ACTOR Richard Mylan plays deputy headteacher Simon Lowsley in the BBC1 series Waterloo Road. Born in Swansea, Richard now lives in Cardiff. A former dancer, he also starred in The Bill, Where The Heart Is, Coupling and Grownups. Waterloo Road is on every Wednesday at 8pm. Follow @waterlooroad for updates.
What was your first car?
It was a red Mini - I bought it for £750 and you couldn’t get it into first until you completely stopped. I hadn’t passed my test at the time so I didn’t take it anywhere – I just took it round private car parks. One day I was sunbathing and I thought I’d take it for a spin. I went in barefoot, all covered in sun cream, and my foot slipped off the pedal – it went straight into a wall and that was the end of it.
How many times did it take to pass your test?
I passed on my second attempt. I learnt in South East London with a driving instructor as everyone else was too scared to get in the car with me. My stepfather Bob showed me how to do the gear change when I was a bit younger so at least I had that down by the time lessons came along.
Who would be your ideal fantasy passenger and where would you go?
It would have to be someone like Gene Kelly, above. We’d go for a big long drive down the west coast of America in an Aston Martin DB5 and I’d ask him loads of questions about all the films he’d been in.
What is your dream car?
A black Bugatti Veyron, below – purely because it’s the quickest car on the planet. It’s so expensive though, I’d never be able to get in one, let alone drive one.
How would you describe your driving style?
I’d say my driving style has definitely mellowed. I’ve still got a bit of the boy racer in me, but only up to the speed limit! When I was working on The Bill, an ex-policeman took me out and taught me ‘progressive driving’, which is when you get to the speed limit very quickly then stay there. Apparently it’s ok to do that …in the right kind of situation. Have I said too much?
Tell me one driving anecdote from your past?
When I was working on Where The Heart Is, I once chauffeured Denise Van Outen and some of her friends to Little Britain Live On Tour and got to go backstage and meet David Walliams and Matt Lucas, above. I’m already a massive fan of Matt, but what made it even better was that he was wearing the naked, fat woman suit for Bubbles DeVere and shouting ‘Champagne! Champagne for everyone!’.
What are you listening to?
I really like Disclosure’s new album Settle, above, and I’m into some really mellow stuff like Little Dragon. You hear them a lot on car commercials so it’s kind of appropriate driving music.
What do you drive now?
Fiat Abarth – 595 Competizione, above. It’s metallic grey with a red stripe and when you press the ‘sport’ button it turns into a beast. It’s a good allrounder – you can chill or have fun in it and I use it more if I needed to get around a bit quicker. I’ve also got a cream and black classic Mini Cooper Sport. I use it in the summer a bit more because Minis generally hate winter and rust very quickly. It’s a great, fun little car and reminds me of summer adventures.
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