Liverpool Made the Radio Star

Claire Sweeney is back on the airwaves with a brand new series for BBC Radio Merseyside. The star of stage and screen chats to some of the most famous names in music, TV, film, theatre, entertainment and sport, all of who are from Liverpool or have a Merseyside connection.

The likes of Hollywood actor Jason Isaacs, Liverpool FC legend John Barnes and Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Holly Johnson share priceless stories with the former Brookside actress and pick their favourite songs.

Do you still live in Liverpool?

I live between London and Liverpool. I’ve got my flat in Liverpool and I split my time between the two.

I recently spent two weeks in Liverpool for my 50th birthday. We went to my favourite Liverpool restaurant, Gusto at the Albert Dock. Every Christmas Eve we all go there as a family. It holds such a special place in my heart. I come home a lot but I like having the best of both worlds.

Although whenever I come back to Liverpool I always get the desire to move home permanently – especially as I’m getting older. But my boy is in school down here and my life, work-wise, is down here too.

How did ‘Claire Sweeney Meets’ come about?

My agent has been wanting me to get back into radio for a while and she came up with the idea [for Sweeney Meets] with BBC Radio Merseyside. I went through my phonebook, and because of the lockdown a lot of people were free.

My friend Pete Price helped me get Paul O’Grady and Ricky Tomlinson’s number. My agent is friends with [Liverpool-born, Hollywood star] Jason Isaacs so she managed to get him. It’s been a little collaboration really and I’ve really enjoyed it.

How did you find the interview process?

To be honest, because a lot of the interviewees are my friends, it was exactly like gabbing to your mate on the phone. For example, the first interview was with one of my closest friends, Tony Maudsley (Benidorm, Coronation Street).

I’m glad he was my first guest because I was so nervous and then it was just me and him on the phone having a gab. We chatted away, he told me his favourite songs and funny stories. We kind of forgot what we were doing!

Even though you knew many of the people you interviewed, did you learn anything interesting which you didn’t know beforehand?

Oh yeah! I mean, me and Tony [Maudsley] toured together for a year on ‘Hairspray’ and I thought I knew all of his funny stories. But then he told me this one about how when he was kid he would crash weddings!

He loved weddings so much that he used to listen to the radio on a Saturday morning to find out if any were taking place in his local church. He’d get there early and sit at the front with the family! After the congregation left the vicar would let him have a go on the organ and all he could play was Lily the Pink by The Scaffold.

You’ve said that during lockdown, music really helped you get through the monotony of it all. Is there any song in particular that you like at the moment?

I love the new Bruno Mars song (‘Leave the Door Open’ w/ Anderson .Paak as Silk Sonic). It’s the best song I’ve heard in ages, proper old school soul – it’s wonderful.

What was great about [Sweeney Meets] was that I realised what good therapy music and conversation is. When I was doing my research for the show, I listened to the guest’s music choices. John Barnes picked Bob Marley and I hadn’t listened to the Exodus album for ages.

Louis Emerick (Brookside) chose ‘What’s Going On’ by Marvin Gaye, which is another of my favourite albums. It was like a pandora’s box of all these songs which I’d not heard for ages.

John Barnes actually talked about playing football in his back garden with Marvin Gaye and told me that when his father (Ken Barnes) was manager of the Jamaica national football team, Bob Marley used to come and watch training.

How have you coped during lockdown?

I’ve been very, very lucky due to the fact that I have some savings and they have literally ‘saved’ me. I haven’t earned a penny really. It’s been hard but I’ve loved the quality time I’ve had with my son. That’s been a joy.

Whilst you’re perhaps best known for your TV work, you’ve of course starred in many musicals over the years. Is it true that you gave up the presenting job on ‘60 Minute Makeover’ to star alongside Patrick Swayze in ‘Guys And Dolls’?

Yes, absolutely! I just loved Patrick. With ‘60 Minute Makeover’, I’d kind of ran out of things to say about wet paint! I couldn’t get excited about a ‘feature wall’ anymore either!

Given live theatre is now returning, if you could play a role from any show, past or present, which one would you choose?

Mrs Johnstone from ‘Blood Brothers’. Willy Russell is wonderful. The last show I did before lockdown was ‘Shirley Valentine’. I also did ‘Educating Rita’. He’s just wonderful and an amazing writer.

Can we expect to see you back on the stage again soon?

I don’t know! Our job is so precarious. I’ve got nothing in my diary as such, but in this world one phone call can change what you’re going to do overnight, so who knows!

All episodes of ‘Claire Sweeney Meets’ will be available on the BBC Radio Merseyside website

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