Nicholas Osmond - Leon the barman
20 August 2009

Nicholas Osmond plays the smooth talking Aussie who has tempted cautious Helen into a relationship.

Nicholas Osmond (Leon)

Nick was born in Australia and lived for several years in Ocean Grove, about two hours drive from Melbourne (coincidentally, Leon was written as having come from Melbourne, which meant an easy selection of accent for Nick). He moved to the UK in his early teens and after his A levels he studied at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.

Since qualifying, he's had a busy career in theatre and TV. Although his "normal" voice is a pleasant southern counties English, his authentic Australian tones have been called on for readings and voiceovers, including a series of commercials for the uber-Aussie brand, Fosters lager.

But The Archers is his first experience of radio drama. "It was a lovely surprise to be approached", he said. "My mum was terribly impressed when I got the job." One of Nick's childhood memories is of coming home from school to hear The Archers with his mother while she prepared dinner. "It was strange, because I knew so many of the voices, like Tony Archer - and Colin [Skipp, who plays Tony] was one of the first people I met when I arrived at the studio."

Nick quickly had to get to grips with the techniques of radio acting. "It was nerve racking. Not only was it such a steep learning curve, but everyone else is so good at it and they've been doing it for so long. But they were all very friendly and helpful."

And what does Nick think of Leon? "Like a lot of Australians, he's travelled a lot, but he's not the typical Aussie beer drinking bloke. He's got a spiritual side to him, and I think he was attracted to Helen because she's slightly unusual."

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