Nicholas Shaw plays Doug Anderton
How would you describe Doug's character and his relationship
with his friends & family?
Doug is a passionate and opinionated young man who has taken on the
socialist values of his father, and he attempts to take these into the
mostly middle-class sensibilities of King William's School.
He starts working on the school newspaper to highlight the political
issues of the day.
Procrastination is not part of his personality, unlike Ben and Phil!
His Dad is a major influence and Doug certainly looks up to him - little
does he know what his Dad's actually up to!
How does the relationship between Ben, Philip and Doug change
over the three years?
I think one reason why early on the three of them are so inseparable
is because their different personalities balance, yet ultimately their
friendships fray as they grow up and apart.
Ben and Doug are the closest over the three years, with various hiccups
in between.
What is your perception of the Seventies?
Most people of my generation have no real notion of how turbulent a
time it was socially and politically - the frequent strikes, political
upheaval, massive inflation and the rise in unemployment.
And, of course, the changes in the music scene! The birth of Punk from
the restlessness of the younger generation - something that Doug falls
in love with immediately.
There was also a lot of unrest, with racism and the troubles in Ireland
adding to the difficulties.
Are you interested in the Seventies culture - the music and
the clothes?
I was brought up on Seventies music because of my parents' music tastes,
so it was fantastic to have the opportunity to re-immerse myself in
so many different musical styles.
We wore some crazy outfits during filming, some of which I liked actually!
What was it like working with Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais?
Did you know any of their previous work?
I grew up watching repeats of Porridge, The Likely Lads and Auf Wiedersehen,
Pet.
The read-through was a very surreal experience. I sat opposite Dick,
Ian and so many actors I respected, it was incredible.
And I hadn't even really begun to work with them - the following two
months was a fantastically enriching experience as an actor.
It's what you dream of and I was still at the Drama Centre a few weeks
before we began!
How and why did you get in to acting?
My father was always heavily involved in amateur dramatics and we would
often go to professional productions.
It was only after doing GCSE drama and starting A-levels that I decided
that I wanted to be an actor professionally.
After a year out I managed to get into Drama Centre London, from where
I'll graduate in July.
Printable version