I’m Chris Naylor, a UK-based actor. I trained on the Three-Year Acting course at LAMDA, graduating in 1998. Since then I have played a wide range of parts, including Bob Cratchit in a freezing tent in a BMW factory car park (where I memorably decapitated Tiny Tim live on stage – it was accident, I swear… And he was a puppet), Teiresius under a full moon in an ancient Greek amphitheatre and ten dry ice-filled months scaring the life out of tourists and schoolchildren in the West End in ‘The Woman In Black’.
My earliest formative theatrical influences were Tom Baker and Roger Moore, giving me life-long fondness for ridiculously long scarves and over-active eyebrows. I then graduated to Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins, and have now settled somewhere in the region of Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy and John Gielgud, with a light dusting of Donald Sutherland. But I find myself drifting back to Tom and Roger in moments of nostalgia…
The Actor's Advocate 
Interesting and useful stuff Chris. Did wonder though where Keith Floyd fitted into your influences!
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He taught me how to behave in the pub afterwards…
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I went to ‘An Evening With Roger Moore’ in Bromley recently. Suave and charming as ever.
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Hi Jase! Ah, lovely Roger… Now there’s someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously.
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Caroline Munro said he’s very naughty on set and always trying to make people laugh. A friend of mine who’s a director also said Roger is known in the business as one of the best technical actors ever. Give him a complicated set of directions with explosions going off left, right and centre and he’ll hit his marks ever time.
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Fantastic! I remember one of the Bond stuntmen saying Roger always threw a perfect punch, too.
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Hi Chris
We loved the work at Frederick’s place of Frontier Theatre and Ever Hopeful Rep Season and realise that there really is something in the air. We started up Artful Theatre this year, to promote personal theatre in London and the rest of the UK. With over 30+ years in the theatre Justin and I wanted to combine work for older actors with the best newcomers. Our first production is THE KILLING OF SISTER GEORGE by Frank Marcus. I wondered if you would be interested in writing about the show. Its the 50th Anniversary and is a timely return with a great cast and team behind it.
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Hi Chris,
Just a quick one … I trained (as an SM) at LAMDA some ten years before you in 1984/5. I was horrified to see what was the MacOwan Theatre in Logan Place, as it is now. It certainly got me all nostalgic!
I was wondering if you, or any of the fellow students you contacted have any photos of inside the theatre or inside Tower House.
I’d love to see them if anyone has any.
Cheers
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Hi Doug,
Thanks for getting in touch, and I’m glad you enjoyed the piece. Hmmm, I’ll have a look around! The best place for you to try might be on Facebook – I’m sure there will be a LAMDA alumni group where people will post photos and memories.
If I find anything, I’ll get in touch.
All the best,
Chris
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