Ricky Tomlinson turns 87 today (September 26), and the beloved actor remains one of Liverpool's greatest ambassadors. Since his rise to fame as Bobby Grant in Brookside, he has become a national treasure through iconic roles in Mike Bassett and The Royle Family.
Five interviews with a Liverpool icon
ECHO entertainment reporter Ryan Paton has interviewed Ricky five times and witnessed the infectious enthusiasm that makes him special. The last conversation took place at Shakespeare North in Prescot ahead of the Retirement: My A**e show, where Ricky's energy justified the title.
Joined by Sue Johnston, his onscreen partner from Brookside and The Royle Family, Ricky said: "We're the luckiest people in the world. We've had a lovely career on the stage and on the television. People love the characters we played. We love the people. We're still around. Still working. We had a wonderful relationship, right through the Brookside days. It's lovely to get together for the odd day like this, to meet people."
Sue branded her close friend a "colossus" and said: "He is what he is. He's funny, he's passionate and he's a dear friend."
A life of passion and resilience
Ricky's passion remains unwavering. In an interview at the Florrie before Christmas last year, he said: "I love working. I'd go anywhere at the drop of the hat because I love it. What else would I be doing at 86? I'd be sitting in the house or in a nursing home." He joked his wife wasn't against the idea, laughing: "I think Rita's trying to get me into one."
His beginnings in the industry are remarkable. After an asthma attack on the day of his 11-plus exam, he became a plasterer and was imprisoned following the 1972 builders' strike as one of "The Shrewsbury Two". He describes himself as one of the last political prisoners in the UK and cleared his name in the Court of Appeal in 2021.
He said: "I absolutely love Liverpool and I love the job that I do. Liverpool has been very good to me because a lot of people forget that I was a political prisoner for two years. When I came back, I was living in a little village in Wales. There was no work there, so I had to come back to Liverpool. I learned my trade on the clubs and the pubs, got an Equity [membership] and that's when I broke into film and met some incredible people. It's been an amazing journey."
From pubs to Hollywood encounters
Ricky got his big break after auditioning for an episode of BBC anthology series A Play for Today. He said: "I bluffed my way into the job. I couldn't put my own name on the application form because I was not long out of prison. So I put a phony name on. The fella gave me an audition. A director named Roland Joffe, who I love. He's a wonderful man. He said to me, 'If I give you a few lines in this play, you won't let me down, will you?' I was the lead. It went on the television, a three hour play called United Kingdom and it's never been shown again. It's about civil unrest. The director tried to buy it, but they won't show it again."
His career soon brought him into contact with Hollywood royalty. At a party hosted by Roland at the Groucho Club, Ricky spotted a man who looked lost and approached him. Roland introduced him to the "little fella", who was none other than Robert De Niro. Ricky recalled: "Is Robert De Niro in showbusiness?" He added: "Apparently, he's a big boxing fan De Niro. There was a big boxing night in Leeds and De Niro came. A few lads from Liverpool went and he apparently said to them, 'Give my regards to Rick'."
Ricky credits Liverpool for his ability to force his way into the industry. He said: "If you give us half a chance, we'll take it. It doesn't matter if you're a writer, a director, a producer or an actor. We will take it. Liverpool has got everything. We've got talent, we've got people from the past who are big stars, we've got up and coming kids. We're very lucky."
As he enters his 88th year, Ricky shows no signs of slowing down. On the key to staying young, he offered simple advice: "Have a lot of fun. We work hard but we have a lot of fun as well."
