Celebrating 50 years in showbiz, Hi-de-Hi!legend Su Pollard says she never became a mum because she always preferred panto to potties.

Zany Su, who shot to fame in the 1980s sitcom, tells The Mirror:“I never wanted to be a mother. I never wanted to go down the traditional route, because I wasn’t as passionate about having a family as I was about being in a pantomime.

“I admire people who are parents. I think they do a marvellous job - but it’s not for me. I never wanted that kind of life.

“I was born to entertain. I’ve never veered from that. Performing is part of me. It’s not a hobby; it’s not even a job. I’m someone who is happy living out of a suitcase. I can’t imagine doing anything else - it’s like a lifeforce.”

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Sue’s varied CV includes appearances everywhere from Top of the Pops to the MasterChef kitchen and the Strictly ballroom.

Now 75, she’s celebrating a half century in showbusiness with Su Pollard Still Fully Charged, a nationwide tour of her one-woman show, featuring laughter, songs and stories from her incredible career, which launches in London on Monday.

She says: “I think I probably would rather drop dead on stage than retire. I’ve never liked the R word. I don’t want to retire. What do you do? I don’t want endless hobbies and jam-making; that’s no good to me.

“While ever I can I’d like to carry on doing what brings me joy. It’s not brain surgery, but it’s heart surgery in a way. People write me lovely letters saying I really helped them - they were going through a bad time and they had a very joyful night.”

Famously madcap on and off screen, single Su cheekily named her north London house Campus R Soles, laughing: “The sign has been up there for 41 years. My dad said ‘I haven’t got to put this up, have I?’ I think it’s quite witty!”

Here, Su shares the highlights of her showbusiness career:

Opportunity Knocks - 1974

Making her TV debut singing on Opportunity Knocks aged 25, Sue recalls: “I sang I Don’t Know How to Love Him. They said they enjoyed it, but they said I had a funny face so could I sing a funny song instead!”

Su made it to the finals, but didn’t become an overnight star. “I was beaten by a singing Jack Russell; I couldn’t believe it. And he didn’t even sing, he just yelped!” she says.

Two Up, Two Down - 1978

Playing a hippy opposite Paul Nicholas in her first TV comedy, she recalls: “It was a shock how much expression you should give on a small screen. I was gurning like somebody not right! The director said ‘Su, you’re not on stage, you need to bring your volume down.’ I looked dreadful, but I learnt a lot.”

Hi-de-Hi! - 1980

Set in a fictional 1950s holiday camp, Su played chalet maid Peggy Ollerenshaw.

The show took the nation by storm, with audiences of up to 20m and fans including Paul McCartney and Freddie Mercury.

Su says: “We were backstage at the Royal Variety show and Paul McCartney said ‘Hey Su, I like your show, can I have your autograph?’ I said ‘ooh, get off!’ And he said ‘no, seriously.’

“Another time, I was bopping away in a nightclub and this voice said ‘Hello, Su, I do adore the show.’ And it was Freddie! We had a dance and he asked for my autograph.

“I had six people shout Hi-de-Hi! to me just yesterday. And of course I have to shout back Ho-de-Ho!”

Top of the Pops – 1986

Su’s appearance came after she recorded the song Starting Together, the theme tune from the documentary series The Marriage. She recalls: “I got to No 2 in the charts, but I didn’t get to perform. We had to make a video and they showed that instead.

“I probably wasn’t considered a pop star in the traditional sense! I was overtaken to No 1 by Diana Ross with Chain Reaction, but that’s fair enough, I couldn’t grumble!”

Rear of the Year – 1988

After beating a host of celebrities, including Ulrika Jonsson, Su still has the award 37 years later. “You got a silver tray in the shape of a bum, saying Rear of the Year,” she laughs. “Sometimes I’ll serve drinks or a cup of tea on it, it’s fabulous!”

You Rang, M’Lord? - 1988

Su says: “Julian Fellowes based Downton Abbey on this.” The show was a hit, but she confesses she initially turned down the role of maid Ivy Teasdale.

She recalls: “I said: ‘I don’t mean to be ungrateful but I’m not being a maid again.’

“They said to me: ‘you’ll always be a downstairs person!’ When I read the scripts, I thought I’d be stupid not to do it.”

Take the Plunge – 1989

Su was invited to host her own game show, but it only ran for one series. “It was disappointing, but on reflection I probably at the time wasn’t experienced enough,” Su says.. “There’s an art to being a quiz presenter. It was nice that they offered it to me, so I just have to put it down to experience.”

Miss Hannigan in Annie - 2009

Her trademark glasses are instantly recognisable, but Su admits that she struggles on stage when an acting role requires her to remove them, explaining: “I’m short-sighted and can’t see a flippin’ thing without them.

“In rehearsals I didn’t see a step and went flying. There was a thud and I was covered in bruises. I had to learn where everything was on the set, so I didn’t trip.”

Strictly Come Dancing – 2011

Anton Du Beke was Su’s partner in the Christmas special. She says: “Anton was great. In rehearsals I wore leggings and leg warmers and he wore a shirt and tie and a beautiful cashmere jumper.

“While we danced, he’d whisper out of the corner of his mouth into my ear ‘more to the left, more to the left’. I think he knew I couldn’t see, so he steered me all the way. He must have been a bit frustrated!”

Harpy - 2018

Su showed a different side playing hoarder Birdie in a solo play at the Edinburgh Fringe. She says: “It’s easy to get pigeon-holed, so I really enjoyed playing a serious part that people wouldn’t expect.”

Celebrity MasterChef - 2021

“I know nothing about cooking, so I was frightened to death beforehand,” Su admits. “But John Torode and Gregg Wallace were fantastic – very jovial and encouraging – they’d walk past and say out of the corner of their mouth ‘you’re doing alright Su,’ or ‘you’ve got to whip that up a bit quicker, it’s not working.’”

Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal - 2023

A group of celebrities, including Su, tackled a Catholic pilgrimage. “I wouldn’t have missed this, it showed the real side of me, I wasn’t performing,” she explains. “I don’t talk about it, but I believe in God – I’m quite spiritual and religious.”

Beauty and the Beast - 2025

“I’m playing Mrs Potty,” Su laughs. “I did my first panto 50 years ago. I started off as a fairy, then played principal boy for 25 years. My demise came in Rhyl. I was 50-something and the princess was 18 – I looked like Methuselah! After that I was the baddy!”

Su Pollard “Still Fully Charged” launches at The Duchess Theatre in London on 22nd September before touring nationwide. Check supollardlive.com for dates. Su also appears in Beauty and the Beast at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre from December 6.