Following in his uncle’s footsteps
A ground-breaking black comedy from one of the UK’s greatest playwrights is at Nottingham Playhouse from March 19 until April 3.
Mark Benton (Early Doors, City Lights, Booze Cruise) and Amy Robbins (The Royal) play a couple struggling to care for their severely disabled daughter in A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg by Peter Nichols.
They are joined by Sarah White (Brookside’s Bev) Tim Dantay (Playing The Field), Linda Broughton (Sliding Doors) and Finn Atkins (Eden Lake).
Mark said: “I’ve worked with Amy’s sister, Kate Robbins, and brother, Ted Robbins and now performing with Amy it looks like I am working my way through the whole family.
“I haven’t done any stage work for a while and this is quite a challenging play. It is very funny but has lots of dark undertones.
“When I was young I was quite a show off, My uncle was an actor and I wanted to be like him. I did lots of amateur dramatics. I tried to get into drama school when I was 18 but did not get in.
“At 20 I was accepted by RADA. I left in 1990 and had a couple of jobs and have been busy working ever since.
“Robson Green was already on board for Christmas Lights when I was asked to audition. I got the part and we became a modern day Laurel and Hardy. Because it was successful we then made Northern Lights and City Lights and it was great fun.
“I do have trouble with corpsing though. I was in a TV play called Catterick and I just could not stop laughing. We did about 25 tapes before I could eventually keep a straight face. I am sure me cracking up will be shown on television one day.”
He said his dream role was to play Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream but he was also partial to Chekhov and Dennis Potter’s Blue Remembered Hills.
He said: “I am writing a sitcom at the moment and am hoping to get some interest in it soon. I have no plans to make any more adverts. If I had a pound for everyone who came up to me and said: ‘It’s for brand new customers only’ from the Nationwide advert, I would be a millionaire by now.”