Shaun Williamson tells KATHERINE MACALISTER how he went about taking on Ronnie Barker’s iconic role in the stage version of Porridge.

THE urge to call him Barry rather than Shaun had me digging my fingers into my palms.

‘Just think of everything else Shaun Williamson has been in except EastEnders’ I kept reminding myself.

He was huge in Ricky Gervais’s Extras, starred in the Hollywood film Daylight Robbery, currently dominates BBC kids TV favourite Scoop, did brilliantly in Fame Academy and is receiving rave reviews for his lead role in the stage version of cult comedy classic Porridge. So drop the Barry!

But it’s easier said than done, because not only does Shaun have a wicked sense of humour, but he’s also very self-deprecating, just like Barry, and he mentions EastEnders a lot.

Try to get him to pat himself on the back, however, and you’ve got your work cut out, because he doesn’t do praise, even when half the country is raving about his performance as Fletcher, coming to Oxford’s New Theatre from next Thursday.

But as with so many comics, he has a melancholy side, and Shaun admits that stepping into his hero Ronnie Barker’s shoes, was no mean feat. “Well Porridge, inset, was comedy gold, alongside Only Fools and Horses and Fawlty Towers. It was an iconic role,” he tells me seriously. “And while physically me and Ronnie are both alike – I’m the same age as he was when he first landed Porridge, and we both like pies and have the same waistbands – I decided right from the start not to impersonate Ronnie, because he was a genius and I would only come in second best, so I just do it as me. But luckily I can do comedy and I love being on stage which is why I’m enjoying it so much.”

Judging by the reviews Shaun is a natural jailbird. So did he ever get on the wrong side of the law then? After all he did grow up on a dodgy council estate in Maidstone.

“Yes, I grew up on a rough council estate but I was never in trouble with the police, or rather I never got caught,” he laughs. “But it just wasn’t that kind of life. Both my parents worked and we went on holidays and stuff, so there was no excuse.

“I suppose I dabbled in fighting and grafitti and a bit of vandalism, nothing out of the ordinary for any other council estate in the country at that time,” he shrugs. “And I didn’t get into acting until quite late. I was 28 when I started at drama school and 30 when I landed my role in EastEnders which gobbled me up for nine years, so I’m a late starter.”

But hasn’t he been making up for lost time since! And yet talk about his career and Shaun refuses to boast. In fact quite the opposite, even though CBBC programme Scoop has already been recommissioned for a further two series.

“Lots of actors wouldn’t touch children’s TV with a barge pole because they think they won’t be taken seriously,” he tells me. “But having played Barry for nine years people don’t really consider me for the gangster movies anyway and I want to be a working actor, not sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring.

“But I love Scoop and would love to be part of a whole new generation’s childhood memories. And it’s terrific fun with some great actors and we have a blast. It’s a right laugh.

“But then you’re only as good as the last part you played,” he sighs. Which means he’ll be doing well if Porridge is anything to go by.

“Well yes, most actors would like to say that in a year they’ve managed a tour or West End show, a film and a TV series, so I’m getting there.”

Shaun finds his peace at home in a village in Kent, 12 miles away from where he grew up. “It’s in the middle of nowhere but it’s a nice village and it’s near my mum’s” he says. He lives there with his wife, two daughters and lots of animals, and says the bright lights of London have little appeal these days.

“That was one of the good things about leaving EastEnders, not having to go to those award ceremonies. I’d rather eat my own tongue. In fact the only time I go to London is for work if I have to.

“Yet on tour I’m quite happy because I avoid motels at all costs and stay in a nice self-contained flat, do a big shop to make sure I eat healthily, so while I miss home and my family I’m quite happy. And getting to visit places like Oxford make it all worthwhile.”

Porridge is at the New Theatre from next Thursday. Call the box office on 0844 847 1585 or newtheatre oxford.org.uk