Noel
Clarke is Wyman
 There
were only 11 months off between filming series three and four of
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet but Noel Clarke put his time to good use.
"I've
done lots of writing. I had a short film made and I had a small
part in a film called I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. I also did a play
at the Royal Court called Where Do We Live," Noel says, ticking
off his achievements on his fingers.
"The
play was directed by Richard Wilson and with it I won a Laurence
Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer.
"Working
with Richard Wilson was excellent. He's a great bloke. He was really
supportive and he was the first one to congratulate me when I won
the Olivier Award. He ran down and hugged me!
"And
it's good to be back on Auf Wiedersehen. Wyman is a lot more involved
this time and he has his own problems to add to those of the gang.
And he's taken over from where his dad left off in trying to be
a bit of a ladies' man!
"You
quite often see him chatting up women but he does have one particular
girl who he becomes fond of. They have a bit of a fling including
one of the only bedroom scenes!
"I've
been naked on stage before so it was fine and you don't actually
get to see that much! Wyman's all over anyone in a skirt whereas
I treat women with a little bit more respect."
But
the real headache in Wyman's life is his mum. She gatecrashes a
chat with Dennis when the lads are first planning their trip and
she rather takes a shine to the gaffer.
When
she turns up in Cuba it's hard to know whether Wayne or Dennis is
more embarrassed.
"She's
a young mum so she's quite modern, she's out there but she can be
a bit embarrassing. And no-one likes to think of their mum as going
out with one of their mates.
"It's
not too bad because the guys are older mates as opposed to younger
men. He's a bit shocked by it though."
Like
most of the cast, this was Noel's first trip to the Dominican Republic:
"It
was good fun. I enjoyed being there. It was really relaxed and the
people were all really nice. I even started to learn a little bit
of Spanish as well - but I can't repeat what I learnt!"
In
returning for his second series of Auf Wiedersehen, Noel admits
he's very settled in the cast, even if they do insist on giving
him advice!
"They
know me really well now and it's become an uncle/nephew or father/son
type of relationship. I tease them about being old! There's lots
of banter back and forth and they will talk about things that I
don't even know about because I'm too young.
"We
make lots of jokes about it and it's fine. I lend them DVDs and
films that I'm really into and they do sometimes give me some advice.
"But
when people like Tim Spall and Kevin Whately offer you advice then
you listen!"
A Londoner
whose parents are from Trinidad, Noel always had big dreams of acting
but didn't go to drama school because the cost was too high.
"I
didn't know about things like scholarships so I qualified as a fitness
instructor and went to work in a local gym."
It
was there that he was spotted by the director of Channel 4's Metrosexuality
catapulting him into the controversial series: "I agreed to
come and audition and got the part! So I played the son of two gay
fathers."
He
then went on to appear in The Bill, Casualty and Judge John Deed,
but he is also interested in writing and music.
A keen
rapper, his group BUZ Clique were finalists in Tim Westwood's national
talent contest.
He
is also a founder member of Three Scoops Entertainment scriptwriting
collective and, now that filming of Auf Wiedersehen is complete,
Noel is following up his short film success and working on new screen
material as well a working as an occasional DJ.
Having
joined the country's favourite band of brickies, Noel admits that
he's enjoying his new found fame:
"I
was new to the cast but I knew how popular the show was. Some of
the other cast weren't sure whether people would really want to
see them back on their screens. But I had watched the show as a
kid and I knew it would do well.
"I
got stopped by one man in HMV who came up to and said, 'Your dad
would be proud of you. Yes, old Wayne would be pleased as punch
of you.' I was a bit shocked so I asked him, 'You know he's not
my real dad, don't you?' And he just said, 'Yeah, but he'd be so
proud of you'.
"It
just goes to show that people really relate to the show."
BACK
TO MAIN RELEASE
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