You'll recognise Essex actor Ryan Philpott, 50, from EastEnders, Rosemary and Thyme and Harry Hill as well as other work but this month you’ll get to the very busy actor, writer and producer on stage playing a plethora of characters in a new production of the Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol which he is bringing to the Palace Theatre in Westcliff- a theatre very close to his heart…
Can you tell us a bit about your background as an actor? Where did you grow up and go to school?
I was very lucky to be brought up close to the Palace Theatre in Westcliff where I still live 50 years later with my wife and daughter. I attended Westcliff High School for Boys and the Palace Theatre was central to my upbringing. The Palace always had a strong rep theatre in the 80s and my parents would take us all the time. For a young aspiring actor, watching proper jobbing actors during rep season totally inspired me and sparked my passion for theatre. I loved being able to chat with them in the foyer afterwards and get them to sign my programmes, all of which I still have.
I did my first professional show at the Palace Theatre when I was just ten and then joined the Southend Shakespeare Company in my teens. At 16 I was accepted into the National Youth Theatre and finally got a place at LAMDA where I trained as an actor for three years.
Was it hard as a jobbing actor, straight out of theatre school?
When I first left drama school, I was lucky enough to a decent run of TV work. My first ever job was a Second World War drama called ‘No Bananas’. I remember going into BBC TV centre to do the readthrough with the cast, writers and crew. Allison Steadman, Stephanie Beacham and so many other actors I had grown up watching. It was a real ‘pinch-me’ moment and I naively thought it was always going to be like this! I soon realised regular work as a TV actor was hard to come by. It’s even harder 30 years on.
I have been fortunate to have some fab TV parts over the years. I had a semi-regular part in Eastenders as Sergeant Kenny Morris, I was in all three series of Rosemary & Thyme, playing Sgt Matthew Thyme, son of Laura Thyme who was played by Pam Ferris and back in the late ‘90s I was in London’s Burning for a few series.
The theme of wearing a uniform was developing here and as happy as I was in those roles as policemen/fireman/soldier I was always keen to get back to theatre where there is so much more scope to show your range as an actor. The thrill of being in a rehearsal room with other actors creating something, fresh, exciting and most of all live is something I’d always loved in my early career. But if you couldn’t dance (which I definitely can’t!) or sing (which I can a bit but I’m no Alfie Boe) and having only done TV for many years, there was a bit of a gap in my theatre CV!
It’s taken a while as I’d always struggled to get my foot in the door here, which is so frustrating as I this is our local theatre that we have so much love and nostalgia for. Today, under the management of Trafalgar Entertainment and with Nick Parr at the helm, the Palace Theatre and the larger Cliffs Pavilion just down the round, are thriving and Southend once again has a brilliant theatre scene. We can’t wait to get back into that beautiful Edwardian auditorium in this November where it all began for me. The Palace is magical and we’re sure our two-actor ‘A Christmas Carol’ will work perfectly in this historic space.
Where are some of your favourite places in Essex?
We are lucky enough to live just a few minutes’ walk from the estuary, near to the Crowstone. Brought up by the sea, both my wife Mel and I have a great passion for the history of the Thames Estuary, for Southend as an old Victorian seaside resort and for Leigh-on- Sea with its fishing heritage and popular Old Town (which we always prefer in the winter when the brent geese are noisily feeding on the mud flats and we have the quaint pubs and cockle sheds to ourselves!). Mel is an avid sea swimmer and nature lover and is passionate about the preservation of our local wildlife and habitats. Throughout the year we walk near Hadleigh Castle and over Benfleet Downs and we belong to Essex Wildlife Trust and the RSPB. I enjoy running, so living on the seafront gives me the chance to see Southend change dramatically throughout the seasons.
A Christmas Carol will be at the Palace Theatre in Westcliff from November 25-27. Tickets £22.25-£26.25. trafalgartickets.com dickenstheatrecompany.co.uk
