Arthur Bostrom and his caravan on tour
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TV star turns to caravanning while on theatre tour
When ’Allo ’Allo’s Arthur Bostrom took on the roles of Adams, Berard and Barclay in The Original Theatre Company’s production of Birdsong, he decided that the best way to travel between performances was to take his home on wheels in a caravan.
We caught up with Arthur to see exactly how he took advantage of caravanning's benefits when he wasn’t busy on stage.
“This is my first experience of caravanning,” explains Arthur. “In the ’60s and ’70s, caravans were much more basic then, with the old orange curtains and that sort of thing.
“I got invited to go to the NEC for the Motorhome and Caravan Show. When I saw all the vans at the show I just thought ‘My god, these are amazing inside!’ I thought that they’d be fantastic to take around with me and I could really live in one. So that’s what happened!
“I just think it’s a fantastic way to get out in the countryside in the fresh air, and it’s easy! You don’t lose too many of your home comforts. It’s easy to pack and take things with you as long as you obey the rules and load your caravan properly. It’s not a difficult thing to do, which I thought it might be at first but it really isn’t. You tow the thing and then you’re there – it’s lovely!
“It’s taking your second home with you and it’s been a bit of a revelation to me. You never have to be in the same place. You can keep moving or you can go back to favourite places. I think caravanning has a great deal going for it.
“I do all the towing when I go caravanning too. That, to me, is the hard work bit. I’ve made a few mistakes along the way but people are very good and they help out; wardens on site do too, so it isn’t too bad. Equally, I’ve helped out a couple of people who were new to it also.”
The play
“Birdsong’s adapted from the book by Sebastian Faulks,” Arthur tells Caravan. “I think it’s a really good production and it’s had pretty amazing reviews throughout the country; people often cheered at the end of each performance. It’s high quality stuff!
“The book endeared to a lot of people so, I think where the play wins is that the adaptation has become a really good stand- alone production in its own right, and that’s how I really came upon it. I was sent the script and I thought: ‘this is really good!’
“Sometimes adaptations of books fail because they just don’t keep the flavour of the book or they take on too much or try to tell too much. Birdsong seems to have got the balance right.
“Sebastian Faulks has been to see it twice and given it the big thumbs up, so that’s a good endorsement. We were quite nervous about that, but then really relieved when he said how much he liked it.”
How touring while on tour came about
“I’d worked with the theatre company on a high quality production before, so that’s important to me,” says Arthur. “Then I was sent the script [for Birdsong] and it was a question of ‘would you like to do this?’ I thought it was really good so that’s what got me in. Everything was ‘tick, tick, tick.’
“The rather innovative idea for how I travel in a caravan was on top of that. It was already in my mind about wanting to live like that during a tour, so it all came together really.
“I’m amazed at how many caravans there are on-site in, you know, sometime like mid-February. Some of the Club sites I’ve been on have been virtually full around then! It’s brilliant that people are getting out and about and enjoying themselves.
“I’ve been in it for months, through all sorts of weather. I’ve had bouts of snow; I’ve had high winds; I’ve had minus temperatures and torrential rain; I’ve had the lot. It’s proved just how you can live in it throughout the year.
The future
“I think I will continue to caravan now that the tour’s finished,” Arthur tells us. “When I started off, I knew nothing. I did a Caravan Club manoeuvring course and it was a case of having to read up on things as I go, but now I think I’m much more informed and I know what I need and what I don’t need.
“I’ve been in a fixed-bed caravan – it’s brilliant on tour, but whether I’d need that for myself for just weekends or a few days away is another matter because there’s a lot of extra space if you don’t have one. I have to decide on all that at some point.
“I’d been thinking about looking at caravans for sale before the tour and I just hadn’t done anything about it. I thought: “Oh, that would be nice,” y’know? The Caravan Club said they’d help me with all of this and they have. Then Bailey provided me with this caravan for the tour and it’s brilliant – taking your home with you – it’s worked out better than I could have imagined.”
• Arthur has been staying in a Bailey Orion 430-4 while he toured with The Original Theatre Company. Take a look at our list of Bailey Caravans for sale.
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