'All you need is a good idea and a great way of communicating it to other people.'

What was your route to acting – how did you make it happen?

I went to a fairly science-oriented school in Bath, where I grew up. It wasn’t very arts-focused, and it tended to lead people on to the university route.

However, I got involved in a local theatre company when I was in my teens, which encouraged me to go to the National Youth Theatre in London, and that’s where I really got the bug for acting.

At that point I decided that when I was looking for universities to apply to, I’d also check out drama schools. I was accepted to RADA, and that was the start of it, really. I thought, if I can make a living from this, that would be brilliant.

You’re not really encouraged by careers advisors at school to go into something like acting, because they probably think it’s a bit of a doss! It’s not, it’s quite hard and scary, but the education bodies have a very rigid curriculum, which I think is outdated.

Acting as a profession is really varied; you can do voiceovers, radio, directing, theatre…to say it’s a narrow profession is not viable.

Did networking with friends and peers help you with your career?

Absolutely. Everyone in my year was very close, and we still keep in touch now. For the initial two years after graduation, we tended to watch our contemporaries to see what they were doing, to get leads on parts and auditions, feedback and information; you work so hard on the training that you forget you need to go after the work.

If you decided to give all that up tomorrow and start your own dream business, what would it be?

I’d set up something either in conservation, or, because I’m really interested in food, something to do with organic food; maybe I’d set up my own organic farm. It’s a bit of a pipe dream, but you never know – in a few years, maybe!

What do you think is lacking in the UK at the moment with regards to an enterprising culture for young people?

My brother’s a teacher, and from what I can see, teachers are working to an 80s curriculum, which is already overloaded as it stands.

I think it’s more to do with the relationship between teacher and pupil; there’s an information gap somewhere, with teachers not passing on info to pupils from campaigns like Make Your Mark, and from the government. However, if you have a good teacher, he or she will instinctively be able to spot something in a student which they can encourage.

My own experience was that I wasn’t particularly encouraged in the arts, so I pretty much became determined to prove that I could make it. Friends of mine are very good at saying to me that I shouldn’t ever apologise for getting good jobs now, because I took the gamble initially and this is it paying off.

Your character in “This Life”, Egg, started his own restaurant – have you played any other enterprising characters?

Simon from Teachers was kind of enterprising, but only to his own ends! Playing Egg, though, was definitely interesting; there’s nothing more upsetting than meeting someone who is miserable in a job they don’t want to be in, which was Egg’s situation after studying law for years, and realising when he got a job in a law firm that it just wasn’t for him.

So many people are in this situation, and it’s horrible. However, for someone to make the decision to make a go of something else is great – Egg was enthusiastic, he believed in it, and he got a lot of joy from working for himself.

In some ways, my position is similar; I can turn down work if I don’t like the idea, so the jobs I do choose are because I’ve got genuine enthusiasm for them. There is no greater incentive for getting up in the morning than for your own business or idea.

Egg is a modern day misguided soul who is an impassioned entrepreneur. He didn’t actually have a clue what he was doing, but he learned along the way. There certainly seems to have been a boom in the catering industry; more and more people are setting up their own restaurants, cafes, etc. It’s a good thing!

Do you know anyone who has started their own business?

I have a friend who set up the Ted Baker label… he’s now turned it into a very successful global brand. He has a team of young people working for him with whom he communicates really well. There’s an open plan office, people are encouraged to make suggestions, it’s a very democratic system. He’s good at saying yes to people, and listening to what they have to say.

What would you say are the most important characteristics a young, budding entrepreneur needs?

I’d say people skills, far more than any kind of academic qualifications. All you need is a good idea and a great way of communicating it to other people. If you have good social skills, and are good at getting your idea across, you’re halfway there.