do they remember that? It's amazingly powerful, especially for young people.”
While Langford left the show in 2018 in traditional East End style, in the back of a black cab, does she ever think Carmel could come back to the square despite the sad memories it holds for her character?
“They just brought back Sam, didn’t they?” she laughs. “It’s brilliant. Carmel’s not dead, she’s in
Dubai. She went to Dubai in a taxi, so I suppose she’s got her grandson Arthur in the square. You never know. I mean I have no idea, but that’s the thing about this business you just never know.”
So what’s the secret to Bonnie's longevity? An unassuming Bonnie is not one to blow her own trumpet.
“I’m just happy to look forward and keep going and see what life brings. I feel very lucky I’ve been doing this for 50 years and still like it. It’s only because I started so young that I’ve been in it this long, but I’ve always thought of the long road, and I don’t see the end of it yet. I think things come to you when they are meant to, so let’s hope that’s a good sign.” WW
Anything Goes, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, May 18– 28, visit bordgaisenergytheatre.ie
