Through conversations with various people in the entertainment business, one name kept cropping up again and again as one of the most decent, respectful and talented gentlemen in the industry. That name is Mr Reece Dinsdale.

Reece has not really engaged with the media over the years, preferring to let his vast body of work do the talking for him, so you can imagine how delighted I was when I spoke to him and he agreed to be interviewed by me.

If you mention his name to most people, they will automatically think of his roles as Matthew Willows in Home to Roost alongside the late, great John Thaw, or as the ill-fated Joe McIntyre in Coronation Street. However, there is so much more to Reece's illustrious career than just these two specific roles.

Reece is a time-served, award winning actor who, after training at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama, went on to appear in many hugely successful stage productions, films, television dramas and radio plays.

My personal favourite screen role he gave, is that of John Brandon in the feature film I.D. His portrayal of the undercover policeman turned football hooligan showed us he was by no means just the typecast, light hearted, boy next door that television audiences may have assumed, but showed he could also play the raw, gritty, emotional roles that his stage audiences had already discovered. In fact, his portrayal of the role won him the Special Jury Prize (International Critics Award) at the Geneva Film Festival… and deservedly so!

To begin our chat I asked Reece if he had always wanted to be an actor.

“I didn’t want to be an actor at all… it wasn’t the done thing, as a working class boy from Yorkshire. I was literally press-ganged into a school play at the age of 12. The lad playing the leading role of Tom Sawyer had to pull out just a week before the performance, and so the directors picked me to fill in. They said I had a ‘cheeky face’. I wasn’t happy. However, I did it and, to my complete surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I realised I was quite good at something and decided to pursue it. Not a bad decision in hindsight. It was a completely alien world to my mum and dad, but they backed me to the hilt. I then got into drama school at 17 years of age… and the rest is history.”

I asked if he had ever visited our Borough of Trafford or the surrounding areas.

I’ve been to Trafford three or four times to watch my beloved Huddersfield Town play at Old Trafford, and I’m often at Media City, Salford Quays, doing plays for Radio 4.

My wife Val and I recently went to a play by Urmston Musical Theatre Juniors. What advice would you give those young people who may wish to pursue acting as a career?

As a sometimes television director, and only if I’m asked, I tell the more inexperienced actors that there’s absolutely no alternative to working as hard as you possibly can. Without honing your craft, being extremely conscientious and professional; turning up on time, giving it your full attention, being prepared, you’re not going to get anywhere. The odd one or two get through the net without it, but it’s rare. Without that real hard work and drive, and talent of course, you’re not going to get too far. It’s also important that it’s enjoyable and that you find time to have a good laugh as well; to know when it’s time to play and when it’s time to work. I think a good mixture of the two is very useful. In short though, it isn’t a free ride. As my old dad always said… ‘You don’t get owt for nowt!’.

I’ve always thought of theatre acting as a very different technique to screen acting and I asked Reece what he thought were the main differences he found between the two.

“Well, in some ways they are two very different worlds and different techniques are required, without a shadow of a doubt. And yes, sometimes your work needs to be smaller, more subtle, working on television. But acting for both theatre and the screen has one thing in common… and that’s ‘truth’. The camera will know if you’re not really inside the character, if you’re not finding the moment, and likewise on stage (depending on the nature of the piece, of course), the audiences will know if you’re pushing it, not being truthful, if you’re not alive to the moment. The stage technique only differs in that you also need to get your words and emotions across to the back of the auditorium whilst keeping things (should the play require it) truthful and intimate. It’s a fine art, this acting lark, and can only be learned with time and experience.”

As briefly mentioned, Reece is also beginning to make a name for himself behind the camera. He has now directed a number of television dramas with great style and success; one of them winning a Royal Television Society Award. I wanted to know if he preferred directing over acting or vice versa and also is it easier for him to direct actors as an actor himself.

“I like them both equally. I am an actor, and that’s what I will always do, but the directing came out of the blue for me. I was playing a leading role in a ’Moving On’ story (for the Jimmy McGovern led series that I now direct) and the producer said to me that I really ought to direct. I’d never thought of it before, even though I know a lot of actors love to have a go at it. I just thought… right, here we go, here’s a golden opportunity, let’s take the chance, and if I’m rubbish then I’m rubbish and I’ll never have to do it again. Turns out I was half decent. I totally adore working with actors. I think they trust me, as they know I’ve walked the walk, so to speak. It’s a fabulous and hugely rewarding job and I absolutely love it!”

Reece Dinsdale is a remarkably talented actor, a well-respected and admired director and, I’ve now found out for myself having been told by others for some time, that Reece is a genuine, honest and respectful gentleman. It has been an absolute pleasure to talk to him and gain an insight into the man and his career.

I hope the reader will gain from this feature as much as I have. As his own career is testament to… his invaluable advice, his outlook on life, and the way he conducts himself as a man, makes him an ideal role model for our younger generation of up and coming actors.

Having just reached his 60th birthday, Reece tells me he will continue to grow and develop new skills as both an actor and director, and I personally hope to see him back on our screens soon… and, of course, I am sure he will never be too far away from the stage!