Picture Christopher Biggins, and you’ll likely imagine a riot of colour and exuberance, thanks to his many years working in pantomime. However, after 50 years in London, the 77-year-old actor is looking for a quieter life via a new rural abode in the home counties – hence his appearance on Celebrity Escape to the Country.
The Sun estimates that the star, affectionately known as Biggins in the showbiz world, is worth £1.1 million – handy, given the home counties are an expensive area due to the proximity to London, paired with the green space and larger properties.
In the latest episode of the BBC property show, Christopher and his civil partner, Neil Sinclair, who have been together since the 1980s, search outside of the capital for a new home to replace the “very pretty three-bed house near Victoria Park in east London,” which they have lived in for 36 years.
© Getty ImagesBiggins’ London homes
“[It] was designed by the architect Piers Gough,” the panto icon told The Telegraph. “It’s chock-full of artwork, so much so that we don’t know the word wallpaper.”
© Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty IChristopher says buying the house was his best ever financial decision, revealing: “I paid £50,000 for it 36 years ago. It’s worth considerably more now.” He and Neil also own a one-bed flat in Stratford East, which they let out, but the actor adds: “With all the associated costs, cladding problems and so on, we may sell.”
Where does Christopher Biggins make his money?
One might wonder where the veteran of the stage and screen makes his money, and Christopher is most willing to share, telling The Telegraph that he earned £1 million in the year following his I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Win in 2007.
© Shutterstock“The most life-changing experience was winning I’m a Celebrity through the public vote, which gives you amazing confidence,” he told The Telegraph. “I got paid £50,000 for doing it, much less than they get now, but it opened doors and it was a wonderfully lucrative period. I earned £1m in the year after the jungle.”
Following his winning turn in the jungle, Christopher tried his hand at Celebrity Big Brother in 2016, which reportedly secured him £180,000, making him one of the show’s highest-paid stars at the time.
© GettyHis early acting career was far less lucrative, though. In 1974 earned just £90 an episode, but the royalties rolled in for a few years. “When it was repeated on BBC One or BBC Two, I used to get over £1,000 an episode,” he explained, before adding: “However, in a bad moment, the BBC decided to sell all these sitcoms to the free-to-air stations, which means I get nothing for the repeats. If we were in America, I’d be a multi-millionaire because you get repeat fees forever over there.”
Pantomimes also make a healthy amount of money for the actor, who says he has done 51 of the festive shows.
© Instagram“The money is good, I can’t deny it,” he told The Telegraph, revealing he makes “slightly” more than £1,000 a week starring in the slapstick shows.
