Lionel Blair reveals what really happened when he joined celeb veterans for The Real Marigold Hotel
They travel to Kochi in India to see if it really is full of Eastern promise for OAPs
Age may be just a number but, at 88, TV legend Lionel Blair is intent on living life to the full.
So he jumped at the chance to spend a month in India for the new series of The Real Marigold Hotel – with the backing of his wife Susan.
“My wife said: ‘You’ve got to go, darling. You have to take every opportunity that comes at your age!’” he laughs. “As an experience, it was wonderful.”
Inspired by the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, the first series on BBC2 pulled in over four million viewers.
Now promoted to BBC1, the show sees Lionel and his fellow travellers (see below) head to Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala, to sample retirement living.
The celebrity senior citizens split into groups for activities, but they get together around the table each evening for meals.
“When we dined outside it was like a family dinner. I bonded with all of them,” says Lionel.
“Amanda was one of my backing dancers over 50 years ago, Miriam had interviewed me, and lots had been on Give Us A Clue [a game show on which Lionel was a team captain] back in the day. I didn’t know Paul that well, but we laughed all the time.”
In the first episode, Lionel struggles with the heat, the food, the surroundings and, most of all, an overwhelming bout of homesickness.
“At first, I hated it,” admits Lionel.
“It’s the heat, it’s unbelievable. It just hits you. And outside it was like a shanty town. I’m not a great curry fan and it made my stomach churn.
“But the hardest thing was missing my wife. We’ve been married for 50 years this year. Not only that she wasn’t there, but we love having memories together – it’s lovely to say: ‘Remember when we did this?’”
However, a houseboat cruise through the Kerala backwaters, taking in the beautiful scenery – which he compares to “the garden of Eden” – appears to flick a switch in Lionel.
“The change in me was incredible,” he says. “I ended up loving it. I genuinely loved the people.
There’s no religious discrimination in India. Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus all mix together. If there’s somewhere like that in the world, why wouldn’t you want to live there?”
Another big plus for Lionel was the standard of hygiene in public places.
“I’m very clean and every proper toilet we went to, next to you is a little hose to wash your botty,” he laughs. “I found that wonderful.”
Fans of Lionel’s fancy footwork won’t be disappointed as they’ll get to see him tap-dance at a party held for the Kochi locals. But he doesn’t feel the passion for it that he once did.
“I wish I’d given it up 20 years ago,” he says. “Seeing an old man tap-dancing is not good.
I’d love to do TV drama for a change, but light entertainment pays much better. My wife says: ‘This house will have to go if you do acting!’”
Lionel has no plans to retire, but even if he did, he wouldn’t embark on a new life in India. He would, however, be open to the BBC flying him and the cast to more far-flung places.
“I hope they send us on another trip,” he grins. “I’d like to go to Thailand. Or New Orleans.
“And it’s our golden wedding anniversary in March, so I’m hoping OK! Magazine will send
us to Australia as my wife is desperate to go!”
NEW! The Real Marigold Hotel, Wednesday, 9pm, BBC1
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