When I was 13, I won a scholarship to boarding school. My parents let me choose whether to go, and I decided I wanted to. Afterwards, I went to Cambridge to study law - in a way, I was carrying the academic hopes of my family, as Mum and Dad left school at 14. Stephen Mangan academicboardcambridge share on social
I spent six years touring the world playing Shakespeare, Molire, Shaw, Goldsmith... But I slowly came to realise that the people you are working with are as important as the parts you play, and that there were lots of interesting people working in film and T.V. Stephen Mangan filmgoldsmithimportant share on social
Comedy is a very personal thing, and some people will find it funny, some people won't. Stephen Mangan comedyfindfunny Change image and share on social
If I wasn't an actor, I'd be a moody folk singer, sitting on stools and being very depressing. Stephen Mangan actordepressfolk Change image and share on social
Dad was a strict disciplinarian and would give us a wallop with a wooden spoon if we were out of order. But we really respected him - he didn't try to be our best friend. Stephen Mangan daddisciplinarianfriend Change image and share on social
My upbringing is so fundamentally different to my parents'. It must be strange to look at your child who not only speaks with a different accent but has a totally different view of the world. Stephen Mangan accentchildfundamentally Change image and share on social
I can watch anything from 1970s West Coast rock to 1990s electro-funk - I don't care. Stephen Mangan 1970s1990scare Change image and share on social
I didn't know any actors growing up. My dad was a builder, and we didn't know any arty types. Stephen Mangan actorartybuilder Change image and share on social
My mother was gentle and warm. She was the sort of person you could really open up to. I was the eldest and her only boy, so I guess I was treated differently. She did bring me up as a Catholic, and at one time I was an altar boy, but I lost my faith, as did my father, when my mother died at 45. Stephen Mangan altarboybring share on social
I come from an Irish working-class background but went to a posh school, and any type of pretension was quickly mocked at home. I've always had a keen eye for pretension. Stephen Mangan backgroundclasseye Change image and share on social