‘I hum the Chariots of Fire theme all day, every day’: Nigel Havers on beach-running, playing Michael Caine’s son and hating his name

The quintessential English actor answers your questions about being posh, appearing on I’m a Celebrity, and asking parked motorists to turn off their enginesI’m obsessed with the BBC Radio 4 programme, Nigel Havers’ Ravers, where you recount your experiences during the ecstasy-fuelled 90s summers of love. I’ve never been sure if it was a) genuine, b) a brilliant and strange parody, or c) a fever dream of my own imagination. What’s the truth, Nigel? UncleMontyI just don’t remember it, so I’m Googling it … “Dermot O’Leary, Nigel Havers Ravers, the definitive guide to the 90s underground rave scene from a man who lived through it.” Raves are where people go mad, take a load of drugs and dance all night, right? I don’t think I’ve been to a rave in my life. I must have been bullshitting.I had you in my cab once in Sydney, where you were expounding to your fellow passengers that you could identify the drama school of any young performer on stage. That was 35 years ago, mate. Still the case, you reckon? moodmeisterI don’t know what I meant by that, so I’m afraid that’s also bollocks. Do you still ask parked motorists to switch off their engines? gregc1381All the time. I tap on the window and say: “Do you mind turning your engine off?” The majority go: “Oh, sorry, quite right,” but a few do say: “Fuck off, what are you talking about?” I carry a little card that explains that an idling exhaust expels 150 balloons full of toxic air per minute. If nobody idled in Greater London tomorrow, it would cut pollution by a third. I know this because I was a Stop Idling ambassador for Westminster Council. I’m a fierce anti-idler.Do you have a portrait in your attic that is mysteriously ageing? You look exactly the same as you did 40 years ago. Megatron66Yes, but don’t tell anyone. Continue reading...

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