[Red Moon]

Bravo Biggins! The fascinating story of the actor who became King of the Celebrity Jungle

s a rule, he is more than happy to be a guest at other people's parties. But last night the celebration was his and his alone.

As the cast and crew of I'm A Celebrity. . . Get Me Out of Here! gathered at the Calypso bar in the Gold Coast town of Coolangatta, it was Christopher Biggins's longawaited chance to hog the spotlight.

The party theme of A Day At The Races may not have been entirely appropriate - Australian horse-racing is currently banned because of equine flu - but nothing could dampen the spirits of Biggins, a man whose victory seemed assured the moment he arrived in the Queensland jungle.

While other contestants revealed their vanities and weaknesses, ambitions and aggression, Biggins showed a kind heart and winning humour.

Most importantly, he was genuine. Now, after 40 years in showbusiness he can finally escape the image of perennial pantomime dame that has contained him for so long.

For contrary to popular belief, and behind the frothy, superficial image he has created, Biggins is an intriguing mass of contradictions.

A shameless showbiz luvvie and name-dropper extraordinaire, he wanted to be a vicar and his best friend is the Archdeacon of London, Peter Delaney.

Now best known for his Widow Twanky and Ugly Sister, Biggins, 59, was once a serious actor with a great future ahead of him.

He played Lukewarm alongside Ronnie Barker's Fletcher in the classic BBC comedy Porridge and was Emperor Nero in the 1976 drama series I, Claudius - still regarded as one of the finest TV dramas ever made. On the stage, he performed with The Royal Shakespeare Company.

Now, TV executives are said to be in talks about future projects and there are rumours his victory on the ITV reality show might lead to a chat show.

His many showbiz friends are delighted.

Last night Joan Collins told The Mail on Sunday: "We are thrilled. We were all watching, jumping up and down when he won.

"I think he is unbelievable. How he kept his good humour in the way he did was astonishing.

"But he is an incredibly good-humoured indi- vidual. I have never seen him lose his sense of humour and never seen him lose his temper.

"That's why everybody loves him. I think he has the widest crosssection of friends of anyone I know."

Joan has known Biggins for 15 years and is now planning to have a celebration dinner at her London home when the actor returns for Christmas.

"What I really hope is that he gets what he deserves career-wise from all this," she added.

According to executives, it is simply a matter of credibility. Reality shows are not without risk.

There is always the danger that a person's reputation will be damaged beyond measure. But for an ailing celebrity such as Christopher Biggins the rewards can be enormous.

Until now, the actor has revelled in the buffoonish D-list persona that has been entirely of his own making.

Regulars of some of the showbusiness world's favourite restaurants such as The Ivy are well used to the familiar sight of Biggins holding court in his familiar style.

His favourite lunching partners are Cilla Black and Paul O'Grady.

But he is as likely to be spotted holding court with Miss Collins, Dale Winton or even Liza Minnelli.

Yet it is always Biggins who draws attention with his slightly-too-loud tenor trill, theatrical greetings and guffawing.

He will often move from table to table greeting his showbiz friends - ostentatiously dropping air kisses here, pearls of wicked, sometimes smutty gossip there and loud laughter everywhere.

The message is always the same - Biggins is in town.

He will also turn up at the humblest opening night - often on the arm of his air steward partner Neil Sinclair, 46, whom he 'married' last year in a civil partnership ceremony.

It is a world where superficiality reigns supreme yet everyone, it seems, loves Biggins.

West End singer and actor Peter Straker says: "He is always ready to listen to other people's problems.

"Biggins is about making the world a happier place and it's infectious."

And the actress Nichola McAuliffe says: 'He's such a generous person who hates to see anyone uncomfortable and loves to put people at ease.

He's very perceptive, won't undermine people and hates seeing vulnerability, which is why he was so good with Janice Dickinson [ runnerup on I'm A Celebrity].

Biggins quaffed champagne immediately after winning. Nichola adds: "He prefers Krug or Bollinger but would be as happy with Cava.

"Likewise, he would settle for fish and chips if he couldn't have lobster."

But those who see him coming from a world of public schools and privilege are wrong.

He was born a sickly child into a working-class family in Oldham, Lancashire. The family moved to his mother's home city of Salisbury for the sake of his health.

They lived at first in a two-up, twodown with an outside lavatory. Biggins left school with no qualifications and became a stage-hand in the local repertory theatre.

His carefully modulated theatrical accent is a result of childhood elocution lessons paid for by a kindly aunt.

Even in the early days of his career he was already a larger-than-life character.

The Venerable Peter Delaney, a former TV producer, says: "I met Biggins in 1967 when I was doing Godspell and he was doing the play London Assurance next door.

"We bought houses next to each other in the Eighties and were neighbours for 12 years.

"Humour is an essential part of making life work for Biggins. The only things he hates are bigotry and unfairness towards others.

"He has strong Christian beliefs and has done Night Prayers for the London Internet Church."

Friends say it is a faith that has bolstered Biggins through the past two decades when his career went into freefall. He took a role in the popular children's TV show Rentaghost and presented Surprise, Surprise alongside-his friend Cilla Black.

In retrospect they were probably not the wisest decisions.

There was a feeling in showbusiness that Biggins had become rather too omnipresent and exuberant for his own good. And casting directors feared his camp persona would dwarf a performance.

The major roles and his theatre work became forgotten, replaced by pantomime and his clownish image as Biggins: Friend of the Stars.

Significantly, this is the first time Biggins has missed panto for 38 years.

Judging by his deserved victory on I'm A Celebrity ... he may not be available next year, either.

Source: Daily Mail