BBC2, *Manchild* press packet (series one) "Feature Interview: Ray Burdis is Gary." ----------------------------------------------------------- Actor Ray Burdis reveals that he has more than just a mouthful of glottal stops in common with decking "king" and Essex boy come good, Gary. Burdis made his name - alongside Dominic Anciano - as one half of the top UK producing, writing, directing and acting duo behind hit East End feature film *The Krays* and BBC2 fly-on-the-police-station-wall series *Operation Good Guys*. But for BBC2's *Manchild*, Burdis ditches the gritty realism of the council estate for the pampered enclaves of the moneyed classes. "The only problem was that I really started to believe that I was a 'Manchild,'" he laughs. "Every location was so beautiful and that was amazing for me because I'm used to filming on rough estates and in cold, muddy fields. One scene was filmed in a lap-dancing club. We had these amazing girls dancing around us all day as we drank Champagne. I remember thinking: 'God! This is hard work!'" London-born Burdis came to acting at a young age. Joining the likes of Pauline Quirke, Phil Daniels and Gilliam Taylforth at acclaimed inner-city drama club Anna Scher's, the then-teen actor discovered a talent for improvisation which would eventually earn him a share in a Silver Rose at the 1997 Montreux Festival. "I've always wanted to act, since the age of 11," says Burdis. "I was in the school play at primary school, *Cinderella*. I played one of the ugly sisters. The best thing about it was that we got off lessons for rehearsals! But it was Anna Scher's that really got me off the streets and into acting. Before that, I was stealing cars and up to all sorts. What I learnt at Anna Scher's made me think: 'This is it. What a way to make a living!' So acting is the only thing I know." The 43-year-old Burdis explains that he relished the new- found adolescence of nouveau-riche Gary. But it wasn't just the shiny sports-cars and riverside apartments that attracted him to the role. "I really feel that Gary *is* me," says Burdis. "I showed the script to my wife and said: 'Look, what do you think? Do you think it's a bit near the mark?' And she said: 'But this character *is* you!' I would say that 75 per cent of Gary is me. Most of the things that go through his head would go through my head. Although, I hasten to add, his rocky marriage is definitely not a reflection of my own!" Forty-something Gary, married to shrewish wife Cheryl (Lindsay Coulson), constantly finds himself led astray by the siren call of his wealthy and single best pals - Terry, Patrick and James. "I think we're all quite like our characters," says Burdis. "We all like to be naughty boys quite a lot of the time! And I was amazed by how well we all got on. We'd never met before and I was nervous about meeting Don [Warrington] - I've always admired his work - and Nigel [Havers]. But it just worked straight away. We laughed a lot. We had fun filming and I think that really comes across." As the co-creator of gritty Brit hit *Final Cut*, starring Jude Law and Ray Winstone, and 2000 feature *Love, Honour And Obey,* Burdis is a master of the scriptless film. But luxurious surroundings and the congenial company aside, what attracted Burdis to *Manchild* was the quality of author Nick Fisher's writing. "I thought that the script was brilliantly written," he says. "And I don't think that it's been done before. No one has tackled this kind of subject in such a truthful way. It's quite cutting edge and politically incorrect which is why it's so refreshing. It's just so nice to find something that tells it like it is." But it wasn't all Boateng suits and bottles of Bolly for Burdis. The discipline of learning his lines proved more boot camp than luxury break for this acclaimed improv- specialist. "I was desperate to work outside my own company and this role was like a gift from Heaven," he says. "It's everything I wanted it to be. But I had to be a bit more disciplined than usual. Learning my lines again was a bit of a shock. We had to be word perfect. And the dialogue is so well-written that if you try to change a word of it then it just doesn't work." Despite the hard slog, Burdis hopes he'll be slaving over a hot, new *Manchild* script in the not-so-distant future. And the actor looks forward to working with all his fellow co- stars again, not least Lindsay Coulson who "made it all seem so easy." "I"ve got a few things planned for the future that I'm not going to talk about yet," says Burdis. "The next piece that I want to do is an Irish piece set in 1916. Right now, I just want to film another series of *Manchild* because we had such a laugh. But, as you can't guarantee anything in this game, I try and make sure that I take nothing for granted." ----------------------------------------------------------- Bentley's Bedlam http://www.BetsyDa.com/bedlam.html This website is for information and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to infringe on copyrights held by others.