Brian Blessed says his wife praised him for being ‘primitive’ when they first met

Blessed married his wife, Hildegarde Neil, in 1978

Brian Blessed has opened up about the early days of his relationship with his wife of 44 years, fellow actor Hildegarde Neil.

Blessed, 86, best known for his portrayal of Prince Vultan in Flash Gordon, said Neil had called him “primitive” as a compliment, and told him that it was a marker of “total sophistication”.

Gordon said he had taken Neil’s comments on board to get into character for his role at The Caveman in a recent reimagining of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells.

The 50th Anniversary Celebration double album features the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Contemporary Voices Choir, vocalist Ella Shaw and Blessed, who also plays The Master of Ceremonies.

In 1974, both Blessed and Neil worked together on ITV Yorkshire series Boy Dominic, in which Neil played Emma Bullman, and Blessed played William Woodcock. The pair married in 1978.

Recalling their conversations on set, Blessed said: “We were doing Boy Dominic in Yorkshire. We were playing the leads together. I would talk about this and that.

“I would talk about sophisticated science and imagination. She was amazed because I don’t know many actors, all I know are scientists and explorers.”

When Blessed had told Neil about the formerly undefeated boxer Rocky Marciano, who held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956, Neil “reeled back” and said: “‘Do you know, I have never met a primitive before. You are primitive, aren’t you?’

Brian Blessed and Hildegarde Neil and their daughter Rosalind Blessed, 1978 (Getty Images)

“She said, ‘Don’t be upset Brian, I am praising you. True primitive is sophisticated. It is total sophistication and you have it’.

“Therefore my Caveman, which is bursting the bubble of the universe, people in the audience, we are all primitive sweethearts.

“Look at the tattoos, look at the jewellery, the make-up and God knows what, the dresses and what we are wearing. We revel in the atavistic and primitive.”

Blessed previously gushed over Neil when talking about the “best relationship” in his life in an interview with The Telegraph in April.

Sharing insight into their married life together, Blessed said: “We live in a cottage with a few acres, full of animals – ponies, horses, dogs and cats. It’s a bit like Noah’s Ark.”