“How Do I Relax? With A Large Gin & Tonic!”

Actress Alison Steadman, 72, shares her passions and memories. She lives in London with partner Michael Elwyn and has two sons

- Robyn Morris

What is your earliest acting memory? I used to impersonate people when I was a child. At school, I used to impersonate the teachers and I’d impersonate the Scottish woman next door. I was fascinated by her accent because I thought the whole world spoke with a Liverpool accent! Then I started impersonating Hylda Baker when she was on television – and about a year ago I ended up playing her. It was great to finally come full circle.

Did you have a plan B? I always loved animals, so there was a phase when I wanted to be a vet. I also thought I’d like to be an archaeologist – my house in Liverpool was built on a tip in the 1930s so if you dug around in the garden you’d find Victorian ink pots and bits of broken china, and I used to love that. But topping that was always acting. As soon as I realised you could do that as a career, I thought, “That’d be good!”

When are you happiest? When I’m with my sons. Family is so important. I was lucky to have kind and loving parents. We didn’t have a lot of money, but that didn’t matter, we had love – and I’ve passed that onto my children.