Take a trip to slumberland

Let Irish actor Jamie Dornan be your guide to the land of nod

In a way, Jamie Dornan – or at least the characters he portrays – might be ideal candidates for a bit of sleep therapy. Whether constantly looking over his shoulder in Australia hitman seriesTheTourist,oras father of the young

Kenneth Branagh in war-torn ‘Belfast’, the actor has taken on a few roles that don’t involve getting a solid eight hours (and the less said about Christian Grey in the ‘50 Shades’ series the better…)

So a new six part series, ‘Sleep Sound with Jamie Dornan’, may be just what any insomniacs required to get off to the land of nod.

In fact, the far-off lands we visit with the Irish actor as our guide form something of an alternative travelogue. With self-explanatory titles such as ‘Namibian Desert’ or ‘Swedish Dusk Chorus’ it’s all aimed at a relaxing end to your day.

But whether waves crashing on a Mexican beach, or a thunderstorm in the Amazonian jungle, each comes with the Ulsterman’s dulcet tones soothing your way to slumber.

The actor actually says that his favourite sound in the world is of his children laughing together.

Dornan shares daughters Dulcie, Alberta and Elva with his wife, musician and composer Amelia Warner (left) – and says the sound that makes himhappiestis:“thecollective of all my children laughing at the same time, that’s a rarity.

“All you want is your kids to get on with each other and not pull each other’s hair out and scream at each other and say hurtful things to each other, which they spend a lot of their time doing.

“So when they are all laughing together, that is the best thing.”

Dornan also revealed he is often accidentally obliged to sleep in the nude.

He said: “Usually I travel and I forget pyjamas ... so more often than not naked, even if the plan was to wear something.

“I can never find pyjamas I like and thenIdidrecentlyI waslike‘Theseare class, what are these?’ and they honestly cost about £400 and I felt ‘I’m not payingthatforsomething you sleep in,’ even though you spend a big chunk of your life sleeping and you probably should invest in that sort of thing.”

Theactor also spoke of that he now misses a “vivid and visceral” recurring dream of flying over Belfast, which“weirdly”stoppedwhen he left the island of Ireland in his twenties.

Also part of his childhood winding-down process was a favourite bedtime story, ‘Funny Bones’, about “a dark dark street in the dark dark town,” although he admits that his kids aren’t as into it as he was.

Dornan’s top tip for a calm night’s slumber is: “Create a calmenvironment…ifyouhave the time and inclination, run a bath and make it too hot so you sort of faint your way to sleep, that seems to work for me.”

He also admits to talking in his sleep – “nothing particularly coherent – and being a snorer too – “unfortunately… for my wife!”

Sleep Sound with Jamie Dornan is available now, free for Audible members or with Audible’s 30-day trial.