Comedian Russ Abbot has explained why he walked away from stardom in a new interview with the Guardian. The 78-year-old, renowned for his role as one of the kings of primetime entertainment in the 1980s, said he was not distressed or angry when the BBC cancelled his show in the 1990s.
Career blow taken in stride
Abbot told the Guardian: "I wasn’t distressed or angry or anything. It came about when the head of entertainment gave an interview and said: ‘The BBC’s going to change. No more of this, no more of that', and somebody said: ‘Does that mean Russ Abbot?’ and he said yes, meaning the sketch shows."
He added: "So then it became ‘BBC sacks Russ Abbot’, but that didn’t bother me. I thought: well, I’ve had a very good run. Also, I’d just cracked the West End, so I was doing everything I wanted to do without the stress of the TV shows."
Life in Portugal
Abbot was speaking from his home in Portugal, where he retired with his wife, Trish, in 2016. The Last of the Summer Wine star was born in Chester and met his wife in Ellesmere Port.
Recalling their meeting, he said: "He came to the stage door of the British Legion in Ellesmere Port as I was packing my drums up. We had a bass player in those days called Paul Dodd. He ended up a policeman. Trish says: ‘Is the bass player around?’ I said: ‘No, he’s gone, love.’ She said: ‘Oh, that’s a shame, I wanted to say hello to him.’"
"I said: come on, I’ll buy you a drink. Then I said: let me give you a lift home. She said: I only live across the road. I said: you can’t walk alone at this time of night. So I left with a kiss and a cuddle. And it all started from there."
Content with achievements
The two have been married for decades and share four children. The comic is content with his life in a beautiful Portuguese villa, hitting back at suggestions that what happened to his career was a "tragedy".
He said: "I’ve seen something on YouTube saying ‘The tragedy of Russ Abbot’ and ‘He’s run away to Portugal’. I’ve had a wonderful career. Wonderful."
Abbot is synonymous with the North West comedy scene, with his grounding in clubs in Chester and further afield in Merseyside. He worked closely with comedians Les Dennis and Gerald Harrison, better known under his stage name Dustin Gee.
Dennis and Gee were fan favourites on the Russ Abbot Show. Dustin died aged 43 in 1986, and Abbot paid tribute to the late comic, saying: "So talented. Died too young."
Dustin died on stage on New Year's Day, and Les paid tribute to his comedy partner on the anniversary this year. He said: "40 years ago we lost the wonderful Dustin Gee, my comedy partner and best friend aged 43. Just think what he might have achieved had he lived. Miss you my friend."
His funeral was held on January 9, 1986 at St Oswald’s Church, at Fulford, York. Three hundred people attended, among them Liz Dawn, Bill Tarmey, Thelma Barlow, Sherrie Hewson, Dana, Johnnie Hamp, The Krankies, John Birt and Les.
