Celia Imrie | Why I NEVER Travel By Plane

0:03Welcome to Travel Secrets with me, Tanya Rose, the podcast sharing wisdom for fellow travelers. Each week, I ask my guests to reveal their six travel secrets and the holidays and adventures that surround them. I would just like to say thank you to Mason Rose, the sales and communication agency that represents some of the finest hotels around the world for partnering with Travel Secrets, the podcast.

0:33Today my guest is one of Britain's most adored and versatile actresses, star of stage, film, TV and literature and famed for so many iconic roles from Acorn Antiques, Dinner Ladies, Calendar Girls, Nanny McPhee, The Best Marigold Hotel which I hope we'll hear a bit about India and coming up in the Thursday Murder Club and also Traitors, the celebrity edition. And I won't ask you if you were a traitor or a faithful because you're tough to kill me. Yes, I'm absolutely not going to say a word. Pinch me if you like, but I won't. Can't wait to watch it. Welcome, lovely Ceele. I can't wait to hear your travel secrets.

1:16But before we get into them, perhaps you can tell us a bit about yourself and how travel has impacted the person you've become. Did you grow up traveling? Let's just talk about generally about you. Well, my darling mother always used to say to be well-traveled and well-read is a very good beginning. And I'm not very well-read, sadly. I wish I'd done university and all that. But I think travel is the most important thing because it's like going inside a live book, I suppose, isn't it, really? And, you know, the world's so huge. and I've got to hurry up because I don't think we're going to be allowed to travel you know so freely soon I mean I I'm going to remain optimistic but really I want to get in as much as I can so I've got China and Japan to go to next please yes exciting and actually you have a house in France so now with this whole Brexit thing you can only do six months is it or three months in and three months yes not a house actually it's a an apartment overlooking the Mediterranean and it's my paradise.

2:22How wonderful. But I do have a titres azure which means that I'm not as restricted as gosh I wish I had an Irish passport. I know. Honestly. I know so many of my friends are tracing their heritage back somehow. Well my unfortunately it's a grandmother generation behind so I'm nearly there but not enough. So is your apartment in Nice? It is. So you'll be off hot footing there for August, hopefully. Fast as I can. Actually, no, I try to avoid August because it's too hot. And so that's the only time that I probably avoid. Otherwise, I'd be there all the time. I am going on Saturday. Denise? To the Colôme d 'Or.

3:05In Saint-Paul-de-Vence, we go every year for the whole of August. Oh, how gorgeous. Well, sort of mid-August. Wow. I love it there. Of course. Such a beautiful hotel. No, no. Brilliant. So let's get into your travel secrets. What is the number one destination you think everyone should go to once in their lifetime? The Grand Canyon. There's no question about it. It's the most breathtaking place in the world. And actually, if you're in a rocket, only the Grand Canyon and the Great Wall of China are obvious. They're the two points on Earth that you can see from a rocket, apparently. Anyway, it's, well, you almost can't describe it, except I felt it was like an enormous monster because you can almost hear it breathe.

4:00It's a sort of bizarre thing to say, but I promise you, it's the silence that is so extraordinary. but you can almost feel it taking an in-breath and an out-breath it's magnificent have you ever i've never been well i really want to and helen fielding was on the podcast and she goes every year to the grand can you how marvelous that helen goes yes and she said it's just magnificent it is did you do white water rafting when you were there in the grand county no thanks no i'm not that good a swimmer i mean i love the idea of it and it looks fantastic but but for somebody else just don't stand too near the edge i mean there are lots of accidents that happen there and there's a whole book about them so it's all it's all extraordinary it's an extraordinary place people are ridiculous because they go hiking off or hiking off without the right clothes can't get back you know anyway it definitely is where somebody should anybody should go once in their life and what did you do when you went there were you filming nearby and so you had a holiday you just went on holiday I went on a marvelous tour led by Molly who knew everything about the place and then she brought us a picnic lunch as well I mean it's it's very difficult it's impossible to describe really that's where you have to go yeah and Vegas did you do Vegas at the same time no thanks not for you either no I do you know Vegas for me is all about the shows that's it because otherwise it's very depressing with everyone gambling and not seeing the light of day but the shows are amazing and oh which is the underwater one of Cirque du Soleil is worth seeing but that's that is it yes I think well just let's go to the Grand Canyon What's your most unexpected travel experience?

5:59I suppose it was when I was first invited on to Queen Mary 2. I was in New York doing a one-woman play, which was very daring and very exciting, and I'm glad I did it, called Unsuspecting Susan in New York. And then I was invited on to Queen Mary 2 to go home. and would I like to introduce Calendar Girl? So you can imagine it's that long ago, 20 years ago or something. And I'd never been on a huge liner. And it was absolutely extraordinary. I've never forgotten, you know, even just walking up the gangplank and then the hugeness of it, being surrounded by water, um the luxury everywhere and then people say oh i've never done cruising it's not a cruise cruise ship it's a liner and it goes from one place port new york straight to southampton and um she's magnificent i think she's a bit like a i i would like to say racehorse in one um day of weather because she just glides and then on a stormy day she's like a cart horse and puts her nose right down and it's quite magnificent the the color of the waves you know the white and azure it's and the hugeness of the ship i mean you can go around i think it's i think it's i can't remember the mileage round the deck but it's quite a lot um and it's well there you are you take um an hour off each day so you don't have jet lag and then you arrive uh rested refreshed with the sea air you know it is a magnificent way is it five days uh it's six or seven six or seven yes yes i've never done it i actually would love to do it the other way because i'd like to see the statue of liberty oh no well they have and you know like all of the immigrants that came i just think that would be magnificent exactly it is it is um and um i think yes generally speaking you arrive at dawn which is rather thrilling and you go under the narizvara bridge anyway that's thrilling because you think you're never going to get under um because the funnel is like inches away from the underneath of the bridge.

8:45But yes, it's all magnificent, actually. There's not one bit that I don't like about it. And have you done it subsequently? Many times. Oh, you have. Many times. Because you don't fly, do you? No, no. So tell me about that. Well, having done that, I can't see the point. And I go everywhere by train. And you can. It's surprising. Really? Yeah. Yeah. And so when I, for instance, going your way, I call it your way because you must do it, from Southampton to New York, and then I go across the entire width of America on Amtrak. So if you're filming in America, you always go by boat. Yep. And train.

9:32How amazing. So you have to factor in a few extra days to do that. You do. It's probably 10, really. 10 days. Does that mean it actually precludes you from doing things further afield now? Like Australia or somewhere? The thing is, it would take too long. Probably. But you have done stuff in Australia before when you did fly. Yes, I did. How magnificent. Well, I'm definitely going to take you up on that and do that American trip. You will. I just think I might think a bit about the Titanic, though. Do you not get scared? Well, we go over the Titanic. and all sailors are superstitious so you have to be quite well yes and and very often the captain will tell you when we're going near yes um yes of course i'm obsessed with the titanic who isn't um and i've written about it um but i i you you feel so safe on the queen mary too it is an extraordinarily glamorous beautiful but it has special stabilizers it's one it's of its own the best okay Queen Mary it's going to be for me have you done any other um talks on those boats about your books and things yes yes yeah because each time I don't expect um you know I expect to work my passage like a proper sailor and you've written seven books haven't you have I I don't I I think you have.

10:58And actually your autobiography about, was it called? Happy Hoofer. Happy Hoofer. As opposed to the Happy Hooker. Well, the Happy Hoofer, because you wanted to be a dancer, didn't you? Yes, well, I'm a chorus girl, really. That's how I began. Much to Prince William's delight when I told him how I started. I wanted to be a dancer. And I had a place at White Lodge at the Royal Ballet School. And my father said to me, you're going to end up a go-go dancer at Lowe's Casino in Monaco. You're not going to. And when I tell my husband that, he says, well, that wouldn't have been a bad thing at all. No.

11:37Oh, what a shame. Well, my father was a bit the same. And so I agreed in the end to do a dancing teacher's course. But, well, you have the figure for a ballet dancer. No, I was told not. Too tall? I was going to be too tall and I was the wrong shape. Well, so was I. It was very depressing. I know. But I did have a place, so... Well, well done. I didn't. Good for you. What the heck? Anyway, thank goodness you didn't, because otherwise we wouldn't have seen you in these amazing things. But do you still dance? I'm around the kitchen, so nobody can see me fall over. Fantastic. Let's get into your most overrated or underrated travel experience.

12:17Oh, Lord. The Ice Hotel. It's hard, isn't it? No, it's not. The Ice Hotel was a bloody nightmare. But I won't name the exact one. But, no, I was very excited about the idea of sleeping on a block of ice. What a mad idea is that? I mean, honestly, when I got to lie on it, I just thought, what on earth am I doing? And you're covered with sort of animal skin, which being a vegetarian, I'm not mad about. The thing is, also, there's lots of things to consider. when I went there it had started to thaw and then iced over so there were lots of things you couldn't do like you couldn't go on the horse with the horses obviously because it's far too icy for them and they hurt themselves they did take the huskies out which I think they shouldn't have done but there were various things that you you know just mad you couldn't but it was very very funny because you know you go into this sort of igloo and it's got sort of purple lighting and everything and you think okay so I'm now going to go to sleep on a block of ice very good um and then you know you don't sleep uh halfway through the night you think do you know I've had enough of this so you get up and you think I'll tell you what I'm going to get dressed I'm going to go to the lockers I'm going to get dressed and I'm going to be first in line for breakfast so you get up at half past three in the morning.

13:42The whole place is in the lockers. They've all had the same idea. They're all fed up with their blocks of ice and they're all lining up for hot breakfast. That is hilarious. Honestly. That is so funny. Is it freezing? Yes. But why would you think it wouldn't be? Just one night and not even a whole half night. Oh, God. I think the next night actually was a bit less trouble because you could go into a little hut and actually the best bit was looking up through a glass roof and seeing the stars. That was rather wonderful. But never again. And that was in Iceland, was it? Norway, I think. North Norway.

14:27It's just not for me. I was excited about it and then once in a lifetime, done and dusted, never again. Yeah, exactly. Take heed, listeners. some people might love it though you see that's the thing each to their own yeah each to their own let's get into food and drink it's so much part of travel and our lives what do you like eating where do you like eating have you got a favorite restaurant or a best meal you've ever had let's just talk generally about food and drink and travel i think it's hard to choose but the best meal I've ever had was at the Chanticleer restaurant in the Negresco Hotel in Nice.

15:10And they have a very talented lady chef, Virginie Baslow, her name is. She's one multitude of stars. And the great thing about her is she sources local delicacies. Actually, that's the great thing about France. You know, you go to their markets, the smell of their strawberries i've never smelt anything like that coming around the corner and seeing them on the market stall and um all the vegetables are so fresh and gorgeous and they make a point i think of only serving what is in season so you know don't expect strawberries in december just have what is yeah and that's what's clever about her um dishes and the reasons it was so marvelous And actually, I don't remember the other courses.

16:02It was the starter, which was, it was like a doll's plate of all the different local delicacies. So you had one tiny little baguette the size of my finger and then one tiny little pisselade, which is an onion tart, a tiny little bit of soccer and all the delicacies of Nice on a little plate. It was the prettiest thing I've ever seen. But it was like a doll's plate. Yeah, but how beautiful. Yes, and all the different flavors. So do you go there every time you go to Nice or is that a treat? No, no, no. It's a total treat. Total treat. I tell you which restaurant I love in Nice. It's La Petite Maison.

16:55Yes. With the mad lady who owns it, Nicole. If she's in a good mood, it's lovely. And the rest. Do you know, it's hilarious you say that because maybe it is her mood. I thought it was just that she was a bit bonkers. she came up to my husband when we went there the first time and gave him a glass of champagne and dropped it oh before he you know but purposefully did it and they were behind her with a dustpan and brush because they knew she was going to do it so i thought has he done something wrong or is she anyway but the food is very good there well yes if you if she's in a good mood she'll give you an extra plate of um i don't know how they they say it in french but anyway it's Really, it's mashed potato, but it is exquisite or exquisite or whatever you call it.

17:47Really, I mean, the best you've ever tasted. Yes, it is. It is beautiful. I love the lemons and tomatoes on the plate, on the table. Yes. Before you even get there. Lovely. I mean, as you get there. As you get there. It's beautiful. And the markets in Nice are fantastic. Do you go shopping to the markets when you're there? Lovely. On my bike, if I can. Oh, do you? Do you ride a bike there? Of course. Wow. Wow, trains, boats and bikes. You're very intrepid. Well, you know, you see the world better. I mean, the sights I've seen going across America, I bet Americans haven't seen. No, I bet they haven't.

18:24Some good, some not so good. And is that because you're going by trains who you're looking out the window and seeing everything? Yes, I mean, from an airplane, you can't see half of what I see. No, that's true. And you're a vegetarian. Yes. So is that easier when you're in France just because of all the fresh ingredients and things? Yes, although it didn't used to be, though, because I can remember being in Paris years and years ago and asking the waitress if I could have just some vegetables. and this very sophisticated, very elegant lady behind me, bright red lipstick, said, bizarre. Oh, bizarre.

19:06You know, she couldn't get it at all. So things have changed. Let's go on to your top travel tip. What's your top travel tip? Don't fly is my top travel tip because I've seen so much. For instance, one of my trips, I don't know whether this will be answering the next question, but I went from Bulgaria to Paris on the train. And people would think, well, you can't. You know, you can't. You'd have to fly a Sambu. No, you don't. How long did that take? Well, I knew I had an overnight, but I started off in Sofia. and so I set off knowing I'd got a 10-hour train journey in front of me, which is fine, no problem.

19:54So right the length of Bulgaria, right up to the north. It was going on rather a long time and I kept looking at my watch because I knew I'd got to catch another train, a sort of night train to take me to the next bit. anyway the outcome was um we were two hours late and i'm i got more and more frantic and more and more uh you know desperate to ask the guard well of course i couldn't speak bulgarian and i i rather lost my temper i'm afraid and started shouting at him it wasn't his fault no but i said you know what am i going to do what am i going to do and there were some students that i've been traveling with and they said well you can come to our hostel and sleep with us i thought maybe not how sweet maybe not I know but maybe not because I've got more things to do um you know I was on a sort of time anyway I I was behaved very very badly to this poor man and in the end I said you know is it what can I get a can I get a bus can I get a coach or can I you know because I've got to catch my all my connections back home and so I calmed down a bit and he said we sort of spoke in sign language come with me he took me to the bus station the coach station um and we i found out that there was a night coach going to zagreb well that's sort of very good because i've missed my other connection so i managed to get myself a ticket i i told the gentleman thank thank you very very much for helping me to find the coach station because It was the only way I was going to do it.

21:39So I climbed last passenger with all my suitcases onto this late night coach with all my suitcases on top of me. And as I looked out of the window, and this totally broke my heart, there was the dear guard waving me off. He'd stayed to see if I was safe. Honestly, I'll never forget that. I know, don't. And I've been so horrible. And there he was waving me off. Anyway, so overnight to Zagreb, we had to get off about 12 times at the borders, got to Zagreb. The funny thing is I beat the train. Did you? So I was there and then I went on to Zurich, stayed the night there and then Germany and I can't quite exactly remember the order.

22:25But anyway, Paris and home. That's very amazing. Yeah. I was very proud of myself. Did it not put you off? No. Why? Having to? No. Get off and go to the... Well, I think you're very intrepid, as I said earlier. Fantastic. Will you ever fly again, do you think? No, probably not. No need. No need. Let's talk about your most poignant travel experience. Well, I suppose it would be looking back, really, because as you can imagine, as we said at the very beginning, one of my most wonderful adventures in my life is going to India. First of all, I went in about 19, might have been something like 1985, and I was on a British Council tour of Merchant of Venice.

23:20And we went all over the place to India and Pakistan and Nepal, but to places some children had never ever seen theatre before. So that was wonderful. And then, of course, came the most unforgettable treat of going to India with the exotic Marigold Hotel. I mean, it is luck. It is luck to be given a present like that. And I do mean it's a present because with that cast in India, well. And then two helpings. Yes. and then the second one the second too which i i so love old parker's choice of title which he got in trouble for because the american said you can't call it second best hotel well actually that's what's so witty about it of course it was so clever second best exotic marigold hotel um anyway so that um but it is looking back poignant for me because a darling dame maggie wouldn't be there if we went again i think probably uh you know two is glorious don't be greedy but um but the cast really was wonderful and there probably are so many of your friends with judy dan well actually the sad thing is there's tom wilkinson and ronnie pickup who would not be there so there's three which which would be sad but um in terms of i don't know whether i'm jumping ahead of your questions but in terms of life-changing going to india yes it was because well with the exotic marigold we were treated to like nine star hotels uh because of the dames i'm guessing you know 1299 cushions on your bed and curtains and people coming in and out looking after you swimming pools you know those marvelous um what do they call them infinity yes exactly well we had actually we had a moat around our um rooms and i can i have a vision of dame judy um swimming round to dame maggie's room uh with banana rama on her head because that's what they love to do i mean honestly what fun it was well you know an unforgettable treat which um i will never forget and but the reason um also it is life-changing is because you leave the grounds of your nine-star hotel and there's a little girl looking for a cabbage leaf but she's smiling I mean it's very difficult to know how you can describe this without sounding in any way patronizing I'm not I'm very aware that we have so much and they have so little it's it's obvious but they're always optimistic and joyful and smiling it's it's heart stopping actually now is that because they um believe in reincarnation maybe this time it's not so good next time it'll be better but they have nothing in yet they are joyful they want to share their food with you you know it's it's well it does change your life I think I found that when I went to India I couldn't quite understand it at first but as you say they are joyful yes and then when I went to South Africa I found that actually almost not more difficult but you have the really expensive housing and then you have the townships well I know and that wasn't quite as easy you know there was a lot more violence there was a lot more aggression you did something with richard e grant in swaziland didn't you i did i did and funnily enough i remember johannes johannesburg airport and being biffed out of the way by somebody i mean really slammed into by a man i found it very aggressive but swaziland of course is like a sort of oasis is it it's very very pretty what did you do there uh with richard's film oh it was his own film wawa which is all about his life yes however i i'm afraid another memory was being in the gift shop of our lovely hotel and beautiful beautiful young girl who was about 17 and she wanted to know what we were doing and i was explaining we were making a film and she said oh when will it be out because She spoke very good English.

28:20And I said, well, it'll probably take a year before it comes out. She said, oh, what a shame. And I said, well, why? She said, well, I probably won't be here. She had AIDS. Oh, no. And she knew. I mean, ghastly. Those sort of things, you can't remember a place without that memory, I'm afraid. What did you play in his film? I played Lady Hardwick. Well, anyway, she was a terrible snob and used to say, and funnily enough, I can remember my mother saying it, oh, the American. Oh, what about the American? That's how she spoke. Very, very posh. I used to put in bits that my mother used to say and Richard loved it.

29:06Oh, I bet you did. Yeah. That's hilarious. But no, she was a terrible snob, but fun to play, of course. and when you did the best exotic marigold hotel yes where did you actually stay you said you were staying in amazing hotels were they in the sort of palace hotels uh well um we filmed in jaipur and udai por udai por first it was gorgeous but sort of too much really but poignant well yes because you know you know penelope dame penelope and i used to take a tuk-tuk out at night sometimes and go and see what was happening. We weren't really allowed to, but we did, of course. And you had lovely Bill Nye as well.

29:49Yeah, who's great, I'm sure. I mean, the whole cast. Just a wonderful, wonderful cast. I asked you to bring a photograph. Can you show us the photograph and tell us how that sums up travel to you? Well, the photograph is of me on an Amtrak, or beside the Amtrak train, and you'll see how huge they are. And people are so surprised that I decide to take the train across America. But actually, it's an extraordinary experience. And I suppose because not many people do it, I love, you know, I love to talk about it and say, but it's marvelous. You know, there's I think I changed trains in Chicago and I think it's about I can't remember whether it's two or three nights it takes.

30:46Three nights, I think. But, you know, I see parts of America that I'm quite sure Americans have never seen. And that includes, you know, people living in burnt out cars, by the way. Oh, really. Really quite shocking. and then the other thing being a vegetarian i promise you miles and miles of these poor cattle slammed together in pens where they can't move but i really do mean miles it's it's a disgrace and i think i've only ever seen it once and i wonder whether they in in a correct timetable the train would go past in the night so you wouldn't see it but on this occasion we were about four hours late which does happen and so we saw it and if you weren't a vegetarian before you certainly would be afterwards awful i mean just awful what do you do baggage wise do you take lots of suitcases with you is there someone to help you well yes i mean that's the good thing because of course you're not really restricted um it's a good idea to get a little bedroom by the way if you really want to do it i mean i've done coach as well which really wasn't too bad but if you can get yourself a little bedroom they have uh um luggage racks downstairs so you don't have to hoik them up um but you know also of course on the on the ship you're not so restricted as you would be flying but you always take too much don't you i always do always lots of people on this podcast say oh i only travel with hand luggage but i don't know how well i'd love to be like helen mirren you see oh what dame helen um because she told me when we did um calendar girls that she hardly takes anything buys when she's there sometimes from charity shops i believe she said and then can give them back if she wants oh what a good idea I know.

32:49That's a top tip. Well, it's a very good one. But I absolutely loathe shopping. So I suppose if you sort of can restrict it to one place. I love shopping. Do you? Oh, no. So that's probably why I would love to do that, actually. So you've got the Thursday Murder Club coming out with Dame Helen. Yes. And Piers. Yes. And Sir Ben. And Sir Ben Kingsley. So, I mean, you're the four main people. and david tent yes and richard e grant and tom ellis and and and we cannot wait and actually i was going to ask you before i let you go what is next for you where are you going next and what is next for you as an actor or in life well now that's very interesting um there's um i'm really here at my next is to be enjoying the premiere of of Thursday Matter Club actually I've just um been working with Rafe Spore on his series Trying um playing um a hoarder which anybody who's ever been to my house would think oh well that's not no acting required then um but that was good fun to do um and i love not knowing what's next actually um but i will be dedicating most of my days in the absolute near future to um promoting and then when does the traitors come out uh september i think and where did that where was that filmed in in vaness i I think people know that.

34:30So yes, yes, yes. Fantastic. So back to your roots. Exactly. I'm very proud of my half-Scots blood. And I also went filming in Bereri Castle for The Diplomat. Oh, yes. So, and it was quite, I played, I don't know whether you watched it. I did. I loved it. I played quite a fierce person who was not liked by the rest of the story. And it was a peculiar sort of thing because I didn't really get to know anybody. We were mostly filming in London. And because I was playing this peculiar person, we didn't really get to know each other until we got to Inverary Castle. Then we were going for swims in the loch in the morning and having whiskey at night.

35:23And it changed completely. How extraordinary. And we all became good friends. How lovely. Well, it's a beautiful castle, isn't it? But that's what travel does for you. And any tours or, you know, anywhere where you go as a company, it's the most marvelously, you know, gathering together. there are it's a completely different thing and you know being on tour with people it's marvelous um you know it's it's a wonderful bringing together which you couldn't possibly have you were filming in London no and bonding it probably takes you back to when you started with your acting in plays and things like that didn't you do a tour when you first went somewhere with glinda jackson i did and that was well now you see if you if you said to somebody that um well i never went i'd never been abroad and i was 22 they'd be amazed because children and people are on planes going to holidays and all sorts you know from the age of two now but i was 22 i'd never been abroad before and i found myself on a plane to australia so it was all very dramatic how wonderful and with a troop of players yes well double oscar winner glenda absolutely i was the understudy and the tea girl and looking after the props but the most wonderful in travel time of our lives 40 years later i got to play her daughter when she was king lear you did you were gone all weren't you yes i was i loved it and she was fantastic uh well but she was 80 i know she was incredible though and having been away um because mira and i were talking this morning mira didn't know her as an actress but knew her as a politician because she'd been away from the stage for 25 years i i well i couldn't i couldn't believe well i suppose i could because she was so wonderful anyway but aged 80 to play king lear the way she did wasn't it it It was breathtaking.

37:36Really was breathtaking. Well, how lovely that that went full circle and you had your first thing and then her last thing. Nearly. And you're no longer a tea girl and an understudy. You're very much the main part. Still making tea though. And cakes. How wonderful. It has been such a joy and delight to go around the world with you. I think you are amazing the way you go by train and cruise, but it's not cruise. It's liner. I'm definitely going to take you up on that. And it's been so wonderful to meet you. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you very much.