Radio icon Elaine Paige speaks out on the role that changed her life and why she'd never step back onto the West End stage

Dame Elaine Page's influence on the West End was celebrated in true musical theatre fashion last Sunday night, as she scooped up a Special Award at the 50th anniversary of the Oliviers.

Decked out in a larger-than-life pink cape, the Radio 2 host was full of gratitude for the recognition of her 60-year career on stage, although she admitted it was also "rather alarming".

"It's all very exciting but I must say also rather alarming because you realise you're getting to the wrong end of the line!" she said in an exclusive chat with Radio Times, "But it's a great honour, and I'm thrilled."

Paige's career on the West End began in 1968 with the rock musical Hair, although her biggest career shift would arrive a decade later upon forming a partnership with the one and only Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In 1978 the actress became the first Eva Perón to sing Don't Cry For Me Argentina, winning her an Olivier Award for performance of the year. Soon after she would become the first Grizabella in Cats – known for the iconic song Memory – the first Florence Vassy in Chess, and appear in early performances of Anything Goes and Sunset Boulevard, scooping up four more Olivier noms in the process.

"When it comes to career defining moments I've been so lucky because there's been two or three." said Paige, "Evita, obviously, is one that changed my life completely. Cats because of memory – oh that wonderful song – and Sunset Boulevard as well, and Édith Piaf and Chess. I've been pretty lucky with the wonderful roles that I've been able to play."

Although even she'd be the first to admit that things sometimes went awry in that six-decade span. "There's been more than one, many, many times.

"I can remember being in the King and I once and playing Mrs Anna, and I had to pull down a map at the back of the stage for all the children to see see, and the map just fell to the floor. So I couldn't describe anything on it and I had to improvise."

In the early 2000s, Paige started to lean away from her on-stage career only to begin another huge venture, her BBC Radio 2 show Elaine Paige on Sunday. Over the past 22 years, this slot has been entirely devoted to musical theatre, and still regularly pulls in an average listenership of 2.3 to 2.5 million listeners each week.

Reflecting on this, she said: "You know when I first started the program, I had no idea that it was going to take off and be the success that it's become,.

"To be honest, I thought it would be a small, little eclectic show. But it goes to prove that as the years have gone by since I was performing in musical theatre, this country has embraced it as a legitimate art form."

She continued: "I'm not ashamed to admit that when I was in it everybody – particularly men – would say 'musicals oof'. It was considered, you know, the poor man's theatre.

"But now I think it is held up, and people respect it in the same way they do the classics. I hope they do, because it is a difficult art form to to perform in, to be able to do everything, and it's jolly exhausting, but a lot of fun.

"I've had the most wonderful adventure with it in this life."

With all that experience, did she have any advice to share for the younger generation?

"Oh, I could never do such a thing. I think every actor has to find their own way with a character. But I thought Rachel Zegler was marvellous in Evita, I did go and see her, obviously, and she sings up a storm. She's got the most beautiful voice and I thought she was magnificent in it. Made me rather jealous!"

As for Paige herself, she's emphatic that life on the stage is behind her, closing out the interview with a laugh.

"I don't have the energy to do it anymore, you've got to be fit. No, I think I'll leave it to the young ones now."

Make sure you check out some of our best exclusive interviews, like Rachel Zegler on the Evita balcony scene.