Helen Lederer credits potatoes for helping her get through John Cleese's Fawlty Towers - The Play
Helen Lederer says it was "a lot" to play Mrs. Richards in John Cleese's Fawlty Towers - The Play "eight times a week" from June 24 to September 13, and she said eating lots of potatoes helped her get through it.
Helen Lederer got through John Cleese's Fawlty Towers - The Play by eating spuds.
The 71-year-old comedienne-and-actress says it was "a lot" playing Mrs. Richards - the hard-of-hearing guest of the titular hotel who refuses to switch on her hearing aid - "eight times a week" at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, from June 24 to September 13.
Helen exclusively told BANG Showbiz at the 2025 Best Heroes Awards, sponsored by DFS: "Eight times a week at my age on the West End was interesting.
"It was a lot. But I discovered the potato shop opposite the stage door and managed to eat potatoes from the spud shop."
John - who played the inept Basil Fawlty, the manager of the titular Torquay, Devon-based hotel in the much-loved 1970s BBC sitcom - adapted the play.
And Helen said it was a joy to work with the 85-year-old comedy legend.
She added: "[The play] was wonderful. It was wonderful working with John Cleese. How could you turn that job down?"
Now that Fawlty Towers - The Play - which aired on U+GOLD in September - has ended, Helen is focusing on touring her memoir Not That I’m Bitter at a series of literary festivals across the country.
The Absolutely Fabulous actress is also working hard to get female comedy writers published.
Helen said: "I’m touring my memoir Not That I’m Bitter, so I’m going to all sorts of literary festivals, and I’m doing Comedy Women in Print, which is my prize to enable witty women writers to become published.
"So that is happening at the moment!"
Looking ahead to the future, the former Hollyoaks star wants to front a travel TV series.
Helen revealed: "I want to do a travel TV programme, but I think Rylan [Clark] might be booked. I’ll have to find somebody else."
The Horrid Henry: The Movie actress was one of many celebrity guests who attended the 2025 Best Heroes Awards, sponsored by DFS, held at The Waldorf Hilton, Aldwych, London, on October 16.
The event - created by Best magazine - celebrates ordinary people who have done extraordinary things in unthinkable circumstances.
And Helen believes there is a "potential hero" in everyone.
Asked if there has been a time in her life when an unsung hero has come to her rescue or helped her, the actress said: "I think there’s a potential hero in all of us. It’s like the parable of the good Samaritan.
"I think more of us are good than not good, but we don’t know how we’re going to behave until a situation presents itself.
"So tonight will be very emotional because we’ll see the best coming out - literally Best magazine - and the best coming out individuals with all sorts of challenges to overcome."
