Les Dennis had "impostor syndrome" on his first day with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The veteran entertainer – who hosted game show ‘Family Fortunes’ for 15 years until 2002 – admitted joining the prestigious organisation was a new step for his long career on stage and screen, but he was quickly put at ease by ‘Men Behaving Badly’ actress Caroline Quentin.
Appearing on ITV’s ‘Loose Women’, he said: "Yeah, on the first day of rehearsals, impostor syndrome – I think we all suffer from it.
"I got there on that first day thinking before I went in, I’m the only one here who hasn’t done the big drama school thing, who hasn’t been trained.
"I’ve done all the variety and the game shows, and then the theatre, but I’m not trained and I’m going to be with all these Shakespearean actors.
"I walked in and the first person I saw was Caroline Quentin and she said ‘I’m really nervous, I haven’t been trained’, and I said ‘neither have I!’ She started off as a dancer, so that put me straight at ease. It’s a wonderful company to be part of."
The 65-year-old star is currently starring in Restoration tragedy ‘Venice Preserved’, while he has a "cameo role" in comedy ‘The Provoked Wife’.
Les, 65, admitted there can be an uphill battle to get respect from critics, despite his experience treading the boards.
He added: "Years and years of stage and theatre. To come from being an entertainer, it takes a while to be respected and taken seriously. You’re always ‘a revelation’ in the reviews.
"But then, finally, to get to the Royal Shakespeare Company, which is amazing… To get there, suddenly, it’s like getting a blue tick on Twitter. I can put it on my passport – I’m an actor."
Les Dennis had ‘impostor syndrome’ with RSC
