This Is Your Life: Clive Mantle

Clive MANTLE (1957-)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Clive Mantle, actor, was surprised by Michael Aspel while filming an episode of the BBC medical drama series Casualty in Bristol.

Clive, who was born in Barnet, was a chorister in the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, for four years while studying at the boarding school Kimbolton School in Huntingdonshire. After becoming interested in theatre, he appeared in 11 productions of the National Youth Theatre between 1974 and 1978. He later trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1980.

In 1984, he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance as Lennie in Of Mice and Men. In the same year, he was cast as Little John in ITV's Robin of Sherwood. After playing several minor roles in such Hollywood films as White Hunter Black Heart and Alien 3, Clive was cast in 1992 as Dr Mike Barratt in BBC television's Casualty, a role which made him a household name.

"You are joking! You're joking me! The wind-up that has gone on! Intravenous vodka drip would be nice! Can I just lie down for a couple of minutes?"

programme details...

Edition No: 928
Subject No: 905
Broadcast date: Wed 25 Oct 1995
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Thu 28 Sep 1995
Repeated: Thu 26 Oct 1995 2.35pm
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 36
Edition: 8
Code name: Shelf

on the guest list...

Zoe - wife
cast members of Casualty
Patrick Robinson
Ian Bleasdale
Pat - mother
Richard - brother
Keith - brother
Michael Praed
Ray Winstone
Judi Trott
Phil Rose
Nikolas Grace
Dr George Guest
Geoff Coles
Peter Osgood
Ian Hutchinson
Ronnie Harris
Peter Bonetti
Derek Fowlds
Richard Hope
Rob Hyland
Simon Dutton
Kate Buffery
Daniel Parker
Damian D'Oliveira
Neal Radford
Steve Rhodes
Richard Illingworth
Lou Hirsch
Daniel Peacock
David Patrick
Gary Olsen

production team...

Researcher: Ian Brown
Writer: Ian Brown
Director: Brian Klein
Associate Producer: John Graham
Executive Producer: Peter Estall
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

An Actor's Life For Me

spotlight on the stars

The Night of 1000 Lives

a celebration of a thousand editions

Patrick Robinson

Interviews

Clive Mantle recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in June 2023

Screenshots of Clive Mantle This Is Your Life

Absolute Music Chat website 22 June 2019

In Conversation with Clive Mantle

An extract from an interview with Paula Courtney

PC: I saw a clip from This Is Your Life: was it a complete surprise that they chose you to be featured? That programme was massive back in the day.

CM: Vast. By that time I was lucky enough to be in Casualty and that was all obviously going pretty well for me. I loved doing it, it was a wonderful job, it was so lovely to play someone so constructive, it was fantastic and very nice people again, a lot of laughs and a lot of very good work. This Is Your Life came completely out of the blue. I think I'd been working for 21 straight days because of the schedule and I was sort of near the end of my tether... I had this day off and I thought, 'Thank goodness, I can do some ordinary things and breathe again,' and this phone call came to say, 'You have to come in. They've messed up the filming from yesterday,' or whatever, 'You've got to come in and film that one scene again.' I went a bit grand on the phone, 'Do you realise I haven't had a day off..?'

PC: This is bloody ridiculous!

CM: So I got a bit grand, and I knew there was an equity rule that if you worked 21 straight days you got some sort of penalty payment, so I quoted this to the very nice caller (I can't remember who it was now) and they went, 'Oh well Clive we will look into that but we really need you to be here.' So I turn up to re-film the scene we'd done the day before and we were rehearsing, and instead of the actor who was meant to be standing there with me... of course when we went for a take and I burst in... there was Michael Aspel! It was brilliantly conceived and brilliantly carried off and I'm very glad I didn't get my day off. It was lovely but it was a long, long time ago.

Series 36 subjects