He is best known for his role as beloved dad Mick in the nation’s favourite sitcom Gavin & Stacey.
And last week Larry Lamb took to the stage at the National Television Awards as he accepted the award for Best Comedy alongside his fellow co-stars Ruth Jones and Alison Steadman.
Yet despite the iconic BBC series coming to an end last Christmas the 77-year-old has insisted he has no plans to slow down, because it would be ‘terrible’ if he retired.
The star admitted he doesn’t want to ‘vegetate’ and wants to keep working and ‘sending everybody potty’.
Speaking to The Daily Mail with his son George, 45, as part of the launch of Ecover’s first plastic-free dishwasher tablets, he explained: ‘I don’t want to just sit there and vegetate.
‘You know, I’m a working class bloke who feels that if he’s not busy doing something then I don’t really have any value and that’s unfortunately why a lot of working class guys, ladies as well, they just give up.’
Larry Lamb, 77, has insisted he doesn’t want to ‘vegetate’ as he revealed why it would be ‘terrible’ for him to retire as he reflects on old age (pictured at the NTAs last week)
Despite Gavin & Stacey coming to an end last Christmas the 77-year-old has insisted he has no plans to slow down as it would be ‘terrible’ if he retired (pictured with Melanie Walters and Ruth Jones)
George added: ‘I think it’d be terrible if you retired,’ as Larry agreed: ‘I’d drive everybody as well as myself completely round the bend because I’d always be looking for something to do.’
Unlike most stars in the industry, Larry started acting in his late 20s and had to work extra hard to get noticed and catch his break.
He explained: ‘I remember sitting in a room full of actors years and years ago when I was a young man and they had an old actor there.
‘He’s probably my age now, and somebody said, “So what do you do when you retire?”
‘And the guy said, “Well, if you don’t retire when you’re an actor, you just suddenly realise that the phone doesn’t ring anymore. That’s it. You are retired.
‘You just wait until nobody wants you anymore and you get depressed.’
Determined to not be forced into retirement himself he added: ‘So no slowing down, just keep going and sending everybody potty.’
After the release of his first fiction novel All Wrapped Up, Larry is also writing poetry and is taking to the stage for his first poetry gig in Hereford on September 27.
Asked how he feels about the term nepo baby, George admitted that when he was younger his dad’s line of work never looked too appealing (pictured together in 2014)
Determined to not be forced into retirement himself he added: ‘So no slowing down, just keep going and sending everybody potty’ (pictured with Alison Steadman at the NTAs)
Larry pictured in a still from BBC TV show Triangle in 1981 with Penelope Homer
Larry pictured with his ex-wife – and George’s mother, Linda Martin back in 2011
He explained: ‘I’m just reflecting on the old age, reflecting on the past, looking towards the future and writing stories and poems about it.’
Meanwhile George has taken a step back from presenting and is currently focused on his regenerative farming business Wildfarmed.
Asked how he feels about the term nepo baby, George admitted that when he was younger his dad’s line of work never looked too appealing.
‘I mean when I was really little, Dad was working a lot and was really busy. He came to acting a bit later so he was kind of forging a career for himself.
‘And then in the mid 90s when I started thinking about what I was going to do with my career, Dad’s kind of acting career fell off a cliff.
‘So my mum, who has always been incredibly supportive with whatever I want to do, basically said “you can do whatever you like, mate, but there’s only one rule, and that is you’re not being an actor” and at that point it didn’t look very desirable to be honest.’
After working in the music business and managing a band, George then bagged himself a job in TV on E4 Music.
He then met Dermot O’Leary who introduced him to his agent and he went on to host Big Brother’s Little Brother.
He continued: ‘I took over from Dermott and then my career started going crazy and at the same time Dad got a call from Alison Steadman saying, “Listen, there’s this little show, it’s BBC Wales.
“There’s not much money but they want you to play my husband, they’re lovely people. I think you should do it,” and Dad’s like, “Oh no I don’t know about all that. Anyway thankfully, he came back and he did it.
The pair have now teamed up together for Ecover’s latest campaign which marks he launch of their industry-first plastic-free dishwasher tablets
They have partnered with The Tetris Company to break the cycle of wasteful dishwashing habits that are fuelling ‘dish-content’ across the nation
‘So actually I’ve been able to enjoy having this thing where his star was in ascendancy and mine was at the same time and so we were able to work together and do loads of cool stuff together.’
He added: ‘I mean, listen, I’m definitely my father’s son, I’m very grateful for everything he’s given me and all the rest of it.
‘But I feel like whatever I’ve got I’ve kind of earned.’
Agreeing Larry added: ‘He has, he’s done it himself. He always was like that. He’s the only boy in a vegetarian school to open up a barbecue out the back where they sold where they sold hamburgers.’
The pair have now teamed up together for Ecover’s latest campaign which marks he launch of their industry-first plastic-free dishwasher tablets.
They have partnered with The Tetris Company to break the cycle of wasteful dishwashing habits that are fuelling ‘dish-content’ across the nation.
Speaking about the campaign Larry said: ‘This retro-inspired game isn’t just nostalgic – who can forget the 90s arcade waves? It’s also about bringing families together, sparking a bit of friendly competition, and showing how small actions, like stacking the dishwasher properly, can save water and energy.
‘I’ll admit, when it comes to stacking, I’m more of an architect, while my son takes more of a raccoon approach – but that’s the fun of it. At the end of the day, it’s about using the machine the way it’s meant to be used.’
Visit Ecover.com to play Tetris: Fully Loaded and find out more about Ecover’s new All In One Dishwasher Tablet range.
