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Actor is building second career in dry stone walls

16/ 4/2008

FROM playing a Prime Minister to building a stone wall ... it’s all in a day’s work for Andrew Readman!

The Padfield-based actor is filming scenes for the new series of hit BBC spy drama Spooks Code Nine, in which he plays a fictious PM — who definitely is not Gordon Brown.

He last appeared on TV as recently as last week as the hospital manager in Casualty 1907. But when not performing he has a totally different life, running his own stonework business. Andrew designs and builds garden patios, walls, water features, tables and all manner of stonework for customers.

He said: "It’s a practical contrast to the acting. It’s well known actors can be out of work at times and when I was doing up old houses I started doing my own stonework. It all went from there. I attended a course at college and have been carrying out all sorts of jobs for the past five years. "I love the physical aspect of it and working with customers."

Yorkshire-born Andrew, 52, was bitten by the acting bug while still at school more than 30 years ago.

"We were taken to see Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon. My mouth dropped open and after school I went to work for the Royal Shakespeare Company for 15 months."

Over the years he has appeared in top-rated TV dramas like Hillsborough and Cracker, in which he played a husband whose wife was allegedly raped by a cab driver.  He also had a six-month spell in Emmerdale and also played a policeman who arrested a young Steve McDonald in Coronation Street at Christmas around 15 years ago.

He also appeared in the film 101 Dalmations, which starred Glenn Close and was filmed at Shepperton Studios.

Andrew’s business — The Stone Works — can be contacted on 07976 244534.