An Actor's Life for Me

An Actors Life For Me

1991 - United Kingdom

Robert Neilson (John Gordon-Sinclair) is an actor who dreams of being a star - alas, the best he has achieved so far is the face of Doberman Aftershave in a TV commercial. Nevertheless, Robert is convinced that stardom is only an audition away. Keeping his feet on the ground is girlfriend Sue (Gina McKee) and his dependently unreliable agent Desmond (Victor Spinetti). Even so, Robert dreams of starring alongside the likes of Hollywood's rich and famous. 

This six episode series was developed for television by Paul Mayhew-Archer from his own BBC Radio 2 series. Gordon-Sinclair reprised the role he played on radio (although the character's name was Robert Wilson) but Sue was originally played by Caroline Quentin and Desmond by Gary Waldhorn. After the single series finished it returned to radio. 

Published on November 27th, 2018. Noel Onely.

Read Next...

An Evening at Home

Canadian husband and wife team Bernard Braden and Barbara Kelly in domestic bliss.

Also tagged Situation Comedy

GBH TV series

Alan Bleasedale's Bafta-nominated political satire drama focussing on the fall of Michael Murray

Also released in 1991

Allo Allo

Created by TV comedy legends Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, who were responsible for some of the longest running sitcoms on British television, 'Allo 'Allo! was a wartime comedy created as a parody of Secret Army.

Also tagged Britcom

Noel's House Party

Take a trip to the Great House at Crinkley Bottom with this essential Saturday night viewing.

Also released in 1991

Faces of Jim

Jimmy Edwards series of one-off sitcoms that introduced a minor supporting character actor who would go on to become 'the guv'nor' of British comedy...Ronnie Barker.

Also tagged Situation Comedy

Chance in a Million

One of the very earliest situation comedy successes for the fledgling Channel 4, Chance in a Million chronicled the misadventures of one Tom Chance, a slightly eccentric, but decent ordinary man with an unnatural ability to warp probability to ludicrous proportions.

Also tagged Situation Comedy

Citizen Smith

John Sullivan's television scriptwriting debut concerned the exploits of would-be Marxist, Wolfie Smith, and the activities of his four-man revolutionary party, the Tooting Popular Front.

Also tagged Situation Comedy

Billy Liar

Adapted from the highly successful novel/play/film by successful writing team Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, this version of Billy Liar was updated by them to make it more relevant to the early 1970s.

Also tagged Britcom

Butterflies TV series

Gently thoughtful, amusing and well observed eighties situation comedy series for the BBC about a seemingly ordinary, contented, middle class suburban housewife who suddenly find herself plunged into the middle of a disorienting, emotionally tumultuous, mid-life crisis.

Also tagged Britcom