Arthur Lowe's sleep trick revealed

Dad's Army star Arthur Lowe (pictured) played on a sleeping condition in a cheeky bid to avoid press photographers, his co-star Ian Lavender has revealed.

Lowe, who played ruddy-faced Captain Mainwaring in the BBC sitcom, pretended to nod off whenever snappers approached. The comedian would reportedly feign sleep and even snore in order to protect his privacy and avoid unwanted attention in public.

His clever ruse was also used to elude "over-zealous" fans, who would otherwise hound him for an autograph. But the ploy didn't always work. He was caught out "a few times" when he attempted to stifle a giggle or opened one eye to check his pursuers had gone.

Lowe, who died in 1982 aged 66, was long known to have suffered from a form of narcolepsy - a disorder which triggers sudden and unexpected sleep. The actor had to give up driving because of his condition, which could lead to episodes of deep sleep lasting up to 30 seconds.

But according to Lavender, who played 'stupid boy' Private Pike in the legendary sitcom, he would also "feign being asleep" when it suited him.

Speaking yesterday to mark AudioGO's release of the new Mr Men audiobook cartoon series, which was narrated by Lowe, Lavender says: "Arthur was really friendly when he let you in, but was very protective of his privacy and used narcolepsy to protect it.

"Arthur was know to have regularly suffered from narcolepsy. He had to give up his car and would even fall asleep standing up, like a horse, but because he was always being pestered by fans and photographers, if he didn't want to be bothered by them then he would feign falling asleep.

"He 'fell asleep' an awful lot but you'd see him with one eye open to see if they'd gone. He couldn't always feign being asleep though, as some fans used to push and prod him to wake him up."

Lowe became a household name in 1968 when, at the age of 52, he was cast as the lead role in the much-loved wartime sitcom. But fame was a double-edged sword. Away from the spotlight, he was described as a "pompous man" whose personality was not too dissimilar to the love-hate character he played on screen.

Lavender (pictured) said Lowe also had a "warm, human and cheeky side" and hoped his revelation would help people to understand the comic's complexities. "People thought that as a celebrity he belonged to them and that he was public property, and that's where his reputation for being pompous comes from" he explained. "He was often construed as a pompous man, but Arthur knew this and often played up to it. It was his way of constructing up a protective wall."

In the 1970s, Lowe became the voice of the BBC cartoon series Mr Men, in which he was the narrator and its characters. The series' simple stories, with brightly coloured, boldly drawn illustrations, have made them very popular around the world, with sales of over 100 million books across 28 countries to date.

Lavender, who is set to make his Edinburgh Festival debut this summer in a new adaptation of The Shawshank Redemption, said Lowe relished working on Mr Men series, adding: "Arthur really enjoyed the fame as it got him being asked to do things that you don't expect to do when become an actor. You'd expect to read children's books to your own children and grandchildren but narrating a series such as Mr Men wouldn't have been on the horizon when Arthur started out. They were sort of the perks of the job and he really loved them."

'Mr Men (Vintage Beeb)' is available now from AudioGO, priced £5.99.