Despite 40 years’ acting experience, Robert Powell has lost none of his passion as Katherine MACAlister finds out as he prepares to play an ailing journalist in the hilarious and poignant Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell.

If you a see a man walking around Oxford, head down, refusing to make eye contact, it may be Robert Powell.

While unwilling to let fame stop him exploring the cities he visits on tour, he accepts that with such a bulging portfolio of work under his belt, he has become a household name and face.

“If I make eye contact, people stop me, so it does have it’s disadvantages,” he says with that trade-mark grin. “And a disguise is too obvious.

“Anyone with shades and a baseball hat immediately gives the game away. What’s the answer?”

Wise words. But then Robert Powell has had 40 years to get used to his enormous celebrity.

Hollywood hailed when he played Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth in 1977 and since then, whether playing comedy side-kick to Jasper Carrott in The Detectives, or nurse Mark Williams in Holby City, he’s stayed firmly on our radars.

Now in his 70s, Robert refuses to reduce his workload, and after six years in Holby City, has bounced straight out of the TV studio onto the stage for a harsh tour of Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell, currently garnering rave reviews.

“I knew if I was going to go, now was the time, and I felt deep down that I needed to do something else and get some new stimuli.

“So I don’t miss Holby because I knew before I left that I would be doing this and it was a daunting task just to learn the damn thing.”

For those of you haven’t seen it, Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell depicts a famous journalist trapped overnight in his favourite Soho pub where a host of ex-wives, friends and enemies join him in retracing scenes from a life packed with hysterical and absurd incident.

And yet, despite his 40 years’ experience, Robert said opening night was the scariest moment of his life. “I was as terrified as I’ve ever been,” he admits, “because it was a huge task. Would I be able to learn it? You won’t know until it’s too late. I just hoped the bloke who knew how to do it showed up,” he smiles wryly.

“Because the older you get, the more you realise what you don’t know.”

And show up he did of course. “The first night was a huge success, but I had to allow the person in me who knew what they were doing to take over.

“I’ve been an actor for 45 years now, but haven’t learned to suppress my ego. But then if it doesn’t scare you it’s not worth it. I like to be scared and then to overcome that fear,” he says nonchalantly.

So was Robert lulled into a false sense of security by six years in the TV studio? “No,” he says firmly, “because I always knew how hard theatre was.

“It’s the hardest thing of all second to none. Filming and TV are easy if you know how to do it but theatre is utterly exhausting, and if you’re doing one of the big parts it’s tough.

“Besides I never meant to be at Holby for that long. I balked at doing one year at the beginning which seemed to be a life sentence, not a job.

“But it was a trap because once you start you get enfolded because it’s so continuous and you’re there every day, 52 shows a year. It became my other home and the people I worked with were really lovely. Young people give you a whole new lease of life, and they didn’t treat me like an old geezer so I really enjoyed working with them.”

But instead of getting comfortable, Robert Powell did what he always does – change tack and try something completely different. “People can never quite pin me down because I don’t fit into any normal categories,” he says thoughtfully.

“When I did The Detectives people told me I was committing career suicide by taking a different track. But I do what I want to do and have a ball because I choose things that work for me, things that are novel and create new stimuli.

“And for me humour is utterly vital, it’s my eau de vie because I am essentially a comic actor rather than a serious one and I’m most at home when people are laughing.”

So is the audience laughing in Jeffrey Bernard? “They are roaring. It’s extraordinary. I don't know why I signed up for it, although I’m always trying to prove a point to myself, and I’m having a great time. But if you hear me talk about doing it again, shoot me,” he laughs and then pauses. “Although there is a rumour of me doing a West End play in September, which would give me two and half months of English summer to enjoy at home in Hampstead. And then I’d have to step out onto a plank over shark infested waters all over again.”

* Robert Powell stars in Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell from Monday to next Saturday. Box Office on 01865 305305 or book online at oxfordplayhouse .com