24.02.03
"Famous
people are vilified in this country" - Alan Davies
As
Alan Davies returns to our screens this week for a new series of
Jonathan Creek, he heatedly tells Radio Times he's tired of having
his private life scrutinised by the media and admits that scurrilous
stories have deeply upset members of his family.
When
Radio Times asks Davies about rumours of an off-screen romance between
himself and co-star Julia Sawalha, the actor offers some surprisingly
excited responses.
"I'm
often told that I should be prepared to talk about my private life,
and I just don't accept that," he says. "People say that
if you're famous you give up the right to privacy. That's bull.
Famous people are vilified in this country. It's no coincidence
that two of Britain's most famous figures, John Lennon and Princess
Diana, were hounded out of the country and met violent deaths abroad."
However,
Sawalha takes a lighter view of the public interest in their alleged
romance: "It's pretty innocent," she says. "I was
fascinated by the fact that John Cleese and Connie Booth were married.
It made me enjoy Fawlty Towers a lot more."
Davies
also claims friends and family have been distressed as a result
of newspaper inaccuracies and salacious gossip perpetuated by the
media.
"Ex-girlfriends
have sold stories to the papers, my father has got upset when I've
been misquoted, and it's become a real bugbear of mine," he
admits.
"I've
seen a very good friend of mine, Angus Deayton, destroyed by the
media. The newspapers print phone numbers saying, 'If you know anything
about a famous person, ring us and we'll destroy them for you.'"
Despite
Davies strong views on privacy, Sawalha says he's a pleasure to
work with on the drama. "We always have a good laugh. Everyone
loves Alan on the set. He's a very kind and generous actor,"
she says.
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