Articles/Interviews

OLIVER REED is equally at home whether sipping champagne at a lavish West End party or sprawled on the floor of his local pub locked in a fierce arm-wrestling clench with a muscle-bound builder.

Oliver prides himself on his physique, but after a drink too many he is apt to reveal more than he really ought to. Recently, after a long wine-soaked lunch in Toronto, the star-prankster decided to walk back to his hotel - dressed only in shoes, shirt and tie!

The city traffic ground to a halt, and Ollie was given a police escort to the hotel. But they didn't arrest him.

"I have an amazing rapport with the police all over the world," he quips. "Many have arrested me, but the fact that a person can walk the streets of Toronto with his trousers off, and not get arrested is amazing."

Oliver also has a great knack for livening up a party.

When Oliver chum Mark Lester celebrated his 18th birthday. Reed arrived at the party with a special coming - of - age present - a call girl. In the uproar that followed Mark was showered in champagne, Ollie had a chocolate cake pushed into his face, and the call girl fled in horror.

When he recently appeared on an Irish TV chat show with Susan George, Oliver angered very many viewers, and also delighted others, with his behaviour.

After swaying unsteadily on to the set, he took off his shirt, grabbed a surprised Miss George and pulled her on to the floor.

While viewers jammed the network switchboard with protests Susan (his co-star in Tomorrow Never Comes) explained that she wasn't in the least upset.

"Oliver was just doing what he normally does. The only difference being that this was being televised live. I've known him for a long time and I wasn't in the least bit shocked."

But our lively hero did once meet his match in the States when appearing on The Johnny Carson Show with Shelley Winters. Ollie, a confessed male chauvinist, and Ms.Winters, a staunch women's libber, were introduced, and took an instant dislike to each other.

After a biting verbal exchange Miss Winters stormed off, leaving Ollie to elaborate his theory that women were basically "very happy in the kitchen".

Suddenly angry Miss Winters reappeared, and as the ever polite Ollie stood to greet her she tipped a pint of whisky over his head - to the delight of 30 million viewers.