Lesley Nicol - "I was compelled to become an actor. There was no plan B."

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Michael Jibson sits down with three time SAG Award winner Lesley Nicol, best known as Mrs Patmore in Downton Abbey, for a warm and wide ranging conversation about a life in acting. Lesley traces her journey from a pathologically shy boarding school girl who sneaked into rehearsals at Manchester Library Theatre, through to training at Guildhall and then into Jesus Christ Superstar at the Palace Theatre, and on to the roles that shaped her career, including Mrs Beaver in the BBC's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Ella in East is East, Mamma Mia in the West End, Mr Bates vs The Post Office and most recently, Ballet Shoes on the Olivier stage at the National Theatre. Along the way, Lesley…