Interview : Sam Lupton and Tom Major the stars of Only Fools and Horses at the Royal Concert Hall

Ian: So, how does it feel playing such beloved characters?              

Sam: It's a joy. The first feeling you get when offered the job is elation. First, because you're a jobbing actor who's just got a job. That's great. But then, you realize you've got to play Del Boy, one of the most beloved comedy characters ever, and that's terrifying. But, I was given lots of time to prepare, and we've got a fantastic team. The show is brilliantly written. It's wonderfully directed. So you certainly don't feel you're doing it on your own. It's a complete joy to play, because people love Del Boy, they love Rodney, they love Granddad, and being able to play these characters is a complete honour.

Tom: It's a pressure and a privilege. Obviously, it's a privilege, because the material is amazing, the characters are so well-loved, and that makes our job easier. At the same time, because the characters are so well known, you feel a responsibility to live up to people's expectations. You don't want to disappoint. It’s honouring those characters while making it work for yourself. Not just a mimicry of the characters. 

Ian: So, you’ve made the role your own?

Tom: Obviously, there’s a certain degree of wanting to honour Nicholas Lyndhurst and David Jason. Because it was successful for a reason. People want to come and watch the show and feel that nostalgia, and see those characters that they've watched for years. It’s balancing that aspect but making it work for us as actors. If we just did impersonations, it would looked awkward to the audience, and no one would enjoy what they were doing. So it was about discovering that with our creative team. They gave us scope to explore ourselves. And, we did all our research before. So we were getting pointers from the creative team, but finding our own way. 

Sam: Doing something that was completely different to David Jason would be a huge mistake. The audience love him. Del Boy speaks in a certain way, moves in a certain way. But doing an impression is not acting. An impression would be amusing for a short time, but wouldn't sustain two and a half hours of a story. We've done 200 shows, but the idea of acting is leaving yourself open to new things, new reactions, new ways of saying things. I don’t decide exactly how I'm going to say the lines, because if I did, it would feel dead. Like watching a recording. So it's a mix of the two. Delivering something that people recognize as Del Boy, but also keeping it alive with the opportunity to change it every day. Which is the fun bit, and why it's theatre and not on the telly

Ian: So, the stage version offers something more than the TV show?

Sam: It's live. It's happening. Not on a screen. It's in front of you. There's the spontaneity of it, the opportunity to share something communally. There’s a couple of old sitcoms on stage currently. Only Fools and Fawlty Towers. I'm lucky enough to be in one and lucky enough to watch Faulty Towers in theatre. The joy of watching it communally is amazing. The opportunity to watch it with other fans and laugh together is a different experience and a unique one. 

Ian: What made you want to be actors?

Tom: Uh, I could say all the pretentious things, but I just had a lot of energy that I needed to channel. I couldn't sit still and study, and found myself doing impersonations and putting on shows for my mum and improvising make-believe in the playground. And I thought, if there's a way I can channel this, that would be good. And obviously that's acting.

Sam: I always wanted to become an actor because it's fun. I was taken to the theatre as a kid, and I'm an advocate for youth theatre and getting kids involved in theatre. For instance, I love doing panto because it's a lot of people's first experience of theatre. If you want to get adults in theatres, then you've got to get kids watching theatre. I've always had theatre in my life. I'm not talking Shakespeare, I'm talking pantos and musicals and everything. My first ever job was working in a theatre. I worked the spotlights, sold the programmes, even the ice cream, and I just love the environment. But the short answer is, it's really fun.

Ian: Sam, you're a magician. Is there anything from that skillset you bring to your acting?

Sam: Yeah, there's a constant crossover. Whether you're singing or doing a magic trick or doing a monologue, what you're ultimately doing is to entertain and connect with the people in front of you. To make them laugh or cry or gasp. The skillset is the same. That's the fundamental basic, you've got to connect to your audience. The reason Only Fools was successful is because the writer, John Sullivan, knew exactly how to do that through the script. He knew what was going to make people laugh and grab their hearts and make them gasp and cry. He knew exactly how to do that, when to do it, what way to do it, and that's why the show is so successful. So, to play with those words and that story and feel that reaction every night, that's why it's fun and an honour. 

Ian: Paul Whitehouse played Grandad originally before leaving the cast. What was he like to work with?

Sam: He's a comedy genius. It's not every day you get to work with someone with a CV as long as your arm, but Paul's one of them. If you look at Paul's work, he can do the silly stuff. He can do the serious stuff. Everyone remembers him for ‘oh, suits you Sir’, and the Gone Fishing show. But Paul's done as many serious roles as comedic and he's a fantastic actor. So, I get to work and talk about acting with Paul Whitehouse. And he's lovely while he does it.

Tom: This whole process has been a master class. Paul took me under his wing. He's the most gracious and kind man ever. And the great thing about Paul as well, he's always looking for a new way of doing things. 200 shows in and he's going ‘can we try it this way’? And just acting opposite him has taught me so much. It’s been a privilege.

Sam: And he pays us extra money to say this.

Ian: Tom, this is your professional debut. How did you land the role?

Tom: I got the audition through my agent, and then I thought, Oh, this’ll be interesting. So I did a few auditions. And actually, did one with Sam. We did a little chemistry read, and that was good fun. And then it was a whirlwind, to be honest. It happened in just over a week, which was crazy to go from a new graduate auditioning in the industry, to landing such an iconic role.

I had to wait four months before it got announced, and another two months before we started rehearsals. So there was a big period of doing my research, and going into mental spirals of, how am I going to do this? What’s it going to be like? First job anticipation and anxiety, but yeah, it was an interesting process.

Ian: Any tips for young people wanting to get into theatre?

Sam: I do a lot of teaching, and the amount of people I teach who tell me they haven’t been to the theatre for weeks and weeks. Go to the theatre as much as you can. And watch it. And watch TV, watch Netflix, watch drama. As opposed to just watching reality TV, watch good acting. Get involved. Get into a theatre somewhere, work in it, sell the ice creams, sell the programmes. Join the local youth theatre, join the local amdram, which I did. Just do it. And say yes to everything. If somebody says, ‘do you want to hold this spear in the back of this play, but you won't have any lines,’ say yes. Get on stage and do it. That's my ultimate tip.

Tom: Just consume as much as you can. It doesn't have to be Hamlet, it can be anything, read a play, watch YouTube clips. There's so much access to everything nowadays, so watch as much as you can. Watch clips of your favourite actors. Find really good establishments, (there's great establishments everywhere in the UK) although you might have to travel to get to them. But it's worth it. Make that effort to go and learn and be around people that push you and that are really good. Just go for it.

Ian: How do you deal with stage fright?

Tom: Well, it's obviously energy, isn't it? Being anxious and nervous. That energy is going to be there whether I like it or not, so I channel it into my performance. It's kind of weird now, because 200 performances in, I don't really get nervous anymore. So I trick myself into thinking it's the first show, and harness that.

Sam: You only get nervous if you're slightly unprepared. Prepare as much as you can, and make sure you're well-rehearsed. Learn your lines! With my first ever theatre job, I was struggling. I went to the director, and he asked me ‘do you know your lines the most you possibly could’. And I went, ‘no.’ And he said ‘there's your problem.’ It's all about preparation.

And another tip from the actor Andy Nyman, is instead of saying I'm nervous, say you're excited, because it's the same feeling. But one's negative and one's positive. Change the word nervous to the word excited, then suddenly it's a positive thing.

Ian: Thanks guys, was there anything you wanted to add?

Tom: If you're a fan of the show, you're gonna love it. And if you're not a fan of the show, it's a great musical. Come along and you won't regret it, you'll have a great night out.

Only Fools and Horses the Musical plays at the Royal Concert Hall from Monday 21st April until Saturday 26th April 2025.