Cast interviews Neil Pearson plays Trevor - BBC · Cast interviews Neil Pearson plays Trevor “I used to play table tennis for Suffolk … not many people know that

Neil Pearson was born in South London. Hisprevious television credits include Drop TheDead Donkey, Between The Lines, and playingJohn Diamond in A Lump In My Throat. Hisextensive theatre credits include Henry IV, pt1, and the Olivier Award-winning dramaCloser. In Trevor’s World Of Sport, Neil playsTrevor.

Can you tell me about the character you play?

“Trevor tries to be the voice of calm and reason inan insane working environment. He’s dealing with aslightly eccentric workforce and he’s also trying to

cope with the monstrous egos of sports stars. Hisbusiness partner is Sammy who has absolutely noqualms about the venality of the profession they’re in but Trevor’s having doubts. He’s having doubtsbecause his marriage is going down the toilet andhe and his wife find it increasingly difficult tocommunicate.When his wife starts throwingallegations at him that it’s because of his immersionin his work, he starts to question whether heshould be there at all …”

How did you prepare for the part?

“I’m not obsessive about research but you have toget things right.When I did Between The Lines, wetook great care to make sure that we got the little

4Trevor’s World Of Sport

Cast interviews

Neil Pearsonplays Trevor

“I used to play table tennis for Suffolk … not many

people know that.”

things right because, if you don’t, no one believesyou on the big things. I went to visit a sportsagency and it confirmed that I knew the workingenvironment rather well from my own experienceswith agents. I’ve worked as a spectator, if you like,in the world of sport too. I mean it’s no secret thatI’m a Tottenham fan and I’ve made a deliberateeffort in the past to be strictly a spectator – not to drag it into the players’ lounge. I much prefer tobe on the terraces with the fans rather thananywhere else.”

Tell me about working with Andy Hamiltonbecause obviously you and he go way back(on Drop The Dead Donkey).

“Andy is, quite rightly, extremely secure in hisability as a writer. He also makes a very goodwriter/director because he’s not precious about hiswork. If he thinks your idea is a good one, he’llincorporate it. I had no qualms about coming intothis production because a) Andy’s writing is topnotch and b) Andy’s working processes fit very wellwith mine.We communicate in shorthand really.If we’ve done a take, I know from the inflection inhis voice whether we’re going again and also quiteoften whether we’re going again twice! It’s whenyou get the upward inflection – very good – whichtells us we’re one step away from the downwardinflection – excellent – which tells us we can nowmove onto the next shot!”

What about sport – any particular heroes?

“I have huge respect for the greats from Tottenhambut, God knows, that was a long time ago.Whatreally impresses me about great sports people istheir obsession, their blinkered approach – thereare few effortless geniuses after all. Mostly, theundisputed greats have to work.That’s why I’m soimpressed with horse racing in particular, and alsoboxing – those guys work incredibly andobsessively hard to be the best at what they do.”

Do you play any sports?

“The sport I tend to do is vanity based – it’s just tokeep me in some sort of nick. I go to the gym, Iswim and occasionally I do racquet games. HaydnGwynne (the actress from Drop The Dead Donkeyand Merseybeat) is an awesome tennis player so I

used to play with her a lot – I lost a lot too! I alsorepresented my county in table tennis and, erm,fencing. Not many people know that actually. I can’tclaim any great expertise in either table tennis orfencing, it’s just that I was good enough torepresent Suffolk!”

And it sounds good doesn’t it? “I represented my county..!”

“Oh yeah, it sounds great – put that in!”

Have you met any famous sports people?

“No anecdotes yet but this series is giving me thechance to get some because there’s a number offamous sport stars appearing as themselves.”

And how do you feel about that?

“Oh it’s great. If I was to sum up this show, I’d say itwas Jerry Maguire meets Larry Sanders – whichcan’t be bad, really.”


Cast interviews

Paul Reynolds was born in Chingford, Essex.His extensive TV and cinema career rangesfrom parts in Grange Hill, The Bill andAbsolutely Fabulous to roles in Castaway,Croupier and Let Him Have It. But for Paul,a mad Arsenal fan, playing one of the leadroles in Trevor’s World Of Sport is a personalcareer high – because he gets to meet one ofhis all-time heroes …

What attracted you to the part of Sammy?

“It was the offer of 200 grand a week – I mean I’mused to being paid big bucks but the fact that theBBC was offering this kind of money was too goodto turn down. Seriously, Sammy is a great part toplay – he’s a painful mix of lovable and obnoxious.

The audience will love him or hate him – probablyboth. He also gets the really classy lines which Ihave Andy (Hamilton) to thank for.”

Such as?

“Well Sammy thinks that premature ejaculation isjust female propaganda, which sort of sums thecharacter up really!”

What do you have in common with Sammy,if anything?

“Brown hair, same size feet … the physicallikenesses are just incredible.Actually, not a lot interms of personality. I wouldn’t have the nerve tosay the things that Sammy does – thankfully. He canbe incredibly crass at times. But he’s also very


Cast interviews

Paul Reynoldsplays Sammy

“I was a child actor in Terry And June …”

focussed and businesslike in terms of getting thebest deals for his clients.As a sport’s agent, he’s awesome but, as a human being, probably less so. Ithink I’m probably more like Trevor in terms ofpersonality – mild, decent, a bit anxious.”

Have you worked with any of the castmembers before?

“Not really – I’ve worked with Jim Carter beforenow and I’m mates with Andrew Lincoln (whoappears in Episode One, playing Formula Oneracing driver Mark Boden). But I’m not veryshowbizzy – I don’t really know anyone!”

How sporty are you?

“I go swimming and play football – that’s about it.I’m a lifelong Arsenal fan though. One of the greatthings about appearing in TWOS is that it features anumber of famous footballers and I can’t wait tomeet them. I really rate footballers, full stop. I’dhave loved to have done what they’ve done – andthe money would be nice too.”

Tell us which footballers are appearing inTrevor’s World Of Sport then!

“I can’t – I’m sworn to secrecy!”

Do you have any sporting heroes?

“Erm, not really.Actually I do – Ian Wright. Howmulti-talented is he? He was great for Arsenal andnow he has a whole new career in TV – respect is due.”

So what do you do outside work, whenyou’re not watching Arsenal?

“I have absolutely no hobbies. I just like doing thenormal stuff, going to the pictures, eating, drinkingand stuff. I’ve just virtually had a year off which hasbeen fantastic. I spent a couple of months in theFar East where me and my girlfriend went toThailand, Singapore and Taiwan, and I spent lastsummer in Brighton, which was brilliant. I shouldhave really appreciated it more than I did though because I may never have a year off again in my lifetime!”

You hope..!

“Yes! Oh God, I’ve probably put a curse on myselfnow and will never work again!”

Talking of which, what about previous rolesand what’s next for you after TWOS?

“I’ve been acting for years – I was even in Terry AndJune for God’s sake. I played a little cub scout and Iwas only 14. So I can claim to be a genuine childactor, like Macauley Culkin – but not too much likehim, obviously! I was a cheeky kid – absolutely fullof it – so I didn’t see it like ‘I want to be an actor,I’ve always wanted to be an actor’, I was just one ofthose kids who always wanted to be involved instuff.As for what’s coming up after this, we’ll justhave to wait and see.What I really want to do iswork on Wish You Were Here and be the next JudithChalmers. In fact, reporting from places likeBarbados really appeals to me, funnily enough. Canyou have a word?”


Cast interviews

Rosalind Ayres has had a distinguishedcareer in television, theatre, film and radio.In Titanic, she narrowly escaped a waterygrave and she played opposite Ian McKellanin Gods And Monsters. Her TV credits includeroles in Casualty, Midsomer Murders andChicago Hope. In Trevor’s World Of Sport, sheplays Theresa – a god-fearing Christian ...possibly a first for her!

What attracted you to the part of Theresa?

“Theresa is an organised, capable person. She’s theoffice mother but she has an eccentric side to her.Her tendency towards Christian fundamentalismmakes her completely out of left field, which I thinkis one of the great things about Andy (Hamilton’s)

writing. He is constantly springing surprises. He’sthe sort of writer who can take a mundane situation such as, you know, the front door bellrings ‘Ding dong, hello darling, I’m home, the vicar’scoming for tea but I’ve forgotten to defrost thechicken…’ You know, that sort of classic syndrome?But, in an Andy script, it’s the Palestinian LiberationFront who is at the front door…”

Are you a particular sporty person?

“I’m not remotely sporty! If you asked my friends if Roz plays sport, they’d all laughhysterically. My father was a huge ManchesterUnited fan and so, rather in the same way that mymother always used Persil washing powder, and Iuse Persil washing powder, I sort of inherited ManUtd football team, but I wouldn’t say that I was a


Cast interviews

Rosalind Ayresplays Theresa

“I was always into ballroomdancing which is technically a

blood sport…”

big football fan. I like big event football when it getsseriously gripping. But what I was really into wasballroom dancing which is, of course, technically a blood sport…”

Explain yourself!

“Really! Serious competition ballroom dancing isrumoured to be pretty hairy ... in more ways than one.”

Are you an accomplished ballroom dancer?

“I did ballroom dancing as my ‘Sport’ option for theDuke of Edinburgh Award, so you can tell howsporty I am. My lack of sporting activity is probablya good qualification for working as an agent.A lotof it is about money and negotiation, it’s notnecessarily about sport. In fact, we could be doingit for any one – actors even! Basically what youneed is a calm exterior and to be able to deal withpeople who are not necessarily quite so calm. Ithink I’d be quite good at that actually.”

Working in an agency which caters forballroom dancers possibly?!

“Indeed!”

Seriously, how would you cope if you wereworking in an agency with difficult clients?In TWOS, there’s a tennis player who seemsto be thoroughly egotistical …

“She is hilariously demanding – Theresa just givesthem a cup of tea, tells them not to worry and that Trevor will be with them in a moment.Youknow, general calming activities. I would probablydo the same but would leave out the Christianwords of wisdom.Then again, maybe that’s whereI’m going wrong!”

Theresa’s got some interaction going onwith Barry (played by Abdul Salis) whoalways seems to be trying to catch her out,but she’s having none of it is she?

“Barry is fascinated by what he sees as theillogicality of her Christian beliefs, but she remainsresolutely unshakable and he always gets to a pointwhere he asks something so unanswerable that it

demands a leap of faith. So, really, he’s beating hishead against a brick wall, but there is a fascinationin dealing with people who have such solidopinions. She is definitely an Andy ‘hall mark’character, that’s for sure…”

What’s next for you after this?

“My husband (Martin Jarvis) and I produce for BBCradio and we’ve got two productions in thepipeline. We’re also doing a Tennessee Williamsplay for Radio 3 which was recorded in America,with Alfred Molina and Shirley Knight. So I’mworking through the usual Amazon rainforest ofpaperwork …”

Erm … I hesitate to ask this but any sporting heroes?

“I’d say a ballroom dancing person but I don’t know any!”


Cast interviews

Abdul Salis was born in Shepherd’s Bush,London. He’s been acting for just two yearsso everything he’s ever worked on comes outin 2003. He names his career highlights asworking on an American TV show called TheHidden City with Paul Barber (Only Fools AndHorses) and Ashley (So Solid Crew); workingon Love Actually with Hugh Grant andMartine McCutcheon; and working withMartin Freeman (The Office) on a projectwhich demanded Freeman be naked formost of the time. In Trevor’s World Of Sport,Abdul plays Barry.

Tell us about your character, Barry.

“Barry is a cocky office runner who is sharper than he’s given credit for. He’ll be the sports agent if

Trevor’s World Of Sport is still on TV in 10 yearstime! I like his sharp wit and his youthfulness.Everyone else in the office is older than him andthis age gap means he has to rely on himself. Itgives him an individuality which I really like.”

How did you prepare for the part?

“I kind of already knew him. Barry could be arunner for anything – he’s got that personality. Ididn’t necessarily think about the office stuff, I justthought about his relationship with other people.I think Barry gives the show extra audience appealas well, because he’s a black guy. I have next-doorneighbours who will watch the show just becausethere’s a black guy in it, because when I was a little kid, I remember watching shows for that very reason.”


Cast interviews

Abdul Salisplays Barry

"I’ve touched the entire FrenchWorld Cup squad…"

Working with Andy must have been an experience?

“Yes, big time. He’s a writer AND a director whichis what I want to be! When I first saw him, I knew he was somebody; it’s very rare you can recognisea writer or director unless they’ve been up thereon the podium a few times.”

Do you play any sports?

“I used to play basketball. My brother carried onwith the basketball but I started smoking instead.I don’t play sports so much now but I do love myfootball – I support Spurs.”

Have you met any sports stars?

“I’ve touched the shoulders of the entire 1998French World Cup squad.We were on a school tripin France and we all sneaked off to have cigaretteswithout our teacher seeing.We were hiding roundthe corner when a bus pulled up with about fourpolice cars in tow and out came all these footballstars! The police were there in force but when Iwent up to touch Zidane, no one did anything. So Iended up touching all of them saying ‘good luck,good luck’. But the worst thing was, it was theplayer I’d never seen before in my life who turnedround and said ‘Merci’! I’m getting hot now justthinking about it!”

What do you think about having real sportsstars in TWOS?

“I think it can only help the show. Surely we’regoing to get millions of fans tuning in just becauseone of their heroes is on the programme.”

Do you have any personal sporting heroes?

“Michael Jordan – he is the man. I would cry if heturned up on set.”


Cast interviews

Cosima Shaw was born in Saarbruecken inGermany. She came to London aged 15 for modelling work and is still signed toModels 1.At her last count, she’d appeared inover 40 TV commercials worldwide, butCosima always wanted to be a seriousactress. In Trevor’s World Of Sport, she playsHeidrun, a German, lesbian receptionist.

The modelling seemed to be going ratherwell – why divert into acting?

“I did some acting when I was younger (before Ibecame a model). I had an agent in Berlin andstarted doing commercials when I was 12. I didn’tpursue acting initially because modelling seemedlike a great thing – all the travelling, getting away

from home, seeing the world and meeting differenttypes of people. I was more attracted to that at the time but it didn’t last very long. It was a means to an end.”

What changed that?

“It took a long time. My boyfriend’s an actor and heencouraged me to do commercials to give meconfidence. His timing was great because it was justbeginning to bug me that I would get older and nothave really tried it.”

So what happened between your initialbreak and Trevor’s World Of Sport?

“It was a long journey. I started classes again acouple of years ago, then I got an agent and it all


Cast interviews

Cosima Shawplays Heidrun

“Your David Beckham’s not bad is he?”

went boom, boom, boom! I started doing film afterfilm. I was so glad when Trevor’s World Of Sport cameup because I was involved in another project whichended very badly…”

Tell us more!

“It was a film – great part, great script, but I got out on location and the whole script had changed completely.They’d added sex sceneswithout telling me. I had a few rows with theproducer who had already fired the director at this stage, and had become the director himself, and I said ‘I’m not doing it and that’s the end of it’.”

It’s hard to walk away from a film though,isn’t it?

“Well it was and it was a long run up to theproject; you get cast and wait for weeks and youcan’t get called up for anything else. I went out toSouth Africa, spent 10 days not really doinganything, so it was a smack in the face really.”

So has TWOS directly followed thisexperience?

“Yes – if the other thing had worked out, I wouldn’thave been able to do TWOS. It’s been brilliantworking with the Trevor team and probably a muchbetter learning experience for me too.”

What attracted you to the part of Heidrun –apart from the sex scenes obviously?!

“Stop it! Well it’s quite funny because my boyfriendtook the phone call and took down all the detailsabout the part. His description was ‘blonde bimbosecretary’. I was really offended and thought how can they send me up for something like thisafter my previous bad experience? Anyway, I turned up, expecting it to be a no-go and it turnedout to be completely the opposite.The fact thatHeidrun is lesbian is great because I don’t have to be a clichéd PA.

“Heidrun has some really great lines and I thought‘I can do that’, and I really wanted to do it becauseI felt like I knew her. I thought I’d feel really

horrible if I saw it on telly and some English actresshad been cast to play her with a German accent.”

What do you think of the characters Trevorand Sammy?

“I like the fact that they’re at completely oppositeends of the spectrum – Sammy being hilarious andobnoxious and slightly disagreeable while Trevor’sthe quiet one…”

Which one would you prefer to work for?

“Heidrun would probably prefer Trevor but thecharacter of Sammy kind of makes me laugh. Hedoesn’t make Heidrun laugh as much though …she’d prefer Trevor because he’d leave her alone.”

How sporty are you?

“I do like sport but unfortunately none of thesports which are represented by the agency. I’mpretty fit, I go to the gym and I go hiking – anythingthat won’t bore me, basically. I try and keep itvaried with lots of fresh air.”

What famous sports people have you comeacross? Any German footballers?

“Sure I’ve seen some but it’s not something Iremember – I think I was pretty dismissive of them all really. It would be nice to say I’ve metDavid Beckham though … your David Beckhamisn’t at all bad!”


Cast interviews

Claire Skinner was born and brought up inHemel Hempstead and is one of the UK’smost distinguished actresses. She hasnumerous TV credits including Bedtime,Family Tree and Second Sight (all BBC) andappearances in Inspector Morse (ITV) and A Dance To The Music Of Time (Channel 4).Her theatre work includes roles in A Winter’sTale, Othello, Look Back In Anger, TheImportance Of Being Ernest and Playboy OfThe Western World and her film creditsinclude Life Is Sweet, Return Of The Nativeand Naked. In Trevor’s World Of Sport, sheplays Meryl,Trevor’s estranged wife.

Can you tell me about the character you play?

“Meryl is searching for something different. She gotmarried, gave up a career and had a child whileTrevor became more successful and absorbed byhis work – to the extent that she begins to feelalone. She’s also found that her identity has becomelost, so she tries to change this by going onsomething of a spiritual odyssey. So suddenly, she’sinto yoga, life coaches, therapy through poetry andsuch like! She’s a nice character to play –dissatisfied, yes, but ultimately like so many womenwho find that marriage doesn’t necessarily provideeverything they thought it might.”

If you could give Meryl any advice, whatwould it be?

“Lighten up and stop mucking about! She’s with agenuinely lovely man, a decent man who justhappens to work in a cut-throat world, but she’strying to make a point – unfortunately, she’s puttingher marriage at risk by doing so.”

So what’s the score with Roger the poet then?

“He’s an absolute aberration! I don’t know what she can be thinking of. He’s everything Trevor isn’t – and that is, of course, the point.Roger’s into all this New Age stuff which iscapturing Meryl’s attention too. I think Rogertypifies exactly where she thinks she wants to be –but obviously, that’s got disaster written all over it.And Toby, her son, can’t stand him, which is notgoing to help.”

So is Roger just a rebound relationship?

“Yes, I think so, but people often stay with reboundflings, so he could end up elbowing Trevor out ofthe picture completely.You’ll have to wait and seewhat happens!”

You’ve worked with Andy Hamilton beforeon Bedtime.When his name is on the script,is that a guarantee that you will sign up to something?

“Pretty much, yes! I looked at the script for Trevor’sWorld Of Sport and was immediately struck by how beautifully written it is, and how thecharacterisation is both funny but very gentle atthe same time – which is a hallmark of Andy’swork, I think.”

And what about the rest of the cast – anyprevious encounters?

“Funny you should ask. Immediately after finishingfilming with Neil Pearson in Trevor’s World Of Sport,I went off to France to play his wife all over again,in a new work called Booze Cruise. It’s becoming abit of a habit isn’t it?”


Cast interviews

Claire Skinnerplays Meryl

“I’ve been married to NeilPearson twice …”

Well you could do worse…

“True. I have done worse in the past, let me tell you!”

Oh do tell!

“No, stop it – my lips are sealed!”

How do you prepare for the parts you play?

“I don’t do any specific research. I just read andread the script, over and over again. I totallyimmerse myself in it until the character becomesso close and intimate to me, it’s like I know her. It’salmost like she’s a member of my family. But theother helpful thing is to talk to the costumedesigners. More than anything else, I find theirchoices for her clothes and overall image can reallygive an accurate picture of the actual woman andwhere she’s coming from.Who says that image isn’t important?”

This series is set in a sports’ agencyobviously – are you particularly sporty?

“I’m totally non-sporty. I do like running. Maybethat’s overstating it – I go to the gym and run onthe treadmill! Do I like it? I see it as beingnecessary, but I wouldn’t say I loved every minute I was on there. I sort of support Arsenal, in that Iwent to a football match once and Arsenal wereplaying! Oh dear, I’m not doing very well at this am I?”

That’s okay – there are too many Arsenalfans anyway, so I wouldn’t worry about it!

“But I am worried now – maybe I should do some research into Arsenal’s greatest footballing moments?”

Well it won’t take you long that’s for sure.

“Hey, that’s my team you’re talking about!”


Cast interviews

Matthew Thomas was born on 3 March 1988and already has an impressive CV. His TVcredits include Wonderful You, The Bill, HeroTo Zero and, of course, The Lost Prince, inwhich he played Prince John from the ages ofnine to 14. He gained the role afterauditioning with 600 people. In addition, hehas made theatre appearances in WhistleDown The Wind and Oliver! In Trevor’s WorldOf Sport, he plays Trevor’s son,Toby.

Can you tell me a bit about the characteryou play?

“Toby’s really calm and laid back, quite unstressed –until his parents split up and his mother introduces

a new bloke into the mix called Roger. Roger!What sort of a name is that? That could really putyou off someone.”

What’s wrong with Roger?

“Everything! It reminds me of blokes who wearanoraks and train spot! Anyway,Toby’s beendropped into this situation where his parents arehaving problems, his dad is always at work and hismum is seeing someone else. I suppose it’s not verydifferent from what hundreds of kids have to putup with really. But Toby’s a very adult character anduses very sophisticated words for a 14-year-old.He’s more sophisticated than most 14-year-olds Iknow! He’s also very intelligent, which his dad finds annoying, because Toby always has a smart


Cast interviews

Matthew Thomas plays Toby

"Roger…just what sort of name is Roger?"

answer to everything – his dad is never able to shut him up.”

How did you get the part?

“I’ve done quite a lot of stuff just recently (The LostPrince for BBC for example) and Andy (Hamilton)just rang my agent and asked me to come along for an audition. So I did and it just happened from there …”

How did you get into acting?

“It’s in my blood. My mum worked in theatre anddance hall and dad’s a musician, so it was eithergoing to be acting or singing and I like doing both!I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was nine yearsold, so it happened really early on for me. I do likemy music though – hip hop, drum ‘n’ bass, R&B –loud stuff! I also like singing love songs and balladsand musical theatre songs. I love playing the pianoand I like playing guitar – but I find time to fit inacting too.”

What about sports – do you do any?

“I like skiing – in fact I like all the extreme sports.I support Arsenal – I don’t have time to go tomatches though, which is a shame. My sportingheroes are David Seaman, who I think is awesomeand still England’s top goalkeeper, and Alan Sheareris great too. I was also a huge fan of Ian Wrightwhen he played for Arsenal – but all Arsenal fanslove Ian Wright. He was Arsenal really.”

Would you be friends with Toby if he went toyour school?

“That’s a really difficult question – I think I’d findToby very funny. He’s quite daring and says stuffwhich is true, but quite hard for people to hear.But yeah, he’d be a laugh.”


Cast interviews

Joe Absolom was born in 1978 and lives inSouth East London. His television CV isextensive with previous appearances inDangerfield, Casualty, Silent Witness, The Bill,Touching Evil and Servants, but he is probablybest known for playing Matthew Rose inEastEnders. In Trevor’s World Of Sport, he plays Scott.

Can you tell me a bit about your character?

“He’s a gentleman, I think, a true English gentleman.He joins the sports agency as an executive, a right-hand man to both Trevor and Sammy, andimmediately brings some sanity to proceedings.He’s organised, calm and really knows what he’sdoing, but in an unobtrusive way. He’s also nice andhelpful – a particular asset for Trevor who is goingthrough a bad time and a crisis of confidence.Scott calms him down when Trevor loses allpatience with his partner, Sammy.The otherinteresting thing about Scott is, when he’s

introduced to the agency, he really drives the plot into new territory. I can’t say in what way because that would give the game away. Let’s just say that Scott is an enigma which makes himfascinating to play.”

It sounds like you know about officesituations – is that from experience?

“I’m afraid not – maybe I just have a vividimagination or perhaps I could do with someonelike Scott organising me! I started acting prettyearly on when my dad sent me to an audition justfor fun and my first public performance was actuallyplaying a runner bean when I was 10 years old.”

Things seem to have moved on a bit from then!

“Just as well really – I mean how manyinterpretations can you give to a runner bean? I’vebeen really lucky, had some great work and workedwith some brilliant people.”


Cast interviews

Joe Absolom plays Scott

“Prince Naseem was justknockout – but I didn’t tell him in

case he took it literally.”

Anyone you’d like to name?

“Yes [adopts manner of an Oscar acceptancespeech]. I’d particularly like to thank my dad;TamzinOuthwaite; Robson Green; Elvis Presley; and, ofcourse,Andy Hamilton for casting me in Trevor’sWorld Of Sport…”

Elvis Presley?

“Well, admittedly I’ve never worked with him but Ihaven’t worked with my dad either, and both havehad a major influence on things so far.”

Okay, we’ve touched on music passions then– what about sporting ones?

“I love good football and support Millwall FC – Irealise that might sound like a contradiction. I findthe whole sports agent thing really interesting.Nowadays, if a footballer is that good, he wouldnever have to go scouting for an agent, the agentswill always be falling over themselves to knock onhis door. Pity it’s not like that for actors! Also, greatfootballers can get away with behaviour that actorsnever could – unfortunately! If you look at Gazza,he went out and did what he wanted to doregardless, and he got away with it because he hada sublime talent.”

Did he get away with it? I’m not sure he did …

“He was a hero on the pitch.Any bad things he didoff it, he could always address on the football field.One goal against Scotland in Euro ‘96 meantimmediate hero status.After all, none of thenegative publicity has really affected his jobprospects has it? It was his own behaviour whichdid that!”

What’s next for you?

“I’d like to get back to playing five-a-side football – Idon’t play any particular position, I just run aroundlike mad then collapse afterwards.With the variousjobs I’ve done just recently, I’ve missed out onfootball, so I need to get some practice in everyThursday night.”

Have you met any famous sports people?

“Yeah – the best was when Prince Naseem cameon the EastEnders set and then invited us up towatch him box in Sheffield – he was knockout,but obviously I couldn’t tell him that in case hetook it literally.That was definitely my coolestsporting moment!”


Cast interviews

Documents

Cast interviews Neil Pearson plays Trevor - BBC · Cast interviews Neil Pearson plays Trevor “I used to play table tennis for Suffolk … not many people know that