The elusive but much discussed
policeman, Harry in As Time
Goes By, Dr Neil Bolton in
Heartbeat, Mick Priest in Peak
Practise and Jon Welch in
Coronation Street: characters
from popular dramas, each
played by David Michaels.These are the more recent parts from the repertoire of this hard-working actor - another Northerner who has adopted North London as his home.
David has lived between Crouch End and Finsbury Park since 1990, and is very settled after 11 years in London. “ I love the area, so it would be very difficult to leave - it’s a village and a community which is very difficult to find in London.
“The place is coming down with eateries. We lunch at Florians a lot, as we’ve just had a baby and they’re great with children. And they do the best cappuccino in Crouch End.
Ralph (whose name is definitely not pronounced ‘Rafe’!) is three months old. The only factor which makes David and his partner, Paula, think of moving house is the hunt for a suitable school - despite Ralph’s tiny age, his parents are planning for his future.
“We do want to send him to a local school - we’re all so concerned about education these days and the right Ofsted report has a major bearing on our choice and where we would live.”
But they don’t expect to be far from their beloved village. “We’ll only move once - I love London too much. In Crouch End, you’ve got the pick of so many options. But I do think that there are enough restaurants now - we’ve probably got at least one of everything.”
But why are so many members of the luvverati such passionate Crouch Enders? “Because it’s North Hollywood,” replies David automatically, adding that it’s where a number of ley lines converge.
“I think it only attracts a certain type of actor or creative person. It’s got edges and it hasn’t been smoothed over. The fact that it’s never had a tube is a benefit - the house prices would go sky high!”
David Michaels knew that he wanted to become an actor from the age of 13. He attended a grammar school in Cheshire, where the family interests centred on scouting and cricket.
It took some time before he gained the confidence to tell people about his acting ambition. “My parents were very supportive, which was encouraging when people will always tell you that 90 per cent of actors are unemployed.”
Even with upwards of 40 roles behind him, there have still been unexpectedly lean periods. “I didn’t work from November ’91 to January ’93.
“In the whole of 1992, I did two days on a commercial. Ideally, you reach a level where you know enough people who’ll employ you. Then there are periods of elective unemployment, when you take control over which roles you accept or reject.”
David is excited by the prospect of a further series of As Time Goes By. “It’s absolutely brilliant working with people of the calibre of Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer - when I’m not working, I just watch and learn from them. “Acting is like sport, you can only improve by playing against people who are better than you. You develop because they make certain demands and you just have to come up to that standard.”
The thrill of new fatherhood has lead him to re-discover some of Haringey’s open spaces. “We’ve been taking Ralph to Stationers Park, which is really lovely.”
“We also love the Muswell Hill Odeon and the Phoenix in East Finchley. Everything that you need is nearby in Haringey.” Is there nothing that he dislikes about the area? After a long pause for deliberation, he finally finds a fault. “The hills are a bit steep! I bought a bicycle but the hills got to me, so I sold it.”
David is currently filming another series of Heartbeat, which takes him up to Yorkshire. Despite the fact that he’s away from home, the schedule is relatively family-friendly.
“It takes nine days to film an episode - I usually do between five and seven days - but they never shoot at weekends. It’s great to know that my weekends are free and I always feel good about coming home to Crouch End.”
Thanks to Stephanie for finding this article.