The first book I loved
At boarding school [Nowton Court Prep School in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk] we had to read a Charles Dickens book and do an exam on it at the end of each term. When I was six, I read A Tale of Two Cities. It was a big book for a six-year-old, but I loved it. I thought the imagery was unbelievable.
First music album I bought
With the Beatles. I was about 11 and sat and listened to it over and over again. My grandfather, a high court judge [who sentenced Ruth Ellis], knew I was a fan and invited the Beatles for tea in his judge’s chambers in Newcastle. They came and he got me their autographs.
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First concert I attended
The first pop concert I went to was the Bee Gees in the early Seventies. I went with my older brother, but we couldn’t hear anything because the girls wouldn’t stop screaming. My favourite Bee Gees song is probably Massachusetts.
First pop-inspired fashion trends I adopted
When I was around 14 I wore flared jeans and an American military-style frock coat with a velvet collar. I had very long hair too — that was the look in the Sixties. Carnaby Street was the place for cutting-edge fashion.
First painting I bought
I bought a sort of cut-out Victorian montage a while back and now I collect 20th-century works by British artists. My favourite painting that I own is by Edward Seago — it’s a landscape of where he lived in Norfolk.
Havers with Sue Nicholls Coronation Street
ITV/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
First gallery I went to
There was a gallery in Bury St Edmunds that my parents used to take me to. I remember seeing a snowy landscape once and it was actually snowing at the time, which my father thought made it wonderful enough to buy.
First TV show I enjoyed
I loved The Adventures of Robin Hood on a Saturday night at six o’clock. One day, my dad brought Richard Greene [who played Robin Hood] back to our house for a cocktail after work. I freaked out — I couldn’t speak.
Richard Greene as Robin Hood
ITV
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First film I saw at the cinema
My mother took me to see Bambi. It’s a terribly sad film and I cried a lot — my mother said, “Be quiet or I’ll have to take you out!”
First moment I realised I wanted to be an actor
I could say that when I saw Lawrence of Arabia I thought, “I’d like to be Peter O’Toole,” but really I’d made up my mind before that. I was acting at my boarding school from the age of eight and had been to the theatre quite often, so it just came naturally.
First play I saw
In 1963 the Old Vic put on a production of The Recruiting Officer. Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith were great in it.
First actor to inspire me
There were three of them — Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson. They were the titans of theatre. The style of acting has changed over the years — if you were to watch them now you might think they were a bit over-the-top. But at the time they were the ones to aspire to.
First performance I was proud of
I’ve done a play called Art by Yasmina Reza probably more than any other actor. It’s about three long-time friends whose relationship is pushed to the edge when one of them buys an expensive painting. It’s so well written and I enjoy it immensely.
With Denis Lawson, and Stephen Tompkinson in Art
JON SWANNELL
First moment I got recognised
I don’t remember the first moment, but I get recognised almost every day. People are always charming. Although when I was in Coronation Street I became a bit of a villain and people used to say, “You must pay Audrey back!”
Nigel Havers: Talking B*ll*cks will be touring the UK throughout 2026 (nigelhavers.live)
What are your formative cultural experiences? Let us know in the comments below