Unmissable show?
I’m a nut for these “crime reality” shows. Things like Forensic Files, Forensic Detectives. It’s fascinating how someone can get murdered in pitch black in some odd part of town and they find a glove three years later and it all links up. I’m horribly addicted to it.
Earliest TV memory?
Here Come The Double Deckers. It concerned a multicultural group of lads living on this double decker bus. It was about people who looked like me, in a world that looked like mine. I grew up in an environment in Birmingham that was really multicultural, with black kids, Irish kids, Indian kids. It was a time when everyone seemed to forget their grievances – except from skinheads – and just get on with it. It was a programme that mirrored my reality.
Guilty pleasure?
My wife and kids have introduced me to Ru Paul’s Drag Race. It’s not something I’d normally watch but I love it. I think these guys are extraordinary. I’m sure they’ve encountered all sort of difficulties, but they’re so “out there”. I can only appreciate the kind of work that goes into being a top drag queen. Ru Paul looks just astonishing as a woman. And he’s got this fantastic turn of phrase. I find him hilarious.
TV turn-off?
Frocks and bonnets. I’m not a fan of Call The Midwife, all that stuff. I hardly ever see myself reflected there. I feel chucked out of it. It’s a world I don’t recognise or find particularly interesting.
Mastermind specialist subject?
I’ve been on Mastermind – I tied for first place and then lost on the number of passes. My subject was the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. If I did it again I’d choose Shakespearian tragedies. My favourite is Othello. I’ve played it twice and it’s one of those shows where people start sobbing from the minute the curtain goes up. There are few plays where the audience literally want to run on stage and stop what’s happening.
The Night Manager begins Sunday, 9pm, BBC1
