‘I like to go to Normandy, be alone and write poetry’

Larry Lamb, 78, is an actor and writer, known for roles in Gavin & Stacey, Triangle, EastEnders and New Tricks. He published his first novel, All Wrapped Up, this year. Born in Edmonton, north London, Lamb splits his time between his homes in Highgate, north London, and Normandy, France. He has four children: Vanessa Clare, 56, George, 45, Eloise, 26, and Eva-Mathilde, 22.

I was born into a war zone at home in Edmonton. My parents fought constantly. When I was nine, my father took my brother, Wesley, and me to live with his mum, and life with Nan was more stable. Our grandparents took us to the Isle of Wight when I was 11, and just getting on the boat was exciting; it was the first holiday I’d experienced where there wasn’t a big row going on and I realised that life could be peaceful.

Desperate to escape England and take charge of my own destiny, I enrolled in an intensive German-language course in 1968, when I was 21. After three months I had learnt enough to secure a job selling encyclopaedias to servicemen in Wiesbaden, a city in the Rhine-Main region where the American air force was headquartered.

One night a friend and I crashed a party in a castle way above the Rhine. I spent the entire evening trying to have my evil way with a woman, but she was having none of it. Eventually, after chatting for hours, she told me: “Larry, you should be an actor.” She took me along to the air base’s drama group and introduced me to the whole concept of amateur theatre, which became my hobby. From that point on, wherever I went in the world, I would find a theatre group to join.

I then worked on pipeline surveys in Libya, which was flat, sandy and not very friendly — Colonel Gaddafi had just seized power. I was able to explore a little of this beautiful country but only along the coastal road, which was safer to drive along. I would lie on the ground, marvelling at the silence of the desert and the sky at night.

When I moved to Canada to work on the pipelines I acted in plays with a Nova Scotian university, before daring myself to audition for the local theatre in nearby Halifax. I got offered a job and that was the start of my new career. Nova Scotia is just extraordinary, with more than 8,000 miles of coastline. If you visit in the summer and the weather’s right, it’s paradise.

• Read our full guide to Canada

I’ve owned a house in the Normandy countryside for 38 years. When we filmed Gavin & Stacey in the 2000s I would go back to France every weekend to see my two young daughters. The commute was a race against the clock, driving from Wales or London to catch a ferry. Making sure I caught the right connections was very stressful, but it was such a joy to get home to my family.

Nowadays, I go there alone and I have a quiet, rural existence, riding my bike, swimming and doing little jobs about the place. In the evenings I’ll often write poetry. When you’re plumbing the emotional depths, total isolation is the way to do it.

The actor has a house in Normandy

ALAMY

I really enjoyed being in Wales filming Gavin & Stacey and the people are very welcoming. Last time, I stayed in a little flat near the sea in Barry and I’d head down to the beach for a swim every morning. I’m not much of a going-out person, so I brought my bike along and would fix myself a meal after the ride.

My first big international acting job was on Christopher Columbus in 1985, which filmed in Spain, Malta and the Dominican Republic. Gabriel Byrne played the title role and I was Don Castillo, his adviser, sidekick and soldier, alongside Faye Dunaway, Max von Sydow and Oliver Reed, who swung from being a lovely fella to a real nightmare when he went on a bender.

• 10 of Spain’s best cities for food

The shoot began in Granada in the winter, staying in a lovely central hotel for six weeks. The city was really dusty and it was before the Alhambra was recognised as an international monument, which we had the run of during filming.

The location scouts found a small restaurant around the back of the cathedral, called Casa Salvador. The focus was on the huge pot on the stove where locals would bring their own pasta to cook. It was there I learnt about Spanish cuisine and developed a passion for serrano ham, olives, suckling pig and good quality rioja — before I stopped drinking.

Lamb filmed Christopher Columbus at the Alhambra in Granada

GETTY IMAGES

The Dominican Republic was largely selected because it was politically stable. But there was unrest simmering that was kept secret from the actors. By the end of the shoot things were so lively on the streets with protesters that we had to be flown out in small groups to the airport for our safety.

For my 60th birthday I wanted to do something active, so I spent ten wonderful days in the Himalayan foothills with my son, George. I’m really averse to long-distance flying and I’d much rather go somewhere by train or bicycle. I would like to go deep into Japan’s islands, though — I’m fascinated by how otherworldly parts of the country are. I would stretch myself to another trip to Nova Scotia before I peg out, because it is magnificent.
The Cheltenham Literature Festival runs from October 10-19, where Larry Lamb will be in conversation with his son, George, on October 17 from 8pm (cheltenhamfestivals.org)

In our weekly My Hols interview, famous faces from the worlds of film, sport, politics, and more share their travel stories from childhood to the present day. Read more My Hols interviews here