A man of his own words who insists he never said: "And why not", Barry Norman has found a new career as a writer since his departure from television, as Steve Pratt discovers.

Film reviewer Barry Norman has always maintained that he never uttered the catchphrase "And why not?", with which he's become closely associated. It was invented by impressionist Rory Bremner, he says, and people came to assume that he'd actually said it.

How ironic that Norman can't escape repeating the phrase several times during our conversation. Then again, if you call your memoirs And Why Not? you have to expect it.

The words will doubtless escape his lips once more when he takes to the stage of Harrogate Theatre this month for one of those Evening With... shows that see celebrities from show business and politics talking about their life and career, and then answering questions from the audience.

Norman hasn't been bored since he gave up his long-standing job as TV film critic - as front man for BBC's Film programme and then on Sky - two years ago, but treading the boards is a new experience. The publication of his memoir was the reason for embarking on his stage career, which is managed by the same people who tour the Tony Benn and Alastair Campbell theatre shows.

"It was a kind of challenge, which is a terribly overused word, but I had never attempted to hold an audience for as long as I have to do on stage. Certainly not a live audience," he says. "I sit for 45 minutes and talk about my life and career and some of the people I met and what happened when I met them. Then I answer questions from the audience for 45 minutes. The cast list of those "appearing" with him includes Peter Sellers, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert De Niro, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Bob Hoskins.

"I do enjoy it actually. I'm a show-off at heart. I had not realised I was, although I suppose anyone who's been 30 years on television must be."

Facing the camera for the Film programme was totally different from facing a live audience. "They're not remotely the same. On telly, you're talking to a camera and microphone and have their undivided attention. When you're talking to people, there's always the risk they won't listen or will leave."

He found the 30 or so dates last year a few too many because of all the travelling involved. Now he tries to keep them down to one a fortnight. The last time he was in Harrogate was for a literary lunch ("one of those good old rubber chicken affairs") to promote And Why Not?.

Cinema was in the blood of the man who became the most famous film critic in the country - his father was director and producer Leslie Norman. Young Barry went into journalism, working on newspapers in South Africa and then back in Fleet Street. He's always thanked the Daily Mail for sacking him as showbiz editor in 1971 because it made him set out to prove himself and led, via freelance writing, to TV presenting. His main role was fronting the Film programme but he did other work, including presenting four series of The Hollywood Greats and the arts programme Omnibus. He also hosted the Olympic Games for Channel 4 in 1988. Not bad for someone who never intended to become either a film critic or have a career in TV.

When he defected to Sky in 1999, to present a programme not dis-similar to his BBC film programme, it was a news story that provoked as much comment and column inches as Michael Parkinson's recent move to ITV.

At 71, he's old enough to be classified as retired although his schedule indicates otherwise. "I don't quite know what I call myself," he says. "I gave up the day job film reviewing on TV three years ago but I still seem to be remarkably busy."

He presented a radio series and another is under discussion. He published his memoirs in And Why Not? and has seen a novel he wrote 20 years ago, Have A Nice Day, re-issued by a publisher specialising in books "that didn't quite have the attention they deserved at the time". He found the request to re-issue the novel "very flattering". Re-reading the book, he thought the fresh interest was justified. "I thought it was marvellous. It was very funny and very perceptive, if I may say so myself," he comments.

He risks being added to the list of grumpy old men - senior citizen celebrities who specialise in moaning about how things have changed for the worse - with his views on what he calls soundbite TV and the current state of the film industry.

I note that he doesn't seem to be one of the talking heads featured in those endless TV shows celebrating the 100 Greatest Film something-or-other. His absence is deliberate. "I did two or three a couple of years ago and I just got irritated with the fact that you start to say something that you think is quite interesting and, after ten seconds, they cut you off. Three or four other people say things, then they come back to what you were saying. I hate this soundbite TV," he says.

I suspect he feels the same about all those cinema surveys in which the public's votes result in the most unlikely lists of greatest ever films. "The majority of voters, particularly for things to do with the movies, are all very young because they are the ones that go to the pictures. They think cinema started with Star Wars and are probably going to vote for the last film they saw," he says.

He edited a book called The 100 Best Films Of The Century, as voted for in a Sky poll. He remembers being asked at the launch, when the poll was announced, what would come out on top. Star Wars, he replied, and sure enough that emerged as the winner.

One question certain to render him temporarily speechless is to ask him to name his favourite movie. This is a question anyone who reviews films is often asked and finds impossible to answer. As Norman explains: "I have no answer because I have seen about 12,000 films. It's impossible to pick one out of so many."

I suggest it depends on your mood, and he agrees. "You have struck on exactly the right thing," he says. "Depending on my mood, I might choose something like Citizen Kane or Bringing Up Baby. I have a whole crop of films in each genre."

Despite his obvious love of film, he didn't find it difficult to give up what he's previously called his day job after 30 years because the film industry was changing in a way he didn't like. The "absurd cult of celebrity" is to blame, he feels.

The biggest stars are A-list movie stars and they're the people all the media want to interview. "The demand for them to give interviews has seen the publicity people take over. Instead of saying, 'Get in touch with Steven Spielberg's people, I loved his latest film and want to interview him', what happens now is you get the junket. The producer, director and stars come over and people queue up like outside a dentist's waiting room. If you're lucky you get 15 minutes, which is just rubbish, not nearly enough time."

Because of that, he felt it was a good time to step aside. He's returned to his roots in journalism. Norman has always been a man of his words - no ghost writer for him on the Film programme. "I wrote every word I said on TV," he says.

* Barry Norman appears at Harrogate Theatre on Tuesday, September 28 at 7.30pm. Tickets (01423) 502116.

Published: 20/09/2004