CAINE SHUNNED DRUGS

The Get Carter star tried smoking pot in his youth but was concerned its effects on the memory would cause him to forget his acting lines.

And when he finally took the plunge, he laughed for hours - but later vowed to steer clear of narcotics and stick to alcohol to help him unwind.

He says, "Marijuana seemed like the most innocent of drugs, but I wanted to read about it first - I'm one of those guys - so I did and it said something terrifying to me: it affects your memory. I thought, 'I can't do it because I'll forget my lines.'

"Then one day I did smoke a marijuana cigarette and I started to laugh, and I laughed for five hours. I nearly got a hernia, so I thought 'Sod that' and I never got started on drugs at all. I drank a lot of alcohol - that was my drug. I was never an alcoholic, but I could get drunk every now and again. You can get bombed on English beer very easily."