
Legendary Australian artist and musician Rolf Harris recalled his memories of meeting The Beatles as he was honoured by Hope University on Tuesday.
The former Animal Hospital presenter received an honorary doctorate as hundreds of other students received their degrees at the university's Winter Graduation Ceremony.
A very proud Harris told the audience at the ceremony: “I wish my mother and father could have been here to see this.
"They were always so supportive of me. They would have been immensely proud.”
Speaking to Click Liverpool afterwards, the 79-year-old said he was honoured: "The warmth and the reception has been delightful here. I am knocked out to receive this doctorate.
"They said it was in honour of me making art and music so accessible to the general public and that's exactly what I hope I've done over the years."
As well as his more famous stints on 'Rolf Harris's Cartoon Time', 'Rolf's Cartoon Club' and a decade presenting Animal Hospital, Harris also fronted the BBC show 'Rolf on Art'.
He is immensely proud of the show having seen it garner the highest ever viewing figures for an arts programme.
"I was recreating paintings in the style of the old masters, step by step," he said.
"I was trying to give people a sense that they can have a go at it themselves.
"I just hope I made art like that a bit more accessible to the ordinary man on the street.
The singer has no direct connection to Liverpool but recalled hanging out with The Beatles in the sixties when he worked with the legendary producer Sir George Martin, known as "the Fifth Beatle".
He said: "I remember when I was working with George, a group of dangerous looking blokes from Liverpool turned up. They soon became all the rage and eventually the greatest recording mob in history.
"When George Martin started producing their records. All of a sudden they were so popular he didn't have time to produce mine!
"But I was there at EMI studios and met them all. I did all the work with them, all the radio interviews and so on.
Having done it all from best selling musician to TV presenter, Harris hasn't ruled out the possibility of his own reality show.
"I would really be up for doing soemthing like that," he said. "You've got to get somebody to take it on board as an idea and make it work as television programme.
"But I'd love to do some of those old painting shows where I paint those big old pictures and show people how to do it."
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