I’m no Denzel Washington, but my career has been amazing...
AWARD-WINNING PERFORMER CLIVE ROWE CHATS TO ABOUT DOCTOR WHO, TRACY BEAKER AND THE ART OF BEING A HIP HOP BADGER
I D O. I was in one episode of Doctor Who – the Christmas special The Voyage Of The Damned – and four years in Tracy Beaker, but everyone always says ‘ You were in Doctor Who’.
My career is extraordinary. I’m no Denzel Washington, but it’s been amazing – a bit of film, T V, musical theatre, Shakespeare, comedy. It’s all down to my fantastic agent Maureen. She says : ‘They are looking for a 20-year-old Caucasian male ... let’s send Clive.’ school and also the top girl in the yard. No-one messes with Ratty. She is applying for university and looking ahead but is afraid it will spoil her credibility. and body popping came along and I couldn’t do it. I physically couldn’t do it. I salsa dance, that’s my exercise, but I haven’t been able to do that for a few weeks because of my knee. I’ve been going home and watching Netflix. I binged on Star-Trek Deep Space Nine – all seven seasons, 176 episodes, 45 minutes each episode. (Laughs) I’m never going to do that again.
You’ve appeared in hit musicals like Me And My Girl, Chicago and Kiss Me Kate. Is there any show you’d still love to do?
I LOVE singing and my voice has got me some incredible work. I’m most at peace when I’m singing on stage and it is all going right. I’d love to do Sweeney Todd one day. I doubt it will ever happen, but I’d love to do my version. (Laughs) I’m vocally wrong – it’s not the right key for me – and I’m the wrong shape but, if they can change it for Johnny Depp, they can change it for me.
I love doing new work as well like In The Willows. It is an amazing show and the songs are just fantastic. accolade for me. You have to be nominated for a MBE and just the thought that someone thought ‘Clive Rowe deserves one of these’ and wrote in to nominate, I find very touching. I’D be in Tesco or working in a factory, or maybe I’d be working front of house or backstage at a theatre because my love of theatre is so strong.
I’m not the most academic person in the world. I think I’d be working five days a week, the pub on Friday night, Sunday lunch and back at work on Monday. And, you know, I would be OK with that. (L AUGHS uproariously) It would be a very long meal – four or five years at the minimum.
Off the top of my head, and if it’s going to be my last meal, I would start with something simple like avocado prawns with brown bread.
The main course is a bit of a quandary, probably a big roast but it would have to be a superb roast, not something covered with dodgy gravy. Maybe pork belly or lamb and then my mum’s rice pudding, the best dessert wine and port and cheese.