Actress Annette Badland talks to ME & MY MONEY

The most expensive thing actress Annette Badland ever bought for fun was a £3,000 sculpture of a very well-endowed nude woman.

The award-winning actress, 73, has rarely been out of work since shooting to fame playing Charlotte in the BBC’s Bergerac in the 1980s.

She has also played Dr Fleur Perkins in Midsomer Murders and Babe Smith in EastEnders and appeared in the football comedy series Ted Lasso on Apple TV+.

She tells Donna Ferguson’s actors that they “live a privileged life” and it’s important to indulge.

She is an ambassador for the charity Target Ovarian Cancer and lives in East London with her partner, actor David Hatton, 81.

What did your parents teach you about money?

To save and live within your means, because money was hard to come by. My father was a car dealer and my mother didn’t work until I was ten and then got a job in a hostel as a cook. There was little money.

People thought we had a lot of money because of my dad’s job, but he was divorced and paid child support when I was growing up. At first, my parents only had tea chests as furniture. They met during the war and I was their only child, although I had siblings from my father’s first marriage who would visit.

We lived in a huge Edwardian house near the Birmingham Cricket Ground, which was divided into five flats. We shared a bathroom with other tenants but had our own outside toilet in the yard near the coal pit.

There were mealtimes when we shared a can of soup between us. Dad would have half, but Mom would be generous with me, so she would have very little. But I don’t remember being hungry as a child. My parents always made sure I was okay.

What kind of cars did your father make?

First he worked for Rover and then when I was 12 he got a job making Robin Reliants – those old three wheelers. He warned me never to buy one, that they were a fire hazard because of all the fiberglass.

Ironically, I ended up driving the Robin Reliant when I played Babe Smith in EastEnders. And certainly this man was finding it difficult to work. Once the props guys had to pull me out of a scene on a rope. Luckily I was facing the bottom so they just pulled me…and I rolled.

Are you having a hard time making ends meet?

Only at East 15 drama school. I remember meeting people there eating smoked salmon and pears with avocado, calling me “darling” and drinking champagne. It wasn’t something I had grown up with.

To save money, I would walk miles to school and buy cheap meat really late on a Friday night at Smithfield Market or cook a big pot of lentils and vegetables that would last me a week. Mom and Dad helped by sending me parcels of socks and soap. I once received a Tupperware box of wet and soggy food in the mail, with a note from them that said, “We enjoyed this salad and wanted to share it with you.”

When I left drama school, I started working at the Actors Company, which Ian McKellen had just founded with Felicity Kendall. Since then, as a pit pony, my career has been continuous – I have rarely been out of work.

What was the best year of your financial life?

Shortly after I joined Bergerac in 1983 I went from earning £32 a week doing repertory theater to regular TV work.

I can’t remember how much I was paid, but this year I was able to take out a mortgage and buy my parents’ house for £17,000. They lived in a semi-detached cottage on a farm: mum cleaned the hallway and looked after the children, and dad was a gardener and master. At the end of their ability to do so, they could be asked to leave. Dad was in his early 70s. So before I bought my own home, I bought theirs.

Did Midsummer Murders Pay Well?

I would say so. Of course, the two regular female actors are secondary to the male leads, both billing-wise and financially. I think this is something that needs to be addressed within the profession.

People don’t talk about their salaries and it’s hard to know if women have parity with men, but it’s almost certain that we don’t. Per episode I’m happy, but my income from the show depends on how many episodes we do each year. We did four episodes this year and it’s certainly not something I can live off of. But it’s fun to do.

I like playing Fleur because she has a black Jag convertible and a Harley and annoys the boys. She’s a smart, older woman who seems to have a sex life, likes to send the boys, and has cool motor vehicles. What don’t I like?

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought for fun?

A sculpture of a very well-endowed nude woman by Paul Hamann for around £3,000. I suspect its price has dropped since I bought it. But I love it. She is lovely and open and gives me great pleasure.

Best money decision you’ve ever made?

Climbing the property ladder in the 1980s. I bought my home, a three-bedroom terraced house in East London, in 1986 for £47,000 and have lived here ever since. I’m now mortgage free and it’s probably worth around £500,000.

I regret not moving to a bigger home in the 1990s when property prices were cheaper, but I love my garden. This is my break. I can get out there and breathe. It feeds me – and I feed it.

Are you saving for a pension or investing in shares?

I started saving for retirement in the 1980s. It’s with the actors’ union, Equity. Usually everyone I work for contributes and so do I. I also receive the state pension. I have an Isa but I don’t invest in the stock market. I’m very scared that I’ll lose everything because I won’t know what I’m doing.

If you were Chancellor, what would you do?

The NHS is in dire straits. The staff are full of compassion, commitment, humor and dedication – but they really struggle. So many elements of it are failing now that we will lose it. And that would be a crime, so I’d put money into the NHS.

Do you donate money to charity?

Yes, I am an ambassador for Target Ovarian Cancer. Right now I’m raising awareness of the brilliant annual fundraising walk/run on Sunday 22nd October in Regent’s Park. It’s always a fun event. I got involved with the charity after seeing a campaign they were running on social media. I was impressed by how open they were and how willing they were to help, so I followed them and they contacted me.

I haven’t had ovarian cancer myself, but I know how scary it is when you don’t know if you have cancer or not.

Ovarian cancer is a silent killer. GPs don’t diagnose it early enough. They might think it’s a urinary tract infection or irritable bowel syndrome and send the women off with painkillers. A year later, these women receive a diagnosis and are given a few weeks to live.

Do famous actors lead privileged lives?

Yes, and that’s why I think you should return it. I learned in EastEnders that when you’re in people’s living rooms, they feel like their friend. You must return this link.

Are you still working long hours at 73?

I don’t have kids, so my work is probably more important to me than it should be. I enjoy the stimulation of playing different characters, the exploration involved and the variety. One day I’ll be flying somewhere to meet Outlander fans, the next day I’ll be at the Globe Theatre. I love my job.

• Come together for a great day at the Target Ovarian Cancer Walk/Run in Regent’s Park, London. Visit targetovariancancer.org.uk for more information.