Hornblower heartthrob Jamie Bamber stars in the Old Vic's ambitious production of Shakespeare's Henry IV.

YOU'D better buy a ticket quick for the Bristol Old Vic's latest production before Jamie Bamber's growing
international army of militant fans get in there first.

Twenty-nine-year old Bamber has spawned a plethora of websites devoted to "the worship of Archie Kennedy (his Hornblower alter ego) and his earthly incarnation".

Bamber, flinches slightly at the mention of the websites.

"It's ridiculous," he says squirming uncomfortably in his seat, before rationalising.  "It happens to anyone
when they're in that sort of a successful TV series, you build up a fan base."  But Bamber's fans seem a
little more attentive and passionate than most.  He first began to set pulses racing as headstrong
Lieutenant Kennedy in ITV's Hornblower, alongside, fellow heartthrob Ioan Gruffudd and then went on to
star in Peak Practice and TV epic Band Of Brothers.

Now online temples to the worship of the blue-eyed star include 'The Shrine' and 'Drifting Away To Jamie
Bamber'.

"They're flying whole plane loads out to see Jamie," teases his co-star in the BOV productions of Henry IV
Parts I and II, Gerard Murphy.  "There won't be room for anyone else at this rate."

Bamber looks embarrassed: "All my fans seem to know each other.  It's very strange."

"They're lovely people, " he adds politely.

"They're all coming to see the show.  They know how much I've been wanting to do this.  Some of them are coming to see this from the US."

Bamber is playing the young Prince of Wales, Hal, to Murphy's old rogue Falstaff in what the Old Vic is
billing as "one of the most ambitious and exciting events in British theatre this year".  The cast of 16
will play more than 60 roles with regular Kenneth Branagh collaborator Jimmy Yuill as King Henry.

When I meet Murphy and his costar, they are just a few weeks into rehearsals. Bamber is visibly excited and nervous about his return to the stage.

"It's amazing, but it was very scary at first," he admits.  "When I decided I wanted to be an actor this
is the sort of thing I wanted to do. TV is fantastic, but it wasn't planned.  It just sort of happened."

One of seven children - six brothers and one sister - Jamie St John Bamber Griffith was born in April 1973,
but sensibly changed his name to the less long-winded Jamie Bamber after graduating from the London Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Educated at St Paul's School in London, he went on to study at St John's College, Cambridge, and was awarded a first-class honours degree in French and Italian, although he insists it was a fluke.

But there is no denying that he is an articulate and thoughtful actor.  And he is clearly relishing the
rehearsal process, as well as the chance to analyse and dissect his character.

It's a contrast to the "Lights, camera, action!" of television, even if the hours are longer - rehearsals
are currently running from 10am to 10pm, six days a week.

"Telly never quite gives you that buzz.  I love TV," he adds quickly, keen not to offend (or, perhaps,
thinking of his bank balance), "but this is Shakespeare.

"These are the texts which have measured actors over the centuries."

In previous interviews, Bamber has spoken openly of his ambitions to become a Hollywood star.

He is less brazen these days, but admits that he still wants to get into films at some point.

And, with his birthday just six months away, he's also rather more coy about his plans to be married "by the time I'm 30".

"Did I really say that?" asks Bamber, who has been dating actress Kerry Norton for about a year.  "That's
a tough one.  Let's just say it's no longer the scary threshold that I thought it was.

"I'm very happy with Kerry."

"I think discretion is the better part of valour in this instance," he laughs.  "My birthday is less than
a year away."

For now, Bamber is throwing all his passion and energy into playing what he believes is one of the best
Shakespearean roles for a young actor.

"Hal is an extraordinary role.  I don't know if there's another part in Shakespeare that quite rivals it.  He's
the most akin to the young people that I know - uni educated, privileged, but not knowing what to do with their lives.  Young people who have talent, but are not sure how to use it."

Shakespeare's Henry IV Parts I and II tell the story of King Henry's reign as he struggles to keep his
nation together.

There is an uprising in the North and, as the rebel leader Hotspur marshals his forces, Henry looks to his
son Prince Hal to leave his desultory life behind and take up arms in defence of the crown.

But the young prince is too busy enjoying the life of Riley with lovable rogue Sir John Falstaff, a
professional carouser and closest companion to the heir to the throne.

As the threat of war draws ever closer, Hal must leave the idle days of youth behind and face up to the
challenge of his destiny.

"In Part I, there is youth with no outlet," Bamber explains.  "In Part II, everyone is held to account.
Part I has mercy.

"But, in Part II, there is no mercy.  There is a nasty edge.  Part II is both bleaker and yet, I think,
funnier."

The plays are about a young man's coming of age, the meaning of honour and patriotism, the nature of war and power, and the making of a nation.

Star of the BOV production of 'Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?', Gerard Murphy returns to Bristol to take on
the role of Falstaff.

He will be the only actor to have played both Hal and Falstaff since Ralph Richardson in 1962.  (Murphy
played Hal 19 years ago for the RSC).

"All the characters are ambiguous," says Bamber.  "The king is the king trying to maintain power, but he is
also insecure."

"Falstaff is a sensuous and anarchic character, but is also cruel.

He is jolly, but also depressive.  He engages the heart of the audience, but he also revolts the brain.

"Hotspur is honourable to the point of being corrupt.  He neglects the sensuous parts of his life."

And Hal? "Hal is a young man with no role, " says Bamber, "so he gets bored.  And he does what most young men do when they have no role in life - he goes out, gets drunk and finds friends he can have a laugh with."

The plays also explores a problematic relationship between father and son.

"The scene between Hal and his father could almost have come from a kitchen-sink drama," says Bamber.
"You could even say it has elements of soap opera - apart from the language."

"It is written in pulsing, energetic verse.  It's a dream," sighs a suddenly awestruck Bamber.

His parents divorced when he was in his early-20s and Bamber's father has since remarried.

Bamber says playing Hal has made him think about his relationship with his father.

"He won't mind me saying that he was deeply sceptical about me becoming an actor.

"Mum was an actress when they married and my dad's second wife is an actress as well.  He did not want me to be an actor.  He's supportive now. But I don't want to get into all that."

Bamber has no delusions about his chosen profession.

"It never goes as well as you'd like," he says matter-of-factly.

Like his character Hal, Bamber admits that he needs direction and excitement to stop him becoming
despondent.

"I really do get bored.  If I'm left alone, I will do things that are not constructive," he says sheepishly.

"I have a very hard time when I'm not working.  I'm not a person who has other things I want to do."

"I need to work.  I've not always been stimulated by what I've been doing," he admits.

"Now I realise how life can be interesting, how your job can stimulate you day in, day out.  If that keeps
happening, I will be very pleased."

And, fortunately, the cast can still drag him away from his beloved script for a bit of unconstructive
drinking.

As Bamber's on-stage pal Gerard says: "We need to unwind after a whole day of rehearsing, so we tend to go out for a drink, which usually turns into two, then three, and so on."

Of course, it's all valuable research for playing Shakespeare's famous drinking buddies - Henry IV Part
I opens tomorrow and runs until November 30. 

Part II opens on Friday, November 8 and also runs until November 30. For tickets call 0117 987 7877.

Copyright 2002 Bristol United Press
Western Daily Press
October 10, 2002
EDITION: WP LATE CITY

SECTION: West Culture, Pg.1