Sixties movie and TV star Annette Andre talks about her life on both screens

Actress Annette Andre, best known for playing Jeannie Hopkirk in cult ITV comedy drama Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) talks about her life at the Museum of Comedy in Bloomsbury on Saturday.
The cult silver and square screen star will be in conversation with Sam Westerby about her stellar career and memoir Where Have I Been All My Life?.
The former Battersea resident said: “I’m looking forward to it very much. I did a show there last year which is the first of that kind I’d ever done and I was a little apprehensive. But it seemed to go very well and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) followed the adventures of private detective Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt) and his dead partner Marty Hopkirk (Kenneth Cope). It struck a chord with audiences in many countries including Mexico and Australia.
She thinks it was a success because all the family could watch it.
“I honestly think it’s due to it being non-violent, not aggressive, yet maintaining the detective and crime element,” said the Australian-born performer. “And it was a quality production. Also because of the comedy element throughout the series. Over the years I have been told by many fans that the humour played an important part in their enjoyment of the series.
“Also, another point that comes up in conversations with fans is the clothes that I wore. I was lucky to be dressed by a couple of fashion houses quite well-known at the time. The clothes were stylish, using wonderful colours and keeping that unique 60s look.”
The California-based actress lived at Albert Bridge Road in Battersea for a couple of years in the 1960s and returned to live in the same area of South London in the late 1970s. She has fond memories.
“Battersea has a very special place in my heart,” she said. “I fell in love with it from the first time I lived there. Although it was the south side of the river, and regarded as a poor relation to Chelsea, for me it had so much character.
“It retained the sense of being a neighborhood, as well as having Battersea Park and the river in your backyard. We had wonderful little shops including an excellent fishmonger, a greengrocer and a health shop with big jars and barrels of herbs and spices, olives and dried goods, unlike today where everything is hermetically sealed and jars that you cannot open. And then it has my favourite bridge in the whole wide world, Albert Bridge.”
Annette’s screen credits also include The Avengers, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Prisoner, The Saint and The Persuaders.
Annette Andre – Randall and Hopkirk and Me takes place at the Museum of Comedy in Bloomsbury at 7.00pm on November 3. Tickets are available at museumofcomedy.com