Mary Poppins: Julie Andrews reveals she nearly died filming iconic umbrella scene

'There was an awful silence for a minute and I did let fly with a few Anglo-Saxon four-letter words, I have to admit'

Mary Poppins has long remained one of the most delightful films ever to be made, so it's natural to assume its production was all fun and games and dancing penguins.

Perhaps not so, as star Dame Julie Andrews revealed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that she actually nearly met her maker performing one of the 1964's film's stunts, specifically the iconic scene in which Poppins flies across the London rooftops thanks to her trusty magical umbrella.

"There was a very dangerous day right at the end of filming when I was in this excruciatingly painful harness," she revealed. "And I was hanging around up there for the longest time with the umbrella. I thought I felt the wire leave and drop about six inches. I was nervous and very tired. So I called down and I said, 'Excuse me, when you do let me down, could you let me down really gently, because I felt myself slip and I just don't feel too safe up here.'"

However, when they finally did come around to letting her down, she "plummeted to the stage". She joked, "There was an awful silence for a minute and I did let fly with a few Anglo-Saxon four-letter words, I have to admit." Andrews also humorously added that they had saved filming of the stunts until the very end as, "if there'd been an accident, or something, then I was dispensable after that."

It doesn't appear as though Andrews will appear in the upcoming sequel Mary Poppins Returns, though her co-star Dick van Dyke will be returning for a cameo - not as Bert, unfortunately. Emily Blunt will takeover as the film's titular lead, alongside the likes of Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Wishaw, Emily Mortimer, Angela Lansbury, and Colin Firth.

The film flashes forward to the era of the Great Depression and the now grown-up Jane (Mortimer) and Michael (Wishaw) Banks, alongside Michael's three children. After a tragedy which leaves their lives completely bereft of joy, the Banks' former nanny makes a return visit, with the help of lamplighter Jack (Miranda).

Directed and produced by Rob Marshall, the film is based on a screenplay by David Magee, with new songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and an original score by Shaiman.

Mary Poppins Returns hits cinema screens Christmas Day 2018.