Su Pollard

Pollard in Lincoln, 2005

**Susan Georgina Pollard** is an English actress, singer, author and songwriter. Her career has spanned over 45 years and she is most famous for her role in the BAFTA winning Perry & Croft sitcom Hi-de-Hi!. She also appeared in You Rang, M'Lord? and Oh, Doctor Beeching!.

She has a lengthy theatre CV, appearing in over 35 stage plays and musicals, as well as over 40 pantomimes. As a singer, she scored a UK No. 2 hit with the song "Starting Together" in 1986 and also released an album. She is also well known for her unusual and flamboyant dress sense.

## Early life and education

Pollard was born in Nottingham, England, the eldest daughter of Don and Hilda Pollard. Her interest in acting began at the age of six when she played an angel in a school nativity play. She attended Berridge Road School, Hyson Green and Peveril Bilateral School, Robin's Wood Road (now Nottingham Girls' Academy). After leaving school at 16 she got a job at the Tennant Rubber Company in Carlton as a shorthand typist and began singing in working men's clubs and charity shows.

## Career

Following an apprenticeship at the Arts Theatre in Nottingham, Pollard appeared on Opportunity Knocks in 1974 singing "I Cain't Say No" from *Oklahoma!* and came second to a singing Jack Russell.

She went on to play in the musicals *The Desert Song* and *Rose Marie* with John Hanson, starred in the *Cameron Mackintosh* West End production of *Godspell*, played opposite Jack Wild in *Big Sin City* at the Roundhouse, toured in the musical *Grease* in a company that also included *Tracey Ullman*, with *Tim Brooke-Taylor* and Hugh Paddick in the farce *Not Now Darling*, won a role in *Andrew Sachs* play *Philately Will Get You Nowhere* and appeared at the *Mermaid Theatre* in a celebration of the music of Cole Porter called *Oh Mr. Porter!*

Su's first comedy role was in a BBC series screened in 1978 entitled *Two Up, Two Down* in which she played a hippy named Flo. Paul Nicholas played her partner, Jimmy, both of whom were squatting in the house of a nice middle class couple. It only lasted one series, but then in 1979 came the pilot programme for a new BBC comedy written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft set in a holiday camp. Pollard landed the role of chalet maid Peggy Ollerenshaw in *Hi-de-Hi!*. She continued in this role until the programme's end in 1988, by which time she had become a household name.

In 1981, she became one of the presenters of children's magazine show *Get Set for Summer*, in which she delivered wacky reports and bogus weather forecasts.

During the run of *Hi-de-Hi!*, Pollard also had a singing career, and in 1986, she reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart with the song "Starting Together", the theme song from the BBC Television 'fly-on-the-wall' documentary series *The Marriage*. It was her only Top 40 hit; her first single, "Come To Me (I Am Woman)", had reached No. 71 in 1985 and her only charting album, *Su*, peaked at No. 86 in the UK Albums Chart in November 1986. In 1987, she toured the UK with *The Su Pollard Show* and co-hosted *It's a Royal Knockout*.

Pollard also starred in the stage production of *Hi De Hi! - The Holiday Musical*, along with almost all of the cast from the television series, played sell out seasons in Bournemouth, London and Blackpool. In 1985 she played Sally in the West End production of *Me And My Girl* at the Adelphi Theatre which she appeared in for over a year. Then came roles in a national tour of Rodgers and Hart's *Babes In Arms* playing Bunny Byron opposite Matthew Kelly, and the title role in *Sweet Charity* at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing.

Pollard also appeared in a number of television adverts, Typhoo, Walls, Kit Kats, with comedy star Roy Kinnear, Heineken lager, Toymaster toy stores, Ideal World shopping and the British Safety Council. She also wrote two books, *Hearts and Showers* and *Sensible Slimming*.

Shortly after *Hi-de-Hi!* had ended, the writers David Croft and Jimmy Perry chose Pollard to star as Ivy Teasdale in their new sitcom *You Rang, M'Lord?*, which starred her *Hi-de-Hi!* co-stars Paul Shane and Jeffrey Holland. This period sitcom ran from 1988 to 1993. In 1988, she won the "Rear of the Year" award. In 1989 she hosted the short lived ITV game show *Take The Plunge*, but it was cancelled after one season. From 1993 until 1996, Pollard starred opposite Gorden Kaye in *For Better or Worse*, a BBC Radio 2 sitcom about an engaged-to-be-married couple. In 1995 Pollard took over as face of the National Egg Awareness Campaign. From 1995 to 1997 she played Ethel Schumann in another David Croft sitcom *Oh, Doctor Beeching!*. From 1989 to 1990, Pollard's distinctive voice voiced the lead character in the BBC children's television series *Penny Crayon*.

More recently, Pollard made a guest appearance in *Gimme Gimme Gimme* in 2001 and voiced Noisy in *Little Robots*. In 2001, she presented *Songs of Praise* three times. She has made four appearances on *Just a Minute*, and also regularly appears in pantomimes and other stage shows, including *Annie* and *The Pirates of Penzance*. In 2008, Pollard starred in the musical *Shout!* alongside Claire Sweeney. From April 2009, Pollard appeared in the London transfer of *Shout!* at the Arts Theatre. In December 2010, Pollard had a guest role in the Christmas special of ITV's hit show *Benidorm*, playing herself. In December 2011, Pollard appeared as a guest on BBC One's *Strictly Come Dancing*. In the 2012 movie *Run For Your Wife* she had a cameo role as the newsagent. She starred in *Who's Doing the Dishes?* in September 2016. In 2018 she appeared in ITV's *Last Laugh in Vegas*.

In pantomime, Pollard appears mainly as the Wicked Queen in *Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs*, appearing in recent years at Sunderland, Blackpool, Tunbridge Wells, Aylesbury and Malvern.

In 2019, Pollard starred as Queen Rat in *Dick Whittington* in Wolverhampton, alongside her *Hi-de-Hi!* co star Jeffrey Holland.

## Sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Great Nottinghamians:Su Pollard". BBC. November 2002. http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/features/2002/11/great\_nottinghamians\_su\_pollard.shtml.
2. ↑ "Su Pollard". Tv.com. http://www.tv.com/su-pollard/person/96073/summary.html. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
3. ↑ Su Pollard Best days of Your Life at Herald Scotland. Retrieved 29 April 2016
4. ↑ My School Days Su Pollard at Nottingham PostTemplate:Dead link. Retrieved 29 April 2016
5. ↑ "Su Pollard". U-reds.com. http://www.u-reds.com/Fans/Celebrities/SuPollard.asp. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Roberts, David (2006). *British Hit Singles & Albums* (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 431. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
7. ↑ Craig, Mike. "RADIO DRAMA REVIEWS ONLINE: For Better or for Worse". RadioDramaReviews.com. http://www.radiodramareviews.com/id634.html.
8. ↑ Lavalie, John. "epguides.com: For Better or For Worse: a Titles & Air Dates Guide". epguides.com. http://epguides.com/ForBetterorForWorse/. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
9. ↑ "Su Pollard and Jeffrey Holland all set for Wolverhampton panto". https://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/wolverhampton-entertainment/2019/08/22/stars-flock-for-wolverhampton-grand-pantomime-launch. Retrieved 10 July 2020.