Sir Tony Robinson has told of the “enormous sense of relief” he feels at having had his first Covid-19 jab.
The Blackadder star, 74, is among the millions to have had their jab as part of the Government’s vaccine rollout.
Sir Tony, who had the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab last Friday, told the PA news agency: “I just feel a bit evangelical about it.
“I just think it was so great, and it was organised so well and I feel an enormous sense of relief.
My first jab- at Lords Cricket Ground. Everyone there was positive, efficient and supportive.A moment I’ll never forget. Thank you NHS. I hope you all get yours really soon. pic.twitter.com/SsQXoSRaNF
— Tony Robinson (@Tony_Robinson) January 22, 2021
“I know I have to be responsible and constantly remember that it’s going to be two or three weeks before my body creates the reaction to Covid.
“So I’ve got to be sensible about it but nevertheless having been so anxious as everybody has been about Covid for so long, to have that first jab was a lovely experience.
“The spring in my step on the way home was extraordinary, so I want to tell people about it.”
The actor and author was given his first dose of the jab at Lord’s Cricket Ground last week.
He said: “I was queuing outside for about 45 seconds probably. Then I was guided very expertly through a series of stairs and passages to a massive room in Lord’s where there were photos of all the great cricketers, so actually we got like (Ian) Botham and (David) Gower and people looking down at us while our names and addresses were being processed.”
Sir Tony, who received a knighthood in 2013, added: “I really couldn’t have had a better experience.
“And I suspect that an awful lot of people will remember quite vividly when they got their first jab, just like one remembers the great events that happened in the country.
“And normally the ones you remember are the big tragic events aren’t they? But this was such a positive one”.
According to Government figures, the UK death toll from coronavirus has now passed 100,000.
Sir Tony used to sit on the Labour Party’s ruling NEC and was a member for more than 40 years before leaving in 2019.
Asked about the Government’s handling of the pandemic, he said: “I think for a whole series of reasons we ended up with the most inept Prime Minister of the century and he was elected democratically so we have to accept that and we’re likely to be lumbered with him for the next four years, but I just don’t think he has the character to be a Prime Minister.
“He’s a people pleaser, he doesn’t like making hard decisions, he’s swayed by a tiny cabal in the Tory party. And I’m not saying that simply because I’m not a Tory.
“I think there are other people who would have made a much better fist of what he’s doing.
“Ironically I think Theresa May would, whenever she said anything, however much I might have disagreed with it, I was always absolutely confident that she was doing it out of conviction that she was doing the best she could for the country, but I never believe that whenever Boris speaks.”
Around 6.8 million people in the UK have had their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine.