KATHERINE MACALISTER talks to the very familiar faces starring in Von Ribbentrop’s Watch at the Oxford Playhouse.

In a week which sees the last episode of The Bill airing, it’s inevitable that Andrew Paul ends up discussing his role as Pc Dave Quinnan which he played for 13 years.

But rather than being relegated to the world of celebrity reality shows when he left the prime time drama, Andrew nabbed a top role in ITVs Where The Heart Is and is now back on stage in Von Ribbentrop’s Watch.

“The Bill ended so many years ago for me but I have very many happy memories of my time there. It was my decision to leave though. My kids were still quite young and I had been away from them working. Plus I was itching to do other work. So it was a life/work/balance thing.

“But then it’s always a gamble and I was fortunate to get Where The Heart Is.

“Being a well known face can work for or against you,” Andrew says. “But when you set out to be an actor all you want to do is try to work and you have to deal with everything that comes with it.”

So was he pleased to get the part in Von Ribbentrop’s Watch?

“I would have bitten my arm off to be in it because I play such an interesting character,” he exclaims.

So what’s the fascination? “Well I play a widower called David who lives in the shadow of his brother, and there is something rather pathetic about him which effects the dynamics between them,” he explains.

So it must be nice to play someone less ‘in your face’ than Pc Quinnan?

“In terms of theatre I have played a broader range of characters,” Andrew says defensively, “but it’s always a challenge. You just have to keep going until you become comfortable with your character and I’m not there yet.

“At the moment we’re getting to know each other and going full steam ahead which is notoriously stressful. But it’s the same experience for everybody so we all get nervous.”

“But then the best time for an actor is when you put the phone down from your agent because the strains and stresses of the job haven’t begun yet,” he grins.

Von Ribbentrop’s Watch isn’t the only thing on Andrew’s mind because one of his children has just got his A-Level results. “Every parent knows the strains and stresses, and A-Levels is just another one of those,” he laughs. “The worries don’t stop, they just change, leaving the parent in a perpetual state of anxiety.”

So is he encouraging them to follow in his footsteps? “My children enjoy drama but they also know the realities and the difficulties of staying in employment because they’ve been in the thick of it. And the world of acting is fiercely competitive. But I don’t feel bad about that because every field is these days,” Andrew says before adding: “You have to be very thick-skinned to survive in this industry. But if you have a passion for something that helps and it always helps if you enjoy your work.”

* Von Ribbentrop’s Watch runs at Oxford Playhouse from next Thursday until September 18. Box office on 01865 305305.