NigeI Hawthorne

How did you start acting?

I was brought up in South Africa after my parents moved there from Britain when I was three. They weren't too happy about my desire to be an actor. For years I struggled for work and I got used to being rejected. But at 22 I left home and flew to London with just £12 in my pocket, and a burning ambition to make it as an actor.

What were those early days in London like for you?

If you didn't look like a matinee idol, you bummed around the repertory companies. I've never been good looking, and for years I struggled to get decent acting roles. I was an understudy in a West End comedy for 19 months without once going on stage. Can you imagine that? It was absolutely soul destroying. Finally I joined Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop, and that led to stage roles and television.

Are there any similarities between you and Sir Humphrey Appleby, the character you play In Yes, Prime Minister?

None at all! I have nothing in common with civil servants or politicians. The Civil Service drives us all mad with red tape and awful officialdom, and the country is crammed with Sir Humphreys. Personally, I can't bear bureaucracy.

How do you manage to remember Sir Humphrey's long tongue-twister speeches?

I learn them verbatim. That's to say, once I start I don't stop! You can't umm and aah, I have to rattle them off at a great rate with enormous panache. We get the scripts two months ahead, which gives us time to get it right, but it's always a love-hate thing, because it's so demanding.

Do you feel at home with your celebrity status?

I'm a very private person. I'm not gregarious. But I'm happy with my own company. And happiest of all in my garden: It's a very tranquil occupation, gardening. You can cope with the lunacy of theatre or television better when you're surrounded by plants and flowers. I live very simply. I don't eat meat because I hate to see any living creature slaughtered. I'm interested in healthy living. I've given up smoking and drinking. No salt, sugar or coffee. I'm not passing judgement on anyone else. It's just how I feel.