God’s Carnage Theatre Royal, Bath February 3 to February 14Tickets: £15.50 to £31.50 01225 448844 Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham February 16 to 21 Tickets: £10 - £25 01242 572573 Award winning actor Roger Allam once spent three days preparing and cooking a duck - the French way - for a party.

“I was in my early 20s, a student and loved doing the elaborate French stuff,” said Roger.

“ I lived in a bedsit and started doing this duck recipe. I marinated it, stuffed it with minced pork, sewed it back up and wrapped it in pastry and three days later it was ready. I was sick of it by then.”

He admits that he still has a passion for cuisine and does most of the cooking in his home. “I came to like it through greed and gluttony.” he said.

The London-born actor won’t have much time for cooking in the next few weeks as he is about to tour with Richard E Grant in God’s Carnage, written by Yasmina Reza.

Yasmina was the author of the award-winning comedy drama called Art.

When I caught up with Roger he was deep in rehearsal. “We are on our third run through,” he said. “It’s going well and we have a great cast. I saw God’s Carnage in the West End. I was in Art by Yasmina, so that’s what attracted me to the part.”

Roger has worked with many well known names in various movies and stage productions including most recently X-Files star Gilian Anderson, Jodhi May, Tamzin Outhwaite and Helen Mirren in the blockbuster movie of 2006, The Queen. He played the part of her private secretary Robin Janvrin. I asked him how much research he had done before playing a living character and member of the royal household.

“A lot of it was getting the voice right. I did it posh and it was funny at the read through. But the royal advisor we had said it was too posh. I was disgruntled,” he said.

The actor said he didn’t have a problem playing the Queen’s secretary because Robin Janvrin was not seen on television or film every day so he wasn’t instantly recognisable to the public.

“In terms of the film no one knows who Robin Janvrin is, except his friends and the royal family,” said Roger.

“But I still tried to make him as authentic as possible.”

As for working with Helen Mirran, the actor said it was a real pleasure.

“I worked with her before when I played her best friend and we get on well,” he said.

Roger is no stranger to the small screen either, having featured in a number of dramas including Morse, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Midsummer Murders.

“They are an actor’s bread and butter,” he said. “I do watch them too.”

The actor was in the cast of the original London production of Les Miserables as Inspector Javert, and then when the BBC did a radio version he played Jean Valjean.

“It was interesting doing the radio as it was the full dramatisation, there was loads cut for the musical.” he said.

Roger has scooped two Laurence Oliver Awards for best actor and best supporting actor, he is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and will be back on our TV screens shortly in the next series of comedy The Thick Of It.

-flicky Harrison Factfile: Born: October 26 1953 in Bromley by Bow Live now: Richmond Family: Father a vicar.

Own Family: two children William, nine and Thomas, four Training: Manchester University studying drama Music: Likes classical and jazz Sports: Rugby at school Inspiration: Seeing Rozencrantz And Guildernstern Are Dead in the cheap seats at the National Theatre while studying Hamlet at school Films: Wilts, V For Vendetta, The Wind That Shakes The Barley and A Cock And Bull Story Other TV: The Curse Of Steptoe, Foyle’s War, RKO and Heartbeat,