25 Mar 2023
Deborah Heath catches up with the Alban Arena patron on his houseboat near Northampton…
King of panto Bob Golding is widely regarded as a local treasure. However, there is much more to him than a cart full of puns and a dame’s frock as I was lucky enough to find out. I met Bob and his cat Mrs Norris via Zoom from their house boat in Northampton. Bob also lives with his wife Nikki and young daughter Nella who probably haven’t fallen into the water as much as their cat has. I asked what moved them to pack in their St Albans life and try out this alternative lifestyle.
Bob, who remains patron of the Alban Arena, looked wistful: “I loved every minute of living in St Albans. It was my home for 16 years but one day we were walking down the canal in Apsley and thought we might try this boat lark. We just wanted more space than our tiny city centre cottage and a better outdoor quality of life.”
Life on the water certainly seems to be doing Bob good. There was a definite Wind in the Willows vibe to the interview.
I would say he looked relaxed but comic actors are always on the alert for a joke and there were certainly plenty.
Bob claimed to have turned 50 but his sparky persona certainly indicated otherwise.
“I miss so many things about St Albans,” he mused, “The pub culture, the restaurants, The Odyssey, Fishpool Street where I lived for a number of years. St Albans has charm. I don’t miss the traffic though!
“I’m here pretty often to see my three older children Georgie, Ernie and Lilly and I still consider it home in my heart.”
Bob was robbed of what would have been his 10th panto year and his chance to bid a farewell to the Arena by COVID but was happy to be able to pass the role of dame onto best friend Ian Kirkby.
He still works for acclaimed pantomime company Evolution Productions, but now the residents of Northampton have the honour of seeing him instead of us, to which I say a big “Hiss! Boo!”
Bob is now directing pantos every other year too, which is a big but fun challenge. I asked if he feels panto is still relevant to a modern audience.
“It always moves with the times and Paul Hendy (writer/producer) is brilliant at getting relevant jokes in.”
In his varied career, Bob has done TV comedy, adverts (one of which helped him to buy his 70ft boat outright), children’s TV and of course theatre, which is his favourite platform.
“Theatre is part of me,” he explained. “You can do it anywhere. It’s immediate.”
We talked at length about how powerful theatre can be when it is immersive and you take on the audience as another character.
Bob spoke fondly about performing in one-man show Morecambe where the audience was particularly important during what could have been a lonely job.
I still remember watching it and being deeply affected by the heart attack scene – Bob has that kind of power as an actor to make every audience member feel that he is performing just for them.
He has gone on to direct similar shows including “Flying High” where John Culshaw played Les Dawson aboard Concorde on his way to a US gig. He was delighted to work with Tim Whitnall, writer of Morecambe and set-designed Bethia Jane Green.
I asked what we can learn from the late comedy greats such as Morecambe and Wise. Bob was quick to answer.
“Comic timing – I know that sounds clichéd but it’s true. Also, it’s their affability. Everyone has a silly uncle like Eric Morecambe and his comic innocence is really appealing.”
We both agree that Ernie Wise is often overlooked as a straight man.
“Really Eric is a straight man who happens to be funny and Ernie is the funny man who plays it straight.”
Bob’s own double act with Ian Kirkby in plenty of pantos proves that they have both learnt their craft from the best!
I asked Bob what he would say to Eric and Ernie if he had been lucky enough to meet them.“Thank you!” he said. “Not just for what you’ve given me and my career but what they gave us as a nation.”
Bob’s proudest career moment was winning the Olivier Award for best production with Morecambe which he was able to show off from his boat. However, he also had some mad moments of joy whilst playing Milo, one of the Tweenies, including being on Top of the Pops at the same time as Janet Jackson. As a strong musician, he had always aspired to be on the show as a teenager but probably didn’t think he would be of doing so in the guise of a 8ft high purple boy!
Meeting the Queen and Prince Philip at the Royal Variety Show was another highlight.
When my 15-year-old work experience colleague Lex asked Bob what advice he would give to a young readers wanting to have a life on the stage. Bob went a bit serious for a while.
“It’s hard. It’s really hard. Every actor has periods when they aren’t in work. You’ve got to have the passion to do it. Go drama school, work in a theatre box office at the weekends, have your finger on the pulse. If you get into a repertory company do it – you learn and perform a different play each week. It’s a great discipline.”
At the end of the interview we got back to what it’s like being in your 50s.
“Your memory works differently,” sighed Bob. “So learning lines is like doing loads of sudoku puzzles – it’s really good exercise.”
I asked what it is like doing three shows a day in panto season.
“Well I can’t combine it with all the socialising we used to do!” he admits. “Just two nights out per show now.”
This said, I think Bob looks pretty energetic for someone with a four-year-old child!
Interviewing Bob was not only an absolute pleasure for me and Lex but it felt like having a one-man show to ourselves. We even got some personalised jokes. There is an electricity emanating from this
outstandingly talented man but like his comic heroes it is his affability that seals the deal. St Albans’ loss is Northampton’s gain. God bless you Bob!
