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From bbc.co.uk
16 September 2005
by Colette Wigmore
Neighbour drops by
Mark Little, made famous under the name of Joe Mangel in BBC1's Neighbours, stars in "Serial Killers", a new production which opens at the Derby Playhouse on the 29th October.
There are many who will only remember Mark Little as the stereotypical Aussie bloke from 32 Ramsay Street.
But life has moved on for him in leaps and bounds - and his latest jump has brought him to Derby - to a set that is a far cry from Erinsborough.
Speaking about the production Mark said: "It comes from behind the scenes of the soap opera, that really cynical, jaded area of the writers who have to feed this beast and has a good comic look for the first third of the play, and then it takes a twist."
In the play, Mark takes the part of Screenwriter Alan - one of several who decide to write soap-star heart-throb Andrew Lomas out of the show. The star then takes the storyline of "Heart of Hearts" into his own hands.
"It takes it into a real and a dangerous place. It's been called a 'comedy psycho thriller' because it has a nice edge to it.
"This is a play for modern humans who know that soap exists and want to see a clever portrayal of how that affects us as citizens of the world."
After leaving Neighbours in 1990, he and his family moved from Queensland, Australia, to set up home in Brighton and he has lived there ever since with his wife and two children.
"Australia is a long way away from the world and we decided to make the big step and move country.
"I miss the surf, I miss the ability to go and no one be within two hundred miles of you. But I really enjoy living in England and I like English culture. Brighton was a deliberate choice.
"It's on the beach, the weather was nice and at that time, in the early nineties, it was still a sleepy seaside town."
Mark trained at the National Institute of Dramatic art (NIDA) in Sydney and since moving to England has turned down many acting jobs on the celebrity scene.
"I didn't want to be famous just for being famous.
"When I said 'no' to the celebrity work it meant I didn't work for a couple of years and, with my family who understood that I wasn't just going to do anything, it meant we really had to tighten our belts."
In 1994 Mark became a presenter on Channel 4's hit morning show "The Big Breakfast" and stayed there for three years presenting with the likes of Zoe Ball and Gaby Roslin.
After winning the Laurence Olivier award in 2000 for his one-man West End (London) show "Defending The Caveman" he was back on the acting scene again.
Mark said: "There's not many Aussies who's won one. I'm the only neighbour that's won a Laurence Olivier award so that was very special to me because it's from your peers and it came with a lot of kudos."
Serial killer opens at the Derby Playhouse on the 29th of October and runs for 5 weeks. | | |