Everybody needs good neighbours

I didn't realise that Nasty Neighbours had been a stage play - and a highly acclaimed one. But I liked the fact that its writer and director, Debbie Isitt, is very young, and had lots of mad ideas and was up for improvisation.

My character, Mr Chapman, admittedly quite an unfriendly person on the outside, and his wife (Rachel Fielding) have just moved into a cul-de-sac. He wants to be left alone - and if he lived next door to me, I'd get on with him fine! But his next-door neighbour Mr Peach (Ricky Tomlinson) is too much of a busybody - one of those old geezers who's always poking his nose into other people's business.

Mr Chapman certainly doesn't feel sorry for him - although I do. Mr Peach is a sad old thing - living in the past, no job, the bailiffs on his doorstep. The message behind what is essentially an edgy, black comedy is about what can happen to you when you are 50-plus and everything falls apart.

It could be any suburban cul-de-sac anywhere but we filmed in two houses bought by the film-makers in Birmingham - which was brilliant, because the local people joined in as extras. Ricky was great - always up for being wild. They had this stunt co-ordinator work out the fight scene, but all I saw was Ricky running at me and diving on top of me, which worked well because it made a ridiculous fight look even sillier.

Nasty Neighbours
Cert: cert12