Neil Grainger is an actor from Middlesbrough, who will be starring in the new series of Smoggie Queens on BBC3. The show starts tomorrow. I was delighted to put some questions to him.
Tell us about yourself and how you got into acting
Hello. I’m Neil. A Middlesbrough born and bred actor, now living in the midlands via a quarter of a century living in the big smoke. I’m a husband and a dad to a magnificent seven-year-old called Finley. Oh, and I’ve also been in a fair few TV show over the years but none that I’m more proud to be involve with than Smoggie Queens.
In truth, I started acting when I joined Middlesbrough Little Theatre Juniors because a girl I fancied went there. To my surprise, it was the acting (and not the girl) that I fell in love with. I then went on to Stockton and Billingham college to do a BTEC and then made the leap to move south and do a drama degree at Middlesex University in London. Being in London was a huge factor to getting seen in fringe theatre by agents and once I secured my first agent, my career sort of started from there. It’s been 25 years now and still not ou
You have had an impressive range of parts and acted in many well-known and popular shows. Do you have a favourite part or types of parts?
Why, thank you. I must say, I’ve been pretty lucky not to have been type cast over the years, so I’ve been able to play a real spectrum of characters from soap bad boy to cheesy club singer to loveable odd ball Neil in Smoggie Queens. I do love the variety and the challenge of flexing between drama and comedy. If I had to choose, it’s the out and out comedy characters I probably enjoy the most. I played an amazing character in BBC sitcom Hebburn called Gervaise. He was a delusional pub singer who thought he was a superstar. The amount of fake tan I had to wear meant that I would wake up in my hotel with brown bed sheets. I had to leave notes for the cleaning staff in case they thought it was something else.
And on a similar subject, I see you have done stage shows as well as TV. What do you see as the benefits and challenges of each?
The benefit of live theatre is it’s always an exciting experience as every performance is different, however, I personally feel most at home on a TV set. Theatre is about projecting a performance to fill the room, and TV is about internalising your performance to fit down the camera lens. The actors that inspire me are the ones who can be subtle and natural, yet powerful. TV and Theatre are two different skills and I believe the truly great actors are the ones who can switch effortlessly between the two.
Do you feel that the North East is represented in British media and by extension British culture?
I would say that part of the North East is represented very well. The culture of Newcastle, Northumberland and the Geordies are a strong part of British Culture, however, there is more to the North East than that. I think that Teesside has been overlooked in British culture for many years. I always say that I have been a professional Geordie impersonator for most of my career as Teesside and the Teesside accent was never represented on TV other than maybe Vic and Bob, but hopefully times are changing. That’s why I love Smoggie Queens so much because it’s helping to raise the profile and voice of Middlesbrough and Teesside.
Tell us your thoughts about how comedy and humour can be used to change and challenge views in drama and the arts? How does this work in Smoggie Queens?
Comedy is an incredibly powerful device to unite people and break through boundaries. Yes, Smoggie Queens has LGBTQ+ characters but the humour is universal. As a straight man living in a little village in the countryside, I meet people all the time who I see struggle with the idea of watching a ‘gay’ sitcom, not because they are bigoted but because they think it’s not for them. I also see their response after they’ve watched it and realised that it’s just a funny show and maybe these characters who they see as being different to them have a lot more in common with them than they think.
What advice would you give to aspiring actors and comedians in the North East?
I’d say don’t think you have to be in London to make it happen. I moved to London 30 years ago because that’s where you needed to be to make it as an actor. With the BBC investing heavily in North East comedy and more and more productions filming in the region, it’s a perfect time to be part of an ever-evolving pocket of creativity. I was always afraid of my accent and my northernness. Embrace it and build your voice and your talent around it.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not acting?
Firstly, I’m a huge Middlesbrough football fan but, as I type, we are currently in the process of throwing away our season so I don’t want to get into talking about the Boro right now or I might cry.
I also love to cook, specifically Japanese food and even more specifically, Ramen, however, my big love right now is gardening. I have become completely obsessed with growing vegetables, composting and sowing seeds in the greenhouse. I’m even in the process of building a Japanese garden currently which combines two loves, takes up most of my free time and is the most middle-class hobby anyone has ever had.
What is your message to the world right now?
Keep being kind. It doesn’t feel like it right now but kind will always win.
Is there anything we didn’t ask that you’d like to tell us?
I’m a proud patron of Zoe’s Place, Middlesbrough- an amazing hospice that supports parents across the region who have children with life limiting or life debilitating conditions. If you don’t know of them, please look them up and help support keeping their doors open. They really are the pride of Teesside.
Goodbye.
The new series of Smoggie Queens can be seen on BBC3 starting Friday 15 May
