John Linehan, aka May McFettridge, on surviving a bomb, Mrs Brown, and drag

For nearly forty years John Linehan has played the Queen of the one liners May McFettridge. It’s a role he assumed almost by accident after a chance invitation on to a radio phone-in show from presenter at the time, Eamonn Holmes. In this Christmas edition of The State of Us, John takes time out from the annual pantomime at the Grand Opera House in Belfast and joins Tara and Declan to reflect on his long and successful career. John describes how one woman told him he had saved her life and what that meant to him; surviving a bomb attack in a Belfast pub in the early seventies; doing a gig at a funeral and how he sees modern day drag queens. Content warning: mention of suicide. If you have been affected by any of these issues, there is support and information available at the BBC Action Line: https://bbc.in/4rB5Zw6 Get in touch: [email protected]