My early childhood was idyllic. We shuttled between a rather ramshackle electricity- and mains water-free farmhouse in Ibiza and this place in Suffolk where my parents [actors Nigel Davenport and Maria Aitken] were trying to live the Good Life, God love them.
I was a confident, outgoing little boy. If you're an only child, you're living in a very linguistically adult world and you've got to keep up. So I did.
Maybe I was slightly annoying. I was never lonely. There were always lots of other actors and kids around. Actors are brilliant to hang out with because their job is to play. I wanted to be in their group β that's why I decided to become an actor.
My parents divorced when I was seven. Because divorce is messy, for good or ill they sent me to boarding school. I went back about 10 years ago to open a Christmas fete and I'd never seen a squadron of eight year olds β I was like, fuck, they're tiny! My heart slightly broke for myself because I realised I was really young.
In defence of my parents, it was an expedient decision and if you're going to send your child away, send him to the Dragon school in Oxford.
