production of Run For Your Wife has just played to sold-out audiences at the Bermuda Festival, talked about his profession to a group of school students last week.

But if the Bermuda High School for Girls audience was expecting one of the leading lights of British showbiz to deliver a strictly scholarly lecture on Drama, there was a pleasant surprise in store. For this was the multi-talented personality who, in 1990, also added the coveted Benedictine After Dinner Speaker of the Year Award to his impressive list of achievements.

Suavely clad in blue shirt, red tie and festive kerchief peeping from his breastpocket, Derek Nimmo appeared at the distinctly `before dinner' time of 9.30 a.m. -- an unearthly hour for actors to be seen in public. But he immediately won all hearts as he launched into a witty discussion on the profession that has repeatedly honoured him as one of its enduring stars.

"One of the things that separate man from beasts of the field, is man's ability to laugh at another man making a fool of himself,'' he proclaimed.

On a slightly more serious note, he offered his view that "laughter is greatly needed in the world we live in today'', adding that while it may not get rid of problems, "it removes them for a while, rather like taking an aspirin.'' And, he claimed, the theatre has been at the forefront on human rights issues, pointing out it was the very first profession where women were emancipated.

"This was when the monarchy was restored in 17th century England. Before then, men had to take women's roles.

"The acting profession transcends all levels of society. In the theatre, there are no barriers of race, class or wealth,'' he declared.

He was full of enthusiasm for "enchanting'' Bermuda, saying he and his company had appreciated the unusual opportunity of meeting so many people.

"In most places, we have to stay in hotels and don't get to meet many people.

But we have been wonderfully entertained with dinners and parties after the shows here and have had great fun. I've come to the conclusion, after so many tours abroad, that laughter is universal and most of us laugh at the same things.'' He cautioned, however, that his star-studded touring company, which he formed almost 20 years ago, has to apply a certain amount of tact in selecting plays to take on their visits to some 30 countries. He said: "I decided that when we went to Papua New Guinea, it was probably not a good idea to stage There's a Girl in My Soup, or One for the Pot. And let's face it, the Chinese think that lust (as in No Sex, Please -- We're British), is something that affects motor cars!'' As an actor who is best known for his comedic talents, he emphasised that the comic aspect was present in ancient Greek drama, "and has been around more or less, ever since.'' Revealing that he has made it his business to find out about Bermuda's theatre traditions, Mr. Nimmo said he was interested to learn that originally, the Gombeys wove biblical stories into their songs and dances.

Touching on England's `golden age' of dramatists ("Shakespeare knew all about Bermuda because he wrote about it in The Tempest'') Mr. Nimmo also referred to a brief period of 17th century puritanism when "one of your early Governors produced an edict, forbidding theatres and entertainment here, as they were thought to be lewd. It's a pity he couldn't see the play we have put on this week! I wonder what he'd have to say about that?'' The audience were amused to hear that comedy suffered a certain setback in the 18th century, as only "common folk'' laughed in public; anything more than a smile was considered unseemly for a gentleman.

Moving on to the present day, Mr. Nimmo said that with the advent of silent movies (Charlie Chaplin and Co.), radio and TV, comedy went off in many different directions.

While obviously not too happy about the proliferation of `sitcoms', he talked about his admiration for Michael J. Fox of Family Ties. "He is such a talented actor. He came to watch some scenes I was shooting near the Tower of London. It was the day Back to the Future came out in England and the whole of London seemed to go mad.'' Asked which medium he preferred, Mr. Nimmo came out firmly in favour of live theatre where, he said, "no two nights are ever the same. And whatever the director tells you, once you are out there on the stage, you can do as you like!'' He kept the audience of Senior III, IV and V students enthralled with anecdotes about magical nights in the theatre. "I'll never forget the day Anna Neagle was made a Dame. I was playing opposite her, so I made frantic, secret arrangements with the cast and to bring a band in. When she came on at the end, the band struck up, we all started singing `There is Nothing Like a Dame' and everyone was cheering. Then she cried, I cried, the cast cried, the audience cried and even the band cried. It was a wonderful, unforgettable evening!'' Derek Nimmo, one of the most famous personalities in Britain, has achieved even wider fame as a permanent member of the BBC World Service panel game, Just a Minute, which has been broadcast to every country in the world for the past 26 years.

He has starred in a long list of such West End hits as Waltz of the Torreadors, Duel of Angels (with Viven Leigh), Charlie Girl and most recently, The Cabinet Minister. Besides memorable roles in films (Casino Royale, The Liquidator), he has a huge following on TV, with a string of comedy series that include All Gas and Gaiters, The Bed Sit Girl, The World of Wooster, Blanding's Castle and the popular chat shows, If It's Saturday It Must Be Nimmo and Just a Nimmo.

For his services to the theatre, Derek Nimmo was made a Freeman of the City of London, named the Variety Club Show Business Personality of the Year and received the Royal Television Society's Silver Medal. And it that's not enough, he is also a best-selling author -- in spite of protestations that he finds it boring. "I leave it till about a week before the deadline and then lock myself away and write like mad. I'm afraid I'm always tempted by the advance, which is usually spent long before I've started the book!'' Derek Nimmo's career started by accident, he said.

"Forty years ago, I was working in an insurance company and my secretary went to see me in an amateur play. Quite unknown to me she wrote off to several repertory companies in the North of England. When a letter came back from Bolton, she pushed me on to the train and to my horror and alarm, they offered me a job at 4 a week. My father was most upset that I was going to be a wastrel so early in life.'' Those days, when repertory companies still provided the best training for aspiring actors, were full of fun -- and hardship. "I struck up a friendship with an undertaker. Very useful, as he used to pass clothes on to me to wear on stage.'' Here, there was a slight pause as he added, "Sometimes they were still warm when I stepped into them!'' At the end of his talk, Mr. Nimmo asked if anyone in the audience wanted to be an actress, warning that if so, she would have to go to London, New York or Los Angeles. He said: "Unless, of course, you could persuade your government to build a larger place for you to act in.'' Thanking Bermuda for being such fine audiences and for their hospitality, Mr.

Nimmo expressed the hope that the sudden cold chill would go away.

"But in any case, we have had the most marvellous time here. We love your fish chowder and I'm looking forward to having a last `dark 'n stormy'.'' JUST A NIMMO -- British actor Derek Nimmo delighted students at the Bermuda High School for Girls with a talk about his life in the theatre.