This week I had the pleasure of interviewing British award-winning actor, writer and director (and fellow Northerner) Mike Jibson. You may have seen him in the true crime BBC production ‘Four Lives’ released in January this year, where he played the distasteful character of DC Slaymaker. This interview gave a real insight into how he got where he is today. Despite Mike’s on-screen successes, his career started off in musical theatre, and during the interview it was fascinating to learn more about this transition. In 2018 Mike won an Olivier Award for ‘the best supporting actor’ in the hit-musical ‘Hamilton’ in the West End. He was also nominated for a Best Actor award in the Tim Firth musical ‘Our House.’ Alongside these theatrical endeavours, he has appeared on screen in award winning films, such as the Academy Award winning psychological thriller ‘The Lighthouse’ (which he co-wrote and produced), the Oscar-winning ‘Les Miserables’ (an all-time favourite of mine) and the gripping British wartime encapsulation ‘1917’. Alongside his involvement in film, Mike has become a familiar face on our TV screens, perpetually featuring in fist-clenching crime dramas, such as ‘Honour’, ‘Quiz’, ‘Four Lives’ and most recently ‘No Return’ which was released only last week.
Inga
I’ve read a bit about your West End debut in Oliver at the age of only fourteen – for many it would be a dream to be involved in such a classic musical, especially at such a young age. So how did you get into musical theatre?
Mike
My mum asked if I wanted to get involved in a production in my old theatre group called Hessle Theatre Company which was doing Oliver that year. Me and my brother said ‘yeah, sure’, as I was always singing and dancing and mucking about around the house…we viewed it as another outlet for us to get involved in. Then, by pure coincidence, Oliver was revived in the West End in 1994, and about three or four months into that run they needed more boys. There was an article in one of the Sunday supplements advertising this. So, long story short, we went to the audition and got cast in it. It changed my life really, I was in the wings with all these incredibly talented West End performers singing harmonies around me. I was inspired by these male voices… and that’s what I wanted to do, to be in musicals. And then I ended up auditioning for the National Youth Music Theatre and being in that until I was 19, with so many actors who have gone on to be incredibly successful. Then I went to drama school. My career from there started off in musical theatre but I’ve done a bit of everything really, I’m quite proud of the fact that I’ve been chipping away at the screen work over the years. I’ve worked at the Royal Shakespeare company, I’ve worked at the Globe, I’ve done my Shakespeares, I’ve worked at the Donmar Warehouse, I’ve worked at the regional theatres; I’ve really sort of earnt my stripes.
Inga
That’s a great story. I was going to mention you really are quite multifaceted, you started off on stage, but you’ve transitioned to on screen work as well. Appearing in films such as ‘1917’, ‘Les Miserables’, and you’ve been on TV in different series such as ‘Four Lives’, which I watched earlier this year with my entire family and, by the way, we thought it was amazing. What was it like to be part of that series? Many of the series you’ve starred in have been based on real life events.
Mike
To answer that question about those true crime dramas, I think it’s always interesting to be involved in something like that as you are part of something that doesn’t want to disrespect the people it’s about. And obviously these writers and producers that make these programmes have really gone into the depths of who these people are, have met these people and spoken to them and have heard from the horse’s mouth what went on. I’m an actor so I get to bring something of my own take on stuff. In ‘Four Lives’ I was playing a policeman like I have done many many times, it was all there in the writing for me to play and for a man to do his job. What is so interesting about TV is how characters come across a certain way.
I was in ‘Honour’ (a two-part investigation drama about the murder of Banoz Mahmod) a couple of years ago, and ‘Quiz’ (an ITV drama concerning a gameshow scandal). Both series were shot after I did ‘Four Lives’ in early 2019. Before it was released there was an inquest into the police investigations which were only concluded at the end of last year, announced not long after we finished filming.. The court case got pushed back, so the whole release date got pushed back even further, hence why it came out so much later than everything I’ve done and seemed like I’ve done all these things at once. As far as I was concerned, ‘Four Lives’ wasn’t going to get aired, but then we got the call it was going to be on in January.
Inga
Wow, that would explain why it felt like all the series came at once, I was going to ask how you do it! Would you say you have a preference for working in theatre or TV/film?
Mike
In terms of my career, first and foremost I’m a character actor, I like to do stuff that challenges me and is different… I still have a desire to do more theatre, especially musical theatre. I’m really passionate about musical theatre. I would love to do another (Stephen) Sondheim. I got to work with him about 10 years ago now at the Menier Chocolate Factory. He did a European premiere of one production which didn’t transfer to the West End and that was one of the greatest joys of my life. I sat and had dinner with him after the show. That’s what makes me breathe, but it’s the TV jobs that people start to notice you for.
Inga
I guess more people view the TV than attend the theatre, however having said that there are still a lot of theatre lovers, myself included. There is nothing like a musical so I can really see why it’s so important to you.
Mike
There is a real snobbery about musical theatre in this country, especially because of the commercial aspect of it being a cheesy night out. But when it is done brilliantly, and I’ve been in a couple of them, such as ‘Hamilton’, it’s a work of art and it changes people’s lives when they see it. And I don’t say that lightly – they go and watch it and go ‘I can’t believe what I’ve just seen’. It’s not easy to do a musical, but when they are done right, it’s like nothing else, it’s like lightning in your pocket. And when the musical gets it right they capture something of pop culture, and that’s what all the great musicals have done over the years.
Inga
Yes, I completely see that. In relation to ‘Hamilton’, it has a lot of modern-style hip hop songs. There’s a reason why the songs are in people’s playlists, because they are catchy and because that’s what people enjoy.
Mike
It’s catchy, it’s pop culture and it’s intelligent; it inspires people. So that’s my passion, I always want to be working, especially in television as I feel I am starting to gain my momentum now of how it all works in TV and film. I’m getting trusted with bigger and better roles which is really exciting and amazing. A couple of weeks ago I was filming three different roles in one week.
Inga
I can imagine it was incredibly difficult trying to manage three different roles in one week?
Mike
I found it difficult because it’s nerve-racking. Especially on a film set, if there’s someone famous there or it’s a massive production. A couple of things I’ve been working on recently are a big deal and I have to really gather my thoughts. It’s like you’re going out to play the FA Cup final every day. When doing multiple things in one week, you have to schedule things in your head for the capacity you have to learn, especially when things are changed at the last minute, so that can be stressful. But I suppose for me it’s about trying to keep my feet on the ground. I’m an actor but I’m also a dad and a husband and a dog walker and I cook and I rest – I do find it hard and stressful, like anyone does. But it’s exciting as well and I try to remember that, I’m very lucky to do what I do.
Inga
And very lucky to have a job that’s also your passion!
Mike
Yes, exactly. In that week, I was filming three massive projects at once. During this period I was constantly going up and down the M1 for a fitting or this or that, it was chaos, but it was also really exciting to be that busy. I pinched myself at the end of that week. If my 15-year-old self in the National Youth Music Theatre knew I’d be doing this I would be very proud of myself.
Inga
Speaking of your career progression, I was just going to ask you a bit more about the trust you started in 2018, the Hull and East Yorkshire Arts and Culture Trust. Because I’m a Northerner, and this greatly interested me as a member of stage school too. It’s apparent that musical theatre is already a competitive field, never mind if you have financial strains holding you back. And it was really lovely to hear about this trust, can you tell us a little more about it?
Mike
Yes, of course. Well obviously I’m from Hull and East Yorkshire, which is a working class corner of the world, as are many of these pockets of society within our British Isles. I’ve had some help along the way, people lending me money and financially supporting me, and it’s always about finances. When I went to school they didn’t even do drama, we didn’t have a theatre, just a school hall. There were kids who had money, those were the kids who went on ski trips, I never went on school trips like that. For me to be a person who’s done alright in this industry, I just thought, ‘Do you know what? Maybe I could do something for people from my neck of the woods’. Not just acting, singing, dancing, but for those who want to be a photographer, or a director, get a job on a film set or work in a post production house. There is a career to be had in every corner of this industry which is booming at the moment because of the way we are consuming things. So I got in contact with a friend of mine called Andy Pearson, we’ve known each other for a long time. He’s an actor, director and producer who went to LAMDA twenty five years ago and settled back in Hull. So we set this thing up and got in touch with local press up there, BBC Look North and what not. Within a day we got contacted by this company called the Smile Foundation, who said they had just seen this article on local news, and they’d love to give their money to individuals but did not know how or where to contact these people, so we teamed up. They gave us this huge kickstart, we have so far been peppering the odd person with train fairs and assistance. The idea is that this will be an ongoing thing and we want to tap into local business and get them to invest in the talent in the area. Why can’t we find these incredibly talented people making films on their iPhone who want to be the next Steven Spielberg but don’t have a family member who works on a film set, and will never have access to that?
Inga
Yes it’s great you mention that not only can you go into a role in performance, but also the technicalities behind performance, such as filming and photography. Something people may not realise there is a career there to be had when they are younger, if they are not exposed to it.
Mike
Exactly, there could be an incredible artist doing art at school and then it finishes. In ‘The Office’, Martin Freeman’s character tells Dawn never to give up, because she has this dead end job in this office and she’s an incredible artist. That’s what we want to do, to say ‘don’t give up’, because there’s a career to be had in this industry.
ITV NO RETURN – Pictured:MICHAEL JIBSON as Martin and SHERIDAN SMITH as Kathy.
Inga
Now let’s touch upon ‘No Return’ which you co-star in with Sheridan Smith, who was also your co-star in the aforementioned ‘Four Lives’. You said in a recent interview you were cut from the same cloth, how do you know Sheridan Smith?
Mike
Sheridan was one of the actors I worked with in the National Youth Music Theatre. There were lots of kids like Sheridan – Jamie Bell, Laura Kelly (who went on to play Mary Poppins in the West End and Broadway), and various actors in the NYMT. Shez was in a couple of shows with me back when I was fourteen/ fifteen. So, we were learning how to be on stage and act with other actors in the same lion’s den. I’ve known her for years.
Inga
You really do go far back! So ‘No Return’ is showing every Monday at 9pm on ITV. It is a four-part drama which follows the Powell family, who take a well needed family holiday to Turkey. It says in the synopsis of this series that this is the chance for the family to unwind, but what happens is far from tranquil when the son gets accused of a crime he does not commit. You play Martin Powell. Please can you tell us a bit about your character?
Mike
Martin is married to Kathy, they’ve got two kids, a son and a daughter. They are a couple who have probably been together since they were 16, they probably went to school together, they have ended up getting married and having kids very young. We were playing our age. They are very hand to mouth people, he’s a truck driver, they work hard and look forward to their holiday. They have never had any major hiccups in their lives. He’s always been under the thumb, and he’s kind of a weak character… he goes with what she says and he isn’t really bothered by that, he makes the jokes, he’s the dad, he’s embarrassing but he’s happy. But then this incredible and traumatic experience occurs on their family holiday.
Inga
I get the impression that a lot of viewers will find this series unnerving, as everyone looks forward to their annual family holiday.
Mike
I think that’s going to be interesting, to see how this pans out in terms of the audience watching, how will they see it? Hopefully they’ll see some of themselves. It might make people question ‘how would I respond to a situation like that?’. Holidays are an opportunity for us to let our hair down, let off some steam, laze around and enjoy ourselves, and as they are in full swing they are faced with a horrible situation which suddenly happens and they have no clue how. They can’t talk to their son as it’s a very different system. There’s no solicitor, they are in a foreign country with a different culture that does things in a certain way, and that in itself is very scary for them. And then of course they are on holiday so they are running out of money, and can’t afford to stay in the resort. That’s why the writing is so good. Yes, it’s about a family holiday that goes wrong, but it’s also about how a family copes.
Inga
It really delves into the nature of family dynamics. I think it’s interesting because you can question how you would deal with it. It’s quite a typical nuclear family navigating an unusual situation so out of their control.
Mike
They try their best. And in the process it brings to the surface all of their weaknesses, it pushes their buttons. Martin doesn’t want to deal with anything and ends up making the wrong decision, maybe. Kathy ends up overreacting and throwing herself in head first and getting aggressive. It’s a great observation of how the human condition can evolve into something in any given circumstance.
Inga
When I saw a sneak peak of it, it’s not simply relaying an event, it talks about issues/themes about parenthood, communication, justice and consent. Can you tell us why you think this series will be significant?
Mike
Communication – that’s the word. It’s about communication within every relationship within this story, how are each of them communicating? Especially with the fact that this couple, who thought everything was fine, not only had to fathom their son’s arrest but also discovered his sexuality. Not that this is a problem, but Noah didn’t feel he could tell them and I think they are sad about that, and it makes them look at themselves. Think they aren’t communicating with each other and obviously aren’t communicating with their kids. I think people will come away from this programme thinking about what they would do, but people will also come away from this programme holding people a little closer and making sure they ask each other if they are in fact okay and telling each other the full story.
Inga
So despite Mike’s career being on a swift ascension, he has remained a grounded and down to earth individual, and continues to be mindful of his upbringing in Hull and East Yorkshire. It was truly a privilege to be able to converse with such an admirable actor. The new hit series ‘No Return’ screened on Monday the 9th February at 9pm on ITV, but fear not as it is available on ITV hub too. Have a great week!
