1977: OLIVER REED at home in BROOME HALL | Nationwide | Classic Celebrity Interview | BBC Archive 

Spent many a happy hour having a drink with Ollie in Wimbledon Village at the Swan (no longer there) or Dog and Fox and others. I knew him through his son who is my age. Apart from being a superb actor on and off the screen, he was a true English gentleman , extremely funny and just great to be around. Charisma in a nutshell. i miss him.

It must have been incredible to live like this back in the 1970's. Huge house away from everyone. No internet only a landline phone.

"Costs around £400 a month to heat in winter"... tell me about it Ollie.

An Absolute Legend never be another to come out of England like him

The Great Oliver Reed. There will sadly never be another like him. The film industry doesn’t have characters like this any more. Reed, Richard Harris, Burton, Peter o’toole, all sadly passed- but never forgotten! 🇬🇧👍

Fascinating character. He appeared drunk for an interview on Irish TV in the late 70s and was the typical boorish drunk Ollie. Then he returned for a redo a week or two later, clean and sober and gave a very soft spoken, touching account of his childhood and difficulties with dyslexia. The fact he hired a few of his drinking buddies who were probably in need of a few quid, speaks volumes of the decency of the man.

My all time favourite Oliver Reed interview. Val brought out the best in him.I think he appreciated that she was genuinely interested in what he had to say.

England’s finest. An absolute legend of a man.

Really likeable bloke. Very down to earth. Valerie Singleton certainly seemed very taken with him. He was my late mums favourite, too.

He looked intimidating but he was incredibly intelligent, erudite, cultured and a gentle soul. He just loved a drink and who could argue with that.

When sober, Ollie was a real gentleman and well-spoken, as well as very sensitive. Great clip.

Loved loved loved him. He represents an England now long gone and sorely missed. Only in some parts of the countryside will you still see it. Miss you Oliver Reed 😭

A truly hilarious story I heard was told to me by a barman and 3 customers of one of Ollies local haunts. A wedding party was seated in the dining area of this pub during springtime, they were getting a little bone chill whilst waiting for their grub so one of the party asked the barman if the fire could be lit, however, it turned out that the chimney was blocked. Then, all of a sudden in walked the mighty Ollie and after hearing the news he turned to the party and said " don't worry muckers, I will sort it". So off he went for 20 mins or so and upon his return he had in his possession a shotgun. Yes, ofcourse, Oliver proceeded by firing to bullets up the chimney whereby the whole group were covered in soot and feathers from a dead bird or 2. The bridegroom laughed but was slapped by a hysterical and tearful bride. I don't know what became of those poor souls after that day but Ollie certainly made an impression!.

Say what you will about the man, at least he stayed and paid his taxes, he truly loved England, and getting right on the piss Loved him

A complete one-off, from an era when you were allowed to be. I wonder what he would make of today's anodyne, dull, woke, judgemental world...

When BBC actually could produce top notch content

Valerie Singleton who interviewed him at his home in 1977 was no doubt anxious about meeting such a full on great character as Oliver Reed and his reputation preceded him. You can tell she warmed to him and she being utmost professional throughout as always -having seen this clip many times over the years she definitely respected him & Reed without a doubt respected Singleton and the two enjoyed sharing company together and with that of the film crew . You don’t see many actors at top of their game give free time having relaxing moments with a film crew at their home for the pleasure of the general public today .

He once complained to his brother that the builders where taking far too long to renovate Broome Hall. His brother said to him "that's because you are taking them down the pub every day at lunch time and you are getting them pissed every day so they are only 4 hours each day.

Valarie Singleton an interviewer / presenter much underated a genuinely lovely lady interviewing a lovely gentleman.

Ollie was just the greatest both on and off screen. To say he's sadly missed is a massive understatement. MHDSRIP

God wasnt he the most handsome gorgeous guy❤️

What an excellent post. I was a Rudgwick lad and used to frequent The King's Head. One day Ollie came in with the guys in the video. He came to the table where my 2 mates and I were sitting, asked if he could sit down with us. We obliged naturally. We had about an hour with him that time discussing and joking. He bought us a round of drinks and called us his Banditos. Ollie would pay for drinks in high denomination notes and insisted the change would go in his own charity sock, which the Landlord of the pub, when the sock was full, would be free to donate the money to any charity of his choice. When I was around 7 years old, my late father used to look after the Burge's garden, located some 50 yards opposite the same pub. I used to play in the garden with Jo Burge (Oliver's wife). The local policeman at the time was John Slater. Ollie would turn up at the pub in his Panther De Ville, have a few bevvies, John would cycle to the pub, drive Ollie home in the Panther, followed by the Landlord in his car, who would drive John back to the pub to pick up his bike. One day, a mate and myself went the gents in the pub. We were standing in the usual manner when Ollie stepped in and proceeded to do the same whilst yapping about smashing up a bar in the USA. We remembered the media scoop and laughed with him. We then washed our hands and headed for the door to find Ollie standing in the doorway holding his tool. "Take a look at this, Banditos!" We looked to the windows for an escape but they were too small. We voiced to Ollie that we are not gay and we have no interested in his tool and for him to put it away. Realising the situation Ollie replied he wasn't gay either, it is just that he wanted to show someone his tattoo that he recently got in the USA as a momentum of the bar smashing incident and the few nights he spent in a police cell. Realising he was genuine, we took a glance and saw a foot tattoo on both sides of his helmet. Kin ell! We asked him just how much did he smash up the bar to warrant such tattoos. He replied "A bloody lot! I don't think I missed anything in the bar!" We did not pass on the secret tattoos because he asked us not to. Then, in one TV interview he told about the tattoos. Very few believed his claim, until I confirmed it by telling the story. I have only good things to say about Ollie and Jo. The local council got the animal statue removed to a slightly different place because people would come round a corner at night, their lights would shine on the statue and they would, or nearly crash in shock. The council actually put up signs warning people not to be surprised. The narrow, winding road down to the pub from Ollie's house was full of tight bends that the Panther could not go round and keep in lane, so the council also out up comical warning signs that diplomatically said Beware of Oliver Reed driving..

What a legend he was ,handsome and witty but most of all down to earth x

It took a former Blue Peter presenter to bring out the more insightful side of Oliver! Deftly interviewed by Valerie Singleton. IMO had Oliver been more respectfully interviewed more so throughout his career then maybe just maybe we would have had far more interesting interviews like this. On saying that this was literally more on his home turf instead of hanging around a green room before an interview getting plied with alcohol from the show runners getting Olley well and truely oiled. Oliver went along with this alas and sullied his image to the extent that not many took him seriously anymore for his art as an actor more instead to see what he would do to shock on tv. At least he left us with a scene stealing performance in Gladiator and a sense of danger and menace in so many of his roles. I would like to think that he forever walks these grounds as it clearly shows how connected he was to his vast estate and the nature within 😎👌

The reason I have always respected Oliver, is he has always been who he is, and has not changed to suit anyone, a truly honest person, with a very humble grave.

Lovely interview from a long lost age, remember seeing this years ago, great to see different sides of both Valerie and Oliver.

What ever you think of Mr Reed he was a force of nature. And a good actor.

Wonderful video of a true great eccentric. I had the good fortune of living in another house once owned by Ollie in the heart of the beautiful Surrey countryside. Since childhood I had always had a fascination for him so when I landed a job at this house I was captivated by the stories I was told about Ollies wild adventures, I mean WILD, but also of his kind and gentle nature, he was a complex character with a fist of iron and a heart of good at the same time. I always loved him and always will, even though our paths never crossed. God love his spirit!.

Oliver Reed is fascinating and every video I watch makes him more interesting. He’s very funny but also sincere and kind. You can tell he was an intellect but also a being of passion. My family is half English and there’s something familiar, welcoming and entertaining about his characters and voice. He was clearly gifted at communicating and conversing. A complex mix of rogue and gentleman.

R.I.P Oliver Reed. Wit , Humour, Intelligence, and one of the Greatest Actors this country ever produced. As this wasn't enough - Hell-raiser, lover of women, booze, and someone who genuinely enjoyed the company of Artisans. Sadly we will never see his like again.❤

The concrete rhino is a great story. His next door neighbour and best pal was Keith Moon. Reed woke one morning to find the Rhino on the lawn with Moon's dogs leashed to the horn. There was a note saying 'Forgot I was going on tour, can you look after the dogs:

Staggering through your own private woods in the drizzle whilst pissed out of your skull actually has a bizarre appeal to it.

Oliver Reed was an incredible actor and down to earth guy sadly missed.

I grew up in Dorking, which is very near Broome Hall. The place was legendary, and tales would emerge from the trees frequently. And also tales of Oliver Reed doing his famous planking trick on the bars of Dorking were equally legendary. He was banned from most if not all of them eventually.

A real man, with many problems but he did seem a very happy man!

He ´LIVED´ more in his 61 years than most ordinary mortals could hope to live in 10,000 years........

Met his son on holiday in Turkey a few years back. He has been running a diving school but had been injured if I remember rightly. Really nice guy and had the same voice as his dad. This wasn’t any posh do, but a simple hotel bar where we were staying for a couple of weeks. We chatted and shared drinks for a few hours.

I grew up just up the road from Broome Hall in the 50’s and 60’s. My mother was friendly with the White Fathers and their counterpart, the White Sisters, and often had some of them round for tea. Every week in the summer we would walk down to the Hall gardens where we would buy vegetables from the gardener, Mr Yeoman. I have clear memories of the wonderful smell of tomatoes in his greenhouses. He would pull out a slatted wooden drawer full of tiny tomatoes and fill a small paper bag for me and my sister to eat on the way home. I had moved away before Oliver Reed took up residence but my parents were still living there. He was popular in the village of Coldharbour and my mother was quite charmed by him. I believe he sometimes played with the village cricket team up on Leigh Hill. I do wonder why the introduction referred to the “little” White Fathers ? Bit patronising?

you could actually see the interviewer slowly but surely fall head over heels in love with Ollie as time passed.

Now that's what I call a living room! Books, roaring fire, nice comfy sofa - and loads of booze. What a man.

When England was England

I wish Oliver met me in a pub & hired me ! Sounds like a great gig 🍻🇬🇧

'Reed was banned from his local pub there for descending a chimney naked and shouting out: "Ho! Ho! Ho! I'm Santa Claus." '

What a great character, I would have loved to have gone drinking with him. I remember him fondly from Curse Of The Werewolf, one of my favourite horror films.

God he was so good looking. And that voice! I can't believe he snogged Val. How funny.

My father looked like Ollie (but without the drink) and after his divorce from my mother womanised the same. Sadly old age made my father look like Dick van Dyke...a lesson to us all!!..loved Ollie a wonderful complex man!

Mr Reed & Mr Moon had some great times together. Two British 🇬🇧 legends 👍🏆

Went to see his grave in west Cork a few years ago was very moving one of our greatest actors and England's legendary hellraiser rest in peace Oliver

I met him on Jersey in 1980, he was dining with Alan Wicker. Out of all the celebs I've met he’s one of the best.

This is a proper documentary. The beeb delivered value for the license fee back in the day.

He was so lovely and he had the most amazing eyes, great actor too. I love watching his old films.

Got his autograph in 1972, when he was filming 'Sitting Target' on the Battersea council estate where I lived. I came home from school one day to see him filming the famous scene where he jumps off a wall, runs out in front of a fire engine and leaps into the back of a waiting getaway van. They did about five takes of that scene. In one of them, Ollie fell over a wall and really hurt himself before he leapt into the van (he was probably three sheets already by then) - and that was the take that made it into the final film! He, Edward Woodward and the crew used my dad's local, The Meyrick Arms, for after-shooting 'refreshments'. I'll always remember standing at the door of the pub and looking in, and seeing Ollie holding court. He used to stand everyone in the bar a round each evening. Solid gold.

Fabulous. How beautifully well spoken and charming he could be.

Love the outtakes. What a cad. After reading the Reed biography ‘What fresh lunacy is this?’ in which Broome Hall features heavily, it was great to see Ollie there in his element.

An absolute massive character. I like to think of him as more of an eccentric than a drunk.

I loved Oliver Reed I thought he was a fantastic actor and I thought he was very sexy it’s such a shame that drink took its toll on him awful.

Nice to see another side to Oliver Reed. It seems he could be charming and delightful company when sober but alcohol bought out the very worst of him.

What a absolute legend of a man powerful well spoken educated crazy drunk went to early Keith moons mate and Richard Harris all 3 legends

These are 'the rich' that Labour would tax out of existence (and nearly did in the 70s). "Tax them till the pips squeek!" Yes they really said that.

Only thing missing at the end was Ollie breaking into " I'm a real wild one!"

Such a great character, there is no-one like this now, no body speaks with such an aesthetic voice too. When I was young he was probably the coolest man with my name ... which wasn't very common in the 70s and that was a big part of the reason why I noticed him.

Oliver Reed "The Monks actually never left my mansion, they still run my private brewery".

Been thinking a lot about Ollie, lately. In 9 months I will be the age he died. Watching clips like this of him sitting in his study, then his son visiting the same room after he's gone. His last resting place. 'Shadows and dust!' Goes by so fast. RIP Ollie Xx

He really would have fitted in to the 18thC wouldn't he, as a sort of Fielding-esque roustabout and sometime rakehell. There was a notorious real-life progenitor of Ollie in the classic mould of the firebrand Regency buck. His name was John (or 'Jack') Mytton. Look him up if you haven't heard of him. He'd have given Ollie a run for his money. As barmy as he was daring.

For those who dont understand the context of what she is saying about tax at the start, most actors and musicians left Britain in the 70s as tax exiles due to the high tax.

u cant buy a personality or happiness

Reed's refusal to leave England in the 1970's despite crippling levels of income tax from the Government was brave & principled, but fixing that property up wiped him out financially, & then the money from acting dried up & he ended up losing all his money and ultimately forced into tax exile struggling to survive financially in the Channel Islands & Eire. Note the Rosslyn Park RFC jersey hanging off the Queen Vic portrait 7:25

Someone should make a film about his life I'd watch it

I’ve never been one for the “cult of celebrity”, having met many over the years, some on their way up the precariously balanced ladder of fame, some on their way down. However, there are a few, numbering less than I have fingers on my hands, that I wish I could have met before they died, mainly because they were so full of life, enthusiasm and pure energy. Oliver Reed is most certainly on that list.

Top man, legendary and a man's man. RIP Olie

I fell in love with him at the ripe old age of 13 after seeing him in "Oliver!" (that's Oliver Twist) at the movies. Wish he'd stayed longer

Just finished reading is autobiography, he was definitely a legend with a tortured soul amazing man 👍🏻

Ollie Reed, Keith Moon and Peter O’Toole... My dream “dinner” party!

How can you not love him Belfast Ireland 🇮🇪 😎

I loved Oliver Reed, a real figure from my childhood. A star. He & Richard Harris were unstoppable on the pub trail. He was a wonderful actor, even Saddam Hussain hired him to play the leading role in a movie, but apparently once in Iraq Saddam couldn't control him.

This is living. Real living. I was a young girl when I saw Reed on the tv in ‘The 3 Musketeers ‘ Loved him ever since. Even had a bad boyfriend in my 20’s because he looked like Reed. Didn’t realise at the time. I’ve heard that much of the tv appearances where he was ‘drunk’ was just an act. I know he loved a drink but you can tell by this piece that he was so much more. He is my idea of an ideal man. No wonder I’m 53 and single.

Jolly good thing she didn’t interview, during a full moon. He was one of the all great time werewolves. Fabulous actor.

What happened to British stars lol this guy was a true star just glad he spent his last few days with Ridley Hollywood's finest director producer. Ollie reeds I have T shirts with him on it got a great one with him and moon . But going back to the actor he was just perfect and Ridley got him for his last movie . Rip Ollie and Tony Scott xxx

The amount of people who can’t tell that he’s definitely taking the piss for a lot of this is amazing to me.

I remember this report on Nationwide mostly because it provoked an argument between my parents. Mum said he was a drunken lout, and Dad said it was just an act. Probably both a bit right. He could certainly be a handful when inebriated, but a decent guy by the standards of the time.

one word legend brilliant actor never a dull moment

Read a biography of Oliver Reed on a train from London to Scarborough around 2004 I pissed myself laughing all the way couldn’t put it down

I've always liked Oliver Reed....he was a true character and a great actor

What a legend a man with great depth of character despite his drunken antic's

What a great find, every second full of political incorrectness, today it would not happen due to restrictions, well that's were we are.

Absolutely glorious. Huge personality and huge addict - the hugest form of talent, Honest

All I need to know is hang out in a pub, liqoured up and get hired by Oliver Reed. Ps That kiss towards the end would be harassment and grounds for a lawsuit in 2022.

56 bedrooms and £400 a month to heat in winter circa 1977. In the winter of 2022/3 it's going to cost a similar amount of money to heat a 3 bedroom family home in the UK. Ever get the feeling that the privatisation of energy in the UK in the 1980's only served to make the rich even wealthier, whilst the consumers received nothing except ever increasing energy costs. I think the time has come to examine the feasibility of re-nationalising energy production in the UK.

English heritage through and through, god bless him

The idea that Oliver Reed used to spend his days staggering around the herbaceous borders in this sprawling mansion, getting lost & calling for his dog makes me literally LOL

Property developers have ruined the site now by creating flats.

wikipedia: "According to legend, Reed buried the jewellery collection of a former girlfriend in the grounds of Broome Hall where it still lies ..." I believe it. Sounds just like something he would do :)

He lived his life exactly how he wanted when he wanted... in actuality that's what we all seek but most of us are too timid to carry out well done Mr. Reed rest in peace mate

The man, The myth, The legend!!!

Charismatic, talented, handsum, wickedly funny, uber sexy man! Who happened to be a lush! Wot a man, wot a man, wot a mighty man 😍

He will be forever Bill Sykes to me. What a great piece of nostalgia this is. I heard some negative stuff about him a long time ago, but I don't think I'll bother ruining my memory of him.

When men were men……. then we came to 2022🤔

Apparently, Broome Hall is now 11 separate privately owned flats. I wonder if any are haunted by the ghost of Ollie?

Loved that comment. ‘ The house costs £400 a month just to heat’ lol

What a man he was, I watched him on the telly as a child, mostly with a drink in his hand, his acting talent was amazing, and here you see perhaps what was the real man.