Hello I'm Kirstie Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1992,

and the presenter was Sue Lolly. My castaway this week is an actor, born in Derbyshire 42 years ago, he's recognised today as one of Britain's most versatile performers.

He learned his craft at Rada and in rep coming to prominence as the star of a BBC sitcom Citizen Smith in the 70s.

The mid-80s found him an overnight success on Broadway in Me and My Girl,

and he's recently won the Best Actor Award at Bafter

for his portrayal of a left-wing

counselor in the television play GBH. What's more he's just taken the West

End by storm in the role of Henry II in Arneis Beckett. It's an impressive

variety, appropriate perhaps for the man who as a boy was first

attracted to acting by the school teacher who invented for his pupils the Grand Order of Thespians.

He is Robert Lindsay. So is that how it all started with this

teacher at school, Bob? I guess it was. John Lally. I was at this very tough

secondary modern school. I should have passed my 11 plus I never know why

maybe I wasn't paying attention I don't know if you remained ashamed of not

passing your 11 plus yes it lives you. So you went to a rough secondary mark? It was rough. Oh it was rough.

Gladstone Boys and right in the middle of town and if you didn't wear a leather jacket you were not

accepted you know and if you didn't smoke cigarettes and it was I was frightened I

remember the day walking that into the gates I never been so frightened in my life I mean because I'd heard all

these terrible stories but in fact it turned out for me a very lucky experience because

all the teachers there were really cared genuinely cared and and they dealt with the boys as boys and you felt if

...