Celia Imrie on why she loves flirting on ships

Celia Imrie has spoken to our own Saga Magazine ahead of filming for the highly anticipated Netflix film adaptation of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club.

The crime comedy follows four members of a retirement home club who gather to solve murders for fun but find themselves caught in a real case. Imrie stars alongside fellow club members played by Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley and Pierce Brosnan. Other star names in the film include David Tennant and Jonathan Pryce.

Imrie revealed how excited she is in our July edition, saying: “I am delighted to be working with Dame Helen Mirren again; last time we did, we were a bit worried about some buns on a calendar! And Pierce Brosnan and I were last seen together scuba-diving in Cannes filming The Love Punch.”

Hello sailor!

The Olivier award-winning actor says she cherishes the years she spent working with Julie Walters and Victoria Wood, but adds, “I do have a lot of actor friends, but I have always enjoyed meeting complete strangers.

“That's why I love ships... the romance of being on the move, having a drink in the bar. Are men still allowed to flirt these days? God, I hope so. I do! When I'm on board, I spend most of my time saying, 'Hello sailor'.”

She also revealed that at the age of 72 she is finally listening to her body.

“I do try and look after myself – watching what I eat, going for long walks – but I loathe ‘organised exercise’ gyms and personal trainers and all that palaver.

“I was a bit naughty in the past. Instead of getting my aches and pains checked, I’d carried on regardless, but as a doctor’s daughter, I ought to have known better.”

Imrie’s latest book Meet Me at Rainbow Corner (Bloomsbury) is published on July 4th.