| THE FIRST serious sort of production I appeared in was while I was at Seaford College, aged about 15. It was a sporty school, quite near home. It wasn't the best place in the world educationally, but then I wasn't the brightest child. In fact, I think it was about the only place that would take me. Their thing was hockey and rugby - drama wasn't exactly top of their list of priorities. The one small concession they did make to drama, though, was to have an annual school play. Nothing fancy. Certainly no Shakespeare. My first school-play appearance was in a production of The Ghost Train by Arnold Ridley. He was the unbelievably ancient guy in Dad's Army, who also wrote a number of plays. This one was a thriller based in a railway station somewhere in Cornwall. I played the stationmaster, which was a pivotal role: I came on a few times with a swinging lamp, a straggly beard (I was unable to grow my own) and rather a lot of make-up, with just the one line: "There bain't bin no trains for years." Admittedly, I did get to walk on stage a number of times to repeat it. People actually found me rather funny - I'm still not sure whether that was thanks to my own inherent ability or whether it was just the part. But when I realised that people thought I was funny, I decided to squeeze out more laughs by making my character more elaborate - by the last show, the stationmaster had gained a stoop, a funny walk, a whole gamut of new character traits. It was a great success. The next year, they put on Arsenic and Old Lace, and I was given a more substantial comedy character. I had known from an early age that I was interested in acting but The Ghost Train was the first time I had managed to get on stage and stay on stage, and the audience had responded to me. I kind of liked it. Toby Stephens is currently (2001) appearing in `Japes', by Simon Gray, at the Haymarket Theatre Royal, London SW1
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