Roy Hudd reveals secrets of the Coronation Street undertaker

There's a wonderful short comedy clip from BBC Radio 4 online which has made me smile. 

It's actor and comedian Roy Hudd, talking to Sandi Toksvig about being Archie Shuttleworth in Coronation Street.  

"I loved it. I loved his name, even for starters," Roy says. "Daran Little created him and he had this great catchphrase without anyone even knowing. He'd meet someone, look them up and down and then I'd say 'Five foot eight, I'm not wrong am I?' and everyone was shouting it out in the streets, all the kids and everyone!"

"But the funny one to me was that I had to bury the butcher, Fred Elliot. And there he is in the coffin and John Savident (who played Fred) said to me: 'I tell you what, we can get a laugh at the beginning of this scene' and I said 'how's that?' and he said 'Well just look into the coffin and do up my flies'."

Roy goes on to say that after he did that scene, he passed out and woke up sitting in a chair. 'And John's coming in, running in with a glass of water, gave it to me and asked if I was all right. I said yeah, drank the water, he got back in the coffin and we carried on with the scene!"

And he goes on to say that one of his favourite things from his time on the show was that loads of undertakers started to write to him at ITV asking him to come and give a talk. One of the letters was from an undertaker in Manchester who finished his letter with the words 'Yours, eventually.'

It's a good little, short listen and it's here.

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