![\"Editorial](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SEI_268465298-0d1f.jpg\")
\n\t\t\u2018I was 27 when I first earned a paycheck as an actor,\u2019 Larry Lamb told Metro (Picture: Ken McKay\/ITV\/Rex Features\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\u2018I was 27 when I first earned a paycheck as an actor,\u2019 Larry Lamb told Metro (Picture: Ken McKay\/ITV\/Rex Features\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n
Larry Lamb<\/a> owes his entire career to a stroke of luck.<\/p>\n He tells Metro: \u2018I was leaving one job, and somebody had told me about auditions going on for a local theatre company. I was going to do it, and I wasn\u2019t going to do it. I took someone out for lunch and said, \u201cI\u2019ll walk you back to your car.\u201d Turned out he\u2019d parked his car outside the theatre where the auditions were going on.<\/p>\n \u2018As I said goodbye, I thought to myself, \u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d So I ran down the road to where I knew there was a phone box, and phoned the theatre just to see \u2014 and they said, \u201cCan you get here right now? Somebody\u2019s dropped out.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n The rest is history. From there, Lamb carved out a unique 50-year career. In the last two decades alone, he\u2019s played both one of the most hated and most loved men on British television \u2014 EastEnders<\/a>\u2019 rapist Archie Mitchell<\/a> and Gavin and Stacey<\/a>\u2019s unsung hero Mick Shipman.<\/p>\n The last half-century of his life has been defined by that stroke of luck. \u2018I certainly wouldn\u2019t be here talking to you,\u2019 he grins. I can\u2019t read if that\u2019s a good thing\u2026<\/p>\n Acting wasn\u2019t always the plan. Until his late twenties, Lamb travelled the world working in the oil and energy industry. He worked in the US, Canada and Libya, and caught the acting bug performing in university plays in Nova Scotia.<\/p>\n \t\t He wasn\u2019t born into privilege, but he wasn\u2019t exactly struggling before breaking into acting either.<\/p>\n \u2018I was 27 when I first earned a paycheck as an actor, and it was about five times less than what I\u2019d been getting before,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n \u2018I took about a 500% cut in wages to be an actor. I\u2019d been a really keen amateur actor, and this was a golden opportunity \u2014 but when they saw what I earned, they said, \u201cWe can\u2019t come anywhere near that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018I was earning less than I used to spend on a big drinks bill.\u2019 He soon landed small parts in The New Avengers TV series and Christopher Reeve\u2019s first Superman film, before his big break as Matt Taylor in Triangle. With his undeniable good looks and obvious charm, Lamb\u2019s career swiftly snowballed \u2014 and he\u2019s barely stopped since.<\/p>\n \t\t It was recently reported that Lamb was retiring from TV acting<\/a>, with his last on-screen performance airing last Christmas Day in the Gavin and Stacey finale<\/a>. Bowing out after the biggest moment of his career would be an effortlessly cool move, but he insists he\u2019s far from done with acting.<\/p>\n \u2018Some journalist added two and two together and came out with five,\u2019 he says. \u2018You don\u2019t retire as an actor \u2014 you suddenly realise the phone isn\u2019t ringing.\u2019<\/p>\n Ruth Jones and James Corden are currently working on the follow-up to Gavin and Stacey \u2014 an Apple TV series reportedly called The Choir \u2014 after signing a seven-figure deal. Does Lamb hope the phone will ring again with Jones and Corden on the other end?<\/p>\n \u2018Of course, yeah,\u2019 he says. \u2018But it\u2019s all about stamina. It\u2019s all about whether you can take the workload doing something like that. The workload is heavy, it really is, and as you get older, you\u2019ve got to be realistic. I can\u2019t work day after day with five o\u2019clock starts and eight o\u2019clock finishes.\u2019<\/p>\n He adds with a smile: \u2018If they\u2019ve got a couple of days for a little old boy sitting in an armchair, I\u2019ll be up for that.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t It\u2019s hard to believe Lamb isn\u2019t still inundated with job offers \u2014 particularly as arguably the most loved character in one of the most successful British television shows of the last two decades.<\/p>\n The phone is still ringing, he concedes \u2014 just not with the opportunities he\u2019s interested in.<\/p>\n \u2018After Gavin and Stacey, the offers I get all seem to be about working with old people. I said to my agent, \u201cDo me a favour \u2014 just keep your eye out for something involving working with young people. That\u2019s what really interests me.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n Thankfully, another stroke of luck recently came his way.<\/p>\n Lamb is fronting a new campaign with 29-year-old social media star Ash Holme for Sky Glass, which has conducted a deep dive into the nation\u2019s rites of passage into adulthood.<\/p>\n \t\t According to its data, almost half of Brits say buying a home is the ultimate sign of \u2018making it\u2019 as an adult, ranking above getting married or having a child. One in four Brits sees buying their own television as a more significant step into adulthood than walking down the aisle or raising a family.<\/p>\n \u2018It was a relief to find that young people are prioritising buying a home over marriage,\u2019 says Lamb, who is now very happily single after two divorces.<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s a reality check and, frankly, it\u2019s sensible \u2014 because I feel that before you start settling down to create a new life with somebody, and potentially creating more lives, you need to get yourself established. You need to know who you are and have a life of your own before you start linking up with someone else. I\u2019m all for it.\u2019<\/p>\n Getting a grown-up telly has never been easier, with the Sky Glass Air 4K TV available from just \u00a36 a month.<\/p>\n Got a story?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n![\"**](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/PRI_85266977-fb31.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe actor recently played Mick Shipman in Gavin and Stacey for \u2013\u00a0supposedly \u2013\u00a0the last time (Picture: BBC\/Baby Cow\/Neil Bennett)<\/p>\n
But acting was all Lamb wanted to do. The ascension from amateur theatre to screen didn\u2019t take long.<\/p>\n![\"Television](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AY_35300173-94d2.jpg\")
\n\t\tArchie Mitchell was one of the biggest antagonists in EastEnders (Picture: BBC)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/shutterstock_editorial_11889604ds-35e0.jpg\")
\n\t\tHe has led a prolific career \u2013\u00a0including doing I\u2019m A Celebrity in 2016 (Picture: ITV\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"***](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SEI_271172768-899f.jpg\")
\n\t\tNow, Larry is exploring how young people take their first steps into adulthood in a Sky Glass campaign (Picture: Roy Baron\/PinPep)<\/p>\n