The Express, 19 February 2002, by James Rampton.
"TV Express Inside Television: Inteview: Men behaving badly."
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Nigel Havers is revelling in the chance to throw off his 
suave image, says James Rampton.

Terry, a fiftysomething divorce making a vain effort to hang 
on to the last vestiges of his youth, is trying on a leather 
biker's outfit in a motorcycle shop. As he desperately 
attempts to shoe-horn himself into a pair of far too tight 
trousers, wails: "Does this make my arse look big?" The two 
trendy young women sniggering behind his back confirm that 
it does. This man may as well have the words "mid-life 
crisis" studded across the back of his equally laughable 
leather jacket. This is a typical scene from *Manchild*, a 
sharp new sitcom that begins on BBC2 this evening. Nigel 
Havers, right, clearly has a ball sending up his smoothie 
image in the role of Terry.

He is one of four fiftysomething men: the others are James 
(Anthony Head), Patrick (Don Warrington), and Gary (Ray 
Burdis) making a risible attempt to reverse the ageing 
process by chatting up as many nubile twentysomethings as 
possible.

Havers says that, contrary to expectations, *Manchild* is 
not yet another macho bloke-com celebrating the joys of lad-
dom.

On the contrary, these tragic men are the butt of all the 
jokes. "It's not remotely anti-women," he insists. "Some 
previews have not realised that it is men who are the target 
of the humour. In this series we are taking the mick out of 
ourselves.

"It is laughing at these men who think they're the coolest 
guys in the world. *Manchild* shows that they are actually 
completely desperate. They reckon they can pull anything 
that moves, but of course they end up pulling nothing at 
all. Some men own up to their mid-life crises, and some 
chaps are in denial. These males are very much in denial."

The happily married 52-year-old Havers reckons that male 
viewers will identify with these characters.

"A lot of men will watch it and say, 'God, I've always 
wanted to say that. Go for it!' I certainly wouldn't trust 
myself being single at 50 - I'd probably end up an 
alcoholic. Wives keep you in order. Freed of restraint, what 
would hold you back?"

The characters' lack of restraint means the series is often 
very far from tasteful. "It is politically incorrect, and I 
relish that," Havers enthuses. "It's time we had something 
as bold as this. 

"People will watch it with their mouth open thiking, 'I 
don't believe they're just done that!" An actor who made his 
name playing card-carrying smoothies in such dramas as *The 
Charmer*, *Chariots of Fire*, *Dangerfield* and *Gentleman 
Thief*, Havers hopes that *Manchild* will demonstrate a new 
side to him.

"This will be a change of image for me," he claims. "Terry 
is a complete idiot. I'm bored with the smooth, suave image. 
I want to show a new, leather-clad side now. My wife laughs 
that I'm embarrassing and far too old to be wearing leather, 
but I have to keep reminding her that Terry is only 
fictional!"

*Manchild* starts tonight, 10pm BBC2.



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