We Interview Ann Hamilton - part 3

Interview

Continued…

Did Eric and Ern give you any help or advice?
No but they were always helpful. Eric once said to me, “I know you don’t get paid as much as us, but you realise we expect the same standard from you.” It wasn’t in any way a reprimand but almost an apology.

Did you find time to socialise with them?
Not a lot but I was always invited to the awards ceremonies. I don’t think Eric and Ernie socialised all that much, we all had our own families. I remember one occasion when Eric popped in for tea unexpectedly when he was fishing in the area. That was nice.

It seemed that Eric took great delight in making you laugh during sketches, was that true?
He loved to try and make everybody laugh because he could build on his laugh if you ‘went’. He got most of the guest stars to laugh. If he saw you begin to crack he would work on you. I did laugh in the “Man From Uncle” sketch, the very first one I did, and I was ashamed of myself for doing it. I vowed I never would again and even though you may have seen the corner of my mouth twitch, I never actually laughed. To get around it I would go away from them in between dress runs and just keep myself to myself, and try and convince myself I hated them and they weren’t funny!.

What was Ernie like in between sketches? Was he always joking like Eric?
Oh yes. Ernie was a very funny man. Eric was a very funny man. Two funny men together. Eric could have made it on his own; Ernie could have made it on his own, but together they were comedy magic.

Any moments that stand out for you?
So many with so many stars but the incident with Robert Morley was a gem.

With the hamper?
Hampers, not one. Fortnum & Masons hampers. During rehearsals Robert wanted to stop for lunch. “Can’t we retire to a hostelry dear boys?” He asked the first day, the second day and the third day. Each time Eric gave him the same reply, “No, we don’t stop for lunch. I bring an apple and Ann brings some pea and ham soup. Lovely – thick enough to trot a donkey across.”

Robert wasn’t impressed and the next day at lunchtime there was a knock on the rehearsal room door. Standing outside was a uniformed chauffeur carrying a Fortnum and Masons hamper for each of us - courtesy of Mr. Morley. It was very nice but I think Eric still preferred my pea and ham soup. If we didn’t stop for lunch we were able to start late and finish early.

Did you ever appear with them live?
No, I never appeared with them on stage. One weekend I took my son back to school in Warwick, and they were appearing in Coventry. What they called a bank raid. They invited me to see the show as their guest but I had to stand in the dress circle because the place was packed.

I’ve never seen anything so funny in my life. It was their complete stage act they’d spent years polishing and it showed. Because it was packed to the rafters, we all laughed as one person, we all moved as one person as we laughed, amazing.

Did you feel there was any pressure to slow down, or how did you feel with Eric health problems?
I honestly don’t recall slowing down. Obviously it was a great shock when Eric had his first heart attack. I never thought “Oh my god I’m never going to work again because they’ll never work again.” When they started again the shows were staggered, they weren’t one a week. They were one a month with plenty of time in between.

During the breaks did you have other roles?
Oh yes I’d worked more or less non-stop before, during and after working with Eric and Ernie. I worked with the Two Ronnies, Ted Ray, Brian Rix, Terry Scott, Charlie Drake, Ron Moody, musicals in the West End, a play on Broadway with Frankie Howerd, Principal Boy in a couple of pantomimes at Bristol Old Vic and in various TV series including Softly Softly, Dr Finlay’s Casebook and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?

At times I was so busy with Eric and Ernie I had to turn down other things. I was asked to play Ken Barlow’s girlfriend in “Coronation Street” for six months but the first date clashed with a Morecambe and Wise so I reluctantly said no. Eric and Ernie were furious when they found out and said I should have done it, they could have worked round me. It didn’t harm the career of the actress who did play Ken’s girlfriend. Joanna Lumley has done quite well for herself.

Do you find people still recognise you for your work with Eric and Ern? Because you have changed your name it was hard to track you down!
My legal name is Ann Clayton. I’ve been married to my husband for a very very long time. Hamilton was the name I used professionally and when I stopped working I thought I don’t need that name any more. Some people of a certain age may say “I know your voice, I’ve heard it on television”. They recognise my voice, and they will recognise my name if someone asks if I was Ann Hamilton; but its nearly forty years ago, I have changed a tad, just a little bit.

Did you continue working in show business after Eric and Ernie finished?
Yes but I finally stopped around 1987. In 1985 we left London and moved to a pink thatched cottage in deepest Suffolk. Bliss – not even the glamour of show business could compete with that.

What are you doing now?
I’m a fully qualified dog trainer and canine behaviourist. At the moment I’m doing an advanced diploma in canine behaviour management, which hopefully will lead to a degree. I’m on the board for the Kennel Club Accreditation Scheme. I do workshops for the sport of Heelwork to Music in this country and abroad.

I do one-to-one sessions putting dogs’ behaviour right and educating humans. I do a lot of judging; I was a judge at Crufts for Heelwork to Music. Oh and in my spare time I’ve written three books – on doggy matters of course! But even now I haven’t given up performing. I presented my own series “Bring Your Husband To Heel” on BBC-2 and more recently I was a judge on the two BBC series of “The Underdog Show”.

Where did that come from, was it a childhood love?
A dog had never been part of my childhood because my mother didn’t think dogs were nice creatures. I always had a yearning for one, so when we retired and moved to the country I told my husband I would like a dog. To begin with I thought it would be wonderful to retire and not do anything.

After two weeks I was bored and had to do something. I thought “give me a dog and at least I can walk it and see the countryside”. When I got it I realised I didn’t know anything about them, never having had one. I thought I’d better learn and once I’d started I just loved the learning aspect so much I just went on and on. Behaviour fascinates me because human behaviour and animal behaviour is so similar. I love it.

What are your plans for the future?
My immediate aim is to get my degree in animal behavior and that will take care of the next three years. After that – who knows? I’m sure there are big adventures looming ahead but any plans I have will certainly revolve around dogs. One thing I forgot to mention. From an early age I adored Doris Day and as she retired to become totally involved with dogs it’s not a bad idea to follow in her footsteps.


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