Ray Brooks’ acting career has spanned more than four decades, from his breakthrough role in the iconic 1960s film The Knack, to infamy as the murderer of Pauline Fowler in EastEnders.

Learning My Lines is the diary Ray wrote while working on EastEnders. It provides a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes at Albert Square, and also prompts Ray to dip into his past. He talks about growing up in Brighton with his bus conductress mother, working with Ken Loach on the ground-breaking BBC drama Cathy Come Home, fighting off Daleks in Dr Who, and starring as gambler Robbie Box in the hit TV show Big Deal.

His theatrical tales cover his climb to fame, including almost appearing in The Sound of Music and working on classic comedies by Alan Ayckbourn and Tom Stoppard. To a whole generation, Ray Brooks is the voice of Mr. Benn, the popular children’s animated series, and his seductive tones have also been used to persuade us to buy everything from margarine to lemonade - until Terry Wogan got in on the act!

But as the accolades build up over the years, so do the insecurities: What job will I get when this one finishes? Surely that fat, bald bloke on the screen can’t be me? Can I still learn lines? Revealing the vulnerability of an actor’s life, Learning My Lines is a candid account, full of down-to-earth humour and captivating honesty.