Charles Dance: From builder’s labourer with a stammer to Tywin Lannister

Charles Dance: From builder’s labourer with a stammer to Tywin Lannister

Before he was Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones or the commanding presence of The Jewel in the Crown, Charles Dance was a boy from Worcestershire whose father died when he was three and whose mother built a new life for the family, remarried to their lodger. A childhood marked by loss, a stammer and humble beginnings gave little hint of the commanding actor he would become.

In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O’Brien sits down with the Emmy-nominated actor to trace an extraordinary journey from working-class Devon to the stages of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Hollywood sets alongside Meryl Streep, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maggie Smith. Dance reveals how two eccentric mentors in rural Devon taught him to speak, act and think like an actor, and why, even now at 79, he still considers himself a “working actor” rather than a star.

It’s an intimate, reflective conversation about identity, perseverance, class, craft and the enduring magic of the stage- told with the wit and humility of a man who’s seen it all and still can’t quite believe his luck.

Episoder(315)

Jan Ravens: “I lived with a nameless dread”

Jan Ravens: “I lived with a nameless dread”

Jan Ravens, the acclaimed impressionist at the heart of Dead Ringers, grew up learning to change the mood of a room long before she ever changed her voice on stage. In this conversation with James O B...

5 Des 20251h 2min

Hal Cruttenden: Divorce blew my mind- it hits harder than losing parents

Hal Cruttenden: Divorce blew my mind- it hits harder than losing parents

Before he became one of the most recognisable storytellers on the comedy circuit, Hal Cruttenden was a shy kid from West London who spent years trying to be what he thought others wanted him to be. He...

28 Nov 20251h 4min

Stephen Mangan: When Mum died, I knew I couldn’t waste life being a lawyer- I had to act

Stephen Mangan: When Mum died, I knew I couldn’t waste life being a lawyer- I had to act

Before he became one of Britain’s most familiar faces, Stephen Mangan was a bookish North London boy from an Irish working-class family- the son of a builder and a barmaid- who won a scholarship to a ...

21 Nov 20251h

Toby Jones: I never wanted to feel desperate about acting

Toby Jones: I never wanted to feel desperate about acting

From Truman Capote to Mr Bates, Toby Jones has built a career on disappearing- an actor whose transformations are so complete they can seem alchemical. But behind that versatility lies a story of inhe...

14 Nov 20251h 4min

John Lloyd: Blackadder, Spitting Image, QI and a life in search of meaning

John Lloyd: Blackadder, Spitting Image, QI and a life in search of meaning

As the creative mind behind Blackadder, Spitting Image, Not the Nine O’Clock News and QI, John Lloyd has quietly shaped British comedy for more than forty years. In this episode of Full Disclosure, he...

7 Nov 20251h 3min

Jimmy Wales: The man who built Wikipedia

Jimmy Wales: The man who built Wikipedia

Long before it became one of the most visited websites on Earth, Wikipedia began as a radical idea from a curious boy in Huntsville, Alabama. Raised by a father who managed a grocery store and a mothe...

31 Okt 20251h 5min

Alexander Armstrong: My default setting is fear- I expect the worst of people

Alexander Armstrong: My default setting is fear- I expect the worst of people

Before Pointless, Classic FM and comedy stardom, Alexander Armstrong was a restless kid growing up in rural Northumberland- lonely at boarding school, obsessed with music, and quietly desperate to per...

17 Okt 202553min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
giver-og-gjengen-vg
alt-fortalt
aftenpodden-usa
aftenpodden
konspirasjonspodden
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
popradet
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
wolfgang-wee-uncut
grenselos
fladseth
min-barneoppdragelse
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
synnve-og-vanessa
rss-frekvens-med-anine-olsen
krisemoter
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem