'EastEnders' June Brown and I came up with fib to trick BAFTA seat-fillers'

17 February 2024 , 17:53

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Claire King has her say on this year's BAFTAs

It’s the BAFTAs tomorrow night which reminds me of an experience in 2006 with the late, great June Brown.

We didn’t have decent straighteners back then, so I sashayed down the red carpet with crazy, bouffant hair. You were still allowed to smoke back then – just not, heaven forbid, during the ceremony. So I went outside, down a corridor and lit up a fag. Along comes June.

“Ah Claire,” she said, in that distinct voice of hers. “If you’re having a fag, I’m having one with you.” During those sorts of ceremonies, there’s a “seat-filler” to take your place so the venue doesn’t look empty on the telly.

June and I knew that our stand-ins would start to wonder where we’d got to. June didn’t fancy going back to her (non-smoking) seat, so I went to one of the backstage staff and told a little fib – I said June wasn’t feeling very well and asked if we could sit backstage in the green room rather than go back to our seats.

Claire King reminisces about the good old days with June Brown

"Claire Foy is more than deserving of her Supporting Actress nomination," says Claire King (Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for)

They kindly obliged, and June promptly lit a ciggie and ordered a bottle of red wine! What a legend – on EastEnders as Dot Cotton, and off screen too.

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I imagine tomorrow’s guests wouldn’t be able to get into the green room that easily these days. This year, Oppenheimer is leading the BAFTA race with 13 nominations.

I got to know Tom Conti, who plays Albert Einstein in the film, in 2004 when we worked together on the crime drama Donovan. While filming we stayed at the Malmaison Hotel in Manchester.

One night, the fire alarm went off at about 3am. I found out later that a hen party had deliberately set it off, so that lots of handsome firefighters would show up.

Everyone else shuffled out in their pyjamas – but luckily Tom and I were already dressed, because filming started at 5am. We managed to leave our scripts on our beds, but took everything else with us, including all the free hotel soaps.

It’s marvellous to see recognition for Tom. He is a brilliant actor. I do feel, though, that there’s a shortage of British female nominees on the list this year.

Claire Foy is more than deserving of her Supporting Actress nomination for All Of Us Strangers. Londoner Vivian Oparah is up for Best Actress for her breakthrough role in Rye Lane.

She’s going head-to-head with huge Hollywood stars like Carey Mulligan, Emma Stone and Margot Robbie. But there’s so much more talent in our country. We could easily celebrate more amazing home-grown actresses.

I ain’t one to gossip, but is the British Academy, after all…

*BAFTA Film Awards airs Sunday, February 18, 7pm on BBC One

Claire King