James Dinsmore is currently appearing in the Mercury’s pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which runs at the Colchester theatre until January 14. For tickets go on-line at mercurytheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01206 573948.

What or who got you interested theatre? Did you take part in any productions at school?

It is difficult to say exactly what triggered my interest in theatre but as well as playing Joseph in the prep school Nativity, I was also lucky enough to be in a show each year in senior school, performing in musicals, plays and pantos. I played my first Dame at school singing songs written by the now international historian Professor Niall Ferguson, then a year above me en route to Oxford and fame. My parents also took my brother and me to the theatre occasionally. I can remember going to see the pantomime Aladdin at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre where Widow Twankey, the Emperor & Co took a rocket to follow Abanazar to Egypt. We had a great local theatre in Glasgow and I was taken to see two amateur groups who performed Gilbert & Sullivan, seeing Patience and Iolanthe in quick succession. And that was me hooked! I wanted to do that!

Are or were any members of your immediate family involved in the theatre?

No, I was the first member of the family to show any interest in being involved with theatre both on and off stage. My brother and nephew are musical and play guitar but that’s about it.

Who is the most inspiring person you’ve worked with and why?

Gosh, that is a tricky one. There have been so many that I have been lucky enough to work with, from the great Gilbert & Sullivan singers when I started my professional career with Carl Rosa Opera, to the wonderful Gary Wilmot, playing the Tommy Steele part in Half a Sixpence. A consummate professional actor with a great sense of what works and what doesn’t work in comedy. Then there was the lovely late Kate O’Mara who oozed charm and poison in An Ideal Husband.

What formal training have you done?

Ha….none! I went to university in Glasgow and got a law degree, happily continuing to act as an amateur and taking singing lessons, before deciding to see if I could do it for real, and 17 years on, I’m still having fun as a jobbing actor, learning on the job. It is important to never stop learning, taking something from each job you do and the people you meet.

Do you have any specialist skills – anything from stilt walking to dress-making – which you work into your repertoire?

No, I stick to acting and singing with occasional dance. You won’t see me on stilts.

Which experience/role do you regard as the highlight of your career to date?

I go back to how I started on my professional career. I had been to see Carl Rosa Opera perform Iolanthe and The Yeomen of the Guard at the Edinburgh King’s Theatre and after wrote to the company asking if I could audition for them. Two months later, I auditioned at 2.10pm and at at 2.30pm started rehearsals for The Mikado, making my professional debut on stage in Manchester a week later. That was the beginning of two years with Carl Rosa touring the UK as well as Australia and New Zealand.

What has been your most embarrassing moment on stage?

I’m not sure I want to say! Introducing myself to another character by using his character’s name rather than mine. Arriving on stage as Captain Hook and suddenly remembering that the all important hook was still sitting on my dressing room table - that scene was played with my hand behind my back! Hearing your entry music over the backstage tannoy while you are one floor down chatting with a colleague and arriving onstage rather out of breath. Take your pick.

Which actor (s) performer (s) do you most admire and why?

Alec Guinness was such a wonderful actor and the variety of parts that he played was so huge. On the modern stage actors like Simon Russell Beale and Alex Jennings never fail to impress. They make it look so easy and there is always a hint that they are having fun.

What role would you most like to play and why?

That’s easy. If a musical, Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. A great combination of acting and singing, based on such a great play. If a play, I would love to appear in a Ben Travers farce playing one of the parts originated by Ralph Lynn or Tom Walls.

Ever corpsed on stage? What happened?

Sadly, yes! I am a bit of a giggler so too many to pick out one.

Any big plans for the future?

A holiday in January to recover from two shows a day in panto. I’ve had a busy year performing, so I quite look forward to a couple of weeks off to start the new year.