He was born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, which is not only the home
of
Newcastle Brown Ale
, but also has a bridge modelled on the famous
Sydney Harbour bridge.
His first acting experience came in primary school when he
played the part of a father of one of the children in The Pied
Piper Of Hamlyn. His memorable line "those rats were making a
nest in my best Sunday hat" apparently terrorised the audience.
His favourite food is chips, and to drink he recommends Becks
and tea, although not at the same time.
His surname often gets him into trouble, especially when
newspapers print headlines such as "Stalker After Princess Anne".
Catchphrases include "not really, no" and "tremendous".
He was once knocked down in
Hexham by a car,
and he has a vivid
memory of a beautiful blonde woman in the bus behind screaming when
she saw it happen. For several days subsequent to the accident he
hallucinated giant curtains hanging over Hexham Valley.
He's a big fan of Jan
Svankmajer and his surreal movies.
His main interest in life is acting, one of his favourite roles
being in an adaptation of Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys".
His pet-hates are mosquitoes and baked beans. In fact, whenever
he eats in cafes and specifically asks for "no baked beans please" he
is always served up a plate of food which includes baked beans.
He is heavily into Science Fiction, and is a big fan of the cult
TV series
"Sapphire and Steel".
On the subject of "Sapphire and Steel" he once wrote to the creator
of the series,
P.
J. Hammond, and received a reply which included an
original script from the show.
He once entered a competition to design a promotional label for
Newcastle Brown Ale, and won a year's supply of the drink. There are
only four bottles in existence with his design on the label, each of
which are probably worth several hundred pounds to collectors. He has
one, and another can be seen in the brewery museum in Newcastle.
His life's ambition is to star in a film... well, he seems to
have achieved it...
