Ex-Emmerdale star Ray Coulthard’s royal stage role calls for majestic acting

IT was quite a prospect for actor Ray Coulthard.

In a role made famous by one of our best-loved actors, who deservedly won an Oscar for his performance.

That was what Ray had to contend with when he agreed to play George VI in the UK theatre tour of The King’s Speech.

The movie made £250 million worldwide and scooped no fewer than four Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Colin Firth’s portrayal of stammering “Bertie”.

“Yeah, no pressure, then!” laughs Ray, who’s delighted to be back on stage after focusing on TV roles in Emmerdale, Hotel Babylon and Mr Selfridge.

“Bizarrely, about three days after I was offered this, I was in London having an audition for a play and I bumped into Colin.

“I did The English Patient with but hadn’t seen him for a few years.

“So I did get to speak to him about it.

“Obviously he had a fantastic time doing it and it did wonders for him, but I didn’t worry about it too much.

“I’ve done a lot of Shakespeare, and everything you tackle in Shakespeare, six million people have done it before you, so you can only do your version.”

When you play a stammerer, that adds a bit of a wrinkle to simply learning your lines.

Ray, 46, admits: “I’ve been doing this for 24 years and rarely does a part come along when you feel you get to use everything you’ve learned over those years.

“However, this is one of those.

“There are the physical demands because of the stress it puts into your body, your throat and your jaw I’m already seeing an osteopath actually!

“The challenge is not how to stammer but when because you could end up with a six-hour play.

“It’s doing it enough so it’s clear it’s absolutely debilitating and to remind the audience he stammers. But for a man who stammers, he says an awful lot!

“I watched a lot of George VI on YouTube, Pathe News stuff.

“When he stammered, his eyes would close, his jaw would tighten, his chin would drop to his chest and he’d just sort of stop.

“It wasn’t a sort of ‘Pu-pu-pu-pu’ stammer, he just sort of closed down like a spasm he couldn’t get out.

“That process of closing down, it’s like you genuinely close your brain down.

“So when I put a couple extra in, when I came back out, I didn’t know where the hell I was or what I was meant to say next!”

Ray’s co-star as Lionel Logue, the man who cures the King’s speech, is one Jason Donovan.

So, growing up in the late ’80s, did Ray ever once think that he would end up in the dressing-room next to Scott Robinson?

“No! I used to watch Neighbours as a little kid in Ellesmere Port my mother was obsessed by it and Home And Away,” recalls Ray.

“With Neighbours and his huge music career, I assumed he was a lot older than me, but he’s exactly six months older.”

The King’s Speech tours until June. For tickets, visit www.atgtickets.com.