Brian Conley and Lucy Conley Interview with Jasmine Storm

Jasmine Storm interviews Brian Conley (Billy Barnum) and Lucy Conley (Goldilocks) who are both staring in this years Panto, Goldilocks And The Three Bears at Milton Keynes Theatre.

JS: Hello. Lovely to meet you both.

BC: Oh, look you got a Back To The Future programme!

JS: I saw you last week.

BC: Oh really?! Did you enjoy it?

JS: Absolutely loved it.

BC: (in American accent) Great Scott Marty!

JS: You were fantastic!

BC: Oh really?  Thank you.  I am so pleased you enjoyed it.

JS: We had better get on with the questions.  Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

BC and LC: It’s a pleasure.  Thank you.

JS: What do you love about panto?  Do you love the audience participation and what is your favourite panto?

BC: I enjoyed my time in Cinderella.  That doesn’t sound right.  I enjoyed my time in the pantomime, Cinderella as Buttons.  But Buttons used to flirt with Cinderella and it got to the point where I am too old to do this. I’ve got to play an older character.  So, to be in this (Goldilocks and the Three Bears) and what I love about this is I get to work with my daughter.  My character is called Billy Barnum and my daughter is Goldilocks.  So that’s not a hard task.

LC: I was going to say my favourite bit is getting to work with dad.  Its just so nice, especially over Christmas, to spend it with family.  When I did panto without him, I really missed getting to see family over this time.  And we have fun.

BC: We do have fun.

LC: But my favourite panto is Cinderella.  No actually no… its Goldilocks!

JS: Would you like to play Cinderella?  Have you played her?

LC: No, I haven’t and I would love to.

BC: She did play a fairy last time she was here.  She was training to be a fairy.

LC: I like the comedy characters.

BC: And if she made Cinderella’s dreams come true, she would have got her wings.  And the kids loved it.  They really related to her.  It had a lovely arc.

LC: Yes, it was fun.

BC: To be a part of that and see how well she done; I was amazed.  She pulled it off got wonderful reviews.  I am just so pleased that she is on board.  Lucy understands comedy, she’s a good singer and she has written two of the songs that are in the show..

JS: Wow

LC: Yeah, me and my friend Adam O’Conner, we wrote them together.  So, its really cool to be a part of this show that we’re doing.  Dad wrote the scripts, so its nice to have a proper little family project we have going.  Which is nice.

BC: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

JS: Do you remember your first panto?  To go and see one.

LC: Oh my gosh – I was born in panto season, and at the time dad was doing panto in February (that’s how long they went on for) I was due 14 February but dad was working that day so I was induced by two days.  So, I am like a panto baby through and through.  I don’t know what one you were doing (to Brian), probably Cinderella.

BC: I know what it was.  It was Dick Wittington.

LC: Do you think I went to see it?  As a new-born?

BC: Not that time, no.  You might have been there in a carry cot or something.  Lucy’s grown up in pantomime.  She’s been in the wings; she’s been in it as a child when they have children in it and Lucy makes a brilliant cup of tea.

Lucy laughs

BC: They all come in my dressing room for her tea!

LC: I love it.  I love panto.

JS: Oh no you don’t!

Lucy Laughs

BC: Its behind you and I say ‘yeah that’s my career’.

All laugh

LC: (to Brian) what was your first panto?

BC: First one I ever saw?  I can’t remember. I did see Arthur Askey and Dickie Henderson I saw them in the summer season.  I can’t remember as it was that long ago.  I do remember desperately wanting to get up at the end when they got the kids up, but I wasn’t chosen and was so upset I couldn’t get up and get a present.  They just said kids if you want to come up, they didn’t do it as we do it now where they are picked out, they just ran up and it’s the first to the stage.  I just didn’t get up there quick enough.

JS: My next question is to you Brian.  How does it feel to play such an iconic role as Doc in Back To The Future?

BC: Playing Doc has been a dream come true.  It really has. I saw the show a few years ago, I am also a big fan of the film, and just when I got the job, I revisited all three of the films and fell in love with them again.  I realised again after 40 years, which it is this year, that they still hold up.  Then we had Bob Gale who wrote the trilogy, he was in for a couple of nights and he was blown away by my performance so I was absolutely delighted.  You’re a mad professor…

JS: You played it really well

BC: Oh, thank you.

JS: It must be fun to play.

BC: Yes, it is. It is.  And to get to work with Kaden who plays Marty, and he’s from America.  He did the American tour of it, so he really knows his stuff and its just lovely cause we’re the glue.  All my stuff is with Marty.  If we didn’t get on it would be a nightmare.  It’s a loaded part.  Everyone is waiting for you.  You got the best entrance in the car where he skids off.

JS: The car made me cry.  I had goosebumps!

LC: It’s amazing, isn’t it?!

BC: And when it flies.  People aren’t expecting that.

JS: But if you could go back in time, would you change anything?

BC: I would change the contract for this show because I don’t think..

Lucy and Jasmine laugh

BC: Would I go back in time?  With my career?  No. Not really. I think the things I did that I wasn’t so fussed with I learnt a lot from, where I had to take a step back to regroup.  No, I’ve been very lucky that I’ve managed to carve out a career. I’ve done six west end musicals.  What I thought was funny is when people say ‘I didn’t know you could sing’.  I would say I was born to sing and everything else I learnt.   Singing is something I don’t even think about, its just happens.  The comedy and everything else is an added bonus.

LC: What’s that got to do with going back in time?

All laugh

BC: It has been a long day. I went to bed at 2am.  I’ve only had about five hours sleep. I had to do a show last night.  And one on Sunday and two on Saturday.

LC: (imitating dad) I was born to sing and everything else…

All laughing

BC: If I could travel back in time, I would travel back to re-do that question.

All laughing

JS: Is there a role you still aspire to do that you haven’t done?

BC: I would love to do Miss Trunchbull from Matilda.

LC: Yeah, that would be great.

BC: I think that would be funny.  Anything comedic. I think there are some great actors out there but if you’ve got comedy (as you know, you’ve seen it) and there is a lot of comedy in it – I enjoy that.  I enjoy making them laugh.  I do like anything with a bit of comedy.  It would have to be something special.  At my age.

JS: I haven’t googled your age.

BC: Oh right.  Well, if its comedic and of a certain age, they ring me.  ‘Would you do a tour?’.  No.  ‘Would you do this stretch of time?’  No, it’s too long.  But to have this little window, and who knows I might go back and visit it (Back To The Future).  But it’s been a joy.  Did I answer that question?

LC: Yeah, that was good.

JS: We are coming up to the Strictly time of year.  Did you enjoy your time on Strictly and did you enjoy dancing with Amy?

BC: I loved Amy.  

JS: And do you still like to dance.

BC: No, Its hard work.

All laugh

LC: You dance a bit in the show.

BC: I do dance a little bit which my kids thought was extremely funny when they saw me.

LC: I couldn’t stop laughing.  The start of act two when he is giving it all the diversity moves.

JS: Yeah, that opening number. (In Back To The Future).

LC: I was the only person laughing because its not supposed to be funny, but I was like, oh I loved it.

JS: I thought it was good.

BC: It was a real shock because Lucy knew I was learning the show, but I never told her I was dancing.  So, when I do that bit, and its quite a young vibe dance,

LC: Yeah

JS: Very.  You are supposed to be in the future.

BC: Yes. (slipping into his doc accent)  The 21^st century.  I like my songs as well.  I like ‘This One’s For The Dreamers’, ‘It Works’ at the beginning … yeah, I keep drifting off topic now.

Brian turns to Lucy

BC: What musical would you like to be in?

LC: I’d love to be in Hairspray.  I love Hairspray and want to be Penny Pingleton.

JS: I love Hairspray!

LC: That is my dream role of all time.

BC: I could go back and do Edna because I have done Edna.

LC: We could do it together.

JS: Oh, that would be great.

LC: Oh my gosh.  That would be amazing.

JS: I think we need to make some calls.

LC: Lets sort it out.  I would love that.

JS: Hairspray is in my top five favourite musicals.

BC: Brian As Edna Fads keep a-fading, Castro's invading, But Wilbur, you're timeless to me.  Tracy Turnblad, you get back up here, I got handfuls of laundry and my diet pill is wearing off.

JS: I love that.

BC: Yeah, she is great.

LC: Its such a great show and the songs are so good.  I love it.  Yeah, that is my dream musical.

BC: What I loved about it is when you dance you don’t have to dance too well.  You are doing what everyone else is doing, but you’re playing this very large mum, so you’re just a bit behind everyone, and in those bloody heels as well.

JS: You can get away with that for that show.  For Edna you can get away with it.

BC: Yes, Oh I love it.

JS: Lucy, I read that you sing Jazz and you do stand up comedy.  That’s a wide repertoire.  Do you have a preference?

LC: Between Jazz and comedy?  It’s so difficult.  I love them both.  But when I do my show its definitely comedy driven.  I wonder why!!

Lucy points to Brian and Brian laughs.

JS: Do you both have the same sense of humour?

LC: Good question. yeah, I think so. I feel like we both have similar humour.

BC: Yeah.  We both laugh at the same thing.

LC: We both laugh at the same thing

BC: There are some things lucy will show me on You Tube or something, and we both find it funny.

LC: Yeah, that’s Tim Robinson.

BC: Oh Tim Robinson.

LC: We love Tim.  I didn’t know if dad would get it, but we both find him really funny,

BC: Yeah, he is very off the wall.

LC: Every time I do a show, I have to do it for dad in the lounge before I do it.  I feel I cannot go out there and do it until he has watched the whole thing.  Even if you don’t have any advice or anything, well you always have advice but I just have to do it for him.  It’s just great.  I’ve got a great mentor living under the same roof as me which is really great.

BC: She doesn’t listen to me.

LC: I do a little bit.

Brian laughs

LC: But it’s nice.  I do value your opinion.  You know how to make a show good.

BC: Bless you.

JS: Isn’t that lovely.

BC: Well, I’ve been doing it long enough.

LC: That’s true.

JS: Thank you very much for speaking with me.

LC: Oh no, thank you.

BC: And its lovely to speak to someone who has been to the show.

Goldilocks And The Three Bears is at Milton Keynes Theatre from 6 December 2025 to 11 January 2026

https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/goldilocks-and-the-three-bears-pantomime/milton-keynes-theatre/