Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Stage and screen actor who made his West End debut in Christopher Fry's 'The Firstborn'
On the island
Eight records
The keepsakes
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:23Any theatrical background in your family?
None at all, no. I believe one of my many aunts had a good voice, but she never used it professionally.
Presenter asks
0:36As a schoolboy, what did you want to be?
I've always wanted to be an actor. Ever since I became aware of the world, I wanted simply to be an actor. I couldn't tell you why, it was just there.
Presenter asks
0:50What happened when you left school? Did you start in the theater straight away?
In a sense I did, yes, in that I joined uh two amateur dramatic societies. Two, yes, in the town where I lived... which was Western Supermare.
Presenter asks
1:48And when you were demobbed, how and where did you start?
Well, when I was demobbed the great question was how and where to start, because as you know, it's it's not easy getting into the theatre, and never has been. And I wrote around and I met people, and finally I I met someone who gave me an introduction to um Peter Coates, who gave me a job as an assistant stage manager at the Library Theatre in Manchester.
The luxury
Presenter asks
3:26What was your big break?
Well, it it was a play of Christopher Frye's called The Firstborn. Yes. Um part of Ramesses, the juvenile lead in in in this play and Alec Clunes is putting it on at the Winter Garden Theatre.
Presenter asks
8:33Is acting all important? What about writing or directing?
Yes, I'd love to I'd love to stretch myself. I'd like to go in other directions. I would like very much to direct. I don't know whether I have the courage. Uh I should also like to produce. This is not so much a question of courage as finding enough money and a good enough property to do that.
“I've always wanted to be an actor. Ever since I became aware of the world, I wanted simply to be an actor. I couldn't tell you why, it was just there.”
“I was saved by the skin of my teeth apparently from the sack. 'Cause I was the worst stage manager on on earth. But uh I was given this part and saved myself and finally wound up the season playing a lead.”
“The leather jacket boys arrived, the boys on the on the motorbikes, you know, and we had a different genre of film. We had a an the English new wave, in fact, so that all the sort of old English smoothies like me were were out, you know, at that time.”
“I played Professor Higgins for two and a half years, up and down the country. Two and a half years, that that was a a really long slog. It took me five weeks on the beach in Italy to overcome it afterwards.”