It's not all Oscars and ovations. This is a true tale of one man's relentless pursuit of the actor's life. It begins with a boy who nurtured an illicit taste for Gilbert and Sullivan performed in Sussex scout huts, while his friends were, more sensibly, out getting laid and stoned. It is a story of an obsessive who, despite his share of successes, has endured the ritual humiliations of his profession - end-of-the-pier seasons, Christmas panto hell, minimum wages in straight-to-video flops and TV fillers, patently doomed provincial tours with rancid digs, theatre workshop at the sewage works, the challenge of safety training videos and dressing up as a chicken to advertise TV dinners - all in the quest for the elusive perfect role.