\n From his days as a Blue Peter presenter in the Eighties and the spin-off TV series Duncan Dares, Peter was always up for the task whether that meant crossing the Irish Sea in a VW Beetle or training with the Royal Marine Commandos.\n<\/p>\n
\n While his latest role is less fraught with danger, Peter admits that playing Bob the mechanic in a new UK tour of the hit musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert isn\u2019t without its own challenges.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cYou do wonder what is going on in Bob\u2019s head and I love that as an actor,\u201d said Peter. \u201cHe is enigmatic and perhaps a little confused by what is happening around him but he follows his instincts.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Priscilla Queen of the Desert, based on the 1994 Oscar-winning film, sees two drag queens and a transgender woman travelling through the Australian outback to perform a show in Alice Springs. They face prejudice and problems along the way which merely strengthens the bond between them.\n<\/p>\n
\n Peter Duncan in Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Picture: Matt Crockett)\n<\/p>\n
\n The musical promises to be spectacular with costumes designed by Vicky Gill, Strictly Come Dancing\u2019s wardrobe queen and choreography by Olivier Award-winner Matt Cole.\n<\/p>\n
\n Starring alongside Peter are Ad\u00e8le Anderson from the comedy group Fascinating Aida as Bernadette, former Strictly favourite Kevin Clifton as Tick\/Mitzi and Nick Hayes as Felicia\/Adam.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cAs we\u2019ve been in rehearsal for the show the thing I\u2019ve come to realise that although it is a proper, big musical with some fabulous songs in it and spectacular dance routines, it has a heart,\u201d said Peter.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt tells the stories of the lives of people who may be seen to be somewhat on the fringes of society, They are all characters who capture your heartstrings which is the best way to tell a story.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Although the original film was released more than 30 years ago, the themes are extremely relevant today.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI think in 1994 the film could barely get made because prejudice was so great,\u201d said Peter. \u201cThe world has changed a lot over the years although you could argue that sadly it\u2019s heading back in that direction.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cBut the world in general has always been more tolerant than those with extreme views would have us believe. And this show helps to show that people really can get on in life with each other.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Peter hopes that this new version of the musical – it will head across the UK after opening in Manchester – will surprise audiences.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThere has been an element of making it all a bit more real,\u201d he said. \u201cYes it has these fantastically glamorous costumes and show-stopping routines but I think people will find it a little bit more down-to-earth too. The spectacle is very much still there but as with all great storytelling you\u2019ll get caught out and suddenly find you have tears welling in your eye and it\u2019s too late to back out of it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Opening the show in Manchester has brought back a particular memory for Peter.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI was looking through some stuff recently and I found a very nice review for when I starred in Barnum at the Palace,\u201d he said. \u201cThe main thing I remember about that show was that I did a death slide all the way from the top balcony down on to the stage – it was a long way up. I won\u2019t be doing anything like that this time round!\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Peter has had a remarkable career spanning TV, film and the stage.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019ve always had an adventurous nature,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve gone from thing to thing over the years. It\u2019s quite simple really, when something comes along you either go \u2018yes\u2019 or \u2018no\u2019 and I\u2019ve trusted my instincts. I like to do something new.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Priscilla will see Peter touring the country for the next six months which is something he had to think seriously about.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin Clifton, Adele Anderson and Nick Hayes in Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Picture Matt Crockett)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019d just moved from London after living there for 40 years to the countryside when I got this job,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d chosen a different lifestyle and then had a decision to make; did I want to to be on tour for six months?\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cBut I like the idea of going back to these big cities where I\u2019ve been before. Then there\u2019s the camaraderie you get while on tour; everyone does look out for one another. Plus it’s only six months – I can go back to being a country boy when it\u2019s all over.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Given that Peter has done so much in his career, what else does he have on his \u2018to do\u2019 list.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cDuring the pandemic I started making a pantomime film in my back garden,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was just a simple idea as the theatres were forced to close but it became a proper film and was released and well received.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI\u2019ve always made documentaries and told stories on film which is something I\u2019d like to do more of in future.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWhile I\u2019m on tour I plan to spend time writing a couple of screenplays based on two books I\u2019d love to do. All I need is that meeting with Netflix!\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cBut although I\u2019m 71 I\u2019m still pretty fit and hopefully there\u2019s plenty of time to do quite a lot of things, including this wonderful show. I\u2019m a lucky old man really!\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Priscilla Queen of the Desert is at the Palace Theatre Manchester until Saturday, February 28. Details from www.atgtickets.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From his days as a Blue Peter presenter in the Eighties and the spin-off TV series Duncan Dares,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":437814,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6491,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-437867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}